The rangers' eyes trembled with terror as they were consumed by the behemoth's shadow. Its unbridled hostility gripped their throats and rooted their legs in fear. Impaled on one of its mandibles was a familiar figure. With horrified eyes, Touma stumbled back.

"H-H-Haruto...!" he muttered.

"...h...hel...p...m...e..." Haruto whimpered, blood oozing from his wounds.

It was impossible to calculate how long this thing was since part of its body was still buried underground though the exposed part was at least twenty meters long. Yakeru swallowed hard as he too had to nearly look straight up at the imposing figure. He didn't think monsters could grow to such a colossal scale. Even Fuyumi's face was drained of its color.

"W-We're all finished..." Riku sank to his knees in complete resignation.

With both mandibles, it guided the still-conscious ranger into its mouth.

"AHH-!" his cries were cut short as the beast devoured him whole, a cloud of purple mist spewing from the crevasses of its obsidian armor.

"Go! Run!!" Hiroto was the first to snap out of his stupor, urging his petrified teammates to make a break for it.

With great effort, they peeled their gazes away from the behemoth and raced towards the exit. The horrific sounds of flesh tearing and bones crunching echoed in their heads before a thunderous roar exploded from behind them, forcing them to shield their ears. The earth trembled once more and Yakeru glanced back only to find the beast barrelling towards them. Its legs moved with terrifying swiftness, propelling its enormous size forward in a relentless pursuit as it effortlessly pulverized boulders in its path. Its eyes burned with an insatiable bloodlust aimed at the fools who'd invaded its territory.

The longer they ran, the more they realized outrunning a beast capable of tunneling through solid rock was futile as they gained zero distance. As the behemoth closed in on them, the bulky armor on its 'neck' slid over its head, its movement creating a gale of mist.

Realizing they couldn't escape, Kenji willed radiance into his staff in an attempt to slow the creature's advancement. Blood immediately erupted from his nose, bringing him to his knees as the beast's sheer size completely negated the debuff.

It thrust itself at the closest target, Touma, before Hiroto stepped between them, conjuring a barrier at a slight angle.

𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔!!

A deafening explosion reverberated through the large chamber as he parried the force of the blow, shattering the thick wall of radiance. He slid back several feet, recovering from the violent recoil. Although he protected Touma from what would've been an instant kill, the shockwave still launched the boy away.

Seizing the opportunity created by Hiroto, Fuyumi doubled back to assist the old man. Bo glanced back at the two, then the creature. The mere sight of the titanic monstrosity filled him with a second wave of fear. Not wanting to lose any more comrades because of his hesitance, he steeled himself, drawing his sword and joining the fight.

"Bo! What are you doing?!" Touma shouted.

"Keep going! I'll catch up!"

The two willed radiance into their blades as they charged the beast. Hiroto nodded at Fuyumi as if they had a prior agreement before he offered his shield as a springboard and launched her through the air.

She twirled her body using her increased momentum. Sparks flew as her blades glided across the creature's exoskeleton, leaving behind a trail of brilliant amber.

While she attacked high Bo opted for a low assault. He evaded the spider-like appendages that struck the ground like javelins as he dished out precise attacks.

The sharp sound of clinging metal pierced the cavern. Though even with the combined efforts of two B-ranks and one A-rank, they didn't leave so much as a scratch on it. Unfazed, the behemoth slammed through the stone floor.

𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔!

Powerful winds shot them backwards and debris exploded through the air. The rest of the group was forced to scatter if they didn't want to get crushed by raining boulders. Fuyumi barely recovered fast enough to throw herself away from a boulder smashing into the ground. Bo, unfortunately, didn't possess the same reflexes and was pinned under a slab of earth.

"Bo!" Touma cried, rushing over to his injured comrade, along with Yakeru and Kenji.

Together, they tried lifting the rock but even with their combined strength, it wasn't enough.

"What are you doing...?! I told you to go!" Bo hoarsely barked.

Touma turned back to see Riku nearing the exit.

"Riku! We need your help! Please!"

Riku stopped in his tracks, mere feet away from the exit. He glanced at the pleading teen, then back at the exit. He stood frozen, debating over the deafening roars and thunderous explosions from behind him.

"Riku!!"

He gritted his teeth in new resolve and sprinted back towards his fallen ally.

"Riku, take Touma and go!" Bo demanded.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Riku ignored him and proceeded to remove the slab of stone lying on his foot. The fear searing through his body and the continuous chaos nearby made it difficult to concentrate. He fumbled with his wand a moment before grasping it tightly. Soon the rock slab disappeared and reappeared a few feet away.

Touma and Kenji slung Bo's arms over their shoulders while Riku finally had enough, bolting for the exit.

"Riku, wait!" Yakeru extended a helpless hand.

𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩!

Flying debris smashed in front of the wand user, a broken stone hitting him square in the chest as he got the wind knocked out of him. He tumbled back several meters before coming to a stop to recover. His body ached as he struggled to stand, Yakeru rushed over to him but stopped, staring at a particular accessory of his.

"R-Riku...your pendant...!"

He glanced down to see the pendant that had been protecting him from the gas for hours now shattered. He looked at Yakeru, his face pale as the gas found its way into his lungs. He erupted in a fit of coughs before blood poured from his mouth. Boils formed on his skin, bursting with pus. His eyes turned bloodshot and veins bulged all over his body.

"Help! Please!" he begged, reaching for Yakeru's pendant in desperation. Blood began seeping out of every orifice until the anguish on his face was no longer apparent. "AAGHHH! HELP ME!"

Yakeru backed away in horror as he watched the conjurer's body liquefy before his eyes. His shrieks turned to gurgles before he was silenced, reduced to a heap of flesh and bones.

"Yakeru!"

It took a minute to realize Kenji was shouting for him. He still didn't have time to process what had happened. His legs wouldn't move even as the behemoth thrashed around, shaking the room. Kenji sprinted to him.

"Yakeru!" he yanked his arm. "We need to go, now!"

He snapped out of the trance and nodded, still shaken up after witnessing that unsightly scene. He glanced back to see the A-rank leader battling the towering beast with Fuyumi who was already showing signs of exhaustion.

Hiroto deflected another attack as the behemoth tunneled into the ground again. Fuyumi had been evading and counter-attacking the whole time. Yet despite her best efforts slashing away at its outer shell, its armor made it practically impervious to damage.

Hiroto was rather impressed that she managed to survive this long, but even he could tell the girl was running out of time. Her stamina had taken a hit back at the room with the slimes now she was pushing herself even harder to keep up with the titan. She panted and her movements grew sluggish allowing the beast to finally nick her leg.

She tumbled to the ground and without wasting a second, it charged her at full speed.

𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔!!

If Hiroto hadn't leaped in front of her, barrier ready, she would've been pulverized.

"Go, youngster! Make sure everyone gets out safely! I can hold it off!"

She nodded, retreating back to the others, fishing out a health elixir and drinking its contents as she did. Yakeru and Touma were hard at work carrying Bo toward the exit. Kenji helped Fuyumi stabilize her strides as most of her stamina had been drained already. It felt like they were moving at a snail's pace, the group constantly glancing over their shoulders to keep tabs on the beast thrashing about.

The creature took full advantage of its massive build to pummel the old man.

𝘚𝘓𝘈𝘔!! 𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘚𝘏!!

It tunneled around him, trapping him in a purple smokescreen that impaired his vision. He parried and deflected each and every blow that would've been fatal had he taken them head-on.

He parried again before it tunneled and attempted the same strategy from a different angle. He only had a few feet of visibility which translated to half a second to react. One slight miscalculation would spell his end. The radiance in his reserves plummeted and his already deteriorating body ached as he continued to ward off the behemoth's onslaught.

It slammed against his radiant wall once again, shattering it before drilling into the earth. The ground cracked and trembled more violently beneath him this time. He looked down as the stone floor began to cave in slightly. His eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen but it was already too late. Not that he could flee in his worn-out state anyway.

He aimed his shield down and cast one final barrier, pouring every ounce of radiance into it before uttering,

"Well played..."

The colossal beast rocketed from beneath him shattering his defenses and sending him soaring. He smashed into the ground near his team, leaving behind a dust cloud.

"Hiroto!" Kenji yelped.

"Is he moving?!" Bo panicked. "Say something!"

Yakeru peeled off from the group behind and sprinted toward the crater the leader had created from the impact.

"Where are you going?!" Fuyumi shouted.

"Keep going! I'll be right behind you!" he continued sprinting.

He snuck a glance in the beast's direction. Judging from its beady eyes, it seemed to be basking in pleasure after swatting a rather annoying insect.

He waved away the dust to reveal a gravely wounded Hiroto. His twisted armor and shield were painted red from the blood that gushed out of where his arm used to be. Patches of skin had been torn off and his left leg was bent at an awkward angle. His once nicely kept cards were scattered around him, red, bent, and torn.

Despite his condition, he was still barely conscious, coughing up a fountain of blood. Yakeru hurriedly kneeled beside him, fumbling in his satchel before pulling out a health elixir. The limitations on such items must've slipped his panicked mind because he began to offer it when Hiroto stopped him.

"Put that thing away...it's over." he let out a gurgled whisper.

"No, you have to get up. The others. Your team!" Yakeru tried to motivate the dying leader. "Your daughter. She's waiting for you, remember?"

Hiroto forced a weak smile.

"...I know...I'm going to see her now..."

Yakeru slumped in defeat as Hiroto's stream of blood made a trail toward a card that had miraculously survived the impact. He placed an urging hand on the boy's arm.

"It's okay, youngster...I want this...go while you still can..."

His vision began to fill with a white light, embracing him with its brilliance. He let out a faint gasp as the silhouette of a girl materialized beside Yakeru, though the kid appeared oblivious. His lips curled into a weak smile as he uttered,

"...I missed you..."

The stream reached the card, drowning it in a sickly crimson. His hand slid down the kid's arm before going limp and his eyes drained of its color. Yakeru stared at him for a moment before accepting the turn of events, gently sliding the fallen leader's eyelids closed. The behemoth turned its attention to the fleeing rangers as well as Yakeru. They were still ways away from the exit and it'd be impossible to outrun a monster of its caliber.

'At this rate, we're all gonna...'

His mind scrambled to calculate their options as his allies hurried to the exit. As he slipped his elixir back into his satchel, his hand nudged a familiar item. A spark of hope flickered as he pulled the item out.

It was the same stone he'd bought from the artifact shop. At that moment, he recalled what the shop owner said.

"𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺."

If what he claimed holds true, this was their only hope. But even so, there was no guarantee that he'd survive the backlash but if he didn't try they'd all die anyways. He clenched his teeth in frustration as no matter how many times he ran through the scenarios in his head he always came to the same conclusion.

"There's no other way."

Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip around the stone until it shattered. The energy stored within exploded, smothering him with its power. His now azure hair stood up and a near-palpable aura enveloped him as it produced an almost blinding blue light that snatched the behemoth's attention.

"Well?" he strained with a challenging gaze. "Come on."