"No...!"
Noah forced himself onto one knee. He was tired. Every movement sent agonizing pain through his broken ribs.
Blood continued dripping from the corner of his mouth. His vision blurred. But he ignored it. His eyes locked onto the monster.
’ I won’t let it eat Damien..’
Cold mana surged wildly around him. Above the creature’s head. A single sword of crystal ice silently formed.
Unlike his previous attacks. This blade contained nearly every ounce of mana he could gather in such a short moment.
It hovered silently for the briefest instant.
Shoot!!
SWIIIISSHHH!!
The ice sword became a streak of blue light. Its speed far exceeded every previous attack Noah had launched.
The giant noticed it but too late.
SHRRRK!!
The blade pierced directly into its lone crimson eye. For the first time the monster was wounded. Its crimson eye burst apart as dark blood sprayed through the air.
ROOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!
An ear-splitting scream erupted from the giant. It staggered backward violently.
Its enormous hand instinctively opened. Damien slipped free and was thrown several meters before crashing painfully across the stone floor.
Dark blood streamed endlessly from the ruined eye socket. The giant clutched its face with one hand while roaring in agony.
Its cries echoed throughout the entire cavern. The walls trembled. The ceiling shook.
Even the air itself seemed to vibrate beneath its furious screams.
A chill ran down both Noah’s and Damien’s spines. Despite the wound neither of them felt relief.
Instead an overwhelming sense of dread settled over them. Because they both realized the same terrifying truth.
They had only managed to blind it. They hadn’t come anywhere close to killing it.
The giant remained bent over, clutching its ruined eye. Its enormous body trembled violently as dark blood poured relentlessly through the gaps between its fingers.
The entire hall echoed with its agonized growls. This was their only opportunity.
Noah forced himself to move.
Every step sent unbearable pain through his fractured ribs, but he gritted his teeth and dragged his battered body across the shattered floor toward Damien.
Blood continued dripping from the corner of his mouth. When he finally reached Damien, he immediately reached into his storage ring.
Two healing potions. Two mana recovery potions.
Without wasting a second, he tossed one of each to Damien before uncorking his own bottles. They drank them one after another.
Warm energy spread throughout Noah’s battered body. The sharp pain in his ribs eased slightly.
His exhausted mana core also began recovering, though nowhere near enough for another prolonged battle.
Across from him, Damien leaned heavily against one of the stone pillars while drinking his own potions.
His breathing gradually became steadier.
Noah looked toward him. "...Damien."
Damien raised his head. "Use the emergency device Instructor Morgana gave us."
His voice was grave.
"send her signal. This monster is beyond anything we’ve fought before. I don’t think we can defeat it on our own."
Damien silently looked toward the giant, which was still writhing in pain.
After a brief hesitation he nodded.
"...Yeah."
He reached into his storage ring. A dark-purple crystal appeared in his hand. In the event of a life-threatening situation. All they had to do was inject mana into it.
The crystal would instantly transmit a distress signal to the instructors outside the labyrinth.
Damien poured his mana into it. The crystal glowed faintly.
He frowned. "...That’s strange."
He tried again. Still nothing happened. A minute passed. Then another.
Noah’s expression slowly darkened. A growing sense of unease settled inside him.
"...What are you doing? You only need to activate it. It should automatically send the signal to Instructor Morgana."
Damien’s face became increasingly grim.
"I know. I’ve activated it few times before."
He looked at the silent crystal in disbelief. "But... For some reason... It’s not working today."
Noah’s pupils contracted.
"...What?...Fuck."
His heartbeat quickened.
’Why...? Did the labyrinth block it? No... that’s not possible. The instructor personally inspected this labyrinth before allowing Damien and me to enter. She gave us this device because she knew it would work... then why isn’t it working now? Or... is someone preventing it from transmitting?’
Before either of them could speak again. A deep, thunderous voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"VENGEANCE."
The words reverberated through the ancient hall like the tolling of a massive bell.
Noah and Damien froze. Neither of them moved. Neither of them breathed. Slowly both turned toward the source of the voice.
The giant still stood with its back facing them. Its massive hand remained pressed against its ruined eye.
Damien instinctively gripped his sword tighter. His voice trembled.
"D-Did...Did that thing just... speak?"
Noah swallowed hard.
"...Yes."
Silence returned. Then the giant spoke again.
Its voice was heavy.
Slow.
As though every word had been forgotten over countless centuries and had to be painfully remembered.
"VENGEANCE..."
A brief pause followed.
"VENGEANCE!!!"
Its tone grew louder. Filled with confusion. Almost as though it were recalling an old lesson.
Finally the creature spoke once more. Its words echoed throughout the chamber.
"PUNISHING..."
"AND HARMING SOMEONE..."
"IN RETURN..."
"FOR SOMETHING BAD THEY HAVE DONE TO YOU."
Each sentence came slowly.
Broken.
Like fragments of memories buried deep within its mind.
Then it finished.
"THAT... IS WHAT FATHER SAID."
The giant slowly lowered its hand. It turned around. Black blood continued streaming from the ruined eye socket, running down its face and dripping onto the shattered floor.
Its breathing had become heavier.
More violent. It glared directly at Noah and Damien.
A low growl escaped its throat, one filled not merely with rage, but with grief and with resentment. Full of hatred for both humans.
And with an endless hatred that had survived for countless years.
For the first time neither Noah nor Damien saw it as a mindless monster.
Something about those broken words made it sound terrifyingly human. Or perhaps it was something else entirely.
But one thing was sure. Both Noah and Damien have to give their all to kill this creature.
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