A domineering aura swallowed the entire viity as crimson red eyes glowed bright in the dark room. Magic circuits flickered on and off as sparks echoed quietly in the air. The room was filled with dread and the smell of death aru.
Its cws were covered in blood and its eyes were screaming in starvation as it tio grind the heads it just bit off. The creature dawned with darkness was not just a monster, it was something even "monsters" would fear. A creature that could only be sidered as the living ination of nightmares
-----------------------------------
[Demonic Beast]
[Species] Daemon
[Status] Healthy, Unstable, Starved
[Sex] ???
[Age] ???
[Mana Capacity] 17,201 [Mana Quality] A
[bat Power] 7,802 [Threat Level] S
[Attribute] Null
[Intelligence] ???
[Description]
A man-made creature made from bining the body parts of differes into o took tless beasts and tless lives during the process of its creation. Its sole purpose is to serve its master and bring ruin to the obstacles in its way. It is the third and final iteration of its kind.
-----------------------------------
The transparent status s in front of Grey firmed the creature's strength. It was a demonic beast capable of destroying cities and ending thousands upon thousand of lives in a couple of strikes
Seeing its status, a cold chill ran down Grey's spi was a sensation he had only experienced o was when he had fought the Magma Crawler three years before. It was a sensation of worry and desperation.
Although Grey's bat power was on par with the creature's, he also had to protect the others behind him. It wasn't a situation he could just battle recklessly. Especially when the creature has started to notice their presence.
"Yuna, take everyone and run away. I'll be fighting alone from now on." ［Grey］
"Sir Grey, what are you talkー" ［Kurt］
"Lord Kurt, have you ever fought a lesser dragon before?" ［Grey］
Kurt tried to rally against Grey's decration but before he could even plete his sentence, Grey's words rendered him uo.
Dragons, they are camity-css beasts whns at the top of all beings. "Lesser" is just a prefix attached to adolests of certai species who have yet to achieve full maturity. Though that may be, "Lesser Dragons" are still beasts who domihe S-rank.
Knowing that the creature before them was parable to a Lesser Dragon, Kirt could not mister any argument against Grey. He khat if stayed behind, they would just be burdening Grey instead.
To his powerless self, Kurt couldn't help but ch his fists with disappoi and ay. Even when he was a ander in the army, he o rely on a man much youhan himself. He wasn't humiliated but disappointed in himself.
"Then, Sir Grey... I'll leave everything to you. We'll be waiting for your return" ［Kurt］
With relu his heart, Kurt patted Grey's shoulder as he left everything to him. All he could was give Grey his full trust, making Grey smile a little even with a serious expression on his face
Kieeekkkkkkkkk
At the same time Kurt left everything to Grey, the creature suddenly jumped towards the raid team, apanied by a loud screed an open mouth as if it oung towards its prey.
Crasshhhh
The beast was bsted towards the wall as Grey leaped towards it ialiation a an uppercut punch towards its lower jaw, making it tumble as it crashed towards the already broken wall.
Yuna took the ce Grey made and casted her "Nihility" ability towards her team members. Although it costs quite a lot of mana to be used against other people, it was the best option they had in order to escape.
"Grey.... I'll see you ter, okay...?" ［Yuna］
A gentle and warm voice echoed softly in the air as Yuna vanished into thin air. It was all the wrey o be motivated. The moment he heard those words, a smile quickly appeared on his face.
It has been a long time since Grey fought something which be called a challe was the first since he and Yuna had left the Haltea Great Forest. Being able to battle a strong oppo one again makes his blood boil in anticipation.
"You bastard, let's get this over with." ［Grey］
Grrrrrukkkkkk
As Grey cracked his knuckles oer another, and as if responding to him, the creature let out a low growl as its eyes fixated on him. It had bee even more ferocious from receiving a punch from Grey.
Kuruwaaaakkkkk
Apanying the creature's demonic screeg, mana formed gathered in its mouth and soon after, beams fired off in rapid succession trey's general dire, destroying everything in its path.
??Shield!?? ［Grey］
Just as quickly as the creature attacked, Grey also erected a ft barrier which absorbed the creature's barrage. It wasn't to protect himself but to prevent the building from colpsing as the others were esg.
The barrage went on like an endless storm and Grey tio absorb the attacks like a sponge soaking up all the mana. It was like an insatiable vortex which didn't let anything pass through.
Although Grey received no damage, the same couldn't be said towards the portion of the building Grey wasn't proteg. The already ruined equipment were reduced to smithereens as the creature's bst peppered them.
??Air Bullet!?? ［Grey］
With his left hand unoccupied, Grey fired off an "Air Bullet" towards the creature's maw, making the creature stop its barrage and evade it swiftly and then pourey in an attempt to terattack.
Cws came down like knives flying midair trey's barrier as the creature pouowards him. The surrounding area was crushed from the impact of the crash. Only Grey was left untouched.
Whhooonnggggg
The creature didn't stop its momentum. The moment its cws failed to pee Grey's barrier, it prepared another breath attack. The only differehis time was that it oint bnk range.
??Barrier!?? ［Grey］
Along with his preexisting "Shield", Grey erected a spherical barrier around his body to protect himself from the trated attack, but his efforts were all for naught as the creature's attack was much strohan he had imagined.
"Crap...!" ［Grey］
The "Shield" broke with the sound of a shattered gss and following it, the "Barrier" also shattered into pieces as the trated breath attack came in tact with it. Along with them, everything in the boratory was bsted to smithereens as some of the attacks bounced off from the shattering barrier.
Smoke and dust filled the air as the attacks tio rain down the boratory, fully redug everything into rubble. The building also started to shake with the amount of tremors it received from the attack.
As the smoke and dust cleared out, Grey was o be seen. There wasn't an ied corpse nor any traces of him. It was as if he just disappeared from reality itself.
"Got you! ??Magnum Caliber??!" ［Grey］
As the creature ied the se, out of nowhere, a fist, apanied by a familiar voice, came flying straight towards its face, bsting it towards the ruined walls once again.
The owner of the fist was her than Grey. He had utilized the third effect of his "Subspace" ability, which was "Sanctuary". It was an effect which allowed him to store living things in an artificially created enviro in a different space.
The effect which he has been using to grow crops has now bee his greatest defense. As long as he react towards an attack, he could activate it instantly and hide ihe "Sanctuary". It was a cheat move which didn't require him any mana to utilize.
Gurruwaakkkkk
Just as it regais standing, the creature screeched while geing strong bursts of winds by fpping its enormous wings, making the whole building colpse. The building which was once full of maery was now in ruins. The same thi for Kris' "Stone Forest".
As rubbles fell from above, Grey maneuvered gracefully with the aid of wind magic, allowing him to escape the colpsing building. And it wasn't only him, the creature also safely exited the colpsing building with the power of flight and its tough body.
Fortunately, the other members of the raid team have already left the area and are heading towards the exit. Noart from the ce of the mountain colpsing, there wasn't anythirig Grey from running rampant.
"You're wide open! ??Magnum Caliber??!" ［Grey］
As the creature hovered defenselessly in the air, Grey leaped midair and tried to deliver a blow using a punch straight to its face, but before his attack could reach, the creature's eyes followed his movement and dodged swiftly.
Less than a fra of a sed ter, the creature whipped its tail trey, which Grey also evaded with ease with the aid of wind magic, prompting him to nd in the ground.
The moment the creature was out of the building, some of its restris have been lifted as it gained more freedom of movement. Now, it fully utilize its speed in a rge open space.
Kuruwaaakkkk
Just as Grey nded in the ground, aorrent of breath attacks showered towards the ground, leaving behind rge craters and heavy tremors with each impact.
??Gale Waltz!?? ［Grey］
Ialiation, Grey fired off his terattack but the creature was able to dodge it with ease just by dodgi and right. It has learnt its lesson from fighting Grey and has raised its giard to the highest.
As Grey dodged the bombardment, the creature's head also followed him, allowing the attacks to chase after him and further destroying the already ruierrain.
Grey leaped midair in order to reach the creature, but even befrey could reach the creature, it had already fpped its wings and evaded skillfully. It then redirected the attacks trey once again after it had dodged.
??Gale Waltz!?? ??Gale Waltz!?? ??Gale Waltz!?? ??Gale Waltz!?? ［Grey］
Fierce bursts of winds filled the main chamber as Grey's and the creature's attacks cshed midair. It owerful enough that even the ground started to shake evehere was no direct tact.
Grey tried to strike the creature time after time, but it was all for naught. The creature's reflexes, bined with its terrifying speed, has bee quite a troublesome bination.
'Well, if normal attacks don't work, then how about an AOE! ??Purgatory??!' ［Grey］
As Grey nded in the ground, he unleashed a fire-type AOE spell, which created a rge fmed explosion, followed by a storm of heat waves. It was an explosion which rivaled the heat of the surface of the sun.
The once barren ground quickly turned into a sea of crimson fmes, illuminating the dark hideout and transf it into a pce akin to hell. The maeries destroyed by the creature became nothing but molteal.
With the burning of the fmes and the passing of time, the temperature in the main chamber quickly rose to areme degree. Not only that, the main chamber's walls and ground have also been turned into boiling magma.
Unluckily frey, there was one fw in his pn. He has not sidered the fact that the creature was resistant to fire-attribute attacks. While it did sustain a little damage, it was just insignifit.
As it was created from the bination of a myriad of beasts, it mao acquire some of their physical traits. One of which is the fire-resistant hide on to fire-attribute beasts.
The creature nded on the ground, not even slightly affected by the heat which was enough to melt dowals, rather, the creature looked fortable in the middle of the field littered with fmes.
'Tsk! If this tihe oxygen will be burnt up... Well, if fire won't work, then I'll freeze you to death! ??Winter Gospel??!' ［Grey］
A strong burst of cold wind emanated from Grey along with his decration and ice started to form in the ceiling, climbing down into the walls and finally into the scorg ground.
As ice spread throughout the main chamber, the crimson fmes whiihe field were engulfed by deep blue ice, and the moisture in the air turned solid, letting snow fall in an enclosed space.
If the temperature of "Purgatory" rivaled that of the surface of the sun, then the decrease of temperature caused by "Winter Gospel" rivaled that of the "Absolute Zero" ba earth. It was a temperature which froze everything no matter what they were.
But even iemperature where va would be cooled into a ro an instant, the creature has remained unfazed. It seemed to have acquired resistao ice-attribute spells just as it acquired fire resistance.
??Aqua Helix!?? ??Twin Spiral!?? ??Growling Pteau!?? ??Raging Lightning!?? ??Dark opy!?? ??Jet Nightmare!?? ??Star Torrent!?? ［Grey］
After seeing that ice also didn't work on the creature, Grey fired off spells of different attributes towards the creature oer another.
At one moment, the whole chamber was flooded with water as a torrent of high-pressure struck the creature. The moment, a cye was brewed up with two spears ing towards the creature. The main chamber was full of chaos.
Fire, Ice, Water, Wih, and all the other attributes. Not one of the attacks were able to reach the creature. The moment Grey fired them, the creature would ter it with its breath attack.
Other than tering Grey's attacks, the creature even mao dodge skillfully by either leaping in the air or by ereg a wall. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it tained some sort of "Intelligence" despite having turned into a demonic beast.
Kuruwaaaakkkkk
Befrey could even take a sed of rest, the creature once again tried to pou him, disregarding the probability that Grey might attack it midair.
"Stop poung at me, you bastard! ??Megaton Shotgun??!" ［Grey］
Grey tried blowing its fato smithereens while it was still up in the air, but it still mao avoid it just by fpping its wings in order to stop itself midair. It was like it was teasing Grey as they battled.
With him firing off advanced-level spells, Grey has already expended quite a substantial amount of mana. If it weren't for his mana bank, he would have already colpsed from exhaustion.
??Binding Ivy!?? ［Grey］
In desperation to capture the creature and pin it down, Grey tried to cast a binding-type spell towards it, but like usual, it was able to avoid Grey's attempted attack without even breaking a sweat.
After it dodged Grey's attack, it then tio unch its own attacks trey, who also evaded it masterfully. The two have been at a standstill, not being able to hit one another.
'Tsk! Its speed is so annoying! Only if I limit its movementー That's it!' ［Grey］
Just as Grey was pining about the creature's speed, an idea clicked inside his mind as he remembered a moment which just occurred more than an ho.
Without wasting more time, Grey retrieved an "Armament Ring" from his "Iory" and quickly transformed it inte war hammer. Although it was heavy, with Grey's strength as an S-ranker, He was able to lift it as if it was made of pstic.
Grey then tinued by p his mana, both null ah attribute ones, into the hammer and threw it into the air. Grey jumped after it and grabbed its handle. And just like what Kris did, he threw it to the ground with all his might.
??Stone Forest!?? ［Grey］
Just as Grey casted that magic, hundreds of fortified stone pilrs emerged from the ground and ected to the main chamber's walls and ceiling. As the process was taking pce, the creature dodged here and there, being careful not to get hit by the emerging pilrs.
It wasn't just simple magic, rather, it was a pound magic created by utilizing ravager arts ah-attribute spells at the same time. Even if it were to be the same level as the previous two, it is much harder to perform.
While Grey has never used it, it has already been stored in his "Memory Bank". All he needed was Kris' demonstration and he was able to pull it off perfectly. It was because Kris' movements have been perfectly imprinted in Grey's memory with the use of "Perfect Memory".
As long as Grey could perform it once, or even observe it once, he is able to perfectly replicate any kind of magic or skills. His ability "Divine Mind" was truly worthy of being a "Divine-rank" ability.
With Grey's strength, the "Stone Forest" he had created was much tougher aant than what Kris had created. After it was pleted, the creature has been trapped inside of it, having a hard time to break free.
??Gale Waltz!?? ［Grey］
Grey fired off a spell towards the creature and like before, it was still able to dodge it. But Grey wasn't dissatisfied. It only took him a single go see that the creature's mobility has greatly decreased.
Because of its massive size, maneuvering ihe main chamber has bee increasingly difficult. The emergence of the stone pilrs has preve from dashing towards one dire, and if it fails to maneuver successfully, it will crash towards a pilr. It was now at a total disadvantage!
Getting ready to attack, Grey stored the war hammer back to his "Iory" and readied himself to go on the offensive once again.
"You're finished!" ［Grey］
Grey jumped from pilr to pilr, firing spells towards the creature as he jumped. And unlike before where the creature always mao dodge them, Grey's attaow hit it every two or three attempts.
Kuruwaaakkkkkk
The creature screeched in pain, but there was nothing it could do. If it wao ter-attack, it o find its way trey in the byrinth of pilrs, but by the time it got there, Grey had already been long gone.
3 hits... 8 hits... 29 hits... 61 hits...
As time passed, the creature took more and more damage. In trast, Grey has not received any hits at all. He was like a monkey who maneuvered ione forest as if it was the jungle.
Kuruaaaaaaakkkkkkkkk!!!!!
After receiving so many hits, the creature finally became agitated and decided to destroy any pilr that goes into its way. Although it made it possible for it to reach Frey, it also meant that it took a lot of damage from doing that method. Not to mention that Grey always evaded before it could reach him.
The creature has already lost its sense of "reason" and has haphazardly destroyed any pilr it has met. It didn't care whether it would take damage. All it cared about was that it could terattad hit Grey.
Taking the ce that the creature was greatly agitated, Grey stood still on top of a horizontal pilr and baited the creature to e towards him, which it did. It was like a starved beast poung towards an obvious trap.
The creature dashed with all its might, but just a few meters before it could reach him, Grey leaped to the air aed a wall in front of solid and fortified stoo which the creature crashed magnifitly.
Taking the ce, Grey maneuvered himself just behind the creature's head with a little bit of wind magid prepared himself the final blow towards the back of the creature's head.
"Megaton Shー No, ??Gigaton Gatling??!" ［Grey］
A barrage of punches rained down upon the creature, with each blow pag enough power to easily obliterate boulders into smithereens. Not a single punch missed as Grey pummeled the creature.
Receiving the attack, the creature screeched in agony and holes were puhroughout its whole body. Before it could evealiate, the creature's body fell to the ground and produced a heavy thud.
The creature has finally beeed.
"Haaahhh... Haa... Haa... What a tough bastard..." ［Grey］
Grey muttered as he colpsed to the ground. He had already lost the strength in his legs to support him. Even his arms and hands were shaking from too much fatigue he had accumuted.
Although Grey still has some mana reserves from his mana bank, the fatigue he had sustained itle was inparable to the ones he had experienced before. Ot was as if his whole body was screaming in pain.
Grey was happy that he had finally kept his promise to himself three years ago. Even if it was already long overdue, he was satisfied that he was able to serve justiot only to Yuna's home vilge but also to the other victims as well.
"Haah... I wa something sweet..." ［Grey］
Grey mumbled to himself, apanied with a dry yet gentle smile, as he remembered Yuna's smiling face. He wao see her as soon as possible.
CHAPTER 31 END
