NOVEL NEXT Chapter 73 : A glimmer of hope
"Everyone... we will use our strongest technique next," said Kelton.
Here, the expressions of all the members of the Blue Blood Team were very serious, and they nodded after hearing Kelton's words.
"Understood!" shouted all the members of the Blue Blood Team.
The Behemoth, whose body had grown enormous, immediately tried to strike the shield protecting the Blue Blood Team members with tremendous speed and destructive power.
"Die, you damned humans!!"
Suddenly, a dark aura enveloped Catrinna's body, and her eyes turned deep red without pupils. Both her hands appeared to be casting a magic spell.
"True Magic: Summon Skeleton King!!!"
Before the Behemoth's blow could hit the shield protecting the Blue Blood Team, a giant skeleton, dressed like a king with a crown, suddenly blocked the Behemoth's hands. This skeleton was as tall as the Behemoth.
Although the Skeleton King was only level 100, it had a unique feature: absolute immunity for 10 seconds after being summoned. Of course, a level 100 monster could be defeated by the Behemoth in one hit, but the Skeleton King could last for 20 seconds due to its unique feature.
However, summoning the Skeleton King came at a great cost, as the user had to directly control the Skeleton King and transfer a portion of their soul to it. If the Skeleton King died, the user's soul would be injured.
"ROARRRR!!!!!!!"
The Skeleton King roared loudly at the Behemoth, enraging it. But the Behemoth could do little because of the Skeleton King's absolute immunity.
The situation now was a battle between two ferocious giant monsters.
On the other side, Nash was casting many buff spells on Kelton, and now Kelton's sword, named [Dawn of Celestial], was surrounded by a blood-red aura. Kelton would act as the main damage dealer, while Edward and Lisa would distract the Behemoth.
[True Magic: Starfall Power]
[True Magic: Lunarian Goddess Blessing]
[True Magic: Anti Darkness Debuff]
[Pure Magic: Middle Sense]
[True Magic: High Sense]
[Ultimate Skill: One Strike]
There were also other buff spells that Nash cast on Kelton. Nash was using all his buff skills on Kelton because everyone knew Kelton had the highest damage output among the team members.
[Ultimate Skill: Wyvern Blaster]
The Behemoth immediately fired a large laser from its mouth at the Skeleton King's head as a test since it had never encountered the Skeleton King before.
(Immune?)
The Skeleton King's head showed no effects after being hit by the Behemoth's attack.
Edward quickly switched his weapon to [Ancient Xora Gauntlet] and dashed towards the Behemoth's left chest with limited time.
Upon reaching, Edward jumped high and struck the Behemoth's chest hard enough to slightly wound its outer skin.
Lisa then followed up by attacking the same spot Edward had hit, enlarging the wound slightly.
"Grrrrrr......"
All these events happened in about 3 seconds, leaving 7 seconds until the Skeleton King lost its absolute immunity.
"CONNOR, NOW!!!!"
Kelton brought out his strongest trump card to drain the Behemoth's HP and cause a fatal wound.
[Origin Skill: Downfall of Celestial]
A blinding light suddenly split the sky, seemingly coming from heaven. The light connected to Kelton's sword. Kelton's body was also enveloped in this bright light, and his eyes turned white without pupils.
[Ultimate Skill: Heat of Justice]
Connor then shot a red bullet with a golden aura at the Behemoth's left chest, targeting the wound caused by Lisa and Edward.
Meanwhile, the Behemoth's body was severely injured by the attacks from Kelton and Connor, with purple blood spraying from its chest. But, of course, this was not enough to kill the Behemoth.
As the Behemoth was intelligent, Cliff decided to stay behind to protect Catrinna, Nash, and Connor. Kelton, Lisa, and Edward would focus on attacking the Behemoth.
A total of 15 seconds had passed, and the Behemoth rose again, instantly striking the Skeleton King into dust. Kelton intended to continue his attack without giving any pause, but the Behemoth suddenly vanished.
"Huh?"
Kelton immediately turned in all directions to search for the Behemoth, as did Lisa and Edward. However, Kelton instantly sensed something bad behind him.
"BEHIND YOU!!!" Kelton warned his teammates.
Cliff reflexively shifted his position, and at that moment, the Behemoth appeared behind Catrina, Nash, and Connor. Cliff was right in front of the Behemoth. The Behemoth struck Cliff, sending him flying and causing the ground to shatter, forming a crater.
Although the Behemoth stood 30 meters tall, it could move quickly on occasion due to its [Origin Passive Skill: Run from Death].
This skill allowed the Behemoth to move very fast when in life-threatening danger for a brief period.
"EVERYONE FALL BACK!!! THIS MONSTER IS INTELLIGENT!!!" Kelton commanded.
The difference between someone at level 150 and below level 150 was vast, making those below level 150 quite ineffective in a fight against an intelligent level 150 opponent.
Kelton now planned to duel the Behemoth alone. If his friends helped, they would only hinder him, as Kelton knew the Behemoth would target his friends first.
All of Kelton's teammates understood his command and retreated immediately. The Behemoth decided to let them go, leaving only Kelton and the Behemoth facing each other.
Cliff was severely injured and had to be carried by his friends.
"Hahaha!! Just one hit, and a human tanker is severely injured," said the Behemoth.
"Too bad... They don't count because your real opponent is me, who is also level 150!"
"You're so small like an ant down there... Perfect to be squashed like an ant!"
The Behemoth immediately tried to stomp on Kelton, but Kelton easily dodged.
"Your large body is only suitable for large-scale battles and a huge disadvantage in one-on-one combat. Don't you have a brain?" said Kelton.
"How dare you!!!!!"
The Behemoth furiously struck at Kelton dozens of times, causing the ground to shatter and form a crater. Meanwhile, Kelton leaped onto the Behemoth's arm and ran up its limb.
"Hm!?"
Of course, the Behemoth, realizing there was an enemy on its arm, tried to swat Kelton, but it was futile as Kelton dodged easily.
Kelton jumped to the side, positioning himself right in front of the Behemoth's face, and tried to slash its face with his sword. However, the Behemoth blocked the attack with its arm.
Feeling his attack had failed, Kelton tried slashing the Behemoth's arm dozens of times, but the Behemoth managed to block each strike.
"Foolish human..."
Thousands of sharp, one-meter-long spikes emerged from the Behemoth's arm and shot towards Kelton. Kelton quickly activated an item that caused his armor to cover his entire body without exception.
While Kelton was defending against the thousands of spikes, the Behemoth struck him hard, sending him flying into the ground and creating a deep crater.
The Behemoth then opened its mouth wide, revealing seven tongues, and a dense purple ball began to form in front of its mouth.
"WORLD MAGIC: STARLIUM BLASTER!!!!!"
Suddenly, the purple ball burst, releasing a massive purple laser towards Kelton. This purple laser had about 95% accuracy, and anyone near it would receive a 50% movement speed debuff.
"WORLD MAGIC: ALL HAIL LUNARIAN GODDESS!!"
Immediately, hundreds of white beings with white and gold armor appeared, looking like an army from heaven. These beings, human-sized, formed a barricade as if trying to block the Behemoth's attack.
However, the hundreds of beings also launched a combined light laser attack towards the Behemoth's purple laser. The two lasers collided, creating shockwaves felt as far as 30 kilometers away and causing unstable weather.
Both the Behemoth and Kelton believed they would win this fight, continuing their battle for six hours straight without stopping.
They looked like two knights fighting honorably, without any tricks or cheating.
==========================
One week earlier, South Zlaburg, Lunarian Theocracy.
Kelton and his comrades were visiting an orphanage before setting off on a mission.
Upon reaching the orphanage gate, Kelton was greeted by a group of children with cheerful and excited expressions, as if they had been eagerly awaiting his arrival.
"Onii-san! Onii-san!"
"Onii-san!"
Kelton merely smiled as he saw the group of children and then squatted down to talk and joke with them.
Since he first started working, Kelton could be considered a kind person because he set aside 20% of his income to donate to those in dire need, such as children in orphanages, beggars, or the homeless.
"How are you all? Have you eaten? Have you followed what Mother Mara said?"
"Yes!!! We have followed Mother Mara's instructions as you asked, Brother Kelton!"
"Good, good....."
Not long after, a woman dressed like a maid approached Kelton. She was Mara, the caretaker of the orphanage.
"Wow, Kelton, you're back?"
"Yes, that's right. This time I will donate some money to this orphanage."
Kelton then approached Mara and handed her some documents, which could be exchanged for money. Mara received them with a very sincere smile.
"Thank you so much. I don't know how I can repay your kindness. By the way, would you like to come inside?"
"No, no, I will be leaving shortly."
"Leaving? Where to?"
"Well, I'll be traveling quite far for a while, so I hope this donation will suffice for the next four months."
"Yes, this should be more than enough."
Suddenly, Mara's expression became very anxious and worried. She then held Kelton's hand.
"Promise me you'll come back safely. For some reason, I have a very bad feeling about your mission."
Kelton then released Mara's hand and smiled.
"Don't worry, I will come back safely."
Soon after, the group of children began tugging at Kelton's clothes and pants.
"Kelton Onii-san! Kelton Onii-san!"
"Yes?" Kelton answered the children with a sweet smile.
"Please come back and play with us later!"
"Yes, I promise!"
[Telepath]
"Kelton, aren't you giving too much to this orphanage?"
"Lisa, no, it should be fine. I don't know how long our mission will be, so I gave them a substantial donation."
"I see, you're too kind, Kelton."
"Yes, due to the unstable geopolitical situation, the Theocracy has also cut budgets for orphanages, nursing homes, and others. So, if I don't help, these children might go hungry."
"I won't comment much."
"Thank you."
[Telepath End]
Not long after, a little girl about two years old, wearing a yellow dress and with her black hair in pigtails, approached Kelton. Her face was very adorable and innocent.
"Brother Kelton, take this. I'm entrusting my Grijel to you. Please bring it back when you return!"
The little girl handed Kelton a small hand puppet shaped like a bear with an adorably smiling face.
"Alright, I promise."
=======================
"Hahhhh.... Hahh......"
After six hours of battle, Kelton was extremely exhausted, with parts of his armor destroyed. His body was covered in a mix of blood and dust.
On the other side, Behemoth was truly down and in critical condition. One more attack would finish it off.
Moving slowly, Kelton dragged his sword and headed toward the fallen Behemoth. Meanwhile, Kelton's entire team teleported in, intending to retrieve him.
"Leader!!!!"
Kelton turned around and saw all his comrades behind him. Cliff, Nash, and Edward quickly approached him, and Edward carried the severely wounded Kelton.
"Hey!!! What are you doing!!!"
Nash cast healing magic on the severely injured Kelton.
"We should finish this quickly and head to the Igrasian Empire, or things will get really bad," said Edward.
"Yes, I agree," said Cliff.
"Al-alright... But the monster isn't dead yet, Lisa!" Kelton commanded.
"Got it!"
Lisa then ran at high speed towards the fallen Behemoth. She leaped and intended to strike its head with her dual swords.
"Die!!!!"
"Huh?"
Sensing great danger, Lisa jumped back towards her comrades. Green slime quickly dissolved the weapons Lisa had intended to use to kill Behemoth.
"Enough! You damn humans!!!"
The green slime then formed into the shape of a small child with green hair, standing 30 centimeters tall, wearing a jacket.
"A slime?"
"Humans, you almost killed one of our beloved subordinates, and I, Boo, as a servant of Alice-sama, will punish you!"
The entire Blue Blood Team was confused by Boo's words, and one word crossed their minds: "Huh!?".
However, they quickly realized that Boo was as dangerous as Behemoth, so they decided to retreat slowly while Boo rambled on. They tried teleportation magic several times but failed.
"You did well to put Behemoth in this state, especially you, human with the white sword!"
As the Blue Blood Team retreated, a woman with white hair and glowing red eyes appeared from behind them, spreading her arms wide.
"Welcome, guests, to our happy forest!" said the woman with a very gentle smile.
"This... is a trap..."
The entire Blue Blood Team could predict what would happen to them. Moreover, the woman behind them had an aura tens of times more terrifying than Behemoth, making escape impossible.
"I am Alice Vasilissa! How about we have tea together?" Alice said with a wide, evil grin.