The monster raised its axe and brought it down toward Mary in a powerful downward strike, gripping the handle with both hands.

  I wasn't sure she could take that hit unscathed. The monster had been weakened by my attacks—I was sure of that—but still, her position was too vulnerable, and the creature's bulky body wasn't something to scoff at.

  I released a lightning bolt as close as I could to the creature, but I was far enough that it managed to summon one of its magma walls to block it.

  Using [Lightning Momentum], I flew toward the fight and didn’t see, but heard, the impact of the axe against the shield—followed by the monster’s roar.

  I crashed against the wall it had created and had to grip its edges to avoid falling into the magma. I dismissed my wand and pulled myself up onto the platform.

  Mary had deflected the blow, and the monster roared in pain—half of the damage had bounced back at it—but that wouldn’t last forever. She had a limited number of uses for that power, and after that, the monster would just keep hammering her. I had to create an opening to either kill it or distract it enough for my friends to finish the job.

  The creature didn’t seem to notice me towering above its back, so I leapt from the platform’s edge directly onto it, dagger already in hand.

  I felt my lightning aura make its body tense, and then I struck with the dagger—entering with the double-edged side and exiting with the serrated one.

  Both the stunning and poisoning effects were ineffective, but I kept stabbing its back mercilessly. The monster thrashed and stumbled backward, slamming me against the wall.

  All the air was knocked from my lungs, and I heard my ribcage crack.

  I gasped for breath and tasted blood in my mouth.

  My vision blurred as I tried to breathe, but it felt wet.

  The monster moved away but was hit—the sound of something heavy smashing into its face echoed in my ears, though I couldn't hear it clearly.

  "Shit, shit, shit!" It was Tress cursing as she prepared to jump from her platform to mine. The monster seemed to give up on me for a moment, focusing instead on whoever had hit it.

  I assumed it was Elk, but I couldn't be sure.

  I tried to breathe again, but no air reached my lungs. I gurgled—I was drowning in my own blood as Tress jumped from her platform to ours.

  The four of us and the giant creature now shared a very tight space.

  I held my breath, waiting for Mary to heal me, but it didn’t come. The monster had kicked her to the side, and she was still recovering while Elk used his staff to block each of the monster's axe strikes.

  Tress grabbed me by the edges of my armor and threw me toward the seat rows.

  I had to force myself not to breathe as I collapsed against the stone. She jumped after that and started firing arrows.

  The next second, I could breathe again.

  She was shooting at Mary’s shield.

  It took a full volley of arrows, but soon I was ready to fight again.

  I rose to her side, and the monster seemed to notice Mary getting closer once more.

  It swung its massive axe again, trying to strike both Mary and Elk before she could protect him, but the woman was quick.

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  She leapt in front of Elk just as the Arahaktar tried to position his staff to deflect the blow. He wouldn’t have managed it if Mary hadn’t jumped in.

  Tress and I took aim at the creature just as we saw the axe punch through Mary’s shoulder before she deflected the rest of the blow.

  She screamed, and her shield faltered.

  That was when we released our projectiles. I threw a lightning bolt right in front of the creature's eyes, and it hit perfectly, stunning it.

  Tress’s arrows struck the monster's back, one landing very close to the neck.

  However, its muscles were so thick that they didn’t penetrate deeply enough.

  The monster would recover from the stun, and the duo would still be cornered.

  "Illusions, Elk!" I shouted, and the Arahaktar seemed to remember he could cast them, creating three copies of himself and Mary side by side.

  Cleverly, he made one illusion jump to the next platform, another stand still, and the real duo run toward the seats.

  We helped them climb up as the monster started moving again. We had a clear chance to end it now—but before we could, the creature turned its head, opened its mouth, and spat lava at us.

  It was so unreal that it took a moment to register what was happening. Still, we were quick enough to run along the seat row toward the larger platform. That would be the best place for us to fight.

  The monster kept the geyser of lava aimed at us, trying to hit as we climbed higher and higher, preparing to jump when we got close enough.

  Mary reached the front and raised her shield.

  "Go, jump!"

  The geyser of lava struck her shield, and I watched as the orange liquid turned into a strange yet marvelous blue and flew back toward the creature, hitting it square in the left shoulder.

  We seized the opportunity and jumped onto the platform.

  The monster roared in pain as its side melted from the blue lava. It stopped spitting at us and instead dove into the molten pool, as if going for a scuba dive.

  We took deep breaths, trying to predict where it would emerge. We formed a line closer to the wall and away from the lava—which proved to be the right move, as the creature leapt from near the edge, its left shoulder now completely healed, and the arrow marks gone.

  The realization was quick and clear. We needed to kill it in one go, or it would keep diving to heal and wear us down before we could finish it.

  The minotaur seemed to chuckle with its deep, grave voice, its tongue hanging from the side of its mouth as it drooled.

  It looked at us as if the fight was already over—as if its healing was the ultimate trump card.

  I hadn’t even used my new skill yet, and the bastard was already counting the win? That gave me more fuel to fight.

  Elk created more illusions of all of us, but the monster didn’t care. It came for everyone at once, swinging its axe in a wide arc, trying to hit as many as possible.

  One of those targets was us, but Mary raised her shield and knocked it back. That was the perfect opportunity for us to strike, and we all saw it.

  We pressed forward, but the monster summoned a wall of magma behind itself for support, preventing it from stumbling.

  That caught us off guard, and the monster landed a right hook to Tress’s face, sending her flying, then brought its axe down on Mary’s shield arm.

  I heard the armor creak and the sound of flesh being cut. She didn’t scream this time—the shock was too much.

  It all happened so fast that we had no choice but to keep moving.

  Elk struck at the monster’s arm—the one that had just slashed through half of Mary’s shoulder—and forced it to lose its grip, while Mary let out a sharp squeak of pain.

  I held back from firing a lightning bolt, afraid the connection between the monster, its weapon, and Mary would harm her. Instead, I used my new skill.

  I summoned my dagger and, instead of using [Lightning Momentum] for a stab to the face, I swung the blade like a scythe—and it extended.

  The move caught the monster by surprise as light filled the dark blade, increasing its size before a new edge formed at the tip.

  The lightning blade severed the arm holding the creature’s axe in one clean swing.

  I assumed it was the Strength buff plus the new skill—still, I was pleasantly surprised when the monster howled, turned, and tried to find a path toward the molten lava. It had created that wall to protect itself, but now it was trapped by it.

  I swung my blade again, this time aiming for its neck, and it sliced through flesh and bone above the collarbone.

  As the lightning blade finished its course through the creature’s body, I heard something pop—like a balloon—and somehow, I knew I’d just reaped its soul for Lyrathos.

  The blade had taken its soul and sent it somewhere else. That was new—and strangely invigorating.

  Congratulations – You defeated Blazing Minotaur – Rank F0

  Dungeon is conquered. Collect your rewards.

  The landscape shifted instantly, and the minotaur’s body vanished. In its place stood a diamond chest.

  But none of that grabbed my attention more than Elk’s cry.

  "Help me here, mate. She's dying!"