Chapter 81
“Grrrgh….”
The prison floor had completely collapsed.
Among the flames and thunderous explosions, Longus barely managed to survive.
“I thought you rats just came to sneak the old man out—but it doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll deal with the consequences later. Hostages or not… I’ll kill every last one of you here!”
His massive body was charred and melted, a gaping hole through one arm.
Leona stood proudly before the burning, half-molten Named monster, refusing to back down.
‘I can do this.’
Her side and arm still ached from his first strike, but it wasn’t crippling.
The monster, on the other hand, had taken a serious blow from Lillian’s magic.
If both of them were uninjured, she’d stand no chance.
But as things were now, she had a real shot—
No, a chance wasn’t enough.
She had to win.
Because below, where Eric and Malefica had fallen, things would be far worse.
‘We need to rescue the Cardinal and get out fast. We’ve already stayed too long. I have to finish this, regroup with the Young Lord, and escape the fortress.’
It wasn’t that she distrusted Eric.
But too much time had passed since their arrival.
And even if they’d just caused a commotion, the collapse of thick, reinforced floors was far beyond what should have been possible.
Even with the Shadow Knights and the Duke’s soldiers distracting the Demon King outside, there’s no way the enemy wouldn’t realize something had happened to their hostages.
Before the Demon King’s forces—or the Demon King himself—arrived,
they had to kill these two Named monsters and get out.
Their mission was to rescue the Cardinal, not to shake up the fortress from within.
“Giiiihhh! Diiieee!”
SWOOSH!
Despite his injuries, Longus lunged with impossible speed.
Leona barely had time to raise her sword.
CLAAANG!
“Ugh…!”
The heavy impact rang through her blade, numbing her arms.
Maybe because the creature had already smashed through every wall, pillar, and cell in his rage—
his strikes were somehow even faster than before.
“You filthy… little woman!”
WHOOSH!
The monster screeched and swung his gaping, half-melted arm again.
‘Damn, again…!’
“Duck!”
THWIP!
As Leona braced for another strike, she instinctively ducked at Ventus’s shout—
and an arrow whistled over her head.
THUNK!
“GYAAAAAH! M-MY EYE! MY EYE!!”
The arrow shot straight through the hole in his arm and pierced his eye.
With half his vision blackened, Longus screamed in agony.
“Damn it! Magnus! MAGNUS! Where the hell are you, you idiot!?”
BOOM! BOOM!
Blinded, the monster thrashed wildly, smashing walls and floor alike.
Leona saw her moment.
Before he could recover, she crouched low and kicked off the ground.
SWISH!
SLAASH!
She blurred forward, appearing right before him in an instant.
Her blade carved deep into his shoulder, nearly severing the flailing arm.
“Ugh…”
‘Harder than I thought.’
Even burned and blistered, his flesh was tough as iron.
Cutting through it completely was impossible.
“Gyaaaaah! G-ghhkk! Krrhh! Giiikkkk!!”
Longus screamed, but soon began to grin—
seeing her sword jammed deep into his shoulder, too stuck to pull free.
“Got you…”
WHIZ—
Just as he was about to grab her with his remaining arm,
a sharp sound whistled through the air again.
WHOOSH!
A blur of silver shot toward his remaining eye.
SNAP!
“You fool! Who falls for the same trick twice—”
BOOM!
He caught the arrow mid-air with a smirk—
only for it to explode in his hand.
“Guhh! Cough! W-What the—!?”
Red dust burst outward, covering his face.
Longus coughed violently, his throat and nose burning like fire.
“I mixed a bit of gunpowder with a bag of crushed spices,” Ventus said calmly. “The more you rub it, the spicier it gets.”
“Urrghh! My eyes! What kind of childish trick is this!?”
Half-blind, choking on pepper smoke, Longus stumbled backward—
and a flash of silver light cut through the haze.
SWOOSH!
“Well done, Lord Ventus.”
“Damn—”
SLASH!
THUD.
Before he could finish his curse, his head hit the floor and rolled away.
“Huff… haah…”
Leona yanked her sword free from his shoulder and, seizing the chance Ventus gave her,
unleashed all her remaining strength to end it.
Blood sprayed like a fountain from the monster’s neck.
THUD!
“You all right?”
As the body toppled lifelessly, Ventus approached, concern in his voice.
Leona nodded, panting heavily.
“Let’s move.”
She steadied her breath, slung Lillian and the Cardinal over her shoulders,
and started toward the next floor.
“Downstairs.”
CRACK!
CLANG!
In the wreckage below—where shattered stone reached the ceiling like a jagged tower—
Eric faced off against a hulking monster breaking free of a pillar of ice.
He grimaced as Magnus shattered the bindings through sheer force.
“RUOOOAR!!”
BOOM! CRASH!
‘Ridiculous strength.’
A massive fist came crashing down.
Eric barely avoided it, his leg dragging from an old injury,
and stomped the ground again toward the half-buried arm.
THUD! CRACK!
“Y-You rat! Hiding behind cheap tricks again?”
“Cheap tricks? That’s only the second time I’ve used it. Anyone else would think I’ve done it ten times already.”
Magnus snarled as his arm froze solid from fingertips to shoulder again.
Eric smirked.
‘Truth is, I can’t use many more times.’
The monster’s innate power was efficient—but not infinite.
‘Three more times at most… no, maybe only twice.’
For a so-called “powerless” man, Eric was doing well.
But compared to a Named monster, his stats were pitiful.
Freezing that huge body took enormous energy and mana.
Thankfully, his trait helped offset the exhaustion.
Without it, he’d have collapsed after the first two uses.
‘Two more chances. I have to end this before then.’
“Grrrh! RAAAH!”
CRASH!
Magnus shattered the ice again, raising his arm for another blow.
Eric tensed, stepping forward.
“D-DIE!”
WHOOSH!
“Young Lord! Watch out—!”
BOOOOM!
The impact thundered through the chamber, kicking up a storm of dust.
“Lord Eric! Are you all right!? Lord—”
“Grrraaah!”
Malefica ran toward the smoke in panic—
but when it cleared, she froze.
Magnus’s fist was impaled on jagged spikes of ice.
Beneath a slanted frost barrier, Eric emerged unharmed.
“Wh-What…?”
“W-What kind of magic is that, human!?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Eric limped closer, dragging his bad leg.
Magnus thrashed, trying to free his pierced arm.
‘I used both my remaining Frost Steps. I have to finish this now.’
One use to form the barrier that diverted the monster’s punch.
Another to sprout the spikes that skewered his arm.
“Guhh! D-Don’t come any closer!”
He tore his other hand from his gut wound and swung wildly.
‘Good. Now…’
Eric crouched, ready to dodge—
THUD!
“…Huh?”
His leg locked up.
The pain hit its limit, freezing him in place.
‘Damn… not now!’
He clenched his teeth, realizing he wouldn’t move in time.
The giant arm descended—
THUMP!
“W-What?”
A heavy thud echoed, followed by a confused grunt.
“What are you standing there for!? I don’t know what you planned, but move it!”
Malefica’s voice snapped him back.
He turned to see blood on her lips—she’d strained herself casting a protective spell just in time.
“Human? What are you—”
SQUELCH!
Eric reached the monster, staring at the torn-open belly.
Without hesitation, he climbed inside.
“W-What!? Get out of me! You—”
STAB!
Magnus’s eyes widened.
A shudder ran through his body, and the arm he was raising fell limp.
“Grrkk…”
THUD.
The ice spikes melted as the giant body collapsed, lifeless.
“Lord Eric…”
SPLASH!
“Pwah!”
“Eek!”
A moment later, as Malefica rushed toward the fallen corpse in worry,
its entrails shifted—
and Eric burst out, drenched in blood.
“Lady Malefica.”
“Y-Yes!?”
Still catching her breath, she stared wide-eyed as he spoke calmly:
“Sorry, but… could I trouble you for another healing spell?
My leg’s back to being useless again.”
