And so, the Plot Moves Forward. (10.3)

…

Relatively speaking, the more massive a weapon, the more damage it tended to do. However, in a world without magic, some sizes rapidly became impractical. Toting around a slab of sharpened iron and swinging it around with one arm is indeed an effective method of killing things, demons especially I'm sure, but most gigantic weapons tended to stay within the realm of fiction. Mostly because of the fact that such things were impractical, especially when not every soldier in an army can swing around massive swords to their hearts content.

Signal whistle. All allies are in position. Mage Elements beginning chanting. Cranel utilizing Argonaut Skill. Fighter support close by. Fighter support carrying Magic Swords. Start attack on enemy… now.

Of course, the same can't be said for this world. Since this was most definitely aimed at the Shounen audience, Adventurers, even Level 1s, are stronger than the average human being. The only reason why so many Adventurers are dying in Orario is the fact that monsters, even the ones on the very first floors, are downright deadly against normal human beings. Overall, as expected of a typical 'I'm special and you're not' power fantasy, most practical rules of weaponry didn't apply to Adventurers thanks to their superior physical attributes, the fact that Blacksmiths can create weapons that are unbreakable, and that the Dungeon provides magical materials.

Hiryute attacks first. Adamantium Twinblade proves effective against monster's defenses. Blade fully cuts through ankle. No. Regenerating. Rapidly. Defense isn't reliant on toughness. Regenerates from attacks. Need to disrupt. Arrows sprout from wound. Orimoto. Rapid-fire accuracy even while moving. Arrows explode. Archer Skill or Monster Crystal arrows? Irrelevant. Need to follow up with own attack. Charge forward. Soil not impeding weapon. Soft. Good.

Taking all of that into account, there're many reasons why so many Adventurers tout massive weapons into battle. Hiryute's Urga alone is the perfect example of a weapon that only an Adventurer could hope to wield to great effect. There were also other examples, such as massive, spiked greatshields, or mauls and maces that could dislocate regular arms with a single, improper swing. Of course, given my fighting style, I focused on using modified, regular weapons that were very cheap to replace. However, given the fact I was now within the main plot, and the fact that I was abducted by someone with such superior strength that I couldn't even attempt to fight them… I had needed an equalizer. Something suitable for killing monsters and taking on Adventurers of superior strength.

Utilize increased physical durability. Halt all body momentum. Transfer force of stop into weapon. Lever action. Body is lever. Guide superior mass with arms, shoulders, and back. Force weapon into horizontal cut. Must cripple Goliath mobility. Silver arc of destruction. Skin gives way. Flesh parts. Bone crushed to splinters. Weapon still moving. High possibility of whiplash or spinal fracture without corrections to form. Apply corrections. Reorient arms. Latch self onto weapon. Allow weapon momentum to bleed out. Recapture weapon. Distance between self and target has increased.

It was an axe, but suitably overblown and massive for Zaimokuza's adolescent fantasies. Around three meters long, the 'handle' alone would've been a powerful, dense weapon that I could've used to crush armor and break walls. However, the double-headed axe piece at the end was about five times the weight of the staff. In truth, the edge to the axe head was largely superfluous. It was more of a hammer with edges than an actual axe. It was a ridiculous sight, but there was no denying its effectiveness. Swung correctly, meaning swung without breaking my back or any limbs in the process, while coupled with the Continuous Haste I was using, my movements instantly turned the massive weapon into a ridiculously fast, speeding object that I had to move in synch with rather than try to reign in.

Flashes of light. Gold, blue, and white. Challia, Cranel, and Viridis. Force, supercharged Magic Sword, and light. Goliath head is annihilated by force of blows. Arms are mangled. Chest… chest holds against the attack. Monster Crystal of Goliath had been in chest. Chest contains Monster Crystal of aberration. Extremely well defended in comparison to regular Goliath. Need to launch overwhelming strike on weakness. Fighters arrive. They begin harrying attacks. Won't kill. Need to regroup with fellow Vanguards. Need to inform Mages.

"Orimoto!" The Vanguard consisted of Hiryute, Orimoto, and myself. Our job was to attract its attention because we could either take the punishment or avoid it entirely, while the Attackers whittled it down, and the Mages did their best to kill it completely. My former classmate was using her whip to drag herself out of harm's way, something I could see myself doing as well, but only against the regular Goliath. This one was stronger and faster than the original, yet she reacted to it as though she's fought it dozens of times before. Whatever her skill was, I was most assuredly correct in my assumption that she would be a nightmare to face in single combat. "Get to the Mages! Tell them to aim for the torso!"

Ally yells affirmative. Attackers withdrawing. Need to attract enemy attention again. Hiryute already engaging. Cuts off Goliath Arm with leap. Hiryute's strength is steadily increasing. Possible skill. Not relevant to current situation. Not gaining strength fast enough to make difference. Hand rapidly regenerating. Will be fully regrown in five seconds. Monster becoming less attentive to wounds. Learning. Trusting its power. Will soon attack fully exploiting regeneration power. Cannot allow. Direction Staff currently slotted into weapon. Begin chanting for Ceaseless Thunderbolt Battery.

Though I wouldn't lie about the fact that I disliked the look of Staves when they were made to enhance more than one quality of a Spell, there was another reason why I wanted to keep all my Staves simple. Namely, it was because the most 'basic' of staves, hardly half a meter in length, could fit snuggly into the end of the axe and fastened with the use of a clamp. The simple, geometric design of the single-class Magic Focus also didn't interfere with the curved, double head of the axe. The blades only 'framed' the protruding end of the stave. So, in a way, my weapon was actually two in one, and well-suited for my work, my maximized stats, and my infinite magic.

Twenty seconds until Ceaseless Thunderbolt Battery is complete. Enemy attention still upon Mages. High Risk of wounds without intervention. Draw Magic Sword. Fifty thousand Valis distraction. Concern irrelevant. Distraction required. Fire. Flames surge forward. Tight. Concentrated. Very well made. Empowered Goliath jawline, upper throat, and eye vanishes. Goliath attention gained. Still two blasts left before Magic Sword breaks. Prepare for attack. Enemy raises fist to attack... Too quick to evade! Utilize weapon as guard. Arm breaks. Ribs crack. Cry of anger. Pressure suddenly vanishes. Hefted by back of coat. Ally rescue. Can't heal. Nine seconds until Ceaseless Thunderbolt Battery Chant finishes. Heal after Chant is finished.

"What were you thinking!?" Tiona Hiryute was not pleased with my course of action. The Amazon's eyes were a bright scarlet, nearly glowing, reminding me of the eyes of Monsters. Berserker. It isn't a very rare skill, it's common in fact, but the amount of people who have it are rare thanks to the fact that many with the skill get themselves and their teammates killed. Still, given the fact Hiryute saved me despite being so furious, I knew that she had her temper in control. I couldn't help but marvel at the power of a Level 5 with such a skill either. I had thought that she had lopped off the Goliath's hand with her Adamantium Twinblade, but she had actually lopped it off by the elbow, shot herself off it towards me, and retrieved me in under five seconds. "Are you trying to get yourself killed, Hachiman!?"

It was really too bad I couldn't reply. From what I could see, I had inadvertently taken the brunt of the fall upon myself again. I should've known better than to do so. I told myself that I shouldn't do so. I supposed that old habits were difficult to put down. I supposed that I had to apologize for my actions later, if I didn't want the situation to devolve like it did before. However, unfortunately, that would have to wait until later. For now, no matter how Hiryute felt, I had to simply hope she could understand what I'm doing after we've killed the massive monster that was about to kill us.

Finish chant. Level Stave towards enemy. Ally making efforts difficult. Ally affected by Skill. Not in full control. Need to move from line of fire. Superior strength won't allow to push away. Pull forward. Surprise. Embarrassment. Skill mental effect reduced. Ally capitulates to forced movement. Hold close. Finish leveling Control Stave. Focus power into massive, powerful construct. Spread damage across means of mobility. Fire Ceaseless Thunderbolt Battery.

Ceaseless Thunderbolt Battery is my most powerful Spell, but I had acquired it for a very, very low price. Understandably, while Continuous Chain Lightning and Everlasting Bolt can be used by most Mages in a pinch, Ceaseless Thunderbolt Battery's drain on Mind is a ridiculous one. It's a full-scale artillery spell, meant to destroy hordes of monsters, that doesn't cease until the Caster wills it to do so. The spell unleashes a tidal wave of thunderbolts, thousands of Everlasting Bolts, all at once. Holding Everlasting Battery for a few minutes can wipe out a Mage's reserves of Mind, making it necessary to use a Mind Potion, so it's understandable that Ceaseless Thunderbolt Battery isn't in high use despite the fact it's ludicrously powerful when combined with a powerful Control Stave.

Of course, that just meant it's perfect for me.

Harness. Amass. Beams. Ten of a thousand thunderbolts each. Two for each eye, arm, and leg. Creature roars. Push lightning down throat. Punch through chest. Flay defenses. Tear through skin and muscle. Must Locate Monster Crystal. Need to heal. Begin chanting Mend. Administer to arm for greater guidance. No. Ribs. Will need to move. Rate of Regeneration for each location perfectly matching damage output. Regeneration is for individual body sections, not limited amount for entire body, can't be spread out. Need to forcibly extract or greatly damage Monster Crystal. Enemy roars of frustration. No longer bothered with pain. Focus efforts on destroying ability to move. Vanguard Ally has recovered. Ally supplementing efforts. Combined attacks are achieving success. Heal Ribs. Relocate.

Another trio of magical attacks issued forth from afar, the same three colors once more, however, each one zoned into where I was making my most earnest efforts to dig through the Empowered Monster's Defenses. Challia's attacks hit first, the speed of her attacks still present despite the Amplified nature of her spells, and it burst through a layer of thick, defensive muscle on the abdomen. I saw a glint of eerie, strange obsidian crystal within, just as Viridis's attack hit in synch with Cranel's. The streak of blue and white slammed into the strange Monster King's core, burst through it, and erupted straight through the creature's back.

For a moment, I thought that we had won, that we just needed to do the same for the one already being harassed by over a hundred other Adventurers…

Then, there was an overwhelming amount of pressure, the forest around me ripping itself apart, and I felt myself flying alongside soil, wood, and crumbling stone. As I felt power wash over me, I knew that I would've died if not for my Dragon Hide coat.

It had been an Amplified version of the Goliath's most powerful attack. A roar that could scatter entire Familias and send battalions of Adventurers flying. The attack that made it necessary for most who fought the Goliath to be Level 2, just so that they weren't killed by the sheer amount of magical power that the Monster Rex unleashed.

As I rose from the debris that I had landed on, my mind spinning even as I was already chanting Mend and healing my arm, I froze at the sight before me.

The other Goliath was being struck and whittled down. Most of its body was gone, it was aflame in some areas and frozen in others, and an immense number of bolts stuck to its body.

However, it was moving steadily and with purpose, not allowing itself to be stopped, and each of its steps seemed to last a lifetime in my eyes.

Everyone present knew what it was going to do.

The fire upon it redoubled, but I knew that it wouldn't be enough. We had the most powerful mages, and they had just cast their spells, and the attack had caused me to deactivate my spell instinctively out of fear of hitting my own allies with lightning.

Everyone could only watch and stare as it came upon the massive, obsidian crystal that its defeated kin left behind, hefted it to its maw, and swallowed it whole.

The 18th Floor was bathed in light as the Monster King transitioned into a new existence altogether.

A Calamity.