Herogasm: My SSS-Ranked Maids Can Do Everything!

–Chapter 18–

Title: Trial by Fire!

Unlike the earlier golems, this formation carried enormous stone shields that locked together the instant they stopped moving.

"They’re blocking me," Nyxara sneered as Hellfire gathered around her fist.

Takeshi’s eyes darted between both sides of the battlefield.

The shadow beasts had separated him, while the golems were delaying Nyxara.

Neither group was attacking recklessly anymore. Instead, something about their slow approach caught his attention.

"They’re buying time..."

His gaze lifted, and the answer revealed itself almost immediately.

Behind the shield wall, a cluster of fire elementals had gathered.

There were far more of them than before, and their bodies glowed brighter with every passing second as streams of mana gathered between their hands.

Takeshi frowned. "What the fuck are they doing?"

With no other choice, he shouted,

"Forget the beasts! Just break the line!"

Nyxara grinned. That was the type of order she loved.

"My favourite words."

Hellfire exploded beneath her feet, propelling her into the air.

Instead of trading punches with the golems, she rose above them before crashing back down, slamming both palms into the ground.

Boom!

A violent burst of crimson fire erupted beneath the stone defenders, blasting two of them off balance.

Noticing the opening, Takeshi shouted.

"The gap!"

Nyxara was already moving. She shot through the opening before the shields could close again.

The nearest fire elemental barely had time to turn when her fist tore straight through its blazing core.

The explosion that followed sent the remaining elementals stumbling backwards, disrupting their spell before it could fully form.

The entire battlefield shook from the blast, but instead of retreating or charging again, every remaining monster suddenly stopped moving.

The arena grew deathly still.

Takeshi felt it immediately.

"...Something’s coming."

Nyxara slowly rolled her shoulders.

"I was wondering when the real fight would start."

***

A deafening crack echoed through the chamber.

The centre of the arena split apart as molten light spilled from the widening fissure. Something enormous began to rise from beneath the stone floor.

Takeshi’s smile disappeared.

"...This is it."

Dust drifted lazily through the air as the last of the monsters crumbled into nothing.

For a brief moment, neither Takeshi nor Nyxara moved.

Then the construct finally emerged.

It towered over everything else they’d faced so far.

Its body was forged from black stone veined with merciless flames, while two brilliant cores pulsed inside its chest. One glowed a cold blue. The other burned crimson red.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes.

"So that’s the Floor Guardian."

The construct raised both arms. Without warning, the blue core flashed.

A crushing pressure swept across the arena.

Takeshi felt his body grow heavy almost instantly, to the point that even lifting his arm required more effort than before.

A split second later, the red core ignited, sending streams of fire tearing across the battlefield.

"Split up!" he yelled.

They moved in opposite directions.

Flames crashed into the ground between them, melting sections of the stone floor before scattering into burning fragments.

Nyxara wasted no time charging straight at the guardian.

Its response was immediate. The massive construct swung a stone arm across its body, forcing her to leap back before she could land a clean hit.

"...It’s stronger."

She dug her heels into the ground to stop herself from sliding backwards.

"And slower," Takeshi muttered as he watched the exchange. "But it’s making up for it somehow."

His eyes remained fixed on the guardian as it attacked Nyxara again.

Every movement was deliberate. Every pause meant something, and every opening disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.

Then it clicked. "The blue core!"

Nyxara glanced towards him while avoiding another swing. "What about it?"

"It’s not attacking. It’s supporting."

He pointed towards the construct’s chest.

"That pressure from earlier must have come from the blue core. Break it first!"

A grin spread across Nyxara’s face despite the strain.

"One dead core coming right up!"

She burst forward again, Hellfire roaring around both fists.

The guardian tried to swat her aside, but she slipped beneath its arm and drove a heavy punch into the left side of its chest.

Crack!

The blue core flickered. A fracture appeared across its surface before stabilising.

Nyxara landed several metres away, clicking her tongue.

"Tough little bitch, ain’t you?"

"It cracked." Takeshi began circling the guardian, refusing to stand still.

"It’ll crack again."

The guardian turned towards him instead.

Its enormous arm rose over its head.

Then, in the next instant, it came crashing down, causing the ground to shudder.

Takeshi threw himself into a roll as stone exploded where he’d been only a heartbeat earlier.

The shockwave still knocked him sideways, but it also forced the guardian to expose its flank.

Nyxara didn’t hesitate. She didn’t need another order to spot the opening.

She launched herself into it and hammered both fists into the same cracked section.

Crack!

The fracture spread further. Blue light leaked from the damaged core like smoke escaping through broken glass.

The guardian roared. This time, both arms swept across the arena together.

One barely missed Nyxara. The other slammed into the ground just ahead of Takeshi.

The impact sent him flying again. His back struck the stone floor hard enough to drive the air from his lungs.

For a moment, everything felt like it was moving too damn fast.

"Master!"

Nyxara’s voice sounded distant.

Takeshi forced himself onto one knee, coughing once before waving her off.

"I’m fine."

It wasn’t entirely true. His ribs ached, and he could already feel bruises forming. But he could still move. That was enough.

"Don’t stop!"

He pointed towards the guardian again.

"The core’s almost gone!"

Nyxara’s grin returned immediately.

"That’s my master!" she said proudly.

Hellfire engulfed both her arms as she sprang onto the guardian itself, climbing its body with frightening speed.

From there, the Demoness of Hellfire unleashed a relentless barrage of white-hot punches.

Each one landed on the same damaged section, sending cracks racing through the stone chest.

The guardian struggled to throw her off, but Takeshi didn’t give it the chance.

He grabbed a broken section of pillar and hurled it towards the construct’s face.

The stone shattered harmlessly against its massive jaw.

Just as he’d planned. The attack wasn’t meant to hurt it.

It only needed to make the guardian look in his direction, and that single distraction was enough.

Nyxara drove one final punch into the fractured core before it could release another wave of pressure.

A sharp crack echoed across the arena.

The blue crystal shattered.

Almost instantly, the crushing pressure vanished.

Takeshi felt the weight lift from his body as quickly as it had appeared.

He smiled.

"Now finish it."

Nyxara laughed, brandishing a toothy grin

"Gladly."

She dropped from the guardian’s shoulder and planted both feet firmly on the ground.

Flames burst beneath her legs like boosters as she launched herself upward one final time.

Hellfire erupted around both fists, licking the air with raw fury.

The red core glowed, releasing a torrent of fire towards her.

She tore straight through the flames, both fists extended, before driving them into the blazing core.

Boom!

A deafening blast echoed throughout the arena as flames burst from every crack in the guardian’s body.

The towering construct stood motionless for a single second.

A deep groan echoed from within its body before the last traces of light faded from its shattered cores.

Billows of smoke curled from the construct as its massive frame finally gave way, collapsing into a mountain of broken stone and dying embers.

Silence returned to the arena.

Takeshi remained where he was for a moment, breathing heavily as he stared at the fallen guardian.

Then a familiar glow appeared before his eyes.

[Floor 5 Cleared]

[Clear Time: 47 Minutes 12 Seconds]

[Record Time for First Attempt - E-Rank]

[Special Achievement Unlocked]

A tired smile slowly spread across his face.

"...We actually did it."

Nyxara walked over, dusting bits of stone from her arms before looking at the floating screen.

A grin tugged at the corner of her lips.

"I told you we’d win."

"I don’t remember you saying that."

"I was thinking it from the start."

Takeshi laughed despite the ache in his chest.

"How convenient."

For a few seconds, neither of them said another word.

They simply stood there in the middle of the ruined arena, catching their breath as the adrenaline slowly wore off.

This wasn’t just another victory.

It was proof.

They were getting stronger.

Together.

--End of Chapter--

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