Chapter 36 - Barhemoth Attacks!

I was moments away from being run off the side of the cliff into the deep abyss of the cavern.

Shit! This is bad, at this rate—maybe this could work… I can't do it too early or it won't work but if I go too late…

The monster drew closer but I didn't move. Arga tried running to my rescue when suddenly my arm stopped her in her tracks. I gestured an open hand towards her, still staring at the beast as if to say "Don't worry about me, I have a plan".

It's here.

The beast came crashing towards me with large arms smashing into the ground with every step. I kept my position along the edge and once it came as close as possible I muttered under my breath,

"Rush."

In response to my command, a white aura was summoned and circled over my feet. I could feel the tingling sensation coursing through my legs and jumped over the monster, clearing it with a single leap.

The monster continued and buried its massive front legs into the ground to slow itself down.

While flying over it, I pulled out my Chakrams and tried carving into it from above. My blades bounced off of its hard surface and didn't even leave a scratch.

I didn't think much would happen but I thought I'd at least give it a try. Still though…that level of toughness is almost like the Rhaskan.

I flipped over through the air and landed on my feet nimbly.

"This'll be rough."

The bright blue ores growing out of its back slowly pulled back from off the ledge. Already halfway off the side, it somehow managed to stop and was in the effort of pulling itself back up.

My eyes couldn't help falling to the line dug into the ground from its burly arms. My mouth went dry and a bead of sweat fell from my cheek.

As the monster pulled back and faced me, its health bar and name swung into view.

{Barhemoth Lv15}

"I don't know what that jump was all about, but I hope you can do it again." Arga rushed to my side.

"I'm not sure if that will work a second time. I've never fought this thing before so I'm not too sure about how it fights." I replied, still glaring at the monster ahead.

The gems on its back are tough like armour, and not just that—it's seriously strong! I'm not sure how I'll be able to damage it with just my Chakrams…

I carefully glanced over to Arga, observing her with a cautious grin.

I wonder though—can I trust her to fight with me?

The large stump on its head lowered to eye level as a billow of steam left its nose. It rested its arm in front of the other, displaying the large blue stones growing out of its knuckles.

Both Arga and I took a step back.

"Any plans?" She asked.

"Just one, I'm not sure if it will work though."

"Well it's our only idea so we'll just have to go with it. It's now or never!"

The Barhemoth charged, leading with the stump on its head as its top-heavy body bobbed up and down.

I cast out my Chakram and exactly as I thought it would, the blade bounced off. Seconds later the same blade came soaring back and cut into its back. The circular disk flew through the air with round swings and from every angle.

It cut at it from all sides it could, each time knocked away from its heavy armour—only to come flying back with more speed.

Arga and I separated, and each of us jumped off in opposite directions as the monster charged at us from ahead.

"Is something supposed to happen, those disks of yours aren't even scratching it!" Arga readied her sword as the monster turned to her.

"I know!" As its squared back came into view my mouth curled into a devious smile. "At least, not the gems anyway." I muttered to myself.

I stared at an artwork of cuts and slashes, carved out into the monster's muscular back. It was only a small section of the rather large area but it was progress.

It was a very narrow area but the Chakrams managed to prove my theory right. There is a way to damage it! Dealing damage to the sections between its gems was the only way I could damage it, similar to how the knights worked.

Arga held her ground and clashed her heavy sword into the monster's stumpy horn, forcing her back into the wall of the tunnel we had escaped from before. Her body slowly sunk deeper into the wall as cracks formed behind her and her sword moved closer to her body.

"—Arga!"

I yelled out desperately to catch her attention. Her struggling gaze broke from the Barhemoth and locked onto me, after giving a subtle nod she placed her hand on the flat end of her sword's blade, holding it like a thick layer of protection between them.

I held out my hand to cast the skill and put everything I had behind it—

"ZEPHYR BLAST!"

A green gust of wind exploded from my hand, cutting into the monster's back and slicing up the exposed midsection.

As a small chunk of its overall health dropped lower into the green, the monster turned away from Arga and faced me. With the opening right in front of her, she pushed the beast off of her with all her strength, only managing to budge it slightly short of a meter from her.

In one fluid motion, she spun around, casting her hair out like a rose-coloured vortex and swung her sword into the Barhemoths waist.

The sword collided with the midsection but caught a small section of gems with it. The attack wasn't as powerful but—

The glowing gems attached to its upper thigh shattered into sparkling glitter throughout the air as her sword drove through its shell and broke the stones along its side.

The monster staggered back but quickly caught itself before it could fall over. It dug its brawny firsts into the ground and darted its view between us.

One moment to her, the next to me. Almost as if it were struggling to choose between us.

This is something I had never seen before, at least not to this degree. Monsters—being cautious. The monsters on lower floors relied completely on instinct and went in for attacks wherever it was presented…this thing is different.

I gripped my Chakram and darted to the side along the edge of the platform.

The Barhemoth turned to me and seemed to have grown more aggressive as it slammed and raged against the ground—it was ready to charge.

Suddenly the gems on its chest and arms began to pulse, surging with brighter shades as power began to build up inside of it. It exuded a powerful light and buried its arms into the ground. I could feel something big coming, something strong!

Arga's eyes shifted into worry and called out to me with concern in her voice. Her expression had contorted into a brooding look of distress, her eyebrows arched heavily to the centre of her face.

"Rei—it's going to—!"

The light surrounding the monster was retracted back into its body, along with the repeated pulses. Suddenly it opened its mouth and a large source of light followed from deep into its throat.

I'm too late.

I was already closing in on it when the light appeared from its mouth, I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. I needed to dodge and there was no other way.

I tried limiting the amount of skills I used in front of Arga to two skills, so far I had only shown her my Zephyr Blast and Rush skills. After all the commotion I ran into with Welm and his party, I wasn't so eager to repeat that incident and decided this would be best.

I really liked Arga and she was nothing but kind to me but I still didn't know her too well. Showing her my secret would have been too risky.

But now I don't have a choice—

"…Shadow Step!"

I commanded a black aura to surround my body and disappeared into the beam of light.

The laser erupting from the Barhemoths mouth blasted through the stone wall behind me and obliterated everything in front of it, creating a steaming hole in the side of the cave walls.

Arga stared with her mouth hanging wide open, a single droplet of sweat hanging on the side of her face.

"—no way…!"