CRASH CRASH CRASH BOOOOOOMMMM
The whole Labyrinth shook ever so violently, shocks and tremors running through the ground and storms of gray and gold brewing in the air. The walls were asunder and the air was in turmoil, three figures clashing time and time again.
A Minotaur Overlord has taken its heavy step, a large dent carved on the cold, stony earth as it did and cracks running all throughout. It swung its battleaxe, the howling winds lashing out from the sheer force, shockwaves ringing in the air.
It swung towards the ground and the earth was split in half. Rocks and boulders were shaped one after another sprouting from the ground like flowers blooming in the ever so verdant spring. Only that rather than life, all that loomed was destruction.
Yet despite the hundreds of boulders hurled into the air, not a single one hit its target. The latter simply dodged and weaved, streaks of platinum light coursing throughout the whole spectacle as they bolted towards the Minotaur Overlord.
"Hey! Is that everything you've got?!" ［Canopus］
A gorgeous man screamed, eyes lit with excitement and a mischievous smile blooming on his face. There were wings sprouting from his back, a shockwave ringing in the air with every flap and dark gray light shimmering from his eyes.
He bolted towards the Minotaur Overlord without a single shred of hesitation in his eyes, dodging the large swings of the massive battleaxe without much difficulty. He maneuvered himself as if he was one with the wind, dancing ever so freely.
Soon enough, he landed on the Minotaur Overlord's head, a dangerous smile painted on his face. The latter tried to flail around in an attempt to throw off the man, but it was futile. He stood still, sticking like glue.
"Oi! Kentaurus, what are you waiting for?!" ［Canopus］
"Really... Why can't you o have some decency?" ［Kentaurus］
"Hah! Just hurry up and do it!" ［Canopus］
The man yelled and another figure answered in kind. He looked uncannily similar to him, only that his eyes were a bright gold color rather than a cold and sharp gray. He was calm and composed, unfazed in the presence of the Minotaur General.
Kentaurus extended his hands out and a beam of golden light shone inside the large corridors. Such light soon adorned Canopus, his body pulsing with strength and his eyes gleaming even brighter, heart racing in excitement.
"Hahaha! Now this is what I'm talking about!" ［Canopus］
There was no time to waste. As soon as Canopus received Kentaurus' buff, he then clenched his fist and poured in all his might. It was clad in dark and ominous aura, a fierce and violent gleam looming over his clenched fist.
FWOOOOSSSSHHH BOOOOOOOMMMMMM
He fiat struck and it connected, a loud shockwave rocking the whole Labyrinth as the Minotaur Overlord's skull was split open. A bellow of pain and agony followed before long and the massive figure turned groggy, unable to maintain balance.
However, everything was still far from over. As soon as Canopus did his part, he then leaped into the air. At the same time, Kentaurus rushed towards the enemy, drifting on the ground and stopping by the enemy's back.
The same golden light enveloped his body and strength coursed through his whole body. He imputed more mana and his strength exploded. He soon took a small leap towards the air, arriving just a little ways away, above the enemy's knee level.
"Canopus! Watch closely!" ［Kentaurus］
"Hahaha! Look at this guy talk!" ［Canopus］
With all his might, Kentaurus struck the back of the Minotaur Overlord's knee, sounds of bones cracking drifting in the air. What followed after was yet another bellow as the knee was broken, the enemy falling towards his back.
Meanwhile, Canopus had reached the ceiling of the Labyrinth, and with a quick flip, he planted his foot on it. He poured strength into his legs and darting towards the enemy once more, falling like a lightning bolt from the sky.
"And, here's my goodbye, big guy!" ［Canopus］
WHOOOOOONNNNGGG BOOOOMMMM CRASH CRASH CRASH
He struck yet again and his fist was carved deep into Minotaur General's chest. It plunged straight into it, the ribs broken and the heart pierced. A cacophony of explosions followed soon after, chaos and curses swallowing it from the inside.
Yet despite all the suffering, the two have yet to let up from their attacks. They stood on both sides, storms of mana swirling on their hands. One was dark and ominous and the other was brilliant and radiant, two sides of a coin.
WHOOOONNNGGGG FWOOSH FWOOSH FWOOSH
Canopus and Kentaurus gave it their all, spheres of light forming from the swirls of mana on their hands. There were dozens, maybe even over a hundred, all forming one after another, each one packed with enough power to erase a village.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM
Such spheres were soon released and a torrent of agony and damnation rained down upon the Minotaur Overlord. Explosions rang out all over the place, and a deafening scream rang out as well, helplessly drowned in the pandemonium.
The downpour continued and craters were formed one after another. There was only ruin and devastation as the storm of gray and gold continued to ensue, fragments of large horns flying in the air as the Minotaur Overlord was shred to smithereens.
The storm was soon over and the nightmare had let up. The clouds of dust slowly but surely faded away, unveiling a trail of destruction where a merciless downpour had peppered the ground, not a trace of the Minotaur Overlord left.
"Whew～! We really did a number on the place, huh?" ［Canopus］
"That's only natural. Though, what matters the most is that I landed the final blow on the Minotaur Overlord. That's another point for me." ［Kentaurus］
"... You really hate losing, huh... I'm pretty sure we both peppered the enemy. How was that you kill?" ［Canopus］
"One of mine landed on the head and finished it off." ［Kentaurus］
"No, it didn't! How did you even see with all that explosions! Don't be so hardheaded and consider it a draw! A draw, alright?!" ［Canopus］
And in a strange turn of events, the two are now arguing about who got the final blow on the enemy. There really wasn't too much into it, the two only competing to see who gets the most kills. The two were too competitive.
Whilst such a scene was happening, the two figures arguing against one another as they collected the drops, two more familiar figures approached and the two of them soon turned their heads around, greeting them soon enough.
"Master! Mistress! You're here!" ［Canopus］
"We're here～! Looks like you two are really working hard!" ［Yuna］
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It was Grey and Yuna, steps light as a feather and calm expressions painted on their faces. They have just finished off a couple monsters on their own and are now on the way to the Boss Room, collecting drops while they're at it.
It has been several hours since Grey and Yuna got out from the mines, and now, they are on the 10th and final floor of the Labyrinth of Thunder, challenging both Calamity and Disaster Class monsters and strengthening themselves even further.
The familiars are now also with them, scattered throughout the Labyrinth in pairs, except Polaris and Sirius. They are also training themselves to become stronger, wanting to be even more useful to Grey and Yuna than they already are.
"Ohh～! A 'Bracelet of Supreme Strength' and a 'Battleaxe of Devastation'! It's rare to see both of these drop! These would sell for a lot!" ［Yuna］
"Hahaha. Why are you acting like it's your first time seeing that?" ［Grey］
"'Cause it's interesting!... Oh, right! Grey, couldn't you use the horns to make some gear? I think they would look fine for kitchen utensils." ［Yuna］
"Hmm... That might be a little difficult, but I'll see what I can do." ［Grey］
"Un! That's great! You're the best, Grey!" ［Yuna］
Or so they say, casually talking about the Minotaur Overlord's horns as if they were some common materials. But in truth, they are rare items used to mage Peak-Tier, Superior-Grade items, and sometimes, even Legendary-Grade.
Only the two of them could afford to be so casual about it, not even batting an eye to the apocalyptic scene laid out before them. They already possess several of such horns, so there it was like nothing to them. They are totally different breeds.
"Then, Canopus, Kentaurus, keep up the good work. We'll be going ahead now, and don't cause too much trouble, alright?" ［Grey］
"We'll keep that in mind, Master." ［Kentaurus］
"Good luck, Master! Mistress!" ［Canopus］
There was no time to waste. After quickly dropping by Canopus and Kenturus, the two then proceeded heading towards their destination, meeting other familiars and also some interesting traps and treasure rooms as well.
Of course, there were also lots of monsters ranging from the bottommost of Calamity-Class all the way to the bottom of Disaster-Class. There was one of them at every other turn, greeting them ever so warmly.
CLANG CLANG BOOO CLASH CLANG
And speaking of warm greetings, the Deathless Dullahan did nor disappoint. As soon as Grey and Yuan stepped foot into its zone, it immediately rushed at them without a single hint of hesitation and brandished its sword.
Let, right, center, from above, from below, from the sides, and so much more. The Deathless Dullahan swung its sword without a break, sharp and deadly glimmers shimmering in the air as its cold blade filled the corridors with darkness.
It was smaller than most Calamity-Class monsters, but it was amongst the most agile and also the one with the best battle senses. It knew of some techniques and could even perform them better than most veteran and elite knights.
"Whoops! That was a close one!" ［Yuna］
"You sure are having a lot of fun. That's dangerous, you know?" ［Grey］
"Fufufu! You worry too much, Grey!" ［Yuna］
However, it wasn't fast and not skilled enough. Despite all its effort, it still hasn't landed a single hit on Yuna, the young lady simply dodging and parrying each one as if it was nothing, a sweet and excited smile blooming on her face.
They were just evenly matched in terms of Combat Power, but the difference in skills and experience showed clear as day. Yuna doesn't even have the assistance of Grey yet she completely dominated the battle without breaking a sweat.
The Deathless Dullahan swung its swung and swept with its feet. Yet despite all its effort, Yuna still evaded like a gently-flowing gale, soon landing a sharp and heavy counterattack. A pattern which continued for several exchanges to pass.
《Swift Guillotine!》 ［Yuna］
Yuna brandished her daggers and a cold and clean cut glimmered in the air. A silver streak flashed and a metallic clang and clack followed soon after. The Deathless Dullahan's left arm has been severed, now lying on the ground.
"And here's another one! 《Sickle Claw》!" ［Yuna］
She brandished them once more and another arm was cut off, flung towards the air along with its massive sword. Yet rather than panicking, the Deathless Dullahan simply ignored such trivialities and rushed towards Yuna.
It grew a dark pair of shadow arms using the dark magic and made its hand into claws. It was determined to take Yuna down, rushing with murderous intent, and wanting to harm the young lady at all cost, determined as can be.
However, it was also because of such determination that it became narrow-sighted. With its vision focused on the young lady, it didn't even notice the dent on the ground Yuna had created using her "Phantom Stream".
It tripped in such a small and trivial dent, then losing its balance. It quickly regained it as it planted its foot firmly on the ground. It was only distracted for a split second, but such little time was more than enough, the young lady closing in on it.
"That was a fun match. Goodbye. 《Thousand Bleeding Streams》!" ［Yuna］
Dozens... Hundreds... And finally, a thousand. A torrent of slashes and thrust rushed towards the enemy at brilliant speeds, leaving clean cuts all throughout its body and carving ira armor with every slash, dicing it into smithereens.
The Deathless Dullahan couldn't even resist, its whole body frozen up as Yuna's sharp and deadly orchestra of blades rained down upon it. Before long, the song finally reached its conclusion and the battle was over.
As soon as the Deathless Dullahan took a step, its whole body crumbled into pieces and it was blown away in the winds. Death had got a firm grasp on the poor monster, its flames of life flashing ever so pitifully as it turned into fragments of mana.
"Grey! How long was it?" ［Yuna］
"It's... 9 minutes and 22 seconds. Though, you could have probably made it in less than 6 minutes if you weren't playing around." ［Grey］
"But it wouldn't be fun then. And, it's usually over 10 minutes before. This one should be much better than before, right?" ［Yuna］
"I guess you're right. I just wish you'd be more careful, though." ［Grey］
"But I'm always careful!" ［Yuna］
Retorted the young lady with a bright glimmer in her eyes, making Grey completely and utterly speechless. She danced with death just recently and she dared to say such words without a second thought. She was completely serious as well.
"Haah... Forget it. I'll never win against you anyway." ［Grey］
There was no use thinking too much about it. With Yuna the way she is, Grey would never be able to argue with her. Because despite how it looks, Yuna always takes all her battles completely seriously. She might look reckless, but she's still careful.
With all things out of the way, Grey and Yuna continued heading towards the Boss Room and dropped by a few treasure rooms along the way. There were traps and lots of monsters, but the rewards were well worth it all.
Before long, they had raided most of the treasure rooms in their path and had also triggered and disarmed some traps. A lot of them were dangerous, but with all their broken cheat skills, it was all a walk in the park.
"Hm?" ［Grey］
"Is something the matter, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"Not really, per se... I just found a strange monster up ahead." ［Grey］
And just when they were a couple kilometers away, Grey noticed a monster spawning right before his eyes. It was amongst the rarer ones which he had never seen before, looking quite menacing even when it was just standing right there.
It was a hunched monster towering over 10 meters, four arms extending from its thin torso and a long whip-like tail lashing out behind it. It had no eyes nor ears, only a massive mouth, filled with sharp and disorderly fangs, saliva dripping to the ground.
Yet despite its concerning appearance, it wielded massive longswords, one in each hand. It may look fierce and feral, but Grey and Yuna could easily tell that it wouldn't be any less skilled than the Deathless Dullahan from before.
《Appraisal》 ［Grey］
-----------------------------------
【Monster】
【Species】Valdeirn
【Status】Healthy
【Type】Warrior
【Ability】Splitter
【Mana Capacity】50,946 【Mana Quality】A
【Combat Power】17,201 【Threat Level】Calamity
【Attribute】Null
-----------------------------------
Moreover, it possessed an ability neither Grey nor Yuna and seen or heard of before. Thankfully, it wasn't of the lightning-attribute, and reached Disaster-Class. Otherwise, it might make things more troublesome than it already is.
"Wahh.... So horrid... That monster looks scary... No, it looks more disgusting if anything. It's like a crazy dog with rabies..." ［Yuna］
"Yuna, that's too much. It might get hurt, youー !!!" ［Grey］
The two couldn't even have a proper conversation. As soon as they stepped foot in the zone, the Valdeirn immediately bolted towards them, then planting its foot firmly on the ground, carving a deep step on the solid earth.
The Valdeirn soon raised its arms and gripped its swords tightly, brandishing a torrent of sharp and brilliant swords, slashing and dicing as rapidly as it could. It was so fast, all that there could be seen a brilliant cloud of blades.
Unfortunately for the Valdeirn, no matter how fast it was, it still failed to land a single hit on Grey or Yuna. The young lady had escaped and Grey had taken the position as bait. He dodged and maneuvered himself with little effort, eyes gleaming bright.
Seeing as to how futile the attacks were, the enemy switched its method of attacking and stopped its mindless barrage. It gripped its swords and swung them all at the same time, making sure Grey had no room for escape.
"Haah... This is why I hate Calamity-Class monsters." ［Grey］
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG BOOOOMMMM
Well, not that there was a need for escape. Grey simply parried the blades with his gauntlets, flicking the upper left blade, grabbing the right blades and crushing them, and kicking the last one away with his knees, the very same leg soon extending out and landing a heavy king on the Valdeirn's chest.
The Valdeirn was blasted away from Grey's kick, and soon hit the wall, a loud and resonant crash echoing in the air, followed by a heavy thud. Blood gushed from its mouth, but it was still far from over. It soon stood its ground again andー
《Swift Guillotine!》 ［Yuna］
... Received a lovely attack from the young lady. It couldn't even plant its right foot firmly, and Yuna's blades were already aiming for its neck. There was no need to say any more. It was decapitated without much resistance.
Its head was soon cut off from its body, then rolling on the ground, its blood dyeing the cold floors red. It hasn't even been a minute since they started and the battle was already over. It was all too easy for the two.
"Wa... Was that it...? Did it just die? That easily? G-G-Grey, what's happening here? Is this really a Calamity-Class monster?" ［Yuna］
Many questions popped in and out of the young lady's mind as she reflected on her actions. No matter how weak its defenses are, it was still far too easy for everything to end so suddenly. Well, it wasn't long before all questions were answered.
"Yuna! Get away from there! Immediately!" ［Grey］
It was all too sudden. Before either of them could notice, the corpse of the Valdeirn suddenly started to move, writhing ever so violently. The decapitated head then burst open and an explosion of mana rang out in the air.
The same also went for the body, exploding and soon veiled in dark mist. Mist which was soon reabsorbed into center, unveiling a ridiculous sight soon after. The Valdeirn wasn't just revived, it had now split into two bodies, each capable as can be.
"'Splitter', huh... So that's how it is..." ［Grey］
Splitter, as the name suggests, is an ability which allows the monster to divide and multiply as soon as it is cut. It can regenerate all missing parts, becoming complete individuals as soon as the regeneration process.
Of course, with such a sudden split, both the strength and mana capacity of the two new Valdeirns has been split. It even became shorter than before. However, ir was a
So worth noting that the new Valdeirns are slowly but surely regaining their strength,
《Gale Waltz!》 ［Grey］
Testing his doubts, Grey soon fires a torrent of wind blades towards the enemy, then cutting it into pieces. And surely enough, soon, the cut up enemies regenerated once again, now over a dozen of them standing before them.
"just like I thought... How troublesome..." ［Grey］
Grey had initially thought the Valdeirn can only split once, but seeing how the ability didn't disappear from the status screen and also the results for themselves. it seems that the Valdeirn can split indefinitely.
However, there was not even a hint of worry in Grey's eyes. Rather, there was only excitement and curiosity blooming deep within. Excitement which was soon followed by action as Grey suddenly appeared before the Valdeirns, fist already clenched.
There was no need to hold back. As soon as he appeared, Grey poured all his might into his fist and struck one of the Valdeirns in the chest, blasting away as all its organs were crushed from the impact, everything turned to mush.
The blasted Valdeirn didn't even last a single minute in the world, yet it was already sent to the other side. But rather than regenerating, it simply stopped moving, soon glowing only and vanishing into thin. It has been finished off.
"I see... So that's how it is... You can withstand being cut and diced, but not being crushed, huh... Interesting..." ［Grey］
Over a dozen monsters stood before them, but there were no traces of fear in their eyes. Smiles bloomed on Grey and Yuna's faces soon after, their hearts flooded with excitement and their minds submerged in curiosity. It was all too exhilarating.
"Then... Let's see what else you can't handle, you bastards." ［Grey］
A dangerous smile on his face, Grey soon bolted towards the enemies and Yuna followed soon after. They cut up the Valdeirns once more and let them multiply, soon trying all sorts of methods to test out what they could and couldn't handle.
They froze them, burnt them, peppered them with holes, skewered them, poisoned them, exploded them, and so much more. Heck, Yuna even went out of her way to brew some potions and test them all out. She was excited as can be.
Oh, such poor things...
CHAPTER 438 END