Chapter 19: A True Monster (2)

The Claw Bear walked with leisure steps, heading over to the defeated Kick Master Rabbit corpse. It hunched over, spearing its wicked sharp claws into the corpse as it ripped out a large chunk of meat, before scarfing it down with zeal. The sickening squelching sounds of flesh and blood being chewed resounded, making for a gruesome spectacle.

As the strongest creature currently existing on this floor, it had never faced any genuine threat. Those that came across it were immediately overcome with fear, fleeing for their lives, but ultimately ended up as the Claw Bear's sustenance. It followed the law of the jungle, casually killing weaker opponents came as a natural conclusion, after all, it stood at the precipice of this floor.

Or so it thought.

Within the shadows of the labyrinth's natural terrain, Aziel slowly moved away from his initial position, swiftly unsheathing the knife strapped to his thigh as he silently approached. From this angle, The Claw Bear's back was turned, preparing to finish off the last two bites on the Rabbit.

Aziel easily entered the monster's blind spot, lowering his head slightly as he gazed toward it, his prior killing intent all but vanishing. A peculiar atmosphere hung over him, his pale golden eyes glazed over, looking as though they were made of plastic.

He had entered a trance-like state. It was pure determination, the determination to complete the assignment tasked to him at any cost, save for his life of course.

The Claw Bear had no clue he was only a few meters away, incapable of discerning his unnaturally thin presence and inaudible movement. All of its attention was completely drawn to devouring the last bite of the Kick Master Rabbit, just like Aziel had intended.

Tightening his grip on the knife, he gradually closed the distance, staring at the monster's huge back. For the first time, he would utilize all of his abilities to utterly crush his opponent, to thoroughly vanquish a dangerous creature that had the potential to kill him.

So—

'Attribute Reduction…'

He stepped into the monster's range, activating a skill which served to weaken it by a moderate degree.

The Claw Bear flinched, instinctively feeling the effects.

However, he wasn't finished.

'Skill Reduction…'

The potency of its skills was thus lowered by a fair margin.

Alarmed, the monster's head shot up, looking around warily as it growled. Blood dripped from its claws and mouth; a menacing appearance that would've made anyone shrink back in horror.

But…Aziel was already a little over a dozen feet away, activating the final spell that would kick off the battle.

"Freeze — Glacial Touch"

Although his voice was just above a whisper, it rang out, echoing throughout the cavern.

At that moment, the ground beneath him frosted over completely, gradually spreading out in all directions. The labyrinth's walls welcomed a thin layer of ice as a chilling air hung over the surroundings, progressively freezing everything in the vicinity.

It was a spell that lowered the temperature by reducing the kinetic energy of atoms, generating a coldness that could potentially drop below 0 Degrees Celsius.

Finally noticing him, the Claw Bear turned around, its gaze conveying visible puzzlement at the entire situation. This wasn't how the script usually played out. Every other creature on that floor was aware of its dominance, so why would anyone take the initiative to attack it, especially something as small as Aziel.

"Drop Dead."

*!!!*

But before the monster even realized it, Aziel had disappeared from where he stood previously, his calm voice now originating from right beside its ear.

*SLCCHH!!*

A spray of blood wet the ground, gushing out like a broken fountain. The mildly deep wound lining the side of its large neck had been sliced along cleanly, no apparent resistance could be discerned. Aziel's attack had quite literally pierced through the monster's extremely tough defenses as if it were mere paper.

The Claw Bear had just barely managed to move in time before it could be killed by Aziel's single attack, but even then, a thin layer of ice gathered around its open wound, slowly infiltrating its body and gradually dulling the monster's movements.

*GRAAAAAAHH!!!*

Infuriated, the Claw Bear swung its huge forearms wildly as it roared, wantonly slicing through the air with its savage claws. Casting its hate filled gaze around, it nonetheless failed to locate Aziel's figure, further stoking its burning wrath.

The situation was becoming dangerous for it, feeling its strength and stamina slowly leaving its body with each waking moment. More than that, the level of power it could exert had been lessened to a harrowing extent.

*Swish—CRSSSHHHH!*

Launching multiple blades of wind at random, they cut deep furrows into the walls as the Claw Bear attempted to draw him out. It could instinctively feel that if Aziel wasn't dead within a few minutes, it would be the one dying instead.

However, his voice suddenly rang out from at least 10 meters out,

"Crush the enemy — Frost Ignition"

Snowflakes of various shapes suddenly manifested, dancing beautifully as they coalesced into a massive avalanche, instantly surging forth like a raging tsunami as it threatened to swallow the Claw Bear whole.

*GRAH!?*

The monster in question gaped in panic, staring wide eyed. Not only did the force of this spell make its fur stand on end, but the fact that Aziel could ignore its natural defenses made the situation far graver than what it should've been. And yet, it had no choice but to take this attack head on—there was no room to evade.

*SHAAAAaaaaa—CRSSSHHHHH!!!*

The Claw Bear was immediately overwhelmed, sending it flying as it smashed into the jagged walls of the labyrinth, carving out a huge crater within. The violent impact shook the surrounding area. Ice manifested around the opening of the crater, crystalizing all it touched.

Dust and falling rocks scattered around, freezing upon contact as it fell to the ground. To anyone uninformed of the situation, this scene would've looked like a frozen wonderland, the rapidly dropping temperature nearly coated this entire section of the labyrinth in ice.

Amid the eerie silence, a hoarse growl rang out, indicating the Claw Bear's narrow survival. As the glacial mist cleared, the monster could be seen inching its way out of the crater, staggering all the while. Evident by its brutally deformed arms and blood-soaked fur, one could instantly tell that it was just barely hanging on to life by a thread.

*GROAH….!!*

Catching sight of Aziel's figure standing a dozen feet away, the monster croaked out a snarl, baring its frightening teeth. The individual it'd been looking for all along had brazenly appeared in front of it, further garnering its anger and hatred. Steadying itself, the Claw Bear twisted its waist, flinging its arm toward Aziel alongside a ferocious gale claw.

Streaks of sharp wind shot forward, seeking to maim him. This was the exact same skill it'd used to slaughter the Kick Master Rabbit, a deadly long ranged attack that fired from its claws, cutting 30 centimeters past what their length suggests.

Aziel watched its approach, not moving an inch, not because he was confident in taking it head on, but because it would never hit him. And just as he'd anticipated, the attack veered off to the right, missing its initial target entirely.

Despite the monster's struggle, its injuries were far too grave to put up any real resistance. Dangling mangled arms, rough breathing that came out in short gasps, blood oozing from both external and internal wounds, the Claw Bear no longer stood a chance. Vision blurry, it swayed unsteadily as its body temperature dropped at a considerable rate.

Without it even noticing, Aziel was already standing before it, a single hand outstretched like the reaper's scythe. The very creature that reigned supreme on this floor had been utterly decimated, rendering all of its efforts futile. He wasted no time on meaningless dialogue, commencing an execution that would rid him of one less threat.

"Erase it — Storm Rend"

His deep voice resounded, calling forth a wide domain of extremely sharp wind blades, entrapping the Claw Bear within its confines as it prepared a lethal bombardment. The air around them became unstable, cutting through all sound and engulfing the frigid atmosphere in silence.

Not even a second later—

*SPLCH–SPLGH–SPLICH–SQUELCH!*

Blood fountained from the monster's shredded corpse, dyeing the walls and floor in viscous red liquid. It didn't even have time to give its final wail before the relentless barrage tore through its body, claiming its life in the process.

The Claw Bear's lifeless remains slumped to the ground, unrecognizable as it fell limply. Aziel stared down at it with a dull gaze, ignoring the familiar stench of iron filling the air.

"Turns out I overestimated you…"

He snorted softly, speaking in a detached, languid voice he hadn't used since coming to this world. He was taught to eliminate his enemies in the most efficient way possible, possessing a blatant disregard for the lives of others, constantly prepared to kill those he was tasked to.

By comparison, Tortus was a cakewalk compared to his life on Earth. His opponents in both worlds couldn't stand against him, that was a fact everyone understood clearly. But now, he was something more, 'Something' different, he wasn't entirely human–if at all.

The fight he anticipated would be difficult wasn't even all that challenging. Though he, of course, expected to win, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little surprised at the outcome. It was as though he were born to be powerful.

"It is what it is…"

Status Plate:

[]————[]

Aziel Nox • Age: 18 • Male

Level: 4

Job: World Nemesis

Strength: 600

Vitality: 575

Defense: 550

Agility: 600

Magic: 585

Magic Defense: 550

—————

Skills: • Transmute—[+Ore Appraisal]—[+Precision Transmutation]—[+Increased Transmutation Speed]—[+Ore Perception]—[+Ore Desynthesis]—[+Ore Synthesis]—[+Duplicate Transmutation]—[+Reduced Mana Consumption]—[+Image Supplementation] • Tailoring—[+Textile Appraisal]—[+Precision Sewing]—[+Increased Sewing Speed]—[+Reduced Mana Consumption] • Cooking Proficiency • • Attribute Reduction • Anti-Existence—[+Counter]—[+Armor Piercing]—[+Energy Leech]—[+Negate Healing] • Skill Reduction • Skill Acquisition—[+Ability Comprehension] • Unfettered Motion—[+Successive Motion]—[+Silent Movement]—[+Motion Channeling]—[+Efficient Mobility] • Apex Constitution—[+Immense Resistance]—[+Heightened Condition]—[+Self Restoration] • Expedited Growth—[+Ability Transcendence] • Multi-Hit-Strike—[+Attack Compression]—[+Attack Amplification]—[+Penetrating Strike]—[+Supercharge]—[+Power Stacking]—[+Chain Attack] • Analyze—[+Power Perception]—[+Multitasking]—[+Thought Acceleration]—[+Clear Mind]—[+Thoughtless Activity] • Mental Pressure • Adaptive Combat • Persistence • Insight Mimicry • Perfect Magic Affinity • Tracking Evasion • Image Composition • Extreme Damage Mitigation • Language Comprehension

[]————[]

________________________________________

Authors Words:

I'll release another chapter shortly after this one, so don't hate me.