Ch.107The Minotaur of the Wilderness Finally Awakens (2)

# The Joy of Victory, Fleeting

The joy of victory from crushing the giant Minotaur’s head was short-lived.

This time, a 10-meter tall Minotaur appeared—twice the size of an ordinary one.

With four eyes and four horns, its body was wrapped in lightning and stone.

Everyone who witnessed this sight froze in place, unable to do anything.

Even Cain in his demonic form, Lee Juyeon with black flames in both hands staring at Khan, and Bug standing still with cold air emanating from his frozen body.

Cardinal Baxter, Captain Abes and his subordinates.

Even Jerome, the virgin-obsessed unicorn called the Lion of Uldur, and Lepin, the hero chosen by Uldur.

None of them could move.

Was it fear of Khan? No, rather than that.

It was literally a difference in class.

As a living being, Khan was different from them.

Khan had four eyes, four horns, and a tail, and was twice the size of an ordinary Minotaur…

Such variants were common in Grancia, and not particularly surprising since they could be seen frequently after the continent split.

Even the four eyes were occasionally seen among variants.

But…

The pressure emanating from this creature just standing there prevented everyone present from moving, and Khan was simply tilting his head, making crackling sounds while stretching his body.

“Everyone… be careful. That monster’s pupils keep trembling… I think it’s not in its right mind yet.”

“A mentally unstable being with world-destroying power? That’s just great…”

When Lee Juyeon instantly assessed Khan’s condition and informed everyone.

Moooooo…

“I understand, Mary…?”

Khan moved slowly, rotating his shoulders with a moaning sound, and among everyone present, only the Hero understood the meaning behind Khan’s moaning.

CRACK—!

“Huh?”

But she couldn’t comprehend what had just happened before her eyes.

Bug’s body, which had been in front of Hero Lepin, was shattered.

The ice chunk broke into pieces and scattered across the deck, with only a red orb that had been hidden deep inside his body rolling on the floor.

“You damn bull—!!”

Among those who watched Bug die without being able to react, the first to move were Cain and the Hero.

Cain swung his black greatsword wrapped in dark magic energy toward Khan’s leg, while Lepin instantly approached using Jerome’s legs and aimed a spear of light at Khan’s head.

CLANG—!!

But both attacks failed.

The stones floating around Khan’s body moved to block Cain’s greatsword, and the Hero’s spear of light was caught in Khan’s teeth, unable to advance further.

CRUNCH—!

“Kyaah—!”

With the shocking sight of the spear of light disappearing between the teeth, a massive fist swung toward her, and the black lightning and stones circling Khan’s body flew toward Cain.

Thanks to the unicorn’s quick judgment and feet, Khan’s fist merely grazed them, and Cain raised his greatsword like a shield and used his wings as a secondary defense to block the attack.

“Die, Minotaur—!!”

“What are you doing on my ship——!!”

“The will of God shall unfold——!!”

Light poured from Cardinal Baxter’s body, forming a fist of light—Holy Smite—that struck down at Khan with a sword of light, and all the ballistas on The One’s deck fired arrows at Khan.

Meanwhile, Lee Juyeon cast various buff spells and swung a mace engulfed in black flames at Khan’s head.

BOOM——!!

The mace wrapped in black flames meant to burn non-believers of Agni struck Khan’s head with a tremendous impact, but the black flames disappeared upon contact with Khan’s head, and Khan’s head didn’t even flinch from the blow.

Despite the ballistas continuously hitting with arrows of various attributes, they struggled to even break the stones floating around Khan’s body, let alone harm Khan himself.

Moooo… Moo… Moo…!

“They’re all targeting you, Mary… I’ll protect you…? Starting with that disgusting man using light spells…? Cardinal Baxter! You’re next!”

Only the Hero understood those sounds and warned Cardinal Baxter, who disappeared elsewhere in a flash of light.

BOOM——!!

“My ship…!!”

The titanite deck couldn’t withstand Khan’s strike and crumpled, while Cardinal Baxter, who had transformed into light to dodge, barely managed to save his life.

“Damn it…! Our attacks aren’t working at all! One hit from that thing and we’re dead, while it’s like an invincible boss monster with a bug—why is reality worse than games?!”

“Instead of complaining, move more! We need to take down those lightning bolts and stones surrounding its body first!”

Cardinal Baxter continued to flash light to distract Khan, while Lee Juyeon, Cain, and the Hero continued their attacks, gradually dealing with the stones and lightning bolts floating around Khan’s body.

“We’ll go ahead with this magic, Captain! Thank you for the past 10 years! Hell Fire—!!”

The 9th circle ultimate fire magic, Hell Fire.

Blue flames of hell flew toward Khan.

Hundreds of top-grade mana stones, brought as backup power sources to cast Hell Fire, were completely drained.

And as payment for using 9th circle magic, said to be the realm of gods, not only did Captain Abes’ three 8th circle mage subordinates perish, but also dozens of 7th circle mages and master-level knights transferred their mana and life force to the mage before turning to dust.

Thus cast, the 9th circle magic Hell Fire, said to be the realm of gods, flew toward Khan with flickering blue flames.

The stones floating around Khan’s body, seeming to recognize that this attack must be blocked, gathered to form a shield covering Khan, reinforced with lightning on top for additional defense.

BOOM——!!

True to its reputation as 9th circle magic, the hellfire penetrated Khan’s first defensive barrier of lightning and collided with the second defensive wall of stone, causing an explosion.

The heat was so intense that even the titanite alloy, a combination of titanium and adamantium, began to melt, and all the superhuman beings present couldn’t withstand the heat and retreated from the epicenter.

Living up to its name as hellfire and its status as 9th circle magic, Hell Fire burned everything and emitted acrid sulfurous smoke that obscured vision.

“Good! Continue attacking from a distance!”

CRACK!

“Huh…?”

But they were too absorbed in the power of the flames and let their guard down, for which they had to pay the price.

Something sliced through Cain’s waist as he raised his voice to continue the attack.

That tiny thing was a fragment of titanite deck melted by Hell Fire.

Wrapped in black lightning, it severed Cain’s waist.

“Kuhak!”

“Cain—!”

No ordinary living being can survive having their waist severed.

This applies to all living beings in the mortal realm, and demons are not much different, but they couldn’t even cast healing magic on him in this situation.

Now there were only two people and one beast left as effective combat forces.

Captain Abes and Cardinal Baxter weren’t proper combat personnel, Bug had disappeared leaving only a red orb, and Cain was dispersing black particles with his body split in two.

The Hero, Jerome, and Lee Juyeon, realizing only two of them could still fight, nodded at each other.

The Hero trusted Jerome’s swift feet and moved quickly, attacking Khan from a distance.

Although acrid sulfurous smoke still obscured Khan’s appearance, they couldn’t miss Khan’s position due to the powerful pressure he emitted even when invisible.

The Hero circled around Khan, continuously launching holy spears to attack.

Khan’s speed was equally monstrous, but it was difficult to chase Jerome, who was running around the vast deck of The One like a colt with its tail on fire.

Lee Juyeon also continued to launch black flames, causing explosions by making them repel the mana composing the hellfire that emitted sulfurous smoke.

But with Bug, who could both attack and defend, shattered with a single gesture, and Cain’s waist severed and dispersing black particles, their offensive power had been reduced by more than half.

Their attacks were blocked by the lightning and stones surrounding Khan’s body, unable to inflict any damage, while Khan simply turned his head, pursuing only Cardinal Baxter.

Moo…

“!? Damn it! Abandon ship! Everyone jump off the ship!”

“What nonsense!”

One word from the Hero. But Captain Abes was someone who could do nothing without his ship.

Therefore, he dismissed the Hero’s words as nonsense, but Cardinal Baxter jumped off carrying Cain’s bisected corpse, and the Hero jumped off with Bug’s half-melted red orb that had been partially melted by Hell Fire’s heat.

“Kuk! I will never abandon ship! Whatever you do, my ship won’t break…!”

BOOM—!

Thunder echoed at an altitude of 7,000 meters.

The black lightning that Khan had acquired shortly after falling here, now his trademark, appeared once again at 7,000 meters altitude.

BOOM—!!

The black lightning that fell toward his raised hand formed a cylindrical pillar that engulfed Khan and the ship The One, the symbol of hope for the Palais Maritime Kingdom, where Captain Abes had been.

“Kuk—!!”

Those who had jumped off the ship managed to distance themselves from it and escape the range of the lightning pillar, successfully landing on the ground.

“What a monster… completely…”

What they saw upon landing was the massive axe blade they had dropped earlier, which had shattered the surrounding terrain and revealed deep underground as it pierced the earth…

And the power of the lightning pillar that had just fallen.

Despite falling from above 7,000 meters altitude, it created a massive circular hole in the ground, so deep that the bottom was barely visible.

“Kuk…”

While they were trembling at the power of Khan’s single lightning bolt and wondering how to defeat such a monster, Cain, whose waist had been severed, successfully revived.

“Cain! How can you survive with your waist cut in two…!”

“I must have been on the brink of death… Since a demon’s body is made entirely of magic energy, if the separated parts are brought close together and the magic energy hasn’t been severed, they can reattach.”

“Hmm… that’s the first I’ve heard of it… Good thing I brought that unholy body just in case.”

“Brought it? Not The One… Damn, what is that now…”

BOOM—!!

Khan, who had completely melted The One and Captain Abes, fell from 7,000 meters altitude, wrapped in friction heat like a red comet, and succeeded in landing with a hero landing.

Mooooo…? Mmm…!

After exhaling sulfurous smoke and finishing his muttering, Khan’s four pupils gradually regained vitality, their focus becoming clearer as they fixed upon the Hero’s group.