Episode 364: Difference from the Past
Black Dungeon, 163rd Floor —
The giant Iron Golem collapsed from its knees, falling face down onto the ground. Cracks ran through its body, gradually turning it into sand.
Watching it, Yuma, Rui, and Akito breathed a sigh of relief.
“That was quite a powerful monster, but against me, it’s nothing!”
Akito, triumphantly boasting, received a cold stare from Rui.
“What are you saying, Akito! The ‘Demon Ore’ won’t drop unless Yuma delivers the final blow. What’s the point if you do it?”
“W-well, there’s no helping it! There’s such a thing as momentum, you know!”
Rui sighed even deeper at Akito’s excuse.
“Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? We’ve collected a lot of Demon Ore on the way here, and Yuma has powered up, right? Right, Yuma?”
Yuma, prompted, rotated his shoulders and opened his mouth.
“I’ve certainly absorbed a lot, but I don’t know how much my Physical Enhancement has increased. Demon Ore is hard to feel in the first place.”
“Even a little increase is enough, right? Come on, let’s go to the next floor! Next, next!”
Akito slung Gae Bolg over his shoulder and walked off cheerfully.
◇◇◇
As they advanced deeper, the monsters that appeared became stronger, but there were also good things.
Yuma’s body began to recover dramatically, and he was finally able to fight in his Metal Armor form.
Although not fully recovered, he still defeated the Abyssal Monsters one after another. If Yuma, Rui, and Akito fought in cooperation, there were no monsters that could stand against them.
The three of them steadily descended through the Dungeon, reaching the 171st floor.
Entering a cave covered in a thin haze, Yuma stopped.
“What’s wrong, Yuma?”
Akito, who was walking ahead, frowned and asked.
“No, this reddish-purple haze… I’ve seen it before.”
“This is your first time here, right? Where did you see it?”
“The Black Dungeon in Yokohama. The atmosphere is exactly like its lowest level.”
“Lowest level?”
Rui frowned. Certainly, this was not yet the lowest level of the Dungeon. However, the pressure drifting from beyond the haze was immense.
The three of them readied their weapons without letting their guard down.
Not only Yuma, but Rui and Akito also noticed the abnormality of the monsters here. They all glared beyond the haze, tightening their grip on their weapons.
“It’s coming!”
As if taking Yuma’s words as a signal, the haze swayed.
The figure of a giant monster was faintly visible. But the haze quickly returned to normal, covering the monster again.
Yuma activated Metallization and transformed into his monster form.
He gritted his teeth and held his Pickel in front of his chest.
“Be careful, you two. This one is strong!!”
In that instant — the ground was dyed black. Spreading around like a shadow, countless thorns suddenly grew out of it. An attack to skewer the prey.
Akito dodged the thorns with Lightning Speed Footwork, jumping onto Gae Bolg and escaping into the air.
Rui also narrowly dodged the approaching thorns, retreating to a safe zone.
Yuma, on the other hand, showed no sign of panic. Even without dodging, the thorns were ineffective against his steel body. Yuma nonchalantly used his Pickel to snap the thorns.
The haze covering the cave slowly cleared.
What was there was the monster they expected. A cobra-like appearance with a giant body. Its abdomen was covered with centipede legs, and its entire body was metallic in color.
Yuma recognized this monster.
“So it’s you after all! Chimera!!”
It was this guy who appeared as the Lord of the Labyrinth guarding the lowest level of the Black Dungeon in Yokohama.
It was terrifyingly strong, and they couldn’t stand a chance in their normal forms.
At that time, they were able to defeat it for the first time by Giantification, but because he was in an unconscious state, he didn’t feel like he had won at all.
It was a bitter memory for Yuma.
However, the current Yuma had no reason to fear the Chimera. Looking at his right hand, he bit his lip. As Rui and Akito readied their weapons, Yuma quietly opened his mouth.
“I’ll take care of this one. Leave it to me.”
“Eh? But…”
Rui looked at Yuma worriedly. Although Recovery Magic had begun to take effect, he was not yet fully recovered.
He was probably worried about Yuma. But Akito was different.
“Oh, you’re motivated! That’s good, let’s leave this to Yuma.”
Akito lowered his giant spear and raised the corner of his mouth. Yuma nodded firmly, stepped in front of Rui and Akito, and faced the Chimera.
He breathed a sigh and glared at the monster in front of him.
“I had a really hard time before, but I’m different now! I’ll take you down in an instant!!”
Yuma placed his right hand on his chest and concentrated. From the depths of his heart, a dark aura welled up.
Yuma entrusted himself to the overflowing “power”.
His steel body swelled up, becoming more and more gigantic.
What suddenly appeared in front of the Chimera was a black, ominous Iron Giant. Exhaling white steam from its fanged mouth, it swayed its stern shoulders up and down, taking one step, then another.
The Chimera, perhaps bewildered, stepped back slightly.
It must have been overwhelmed by the Giant’s power.
However, there was nowhere to escape. The Chimera stopped retreating and opened its fanged mouth.
Lowering its stance, it approached with swift movements, slithering. Yuma also lowered his hips, took a stance with his fist ready, and prepared to intercept.
The Chimera extended numerous tentacles from its back. The tips of the tentacles became snake heads, attacking all at once.
The Giant opened its mouth wide and roared.
Red veins flowed through its entire body, and the atmosphere trembled. Yuma, having activated Bloodstained Ore (Bloody Ore), took a step forward, and the ground exploded as if blown away.
Evading the tentacle snakes with terrifying speed, he closed the distance in an instant.
The Giant stepped forward with its left foot and pulled back its right arm.
Red patterns floated on his arm. The fist, imbued with Fire Magical Power, glowed like magma.
The Chimera, undeterred, opened its large mouth, trying to devour the Giant. Seeing this, Yuma unleashed a right Seiken Zuki (Straight Punch) from an accurate motion.
The bright red fist exploded at the cobra’s throat. The next moment — a huge explosion occurred.
The cave rumbled, and a blast of wind raged. Rui and Akito, who were behind, desperately endured to avoid being blown away.
The Giant, having withdrawn its fist, slowly straightened its posture.
The area in front was filled with white smoke, but it gradually cleared, and the surroundings became visible.
What was there was the Chimera, its upper body annihilated.
The remaining lower body also turned into sand, crumbling away. The Chimera had died instantly from a single blow.
Yuma snorted, looking down at the collapsing lower body.
‘I’m different from the old days. Different from the old me.’