Chapter 17: The Behemoth

The sound of his own breathing reverberated through his ears. The vibrations of every step could be felt as he descended down the long-jagged staircase. A somber atmosphere persisted, the darkness of the surroundings obscured all light, chilling one to the bone.

Soon, at the bottom most step, a dim light could be seen, spreading out across the cavern as it nearly illuminated the entire floor. Aziel gazed ahead, immediately noticing the massive stone bridge that stretched on for a full 100 meters.

The ceiling also towered 20 meters above, its cavernous stalactites hanging high up. Below the bridge, as one would expect, was not a river, but instead a dark abyss with no visible end in sight.

The gaping chasm resembled what one would imagine as the pits of hell.

While the bridge was 10 meters wide, it possessed not a single railing, meaning if someone were to slip, it would spell their end, as there'd be nothing to catch their fall.

The whole room was deathly quiet, feeling as though some sort of boss fight music would automatically start playing in the background.

'Epic…' he thought, his lips twisting up wryly.

Looking toward the opposite end of the bridge, he noticed a wide passage leading further in. If one didn't know any better, they might've thought this was some sort of resting area, relaxing before they continued their descent into the labyrinth's depths.

However, multiple magic circles suddenly appeared in front of Aziel, while another appeared on the opposite side of the bridge, accompanied by a swirling torrent of dark red mana.

'Oh, we're starting already…?'

It was a sight he'd anticipated from the beginning, fully aware of the horrors that awaited anyone daring enough to travel down here.

The glowing magic circle on the opposite end was a staggering 10 meters wide—a ridiculous size.

Although not as big, those positioned nearest to Aziel were a meter each, but were many in number. The dark red magic circles resembled pools of blood, giving off an ominous feel.

At this moment, they pulsed once, before waves of monsters began pouring forth. From the collective magic circles near Aziel came a horde of skeletons wielding swords—Traum Soldiers.

Their empty eye sockets gleamed with the same blood red light as the circles they came from, rolling around as if they were real eyes. In no time at all, Aziel watched as the area where he descended was nearly flooded with a hundred of the creatures.

Still, what came out of the opposite side of the bridge seemed far more of a threat. From within the 10-meter-wide magic circle emerged a monster as big as the circle that summoned it. It stood on four legs, and had some kind of helmet on its head, closely resembling something like a triceratops.

The Behemoth; the infamous monster of the 65th floor.

It was a creature that even the legendary adventurer who everyone called the strongest couldn't stand against.

Its eyes glowed bright red, clacking its wicked sharp claws and fangs together as flames sprouted from the helmet on its forehead.

Sucking in a huge breath of air, it let out a guttural roar that shook the entire room as it signaled the start of the battle.

*GRRRRRRHHHHH!!*

Watching as the near endless swarm Traum Soldiers rushed toward him, Aziel didn't hesitate, tapping his foot on the ground while calling forth a spell.

"Quake — Seismic Wave"

At this moment, half of the bridge rumbled, gradually building up into a massive earth quake that knocked the Traum Soldiers off balance. They tumbled to the ground, unable to gain any proper footing in the midst of the tumultuous tremors.

The battle had only just started, but even the Traum Soldiers who'd just finished spawning in were knocked to the ground, some falling into the endless abyss below.

The Behemoth momentarily halted its slow progression, steadying itself as it stared at Aziel with a mix of fury and wariness. Although the monster's total mass was quite large, it still had to be careful on this unguarded bridge, or else his single attack could spell its end.

"If this is all you're worth, you're quite the useless piece of shit. To think I was even a little excited to fight you, it's disappointing…"

Aziel walked forward with casual strides, unhindered by the chaotic shaking as he bypassed the struggling Traum Soldiers, who were still dead set on attacking him.

The scene was extraordinary.

Every time one of them got close enough to swing their sword, they would unfailingly stumble, missing all of their attacks before falling to the ground. He was an untouchable figure on the battlefield.

Though the Behemoth wasn't idle either, its helmet gradually heated up as a result of his taunts, and even more so in a fiery rage at this stalemate. Its huge legs kicked against the bridge, preparing to charge at him.

By now, Aziel's spell was finally coming to an end as he simultaneously picked up his pace, instantly dashing forward, leaving behind a small cloud of dust. No longer was he anywhere near the Traum Soldiers, but right in front of the Behemoth's nose.

In midair, his body rotated slightly, drawing his leg back in one quick motion, before sending out a skull shattering kick toward the huge monster's face.

*BAAaaAaAHh!!*

The sound echoed as the Behemoth's head snapped to the side, large amounts of blood and a few teeth spewed from its mouth. Its body leaned over from the shock of his sudden attack; confusion lingered in its eyes.

However, Aziel gave it no time to process the situation, releasing a flurry of punches at its oversized head, each strike resounding throughout the vast cavern.

*BOoom! BOoOm!!—BOoOm—BOOM!*

The Behemoth was steadily pushed backward from his heavy assault, the afterimages of his swings could be seen as shock wave after shock wave spread further. He stood in midair, pounding sizable dents into the creature's tough hide.

"Fight Back…!"

Aziel's canines peaked through the slight smirk playing his lips, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The vibrations of his punches beating into the monster's flesh brought an inexplicable satisfaction, using his full strength to hit something for once.

"Bastard, I said; Fight Back…!"

*BOOooOm!!—BoOoOom!! BOOoOm!*

The Behemoth, facing his endless barrage, was being overwhelmed by sheer force, prompting it to roar in indignation and rage.

*GROOOOOAAAAAHHH!!!!*

Swinging its head wildly, it thrashed around, sending tremors through the bridge as it successfully pulled away, which had also gotten Aziel to retreat a few meters.

The monster's current state was gruesome, blood leaked from the large gashes punctured throughout its head, the bones in its face completely disfigured. Steam billowed from its horns, the heat inducing a reddish tint to engulf them.

It roared again and charged, kicking off the ground as it sought to knock him out of the air. The Behemoth's huge body rocketed toward him, its menacing horns pointing straight ahead.

Aziel watched in near slow motion, standing high up above the ground and readied himself for its approach. Thrusting a single hand forward, his calm voice thundered across the entire room.

"Come forth — Force Lighting"

Blue streaks of lightning crackled violently, converging on the tips of each finger in a dangerous array of light. Not even a second later, thick threads of lightning shot out, racing toward the Behemoth who was only meters away.

*GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!*

Each thread of lightning struck true, a vicious shock spread throughout the Behemoth's body, forcing it to stiffen up as it was repelled backward by the continuous power of his spell.

However, Aziel wasn't finished. Arriving just above the Behemoth as it fell, he extended his leg upward, driving it down with his full momentum, smashing into the monster's skull with a powerful axe kick.

*BAaAAaHH!*

Another shockwave spread out, the large monster shot downward, crashing straight into the ground below. The entire bridge shook from the impact of its harsh landing, sending deep cracks across its surface, gradually crumbling away with debris.

The Behemoth laid in a pitiful slump, twitching as smoke rose from its battered, half charred body. Though it wasn't quite dead yet, any form of retaliation seemed impossible.

Aziel landed back on the ground, ignoring the horde of Traum Soldier barreling toward him. The bridge was already collapsing from the Behemoth's side, slowly making its way through.

It wouldn't take long before it reached the center where he currently stood. Walking forward, Aziel headed in the Behemoth's direction, which had just barely managed to lift its head to glare at him.

"You'll die…"

Despite his informing, the monster still attempted to cling onto the deteriorating bridge, progressively sliding down as each stone tile crumbled apart. Its unwilling gaze was reflected in his pupils, fighting fiercely for survival.

"You want to live, huh…."

Standing only a few feet away, Aziel watched it frantically claw forward in spite of its injuries, the lower half of its body hanging below without support. It was destined to die, yet it continued struggling.

"I see…"

That was all he said, gazing at the monster's huge body falling into the endless darkness of the abyss.

Suddenly, a bright red light filled the room in unison with a magic circle forming at the center of the bridge. A second later, a large group of people appeared from within, looking around with a mix of shock and surprise.

The Traum Soldiers, who had been adamant in attacking Aziel, directed their attention to the newly arrived group.

Aziel turned toward them, immediately realizing who they were—The Party of Heroes.

The party of heroes and the few knights standing with them all took notice of him as well, producing various reactions.

Though the main cause for concern was the half crumbling bridge, and the fact that Aziel was standing on the part that had just broken apart.

A few of them stretched their hands out, while others reflexively looked away in horror, not wanting to witness someone die right in front of their eyes.

"Well, down we go, I guess…"

Just like that, Aziel's figure fell into the darkness below, his calm expression unchanging even as the abyss swallowed him.

Thinking about the crumbling bridge, and the hundreds of Traum Soldiers that still remained, Aziel snorted with mirth.

'I'll leave the rest to you…'