Ability unlocking quest (part 3)

"CHARGE WEAPON! CONCUSSION!"

"BA-WHAAA-fgfhfg…!"

As he renewed the enhancement on the staff, Ace landed a lucky critical blow at the Bismuth-feathered Roc's eyeball, crushing it into a pulp and inflicting the status effect that caused the creature to get knocked off the air straight to the ground, where it plowed through the rocks with its beak until it finally came to a halt and tumbled on its back.

"...nnnnnmm~"

This time, there were no comments from the spectating pair as Melinda, who climbed her way into Zane's arms, was too preoccupied with having her mouth ravaged by his slithery tongue than anything that was happening around.

"MISS! TOSS ME AT IT!"

"O-okay!"

Meanwhile, Ace Adonis shouted with an ungodly amount of adrenaline coursing through his veins, making the maid yelp in panic.

"Nhaag!"

The girl dug her heels into the ground, and as she leaned back, she threw the green-haired man she had been carrying.

"!!!"

The acceleration was a bit… no, it was a lot more than Ace expected, but there was no going back at that point.

As the roles reversed and the human sped towards the grounded bird monster, the golden weapon in his hands transformed again, solidifying it into a massive warhammer.

"HAAH!"

*WHAM*

Ace roared and shifted his whole body, letting the hammer carry him as he brought it down onto the Bismuth-feathered Roc's head.

"BWAK!"

The beast screeched out as its feet spasmed.

The creature's head was wobbly, but it was undoubtedly alive, and to make matters worse, it didn't seem all that damaged.

"...shit…!"

Ace cursed and swung the hammer again - but this time, the effects were even weaker than before...!

Gritting his teeth, he transformed his weapon, first into a double-edged ax, then into a war pickaxe, but all of his attempts seemed to barely register, if at all.

"How high is its defense?!"

"Hey, y-you have to kill it alone to complete the quest?"

As Ace spat through his teeth, getting desperate because he instinctively felt that the timer on the concussion status effect was running out, the hesitant maid approached him.

"That's right… I…! I can't allow this opportunity to slip by…!!"

*WHAM*

"BWAKGH!"

Ace nodded before slamming the golden war pickaxe into the monster's eyesocket sprouting teeth, and causing the beast to screech out in pain as the weapon claw broke more than a few of the fang-like growths.

"Let me try something…!"

"What do you me… WHOA?!"

The girl in a maid outfit declared, and the next moment, she grabbed the much taller green-haired young man and threw him in the air with minimal warning.

"MAKE YOUR WEAPON INTO A HAMMER AND AIM AT ITS HEAD! AND DON'T LOOK UP!"

"...!"

While Ace was still ascending, the maid jumped up and caught up to him, calling out and using his shoulders as an additional launching pad. This made him unintentionally look up anyway before listening to the command and transforming his weapon.

The oversized warhammer appeared in his arms once again, and the green-haired monarch prepared it for a strike!

The girl in a maid's uniform somehow managed to land on the golden weapon, balancing herself on it until gravity began to reclaim the flying man.

"GET READY! NOW!"

"OH, SHIIII…!"

Giving Ace maybe a fraction of a second to steel himself, the girl crouched on the hammer just to kick off of it, sensing both the weapon and the man desperately clinging onto it, spinning down as an out-of-control circular saw!

"KA-BWAAAAAAK!"

Down below, the Demon-crowned Bismuth-feathered Roc broke out of the concussion status effect and screeched out while tossing itself back on its feet.

Fuelled by anger and aided by demonic energy coursing through its body, it began to transform.

With the disgusting sound of breaking bones, its wings twisted and bent in a grotesque way, changing into arms with yellowish fangs piercing through the flesh and plumage to form a nauseating parody of fingers.

"BWAAAAA…ak…?"

The beast opened its fanged beak, seemingly ripping it open to reveal even more teeth, but as it looked up, the screech got stuck in its throat at the sight of…

"...IIIIIIT!"

*WHAAAAAAAAAM* *SQUELCH*

...the blur of gold and green as Ace Adonis fell down from the skies, hitting the beast straight on its gory crown and ripping off its whole head with the momentum carried by the golden hammer!

*THUMP*

"HUGH!"

Ace could not control the maid-powered spinning slam, so even when the ringing sound of the level-up filled his ears, the green-haired monarch let out a pained growl as the rocky ground closely embraced him while his weapon turned itself back to its default dagger form.

"...! !!! …!? !!!"

With its head turned into a mush a dozen feet away, the Demon-crowned Bismuth-feathered Roc's body stumbled forward a few steps, unaware that it was dead.

The stump of the neck, gushing out blood like a broken faucet, began to grow crooked teeth that appeared to have a will on its own, and the said will was making them reach out towards the missing head in attempts to reconnect it…

*thump*

…which was, luckily, futile, and the headless monster's body tripped on its own feet and stumbled down, where it finally keeled over and ceased any movement.

*thump*

"Are… are you okay…?"

A few moments later, the maid landed, lightly curtsying and somehow managing to use her dress as a makeshift parachute, after which she approached the green-haired young man who was almost as motionless as the dead Demon-crown Bismuth-feathered Roc.

"..."

"Oh, no… what will I… Eh…? Wait, I started a combat encounter with you!?"

There was no response from Ace, but after a moment the maid called out in realization as it seemed that her adding a bit of a kick to Ace's hammer got registered as a sneak attack and began the fight between the two of them.

Well. Between Ace and the maid, Zane, and Melinda, to be exact…

"Ah…! Hold on, this could still work!"

The girl in a maid's uniform flinched and gasped in realization, reaching out to the pocket of her apron and taking out a scroll with a green ribbon.

"Target, Ace Adonis."

"...ugh…? Huh…?"

The maid tore up and activated the scroll, causing a swirl of green light to surround and sip into the green-haired young man who ended up regaining consciousness and letting out a confused grunt.