A domineering aura swallowed the entire vicinity as crimson red eyes glowed bright in the dark room. Magic circuits flickered on and off as sparks echoed quietly in the air. The room was filled with dread and the smell of death and destruction.

Its claws were covered in blood and its eyes were screaming in starvation as it continued to grind the heads it just bit off. The creature dawned with darkness was not just a monster, it was something even "monsters" would fear. A creature that could only be considered as the living incarnation of nightmares

-----------------------------------

【Demonic Beast】

【Species】Daemon

【Status】Healthy, Unstable, Starved

【Sex】???

【Age】???

【Mana Capacity】17,201 【Mana Quality】A

【Combat Power】7,802 【Threat Level】S

【Attribute】Null

【Intelligence】???

【Description】

A man-made creature made from combining the body parts of different beasts into one. It took countless beasts and countless lives during the process of its creation. Its sole purpose is to serve its master and bring ruin to the obstacles in its way. It is the third and final iteration of its kind.

-----------------------------------

The transparent status screen in front of Grey confirmed the creature's strength. It was a demonic beast capable of destroying cities and ending thousands upon thousand of lives in a couple of strikes

Seeing its status, a cold chill ran down Grey's spine. It was a sensation he had only experienced once. It was when he had fought the Magma Crawler three years before. It was a sensation of worry and desperation.

Although Grey's combat power was on par with the creature's, he also had to protect the others behind him. It wasn't a situation he could just battle recklessly. Especially when the creature has started to notice their presence.

"Yuna, take everyone and run away. I'll be fighting alone from now on." ［Grey］

"Sir Grey, what are you talkー" ［Kurt］

"Lord Kurt, have you ever fought a lesser dragon before?" ［Grey］

Kurt tried to rally against Grey's declaration but before he could even complete his sentence, Grey's words rendered him unable to.

Dragons, they are calamity-class beasts who reigns at the top of all beings. "Lesser" is just a prefix attached to adolescents of certain beast species who have yet to achieve full maturity. Though that may be, "Lesser Dragons" are still beasts who dominate the S-rank.

Knowing that the creature before them was comparable to a Lesser Dragon, Kirt could not mister any argument against Grey. He knew that if stayed behind, they would just be burdening Grey instead.

To his powerless self, Kurt couldn't help but clench his fists with disappointment and anxiety. Even when he was a Commander in the army, he needed to rely on a man much younger than himself. He wasn't humiliated but disappointed in himself.

"Then, Sir Grey... I'll leave everything to you. We'll be waiting for your return" ［Kurt］

With reluctance in his heart, Kurt patted Grey's shoulder as he left everything to him. All he could was give Grey his full trust, making Grey smile a little even with a serious expression on his face

Kieeekkkkkkkkk

At the same time Kurt left everything to Grey, the creature suddenly jumped towards the raid team, accompanied by a loud screech and an open mouth as if it was pouncing towards its prey.

Crasshhhh

The beast was blasted towards the wall as Grey leaped towards it in retaliation and sent an uppercut punch towards its lower jaw, making it tumble as it crashed towards the already broken wall.

Yuna took the chance Grey made and casted her "Nihility" ability towards her team members. Although it costs quite a lot of mana to be used against other people, it was the best option they had in order to escape.

"Grey.... I'll see you later, okay...?" ［Yuna］

A gentle and warm voice echoed softly in the air as Yuna vanished into thin air. It was all the words Grey needed to be motivated. The moment he heard those words, a smile quickly appeared on his face.

It has been a long time since Grey fought something which can be called a challenge. It was the first since he and Yuna had left the Haltea Great Forest. Being able to battle a strong opponent one again makes his blood boil in anticipation.

"You bastard, let's get this over with." ［Grey］

Grrrrrukkkkkk

As Grey cracked his knuckles one after another, and as if responding to him, the creature let out a low growl as its eyes fixated on him. It had become even more ferocious from receiving a punch from Grey.

Kuruwaaaakkkkk

Accompanying the creature's demonic screeching, mana formed gathered in its mouth and soon after, beams fired off in rapid succession towards Grey's general direction, destroying everything in its path.

《Shield!》 ［Grey］

Just as quickly as the creature attacked, Grey also erected a flat barrier which absorbed the creature's barrage. It wasn't to protect himself but to prevent the building from collapsing as the others were escaping.

The barrage went on like an endless storm and Grey continued to absorb the attacks like a sponge soaking up all the mana. It was like an insatiable vortex which didn't let anything pass through.

Although Grey received no damage, the same couldn't be said towards the portion of the building Grey wasn't protecting. The already ruined equipment were reduced to smithereens as the creature's blast peppered them.

《Air Bullet!》 ［Grey］

With his left hand unoccupied, Grey fired off an "Air Bullet" towards the creature's maw, making the creature stop its barrage and evade it swiftly and then pounce towards Grey in an attempt to counterattack.

Claws came down like knives flying midair towards Grey's barrier as the creature pounced towards him. The surrounding area was crushed from the impact of the crash. Only Grey was left untouched.

Whhooonnggggg

The creature didn't stop its momentum. The moment its claws failed to penetrate Grey's barrier, it prepared another breath attack. The only difference this time was that it was at point blank range.

《Barrier!》 ［Grey］

Along with his preexisting "Shield", Grey erected a spherical barrier around his body to protect himself from the concentrated attack, but his efforts were all for naught as the creature's attack was much stronger than he had imagined.

"Crap...!" ［Grey］

The "Shield" broke with the sound of a shattered glass and following it, the "Barrier" also shattered into pieces as the concentrated breath attack came in contact with it. Along with them, everything in the laboratory was blasted to smithereens as some of the attacks bounced off from the shattering barrier.

Smoke and dust filled the air as the attacks continued to rain down the laboratory, fully reducing everything into rubble. The building also started to shake with the amount of tremors it received from the attack.

As the smoke and dust cleared out, Grey was nowhere to be seen. There wasn't an incinerated corpse nor any traces of him. It was as if he just disappeared from reality itself.

"Got you! 《Magnum Caliber》!" ［Grey］

As the creature inspected the scene, out of nowhere, a fist, accompanied by a familiar voice, came flying straight towards its face, blasting it towards the ruined walls once again.

The owner of the fist was none other than Grey. He had utilized the third effect of his "Subspace" ability, which was "Sanctuary". It was an effect which allowed him to store living things in an artificially created environment in a different space.

The effect which he has been using to grow crops has now become his greatest defense. As long as he can react towards an attack, he could activate it instantly and hide inside the "Sanctuary". It was a cheat move which didn't require him any mana to utilize.

Gurruwaakkkkk

Just as it regained its standing, the creature screeched while generating strong bursts of winds by flapping its enormous wings, making the whole building collapse. The building which was once full of machinery was now in ruins. The same thing went for Kris' "Stone Forest".

As rubbles fell from above, Grey maneuvered gracefully with the aid of wind magic, allowing him to escape the collapsing building. And it wasn't only him, the creature also safely exited the collapsing building with the power of flight and its tough body.

Fortunately, the other members of the raid team have already left the area and are heading towards the exit. Now, apart from the chance of the mountain collapsing, there wasn't anything restricting Grey from running rampant.

"You're wide open!《Magnum Caliber》!" ［Grey］

As the creature hovered defenselessly in the air, Grey leaped midair and tried to deliver a blow using a punch straight to its face, but before his attack could reach, the creature's eyes followed his movement and dodged swiftly.

Less than a fraction of a second later, the creature whipped its tail towards Grey, which Grey also evaded with ease with the aid of wind magic, prompting him to land in the ground.

The moment the creature was out of the building, some of its restrictions have been lifted as it gained more freedom of movement. Now, it can fully utilize its speed in a large open space.

Kuruwaaakkkk

Just as Grey landed in the ground, another torrent of breath attacks showered towards the ground, leaving behind large craters and heavy tremors with each impact.

《Gale Waltz!》 ［Grey］

In retaliation, Grey fired off his counterattack but the creature was able to dodge it with ease just by dodging left and right. It has learnt its lesson from fighting Grey and has raised its giard to the highest.

As Grey dodged the bombardment, the creature's head also followed him, allowing the attacks to chase after him and further destroying the already ruined terrain.

Grey leaped midair in order to reach the creature, but even before Grey could reach the creature, it had already flapped its wings and evaded skillfully. It then redirected the attacks towards Grey once again after it had dodged.

《Gale Waltz!》 《Gale Waltz!》 《Gale Waltz!》 《Gale Waltz!》 ［Grey］

Fierce bursts of winds filled the main chamber as Grey's and the creature's attacks clashed midair. It was powerful enough that even the ground started to shake even when there was no direct contact.

Grey tried to strike the creature time after time, but it was all for naught. The creature's reflexes, combined with its terrifying speed, has become quite a troublesome combination.

'Well, if normal attacks don't work, then how about an AOE! 《Purgatory》!' ［Grey］

As Grey landed in the ground, he unleashed a fire-type AOE spell, which created a large flamed explosion, followed by a storm of heat waves. It was an explosion which rivaled the heat of the surface of the sun.

The once barren ground quickly turned into a sea of crimson flames, illuminating the dark hideout and transforming it into a place akin to hell. The machineries destroyed by the creature became nothing but molten metal.

With the burning of the flames and the passing of time, the temperature in the main chamber quickly rose to an extreme degree. Not only that, the main chamber's walls and ground have also been turned into boiling magma.

Unluckily for Grey, there was one flaw in his plan. He has not considered the fact that the creature was resistant to fire-attribute attacks. While it did sustain a little damage, it was just insignificant.

As it was created from the combination of a myriad of beasts, it managed to acquire some of their physical traits. One of which is the fire-resistant hide common to fire-attribute beasts.

The creature landed on the ground, not even slightly affected by the heat which was enough to melt down metals, rather, the creature looked comfortable in the middle of the field littered with flames.

'Tsk! If this continues, the oxygen will be burnt up... Well, if fire won't work, then I'll freeze you to death! 《Winter Gospel》!' ［Grey］

A strong burst of cold wind emanated from Grey along with his declaration and ice started to form in the ceiling, climbing down into the walls and finally into the scorching ground.

As ice spread throughout the main chamber, the crimson flames which once dominated the field were engulfed by deep blue ice, and the moisture in the air turned solid, letting snow fall in an enclosed space.

If the temperature of "Purgatory" rivaled that of the surface of the sun, then the decrease of temperature caused by "Winter Gospel" rivaled that of the "Absolute Zero" back on earth. It was a temperature which froze everything no matter what they were.

But even in the temperature where lava would be cooled into a rock in an instant, the creature has remained unfazed. It seemed to have acquired resistance to ice-attribute spells just as it acquired fire resistance.

"《Aqua Helix!》 《Twin Spiral!》 《Growling Plateau!》 《Raging Lightning!》《Dark Canopy!》《Jet Nightmare!》 《Star Torrent!》" ［Grey］

After seeing that ice also didn't work on the creature, Grey fired off spells of different attributes towards the creature one after another.

At one moment, the whole chamber was flooded with water as a torrent of high-pressure struck the creature. The next moment, a cyclone was brewed up with two spears coming towards the creature. The main chamber was full of chaos.

Fire, Ice, Water, Wind, Earth, and all the other attributes. Not one of the attacks were able to reach the creature. The moment Grey fired them, the creature would counter it with its breath attack.

Other than countering Grey's attacks, the creature even manages to dodge skillfully by either leaping in the air or by erecting a wall. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it contained some sort of "Intelligence" despite having turned into a demonic beast.

Kuruwaaaakkkkk

Before Grey could even take a second of rest, the creature once again tried to pounce at him, disregarding the probability that Grey might attack it midair.

"Stop pouncing at me, you bastard! 《Megaton Shotgun》!" ［Grey］

Grey tried blowing its face into smithereens while it was still up in the air, but it still managed to avoid it just by flapping its wings in order to stop itself midair. It was like it was teasing Grey as they battled.

With him firing off advanced-level spells, Grey has already expended quite a substantial amount of mana. If it weren't for his mana bank, he would have already collapsed from exhaustion.

《Binding Ivy!》 ［Grey］

In desperation to capture the creature and pin it down, Grey tried to cast a binding-type spell towards it, but like usual, it was able to avoid Grey's attempted attack without even breaking a sweat.

After it dodged Grey's attack, it then continued to launch its own attacks towards Grey, who also evaded it masterfully. The two have been at a standstill, not being able to hit one another.

'Tsk! Its speed is so annoying! Only if I can limit its movementー That's it!' ［Grey］

Just as Grey was complaining about the creature's speed, an idea clicked inside his mind as he remembered a moment which just occurred more than an hour ago.

Without wasting more time, Grey retrieved an "Armament Ring" from his "Inventory" and quickly transformed it into a large war hammer. Although it was heavy, with Grey's strength as an S-ranker, He was able to lift it as if it was made of plastic.

Grey then continued by pouring his mana, both null and earth attribute ones, into the hammer and threw it into the air. Grey jumped after it and grabbed its handle. And just like what Kris did, he threw it to the ground with all his might.

《Stone Forest!》 ［Grey］

Just as Grey casted that magic, hundreds of fortified stone pillars emerged from the ground and connected to the main chamber's walls and ceiling. As the process was taking place, the creature dodged here and there, being careful not to get hit by the emerging pillars.

It wasn't just simple magic, rather, it was a compound magic created by utilizing ravager arts and earth-attribute spells at the same time. Even if it were to be the same level as the previous two, it is much harder to perform.

While Grey has never used it, it has already been stored in his "Memory Bank". All he needed was Kris' demonstration and he was able to pull it off perfectly. It was because Kris' movements have been perfectly imprinted in Grey's memory with the use of "Perfect Memory".

As long as Grey could perform it once, or even observe it once, he is able to perfectly replicate any kind of magic or skills. His ability "Divine Mind" was truly worthy of being a "Divine-rank" ability.

With Grey's strength, the "Stone Forest" he had created was much tougher and resistant than what Kris had created. After it was completed, the creature has been trapped inside of it, having a hard time to break free.

《Gale Waltz!》 ［Grey］

Grey fired off a spell towards the creature and like before, it was still able to dodge it. But Grey wasn't dissatisfied. It only took him a single glance to see that the creature's mobility has greatly decreased.

Because of its massive size, maneuvering inside the main chamber has become increasingly difficult. The emergence of the stone pillars has prevented it from dashing towards one direction, and if it fails to maneuver successfully, it will crash towards a pillar. It was now at a total disadvantage!

Getting ready to attack, Grey stored the war hammer back to his "Inventory" and readied himself to go on the offensive once again.

"You're finished!" ［Grey］

Grey jumped from pillar to pillar, firing spells towards the creature as he jumped. And unlike before where the creature always manages to dodge them, Grey's attacks now hit it every two or three attempts.

Kuruwaaakkkkkk

The creature screeched in pain, but there was nothing it could do. If it wanted to counter-attack, it needed to find its way towards Grey in the labyrinth of pillars, but by the time it got there, Grey had already been long gone.

3 hits... 8 hits... 29 hits... 61 hits...

As time passed, the creature took more and more damage. In contrast, Grey has not received any hits at all. He was like a monkey who maneuvered in the stone forest as if it was the jungle.

Kuruaaaaaaakkkkkkkkk!!!!!

After receiving so many hits, the creature finally became agitated and decided to destroy any pillar that goes into its way. Although it made it possible for it to reach Frey, it also meant that it took a lot of damage from doing that method. Not to mention that Grey always evaded before it could reach him.

The creature has already lost its sense of "reason" and has haphazardly destroyed any pillar it has met. It didn't care whether it would take damage. All it cared about was that it could counterattack and hit Grey.

Taking the chance that the creature was greatly agitated, Grey stood still on top of a horizontal pillar and baited the creature to come towards him, which it did. It was like a starved beast pouncing towards an obvious trap.

The creature dashed with all its might, but just a few meters before it could reach him, Grey leaped to the air and erected a wall in front of solid and fortified stone to which the creature crashed magnificently.

Taking the chance, Grey maneuvered himself just behind the creature's head with a little bit of wind magic, and prepared himself the final blow towards the back of the creature's head.

"Megaton Shー No,《Gigaton Gatling》!" ［Grey］

A barrage of punches rained down upon the creature, with each blow packing enough power to easily obliterate boulders into smithereens. Not a single punch missed as Grey pummeled the creature.

Receiving the attack, the creature screeched in agony and holes were punched throughout its whole body. Before it could even retaliate, the creature's body fell to the ground and produced a heavy thud.

The creature has finally been defeated.

"Haaahhh... Haa... Haa... What a tough bastard..." ［Grey］

Grey muttered as he collapsed to the ground. He had already lost the strength in his legs to support him. Even his arms and hands were shaking from too much fatigue he had accumulated.

Although Grey still has some mana reserves from his mana bank, the fatigue he had sustained in the battle was incomparable to the ones he had experienced before. Ot was as if his whole body was screaming in pain.

Grey was happy that he had finally kept his promise to himself three years ago. Even if it was already long overdue, he was satisfied that he was able to serve justice not only to Yuna's home village but also to the other victims as well.

"Haah... I wanna eat something sweet..." ［Grey］

Grey mumbled to himself, accompanied with a dry yet gentle smile, as he remembered Yuna's smiling face. He wanted to see her as soon as possible.

CHAPTER 31 END