CHAPTER 181: A WALL OF RED STONE

Gideon’s fireballs kept sending the monsters into their afterlife. While Jessi, Melissa, and Luna’s spells rampaged on the monsters, Ronald and Lilith stormed toward the gate destroying everything in their path.

Jessi’s group kept moving backward while striking down the monsters as well, but their speed was slow.

Soon Ronald and Lilith reached the gate, they turned around quickly and started providing cover for Jessi’s group.

They were closing in toward the gate. Finally, they could feel the fresh air from outside.

Hope filled their hearts. "We can do it guys. Just a little bit more. Hang on tight." Gideon spoke. The full party was almost there.

But.....

Just then....

A low hum in the air.

A small vibration at first. A breath under the stone. It slid through their boots and up their legs.

"Now what?" Gideon raised an eyebrow.

The air stilled. The ceiling cracked with a dry snap. Dust spilled in sheets.

From deep within the dungeon, something heavy took a step.

Rumble!

From the darkness, a shadow started to emerge. With each step, a tremor ran through the dungeon shaking it.

A hulking shape entered the light.

The boss!!

"Fuck! It looks like the boss. It has to be. But what the hell is it doing here?" Ronald cursed under his breath.

It was an Orc. But huge one at that. Almost 12 to 15 meters tall. Even its pinky was wider than a human. With its red skin that looked like layered stone and black glowing eyes, it marched forward. It had a huge hammer in its right hand.

The temperature seemed to drop. Even the mana lights seemed smaller.

"Formation!" Gideon snapped.

For the moment, he pushed aside the idea of escaping. Because just from the aura of the boss, he could tell it...

It won’t let them....

Fire coiled around his right fist. Air spiraled around his left forearm, whispering like a blade.

The boss did not rush.

It simply walked forward, each step rumbling the dungeon, claiming the room as if it had all the time in the world.

"Your opponent is me." Gideon exploded forward, air boosting his speed. He slashed a wind blade across the boss’s neck.

Fsssh!

The strike only lit its stone-like skin instead of delivering any damage. The boss tilted its head, as if looking for a bug that had been annoying it.

Everyone was shocked. They couldn’t believe their eyes. That was an attack from an A-class hunter. It could have easily sliced a mountain.

But the boss! It didn’t even bruise its skin.

Luna’s legs started to shake a little. Others weren’t in good condition either.

"What the hell man? We are totally screwed this time." Ronald whispered under his breath.

There were other monsters still remaining. But they didn’t move an inch, didn’t try to stop them or kill them. Like they already knew what was going to happen.

Gideon charged at it again. But the same thing happened.

Jessi snapped from her daze. "Guys. We need to take it out altogether. Charge."

Lilith didn’t hesitate. She followed Jessi right away like she had been waiting for someone to say this.

Others pondered for a second before charging along as well. Maybe they were shaken for a bit. But no one in Gideon’s party was a coward.

Melissa blasted a fireball from afar at the boss’s legs.

Fwoosh!

Flame roared. The monster’s hide was blackened but didn’t crack.

"Left knee!" Ronald darted in, lightning surging through his spear. He stabbed. The blade portion pierced in. But only a little.

The boss’s hammer fell like a falling mountain.

BOOM!

Ronald somehow dodged the attack but the shockwave still sent him flying. He hit the ground and rolled, suddenly losing his breath.

"Ronald!" Jessi flung ice spikes. They shattered against the boss’s chest like glass thrown at iron.

Luna sent a tight stream of flame at the eyes. The boss blinked once. The fire thinned and died in the air.

Lilith sent multiple air bombs. It just brushed them off.

Then suddenly it moved.

Like a blur. Even with that huge size, its speed wasn’t compromised a bit.

A sweeping backhand smashed Melissa across the midsection. Whack! She gasped as she spun, tumbling through grit and shards. Blood splashed a jagged line across the stone.

"Melissa!" Raphael sprinted, hands already glowing to heal, but black cords snapped from the boss’s clawed fingers, mana strands braided into ropes. They coiled around Melissa mid-roll and yanked her tightly.

Another whip lashed Raphael’s ankles and wrists, slamming him to the floor.

Immobilized.

"Don’t let it get momentum!" Gideon roared. He struck again. This time his attacks were fiercer. Large concentrated fireballs shot toward the giant. From his left hand, multiple wind blades followed the fireballs.

The boss pivoted its shoulder into the blows. The flames crawled and died. The air blade furrowed a shallow groove. It looked down at Gideon as if measuring a problem.

"We need to save both of them quickly!" Lilith thrust both hands forward and manipulated the gravity. The space in front of her bent, a dense field pressing down. The boss’s next step sank an inch deeper than the last.

Its knee flexed. Its eyes narrowed.

Jessi slid in at the edge of the field, slammed her palm to the floor, and raised a forest of ice spikes aiming at the boss’s shin.

They all cracked but were able to hold the boss for a heartbeat.

In that moment, Luna’s fireball slammed into the joint. A lightning bolt from Lilith also hit it at the exact moment.

Boom!

Heat washed the chamber.

For the first time, the boss reacted. It staggered a half step.

Gideon was quick to notice. He leaped forward using wind magic and then brought both his fists down like a hammer. Fire surged through his veins bulging them.

Boom!

The boss collapsed to its knee.

But before Gideon’s party could even breathe a moment of victory, the boss moved again. It leaped back then lunged forward again.

Whoosh....

A swing of its hammer sent Ronald flying. Jessi’s blood boiled and she sprinted toward the boss.

"No, wait!" Gideon wanted to warn her but it was late.

The orc simply threw a punch. It slammed against Jessi’s whole body and she hit the ground like a falling meteor. Blood sprayed like a fountain.

Only three were still standing. Gideon, Lilith and Luna.

The boss slowly turned toward its next prey.

And this time it was Luna.....

To be continued.....