*BooOOoom!!! Again, the floor behind them blasted open and the enemy came out, attacking them with its usual headb.u.t.ts and bites; it seems to be never tiring.
[ Shield! ] Nina blocked the attacks again with her shield magic.
With the enemy"s relentless attacks, the shield started to crack. Just with little enough push, it will break and they will be exposed to the enemy. But Nina will not let that happen, she pushed herself and her magic to the limit to keep the shield stable.
But just after just a few seconds of holding off the enemy, her arms and legs started to shake from the pressure and pain the attacks of the enemy are doing. Even though her magic only consumes her mana, it still started to hurt her physically as she already used the same magic many times already and exhausted her body.
[ It"s burying itself again! ] shouted Sarah.
*CraaAAaash!
[ Haa... Haa... ] Nina pants in exhaustion. Thankfully, the enemy had buried itself again underground before her magic gives up.
[ This is bad...! I don"t think Nina would last longer... We"ve also almost used up all master"s potions... If we don"t come up with a plan now, we won"t survive... ] Sarah says as she looks at Nina"s current state.
[ I thought your master was always prepared for everything!? I thought you all said your master has trained you for all kinds of situations, did he also prepare you for this!? ]
[ Vlad-master-sama did! It"s just that this enemy is much stronger and we"re at a huge disadvantage in this place! ] Lumi reverted to Caiden with an angry expression on her face.
[ Then, you can come up with something, right? Sarah-san! ] turning her eyes away from Lumi to Sarah, she asked for her answer.
[ I... I can think of something... but it will need someone to act as a bait... ] she hesitantly says as she looks at both Caiden and Lumi.
[ For this plan to work... one of you will need to act as bait. ] with serious eyes, she stares at them, waiting for them to reply. Even if the current situation needs immediate action, she will respectively wait for one of them to take the task.
She thought that it will take a while before they will come out with an answer, but...
[ Make Caiden do it. ] Lumi"s answer was immediate.
[ Nina and I already almost died just earlier, it"s now Caiden"s turn. ]
Both Caiden and Sarah were shocked by her immediate cruel reply, but with their current situation, they were more than glad that someone was able to give an answer.
[ ... ]
[ ... ]
They stared at Lumi for a second, before...
[ Fine, I"ll do it. Since you three work best together, I might as well act as the bait. I will just guess that you"ll do something before I get killed. ] with determination, he gripped the handle of his axe tight.
He"s now giving his trust to the three people he just met and worked with today. Normally, he wouldn"t risk his life for some slaves he just spent a short time with, but the short time he had spent with them created an exhilarating friendship like the one he wishes to share with his knight companions. And so, like the leader of knights fighting for their survival, he wouldn"t mind trusting his life to them if it will also help him save his own.
[ I will do it. ]
[ Un. ] Sarah nodded to Caiden. But it was not a nod that someone will give to a friend, it was a nod full of respect to someone superior to them.
***
And so...
With his axe tied behind his back, Caiden ran as fast as he could to the other side of the room.
Even though it was a rather small room compared to the other ones seen in normal dungeons, it still felt twice its actual size as Caiden ran through it knowing that something might suddenly appear from below him that can actually kill him.
( This is bad...! I never been afraid my whole life! )
In the battlefield Caiden always fights in, he was the superior being. He knows that there were only a few who could actually kill him, namely, the "Heroes" like him. But other than them, there was no one who can stand up against him.
He himself is a hero. But unlike the leader of their group, Hana, he was not dubbed as the "Heroes of the Prophecy", which only a few heroes were bestowed out in the church. He is confident of his strength but he always doubts that he was a hero, he just never consciously saved someone, he just did so because it was part of his job.
But right now, he will try to become the hero of those three slaves he just met.
They save him back when he was alone instead of going to their beloved master, if it wasn"t for them, he would be dead by now. Now, he will pay that debt back by risking his lives for their survival.
[ I hope this is worth it...! ]
( I"m risking my life for a bunch of slaves I just met when I can just run away like a coward... but I"m not a coward...! )
[ Haah!!! ]
*BooOOoom!!!
With his shout, the multi-headed enemy appeared again below the ground, creating smokes of dust in the air.
The enemy separated its joined heads that was almost shaped like a drill for the last time and blasted its toxic spits towards him. He tried to dodge all of them, but some still grazed his armor and some even touched his skin. But he did not weaver and he continued to run.
( Just how far is the entrance...? It"s close...! ) his eyes were instantly filled with hope as he saw that his goal is now close to his reach.
( But it"s not over yet...! )
Muttering so inside his head, he took the axe that was tied behind his back and grip it tight.
( I still need to hold it off a little before Lumi and Nina can finish preparing their attacks. )
[ Haa... ] he sighs as he stopped in his tracks and looks back in front.
He had reached his destination.
The rotting-metal gates stood high in the ceiling of the cave-like room, and he stood below it. There are large rocks scattered everywhere from the time the enemy showed up and shook the room, and just in front of him, there, already catching up was the enemy.
As soon as the enemy caught up to him, it leaps its large heads over him. It showed its large fangs that are longer and sharper than swords. They are ready to impale his body.
[ It"s been a while since I last use this... But... this is the kind situation I need to use it the most... ]
( A sword technique my grandfather pa.s.sed down to my father and pa.s.sed down to me... It was never meant to be used with an axe, but... )
With those words, Caiden took his stance, and as soon as he did, time seems to have stopped.
It was almost the same as Arthur"s strongest attack - he powers himself up and releases a very powerful strike.
But this one is different, it was just not a single strike.
Visible air enters his nose as he inhales and...
With one second -
[ Sixfold Sword Strike! ]
*Swooooosh!!!
...
...
Blood came showering and multiple heads flew in the air and drop to the ground just a second later.
*Splash *Splash * Bam!
The enemy was cut all of its head. Only its tail-like body was now left limp in the ground.
[ Haa... Haa... ] panting, he looks at the b.l.o.o.d.y body of the enemy in the ground.
Looking at it, he can see that there is still something in it that"s still breathing.
It was its heart, or rather, its hearts.
[ I guess my luck isn"t just that high... ] he says as he drops his now blood-stained axe to the ground and finally gave up as he was not able to defeat it with his strongest attack.
Apparently, the enemy has multiple palm-sized hearts that circulates in its body, making it hard to hit, and even if you manage to hit one or two, it will still survive with one left.
Caiden failed to hit all of them.
[ Haa... ]
But still, he knows that he won"t be able to in the first place...
[ I"m all exhausted now... There"s nothing left to do but leave the rest to them... ] he mutters as he looks at the now regenerating enemy.
With just a minute, it was already able to regrow almost half of its heads. And the now regrown heads are staring at Caiden with killing intent.
...
...
Another minute had pa.s.sed and it was already able to regrow all of its head.
And they"re ready to pounce at Caiden.
But Caiden did not weaver and only stared back on its eyes...
Before long, the enemy finally attacks and...
!!!