As Commander Meld turned around to get a better look, he muttered to himself in disbelief, "It- it couldn't be- a Behemoth?" The class watched in horror as a ten-meter-tall monster with Triceratops-like features emerged from the ten-meter-wide magic circle. The creature had bone-like protrusions resembling a helmet on its head, along with crimson eyes that emanated an eerie glow, sharp claws, and fangs that clanged together like metal upon impact. The horned helmet only added to the beast's ferocity.
The beast roared, sending a wave of terror through the class. Commander Meld regained his senses and barked orders, instructing the knights and students to take action. "Alan! Lead the Heroes to the stairs and break through those Traum Soldiers! Kyle, Ivan, Gale! I need you guys to make a barrier as big as you can! We need to stop that monster here! Kouki, hurry and get to the stairs with the others!"
Kouki protested, "Wait a moment, Meld-san! We'll fight too! we can-"
"idiot"Captain Meld interjected, "Idiot! That's a Behemoth! Even the strongest adventurer the kingdom has ever seen couldn't deal with it. There's no way any of you could handle it. Now go!"
Despite Meld's grave expression, Kouki stood his ground and said, "I can't just abandon you guys! Let's-" But the behemoth interrupted with another beastly roar before charging at the party.
The knights roared a protection spell, "Repel all Malice and Enmity, Absolute Providence from the Son of God, Here in a Sanctuary, The Enemies of God Shall Not Pass, [Absolute Virtue]!" The spell brought up a multi-layered barrier that stopped the Behemoth's incoming charge. The monster hit the barrier, and with clear hatred in its eyes, it repeatedly charged at the barrier, causing powerful shockwaves with each collision. The pressure cracked the stone bridge, and the barrier started to crack as well. It was only a matter of time before it gave in.
Captain Meld joined to reinforce the barrier, which helped slightly, as a few cracks disappeared and reappeared moments later. The Heroes were in a state of panic, with Traum Soldiers in front of them and a boss monster behind them.
Most of the Heroes ignored Alan's attempts to calm them down and rushed towards the stairs. This resulted in Shizuku getting pushed to the floor towards a Traum Soldier with its sword raised high. She closed her eyes and instinctively crossed her arms over her head, waiting for the pain to set in. But it never came. Opening her eyes, she saw Aio standing in front of her, causing her to blush slightly.
"A-Aio!?" she almost screamed, but Aio told her to hurry and head back to the others and help Koari calm them down. He instructed her to hold a safe zone near the stairs, saying, "These things aren't that strong if you're thinking calmly." Meanwhile, he and Hajime who was by his side 'would assist the knights by giving them time to retreat then to finish things off the knights and the rest of there classmates would fire there strongest spells at the behemoth and bridge to weaken it, giving Hajime and Aio time to retreat as well before Hajime uses one final transmute to destroy the bridge and take the behemoth with it. Aio spoke this with conviction and determination, his words echoing through the floor of the labyrinth as he outlined his plan. Hajime nodded in agreement, his face set in a determined expression. "Yea we can do this," he said, his voice low and steady. "Let's give it everything we've got."
Shizuku watched as they moved to carry out their plan, a sense of admiration and respect swelling within her for Hajime and she could feel her heart flutter act Aio's selflessness, she was now ashamed about how she dismissed them back on earth while she and the rest of the class where in panic both of them kept a level head. She shook her head trying to get these feelings and thoughts out of her head, then she started to run back towards her classmates.
As Shizuku ran towards the others, her heart was pounding in her chest. She had never been in a situation like this before, and the weight of the responsibility that had been placed on her shoulders was heavy. But she knew that she had to stay calm and focused if they were going to make it out of this alive, And so her mind raced with possibilites. Shizuku could hear the sounds of stone moving and something repeatedly colluding with it grow louder and louder causing her to run faster and her heart to pound louder and harder in her chest.
When she finally reached the others, she found them in a state of panic. Koari was doing her best to keep them calm, but they were still in a state of fear.She needed to help Koari calm everyone down and maintain a safe zone near the stairs and so Shizuku took charge, she spoke in a calm and soothing voice, telling them that they could do this if they worked together and stayed focused.
"Hey, Shizuku, what's going on?" Koari asked as soon as she saw her.
Shizuku took a deep breath before replying. "We need to stay calm and hold a safe zone near the stairs. Hajime and Aio are going to assist the knights in retreating. They have a plan, but it's crazy. We need to gather everyone for a final attack on the Behemoth and the bridge."
Koari's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure. "Okay, we can do this. Let's get everyone ready."
There words seemed to have an effect, and the others began to rally around her. They worked together, using whatever they could find as makeshift barricades to hold off the Traum Soldiers. suzu used her magic to create barriers and shields, working tirelessly to keep the Traum soldiers away from her classmates blind spots.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the bridge, the Behemoth was charging towards Commander Meld and the knights, its horns glowing a sinister red. They had resolved themselves to face death when suddenly, Hajime appeared before them, yelling the name of his skill, "[Transmute!]" A wall of stone appeared in front of the Behemoth, stopping its charge momentarily.
Panting heavily, Hajime quickly took out a Magic Recovery Pill and began to chew it. He knew that he couldn't keep this up for long, but he had to do whatever it took to protect Commander Meld and the knights.
Hajime continued to use his skill to keep the behemoth at bay while Aio pushed and threw Traum Soldiers using his jaws off the bridge. Hajime began to despair as he saw that the Behemoth was getting more and more aggressive. It was assaulting his barrier with increasing force, and he knew that he couldn't keep it up for much longer.
Just as he was about to lose hope, Aio appeared next to him, his expression serious. "Hajime, how much mana do you have left?"
Gritting his teeth, Hajime replied, "Not much. I can only keep the barrier up for a few more seconds at most."
Aio hummed thoughtfully before turning towards Commander Meld and the knights, who were panting on the floor from mana exhaustion. "Commander Meld, I have a plan, but I'm going to need you to gather the students for a final attack on the Behemoth and the bridge."
Looking up, Commander Meld studied Aio's expression for a few seconds before speaking. "Alright, what do you have?"
Aio smirked and told Commander Meld his plan. "We're going to use the environment to our advantage. We'll create a diversion and lure the Behemoth towards the bridge's weak spot(the middle of the bridge for you numb skulls out there). Then, we'll use Hajime's [Transmute] to collapse the bridge and take the Behemoth down with it."
Commander Meld nodded slowly, impressed by Aio's ingenuity. "I like it. Let's make it happen."
Just as Commander Meld and Aio began to move the behemoth let out a deafening roar, and Hajime found himself struggling to contain its immense power. Amidst the chaos, he could hear the panicked voices of his fellow classmates calling out to Kouki, the one who always saw himself as a hero and aimed to save everyone. Despite the calls to retreat, Kouki rushed towards Hajime's side and began to chant with unwavering determination. "By Divine Will! Let your light purge all that is evil! The breath of God! Dispel the ominous clouds and purify this world! The mercy of God! Absolve me of my sins with this strike! [Heaven's Might!]" With a single, powerful swing of his holy sword, Kouki shattered Hajime's protective barrier, unleashing a burst of radiant light. The light first struck the bridge before colliding head-on with the behemoth, causing the entire area to glow and stirring up a cloud of dust that momentarily suspended everything in place.
Hajime coughed up a mouthful of blood, feeling the strain of the transmutation taking its toll on his body. He knew he couldn't afford to rest, not when they were facing such a deadly foe. With a deep breath, he gritted his teeth and swallowed a Magic Recovery Pill, forcing himself up on shaky legs."Thanks, Kouki, I owe you one," he said, his voice strained with exertion."Don't mention it," Kouki replied, his eyes fixed ahead, waiting for the dust to clear.
Suddenly, a low, menacing "~Growl~" echoed from the smoke, followed by the heavy thuds of the behemoth's massive feet as it emerged from the haze. The ground shook with each step, and Hajime and Kouki froze in terror as the behemoth walked out of the smoke before stopping infront of both them suddenly the behemoths horns ignited like lava as it got ready to impale both heroes.
"Don't just stand there, you two! Move!" Commander Meld and Aio yelled simultaneously, jolting Kouki and Hajime back to their senses. Without hesitation, Kouki grabbed Hajime and jumped to the side, evading the behemoth's deadly charge. The impact still sent them flying, and they tumbled to a stop amidst their classmates.
Kaori yelled out hajime and kouki's names before rushing over to check on the two heroes, relieved to find that they weren't seriously hurt. Kaori let out a small sigh of relief as she noticed they weren't injuried to badly specifically Hajime. Kaori then turned to her side as Commander Meld and Aio showed up to ask how they were and Kaori told them they where mostly fine as Kouki took most of the blow.
Turning back to face the behemoth, Aio noticed that part of the behemoth's head or more specifically its horns were monetarily stuck in the bridge before it pulled itself out, sparking an idea in his mind. "Instead of just distracting it why not use its stupidity to our advantage?" he suggested, his mind racing with tactics.
Everyone close by turned to face Aio at his suggestion and commander meld asked "what do you mean by that?" Aio smirked "i mean, i get the behemoth to use that charge again while Hajime uses transmute to keep its head stuck in the bridge meanwhile i will jump on its back and attempt to temporarily immobilize it by striking its nerves near the neck. Then after kaori heals kouki and the rest of you reunite with the others you will bombared the behemoth and the bridge near it until hajime and i escape then hajime will use one final [transmute] to destroy the bridge and we can retreat to the lower floors."
Commander Meld nodded this was more soild then there previous plan to wing it when distracting the thing and if they could pull it off it would increase there chances of surviving exponentially.
"Alright, good luck to you two," Commander Meld said. "Hai," Hajime and Aio replied simultaneously, their voices in almost perfect unison.
(POV Aio)
As soon as we received the signal, Hajime and I rushed towards the behemoth, while the rest of our classmates and knights fought off the Traum Soldiers. When we arrived, the behemoth was glaring at us with anger. I turned to Hajime and asked if he was ready. After he confirmed, I activated my [Biomorphing] ability and transformed into a minotaur-like monster. I took a deep breath before letting out a fierce roar using my [Alpha's Howl] skill. Unlike the Rockmounts' [Intimidating Roar], [Alpha's Howl] was a buff type skill used by the red wolf alpha to enhance his pack's abilities. It gave a 10% increase in all stats for five minutes.
The moment I unleashed my [Alpha's Howl] skill, the behemoth suddenly turned its attention to me, and I knew that I had to act fast. With the beast's gaze fixed on me, I ran towards its side, my eyes locked on its massive frame. I leaped into the air, and with my sharp claws, I scratched its eyelid
As I landed back on the ground, I cursed under my breath, realizing that the cut was not deep enough to do any significant damage. I knew I needed to get the behemoth to charge again, but how? As I thought to myself, I decided to take a risk.
I focused my energy and transformed again, this time into a monstrous minotaur hybrid with four arms like a battle ape and the red fur of a red wolf. I also changed my voice to mimic the deep growl of a Rockmount. With a fierce determination, I charged towards the behemoth once more, ready to face whatever lay ahead.
(Hajime POV)
I watched as Aio charged towards the behemoth's side, drawing its attention away from me. It was a risky move, but if it worked, it could be the key to taking down the beast. I saw Aio skid on the ground and turn to jump towards the behemoth's face, extending his claws to cut at its eyes.
"Shit!" Aio cursed, followed by the pissed off screams of the behemoth as it almost lost an eye. "Get ready, Hajime!" he yelled. I knew what he wanted me to do. I closed my eyes and focused on my transmutation ability. I placed my hands on the ground and waited for the signal.
"Now!" Aio yelled, and I screamed "[TRANSMUTE!]" with all my might. The ground around the behemoth's head transmuted into a solid block, trapping it in place. The beast struggled hard, trying to break free from the transmutation. I couldn't let up for even a second or the ground would crack, and the beast would break free. So, I focused on restricting its movements as much as possible, slowly making the ground build up and drag the behemoth lower into the ground.
"Now, Aio! It's your turn!" I yelled between gritted teeth, my body straining from the effort of keeping the behemoth trapped.
"I'm trying, Hajime! Its fur and skin are just too sturdy to get into!" Aio muffled out in response. I knew I had to keep the behemoth trapped for as long as possible, giving Aio time to find a way to deal some real damage.
(Aio POV)
I growled as I tried to tear off a piece of the behemoth's flesh, but it was like trying to rip apart a boulder. Even with my minotaur-like strength, I couldn't make a dent in its sturdy hide. Hajime was using his [Transmutation] ability to keep the beast's head in place, but it was still struggling hard. We needed to immobilize it completely before our classmates and knights could cast their spells.I activated my [Biomorphing] ability and changed my jaw and skull structure from that of a rock mount to that of a battle monkey. I bit down hard on the behemoth's flesh, but even a gorilla's jaws couldn't tear it off.
I remembered how crocodiles did it and attempted a death roll. I rolled and rolled, hoping to tear a piece of flesh off the beast's body. It took some time, but I finally heard the sound of tearing flesh. I managed to tear off a chunk of its flesh, and I kept tearing and tearing until I had a mouth full of it.I swallowed the behemoth's flesh and activated [Biomorphing] again.
My body began to change and grow as I activated my [Biomorphing] ability again, and my fur transformed from the red of a wolf to the black of the behemoth. I felt the weight of my body increase, and my muscles bulge as my form grew larger and more imposing. Meanwhile, Hajime continued to use his powers to restrict the behemoth's movements, keeping it from escaping or attacking us.
i worked tirelessly to tear at the beast's flesh, trying to weaken it and bring it down. We could feel its strength waning, but it was still dangerous and unpredictable. Eventually, the behemoth stopped moving altogether, and we paused to catch our breath, unsure if it was dead or just unconscious.
Suddenly, Hajime shouted in panic, "It's using that ability!" I immediately knew what he meant - the behemoth's red horns that could cut through his [transmutation] like papper. I cursed and jumped off the behemoth, turning to run towards Hajime. As I ran, I activated my [Biomorphing] ability once more, changing my fur from the black and dense fur of the behemoth to the smoother and more agile red wolf fur.
Hajime and I raced towards the others with determination, sweat beading on hajimes forehead as we sprinted towards them. The ground shook beneath our feet with each spell they tossed at it, and my heart pounded in my chest as we ran towards our classmates and I could see the others casting spells on the behemoth, their faces set in determination and concentration.
As we neared them, a sudden movement caught my eye. A bright ball of fire was hurtling towards us with incredible speed. My mind raced as I quickly assessed the situation. I knew I had to act fast to protect us from the incoming attack. In a split-second decision, I activated my [Biomorphing] ability once again.
This time, I transformed my fur into that of the behemoth's thick black fur, knowing that it would provide some protection against the flames.Without hesitation, I grabbed Hajime and turned around, wrapping my arms around him in a protective hug. I knew that my body would take the brunt of the impact, but I didn't hesitate for a moment.
As the fireball hit us, I felt the heat wash over me, and I braced myself for the worst.Despite the intense heat, my new fur absorbed much of the fire's energy and protected us from the worst of the flames, but it did nothing to lessen the impact. The force of the fireball sent both myself and Hajime hurtling off the bridge, and I felt a sense of dread as we fell towards the unknown depths below. As we fell, I caught a glimpse of Daisuke Hiyama's wicked smile, knowing that he was the one responsible for this deadly attack.