CHAPTER 138: 138 - LABYRINTH OF THE NURTURER [9]

Curtis used a tremendous amount of mana to slice the tsunami in half and even forcefully transform the bottom half of it into solid ice.

The sheer force of that action left his body heavy, sluggish, and slow to respond. Every movement he tried to make felt as though he was dragging weights tied to his limbs. His breathing was uneven, and his vision flickered slightly at the edges.

Gulp- Gulp- Gulp-

"Pwaaah..."

To keep himself from collapsing, Curtis hurriedly tilted back his head and drained a vial of high-class mana potion. The blue liquid rushed down his throat, restoring some of the magical energy he had just burned through.

Gulp-

Right after, he uncorked another vial, this time filled with a lower-grade stamina potion, and swallowed it quickly as well. The cool liquid soothed his sore muscles, but it was far from enough to make him feel fresh again.

But before he could take another breath...

-SQUAAAA!!

The enraged roar of the Giant Squid ripped through the battlefield. The monster’s massive eyes finally noticed his existence.

"Ah, fuck."

SWOOSH-

The Giant Squid immediately raised two of its colossal tentacles high into the air before swinging them down toward him with terrifying speed.

But just before they could smash Curtis into the ground...

FWIP-

"Now, it’s my turn."

Alec suddenly appeared right in front of one of the tentacles, his form shimmering faintly from the teleportation he had just performed.

SWIIISH-

"Good job, Curtis."

Almost at the same time, Eve rushed toward the other tentacle, her movements enhanced by several support buffs cast on her earlier by Adelle.

(Alec used his teleportation skill, while Eve’s speed and strength were boosted by Adelle’s magic.)

S L A S H—!

With no hesitation, Alec swung his mana-coated sword diagonally downward. His blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle and managed to shear off the very tip of the Giant Squid’s massive tentacle in front of him!

-SQUAAAA!!

The monster screamed in pain, its enormous body twisting violently as purple blood sprayed into the air.

"HAAA!!!"

Not wasting that opening, Eve lunged with her spear, thrusting it with ferocious speed and force directly toward the other tentacle looming before her.

"[DOUBLE DAMAGE!]"

Her weapon gleamed brightly as her skill activated, doubling the destructive force behind her strike.

BOOM!

S P L A S H—!

The impact was devastating. Half of the Giant Squid’s tentacle exploded from the force, flesh and blood scattering into the air like a violent rain.

—SQAAAAAAAAAH—!!!

BAM!

BOOM!! BAM!

The monster shrieked, its cry echoing painfully inside the labyrinth. It went berserk, thrashing all of its remaining arms in every direction in a blind rage.

"Ugh! Be careful!" -Eve

"Got it!" -Alec

The two of them had no choice but to immediately retreat, dodging away from the wild, uncontrollable swings.

That sudden retreat left Curtis standing far too close to the rampaging beast all on his own.

"Shit."

He braced himself, preparing to pull back as well.

"[Wide Bind]"

But before he could move, a sharp, commanding voice cut across the battlefield.

SWOOSH- SWOOSH–

From beneath the monster, numerous black ropes made entirely out of mana erupted upward.

SWIP- SWIP–

In an instant, those ropes coiled tightly around the Giant Squid’s writhing arms, restraining them mid-swing!

Curtis quickly looked up toward the source of the voice.

High above the squid, hovering with an intimidating presence... was Raven.

Black wings spread wide from his back, their feathers exuding a majestic and terrifying aura. From that vantage point, Raven looked down on the battlefield as though he were above everything else.

"It’s your turn to work again."

His words carried casually across the distance, directed straight at Curtis.

Curtis blinked in confusion, not immediately understanding what Raven meant.

Zhing- Zhung-Zhiing–

Then suddenly, glowing magic circles flared into existence around the restrained squid!

"?!?"

Curtis’ eyes widened as he realized the monster was charging one of its skills— Water Cannon. Even though its arms were locked down, the monster wasn’t helpless. It had chosen to unleash destructive magic instead.

"Did he predict this...?"

Curtis muttered under his breath, recalling Raven’s earlier words.

But there was no time to dwell on it. Instead, Curtis clenched his jaw and shut his eyes, shutting out the chaos of battle. He placed his trust in his allies and focused entirely on what needed to be done.

"[Ice Manipulation]"

He extended his will, seizing control of the massive frozen half of the tsunami he had created earlier.

Crack- Crack- Crack–

The huge ice mass split apart into hundreds of floating fragments. Each one hovered around Curtis, swirling as though they were waiting for his command.

SLOOSHH–

One by one, those shards reshaped themselves into razor-sharp ice spikes, gleaming under the dim light of the labyrinth.

When Curtis finally opened his eyes again, he saw Blake’s large figure standing firmly in front of him.

Blake’s shield was raised high, protecting Curtis from a rain of Water Bullets fired by the swarming Siyokoys.

"Are you okay?"

Curtis asked quickly.

Without turning his head, Blake replied.

"Oh, yeah. I ran straight to Adelle and Aoi right after clashing with the squid to get healed up."

Curtis frowned. "How long—"

"Nineteen seconds ago."

Blake cut him off before he could even finish asking.

"Don’t worry about anything else, just focus on your job."

Curtis bit back his irritation at being ordered around and silently returned his attention to the glowing magic circles.

Meanwhile, the battle raged on. Arrows whistled down from afar, shot by Aoi, and each one found its mark, piercing through Siyokoys with deadly accuracy. Alec and Eve were still relentlessly attacking the restrained Giant Squid, preventing it from regenerating its damaged tentacles.

And above them all, Raven remained airborne, arrogantly watching as though waiting for the right moment.

"Tsk... Whatever."

Curtis muttered, forcing himself to focus solely on his role.

-SQAAAARGH!!!

SWAAA-! SWAA-! SWAAA–!

"It’s here!" -Alec

"FUCK!" -Blake

"Take cover!" -Eve

The Giant Squid finished its charge and unleashed several Water Cannons in a wild barrage!

The massive blasts of water tore through the battlefield, destroying everything around it without aiming at anyone specifically.

"LIKE I’LL LET YOU!"

Curtis roared, raising his hands.

SWOOOOOSH–

His ice spikes surged forward in groups, colliding with the incoming Water Cannons one after another.

B O O M!!!

SHAAAAA–!

The sound of ice and water colliding was deafening. Each explosion shook the ground, throwing mist and shattered shards everywhere.

But Curtis didn’t relent. Even as his ice spikes shattered, the fragments immediately reformed, gathering together into new spikes ready to intercept the next blast.

SHAAAA~

Still, not all of the cannons could be blocked. Some tore through the field, crashing violently against the rocks.

’Just... a little more..!’

Curtis pushed through the pain in his body, reminding himself that the goal wasn’t to block every single attack— it was to keep his teammates safe.

...

...

After nearly two exhausting minutes, the squid’s onslaught finally ceased.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

Curtis fell to one knee, gasping for air. His body trembled from exhaustion.

-Sqaash...

The Giant Squid itself was also visibly weakened. Its massive body sagged as its energy waned.

During that time, Alec and Eve never stopped striking it, continuously inflicting wounds that prevented the monster from recovering. The Siyokoys had all been wiped out, leaving only the mini-boss.

"Guys, stay where you are, I’m gonna come and heal you!"

Adelle’s voice rang out, carrying relief and reassurance.

Curtis let out a shaky sigh.

’My body hurts... Hurry up and heal me...’

But just when things seemed to settle...

-SQUAAAA!!!

The Giant Squid bellowed again, refusing to die.

"Fuck!"

Curtis tried to react, but before he could—

SWOOOSH–!

A violent gust of wind exploded outward, knocking him off his feet and flinging him away from the monster.

And not just him.

"Kyaaa!!"

"The hell?!"

Everyone else was blown back as well, even Aoi and Adelle, who hadn’t seen it coming.

While they struggled to recover—

"[God of lightning—]"

A deep, commanding voice filled the air.

"[Clap for me]"

Crackle- Crackle-

Electricity danced wildly in the sky above.

ZHUUUUUNG—

"[Lightning Strike]"

BOOOOOOM!!!

""KYAAA!?"" -Adelle and Aoi

"FUCKING HELL!!" -Curtis

""KEUUK..."" -Eve, Alec, and Blake

The entire floor was consumed in blinding white light. The deafening thunderclap shook their eardrums, while the shockwave that followed was strong enough to flatten the sand beneath their feet.

SWOOOOSSSSHH~

For several long moments, there was only chaos.

But eventually...

SWAAHH~

The dust and light faded. The air grew still again.

Thanks to Adelle’s protective skill, Cocoon, none of them were seriously harmed.

Slowly, the group turned their gazes toward the center of the devastation.

There, high above the battlefield, Raven hovered with his two black wings spread wide. His expression was casual, his posture calm, as though the destruction beneath him was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

He looked down at his companions. Then he pointed lazily at the massive corpse of the Four-Eyed Giant Squid.

Finally, with a faint smirk, he spoke.

"Sorry it took me quite a while, I’m still not used to dual casting."

And with that, Raven declared the battle over.