Chapter 43 life or death (part 2)

—Asher Frostblade Perspective

"Raaaawr-rrrRRRRRREEEEEEGGHH!!!"

"Rumble!"

The moment the monster roared, that's when I looked at it and it was already right next to me. I kept my expression normal, but I couldn't even see the monster. I turned my head and found its six eyes staring right at me and then sweat broke out on my body, but I quickly reacted.

That's when his fist, one so thick and big, even the bones of the monster's fingers as he clenched his fist could be noticed so easily.

"Starburst!"

Fortunately, Encrid pulled me back and that's when I looked at the monster's fist that landed on the ground. It was a rumble and dust rose, the ground cracked and quickly the monster turned its gaze towards me and again its fist came towards me.

"If I don't dodge this..." It was too late, then the monster's fist impacted on me. I managed to use both arms, but the impact?

I could simply say that it broke the bones in both my arms. Then the impact of the monster's fist sent me several meters backwards. I gritted my teeth and looked at the monster, in an instant it was right in front of me again.

"Damn, why only me...?"

I gnashed my teeth, swung my fist, but even though I felt my bones break, I still countered the monster's blow, but....

"Burst!"

Almost my entire body straightened backwards and the right sleeve of my black jacket shattered after the impact. The veins in my arm stood out and a ripple of air shook me from the impact.

I quickly tried to calm down and a dark sphere appeared right next to the monster.

"Baam!!!"

Encrid attacked the monster from above, then I took advantage and quickly took a great distance. Then I looked at Dik, who moved at full speed.

"Rumble!"

The ground shook and a green-colored giant, a golem, appeared and lunged at the monster. The two forced each other in a struggle of strength.

Then quickly an arrow of green and yellow color reached towards the monster. It grew bigger and bigger and that's when it hit as a sphere of darkness formed in the sky.

"Baam!!!"

The oversized arrow made an explosion and quickly the dark sphere that was in the sky fell on the monster and the golem hit the monster in the abdomen. Then this one took a leap and the dark sphere fell into the monster.

"Starburst!"

Dust rose and great dark flames engulfed the place.

"I don't think that's enough," Alicia spoke.

"Quick, let's keep attacking."

Then a dark sphere again began to appear in the sky, it slowly grew larger and that's when the air hissed and a storm of air came towards the monster, it was a storm filled with mana.

"Raaaawr-rrrrrRRRRRREEEEEEGGHH!!!"

It was then that the monster roared and....

"Starburst!"

Then the ground shook and a wave of mana shook the entire air, dispersing the entire storm as well as the dark fire that was burning the monster. The dust vanished and revealed the monster standing straight without a scratch.

"Shit, it's really tough."

"He must have some way to hurt it."

Then I looked at the moment Dik started to move, his sword lunged and attacked the monster, but the monster using its arm blocked Dik's attack. Then the monster's fist swung at Dik's body.

"Strike!"

Dik managed to use his sword as a shield, but it flew backwards.

"Gurgh!"

"Drip!"

Dik spat blood. Then I looked at the monster.

"You can't attack it up close, but you can attack it from afar."

From what Dik did, it was clearly impossible to defeat it in close combat. So Dik is no help at all this time. On the other hand, although it's better to attack from afar, no attack hurts him. It has to be one of great power, but who can do it?

At worst I'll have to use the Darkness Monarch transformation, but if the situation isn't that dangerous, I'll just advance to the second circle.

"And if possible..."

I had an idea, but I didn't know if I could actually use it.

Of course, that would be using the Oz of Darkness, but.... I think it would be impossible unless I managed to pull it off somehow, but I'm not sure if it would have any side effects in the event that I managed to use that weapon.

I didn't have a sword or anything I could fight up close with, but that wasn't very suitable at the moment. The only option I have is to attack from long range, but neither attack works.

"Will we really be able to kill that monster?"

"If it's possible..."

"..."

Then Encrid appeared right next to me.

"There is a way."

"How?"

"You have to use the Oz."

"But..."

"It's possible, I'll give you time. In the meantime, try to use its power. Concentrate all your mana on the tattoo."

"Will it really work?"

"If you do it, it's possible. Don't worry, you won't have any negative effects. So I'll give you time to try using the weapon."

"Okay... I'll try."

Then Encrid instantly disappeared from my sight. Maybe I could use the weapon, but if I succeed, how do I handle it? Maybe use it like a normal object or just hold it and swing it like a sword.

"Shit."

Then I sat down on the ground and closed my eyes. Somehow or another I had to use the Oz, I just needed time, but I don't know how much time.

"Burst."

The monster started moving again. Just by the noises alone I could tell that everyone was fighting. Of course, this might not be able to work, but I had to try.

So I concentrated my mana and it began to move towards the Sickle tattoo. It quickly moved and a purple glow began to emerge from the tattoo.

"Rumbling."

From the noises, it sounded like the monster was close, but I kept my eyes closed and stayed that way. Encrid promised to give me time and that was as it should be, so I didn't worry.

Despite having both arms half broken, I didn't even feel pain. So I kept going, and the mana was almost about to shake. I kept it up for the next few seconds, I could hear the gusts of wind and the mana churning from all the spells being cast.

"What do we have here...?"

Then a voice spoke to me and I opened my eyes. It was then that I found myself in a strange place.

***

—Scene Change.

—Encrid's perspective.

Encrid knew that the only way to kill the monster was to use the Oz, but to use it he had to do one little thing.

"Well... I think he'll make it."

Despite knowing what's in that Oz, Encrid trusted and therefore tried to give it enough time. No matter how many attacks they made, none of those managed to affect the monster.

"It's humiliating."

Of course, he was once called the most powerful mage, but now he was struggling with all his might because, after entering this dungeon, his strength was lowered to the first circle, so it was a humiliation for Encrid.

Encrid was angry, but he didn't show it.

[Dark sphere]

A large dark sphere appeared in the palm of Encrid's hand. Then, he quickly threw it at the monster.

"Burst."

Even so, the monster didn't even suffer damage. Encrid was attacking from high above, so the monster hadn't seen him.

He looked at the rest of those fighting.

"That knight is useless."

His gaze landed on Dik. He had an opponent too tough for him, a monster that is strengthened by mana and is also of body a monster that fights with his fists.

In fact, the monster itself is very strong, especially since it is a mutant.

[Sphere of darkness]

Encrid then raised his hand and a large sphere appeared just above the monster. It got bigger and bigger and then Encrid lowered his hand and the sphere fell on top of the monster.

Then Encrid looked at the monster.

"Looks like I managed to scratch it."

It was a big surprise, but that wouldn't do; the monster was very tough.

"What if I concentrate all my mana into one attack?"

[Black Hole of Darkness]

Then a sphere, from which a white glow was coming out, appeared just above the monster and this sphere began to attract mana.

The mana moved in one direction only and was absorbed by the black hole. It was small, about the size of a child. It wasn't big and it wasn't getting big either, but it was absorbing large amounts of mana.

"It's a spending spell... but I think it will do."

Encrid wasn't sure, but it might hurt the monster enough to hold it still for a few seconds.

Maybe it would even manage to hurt it enough.

"Looks like it's almost ready."

Encrid then looked at the black hole that was steadily sucking in mana.

Then a white glow appeared in the black hole.

"It's ready."

Quickly Encrid raised his hand and then lowered it. It was then that the black hole slowly descended towards where the monster was attacking the rest of the group. He was distracted and it was perfect timing. Then beams of light shot out of the black hole and....

"Boom!!!"

Such a huge mana explosion covered the whole monster instantly. A blue fire appeared and purple rays emerged. The explosion took a fairly short radius, about ten meters.

"Luckily I compressed it."

The mana that the black hole had absorbed began to move in a circle and quickly compressed and again an explosion resounded.

"Boom!!!"

Two explosions at the same time. Then Encrid put his hands in his pockets and looked down from above as the air rushed through his entire body.

All the mana dispersed and, after a few seconds, there was silence, but....

"Rumble."

"Raaaawr-rrrRRRRRREEEEEEGGHH!!!"

Encrid then looked at the monster, but the monster had a large wound right on its left arm.

"Looks like it covered itself with its arm? Interesting."

It was very striking what the monster did to save the rest of his body. Encrid felt strange but calm, even if he looked at the monster that was still stunned. He wasn't that injured, but his arm had shrunk quite a bit; the monster's blood was pouring out of his arm.

Despite the monster's arm, the monster was still. The mana covering it seemed to be in an uproar, perhaps it was from the explosion earlier that left it that way.

"That's not enough."

Encrid then looked at Clara.

"Hey girl, can you catch the monster with those tentacles coming out of that sphere?"

"..."

Clara didn't answer instantly, but she spoke.

"I'm not a girl, and yes, I can try, but I can't make sure it's trapped for long."

"Never mind, I just need a little time."

"It's okay, I was going to do it anyway."

Then, from the ground where the monster was, two hands grabbed both of the monster's legs. It was then, from the green colored sphere Clara had near its back, thick and long tentacles went at full speed and grabbed the monster from its arms to its whole body.

"Still not enough."

"Hey, elf girl, can you use an arrow and compress it the moment it reaches the monster?"

"Uh... Yeah, I think I can."

"Then hurry up, we don't have much time."

Encrid knew that Alice was wasting a lot of mana when the arrow got too big. Of course, the arrow's mana was coming from Alice and that was why the arrow was getting bigger, as Alice was not controlling the correct flow of her mana and that caused the arrow to use more mana than normal.

Then the arrow appeared in Alice's bow and she quickly shot it. The arrow started to get bigger and then Encrid spoke.

"Concentrate your mind and cut off the mana that the arrow is using."

"Eh... Like this?"

Then the arrow stopped growing and became much smaller. Finally, it reached towards the monster.

"Burst."

An even bigger explosion echoed and Alicia just watched.

"It worked," Alicia said.

"From now on use your arrows like this."

"Ah... Yes, I thank you for helping me."

"I didn't help you and don't think too much about it, I just need time."

Encrid was cold, but he stopped talking and then looked at the explosion. After a few seconds, the monster was intact.

"It didn't do anything to him."

It was then that the monster quickly looked up and looked at Encrid.

"Shit, it's coming for me."

Then the monster clenched its fists and its muscles tensed and grew larger. The tentacles and the two hands holding the monster shattered. That's when the monster quickly ducked and then jumped.

"Starburst."

"Shit."

Encrid covered himself with both arms the moment the monster's fist came close, but something unexpected happened.

A thin curtain passed right in front of Encrid's eyes and that's when the monster's arms were cut off. Encrid looked up in surprise.

"He did it." thought Encrid.

A thin dark colored curtain had cut off the monster's arms, like a thin but sharp wall that passed right in front of Encrid. It was then that Asher was holding the Oz of Darkness with both hands....