Chapter 52: The Dark Water Combact
The giant Mother Beast rose high above the black water of the flooded pool.
Its huge body was covered in thick black armor plates that shined with a dark purple glow.
Eight heavy tentacles with sharp hooks whipped through the air, smashing the marble pillars to pieces.
Big stone blocks fell from the ceiling, crashing loudly into the water.
A bad smell of rotten poison filled the whole underground room, burning their throats.
Seraphina pressed her back against the high stone wall, holding her silver prayer beads tight with shaking hands.
"Leo, that is a giant level-four void monster!" she shouted over the noise of falling stones.
"Its black armor is powered by underground magic veins! Normal iron swords cannot cut through it!"
"Nothing can stop a hard enough punch," Leo replied in a flat voice.
He moved his feet across the wet stones, keeping his balance steady against the pulling waves.
Every second in this room was important to keep the land safe.
He lowered his body into a firm fighting stance, feeling the living core in his chest burn with hunger.
The living black flame coiled around his heart purred with excitement, ready to eat the monster’s magic power.
Leo knew the secret story of this world.
This Mother Beast was connected to the dark magic vein sleeping four kilometers under the capital city of the Vaeloria Empire.
The final boss of this world, the ancient Void God, grew stronger by feeding on the fear and magic of these underground beasts.
Every monster Leo killed cut one thread of the Void God’s reach, keeping it asleep while making Leo’s own body stronger.
The Mother Beast hissed with anger, swelling the poison sacs along its thick neck.
Dozens of sharp bone needles shot out from its hard back, flying through the air like a deadly rain.
Leo did not waste any time jumping backward.
"Seraphina, protect our back!" he ordered.
Seraphina raised her prayer beads, using the pure light magic that had grown stronger after their time together in the bath.
"Holy Light, block the darkness!" she shouted with all her heart.
A bright golden shield of light expanded around her and the high stairs, blocking the poison needles with loud popping sounds.
Golden sparks flew across the dark room like tiny stars.
Seraphina bit her lip and held the light steady, putting her full trust in the man fighting in the water.
With his back safe, Leo ran forward through the flooded pool with explosive speed.
The black water pushed hard against his legs, but his strong physical power cut through the waves like an iron ship.
Two hooked tentacles flew at him from the left side, trying to cut his head off in mid-air.
Leo dropped into a low slide along the wet stone floor, letting the heavy tentacles smash into the wall right above him.
He jumped back to his feet, grabbing the front tentacle with his bare right hand.
He sent a heavy blast of dark gravity magic straight through his fingers.
Rip!
With a hard pull of his whole body, Leo ripped the three-meter tentacle clean off the monster’s body.
Boiling black blood splashed across the pool like hot water.
The skin on his chest burned from the acid blood, but his strong half-incubus body stopped the poison from hurting his muscles.
The Mother Beast screamed in deep pain and lunged forward with its round mouth wide open.
Black blood sprayed into the air like a hot fountain.
Its round jaws were wider than a doorway, lined with rows of dark meat and sharp teeth.
Rows of spinning black teeth snapped shut right where Leo had stood a second before.
Leo did not run away.
He jumped off the edge of a broken stone box, leaping straight toward the monster’s head.
He turned his body in the air, dodging the sharp teeth by just an inch.
His left arm locked tight around the beast’s thick neck horn, pulling his body close to its back.
The Mother Beast thrashed wildly, trying to smash Leo against the thick stone pillars.
The stone walls broke behind him, but Leo held on with immovable strength.
He wrapped his legs around the monster’s back to lock his body in place.
He raised his right arm high, gathering heavy dark mana in his palm.
His right fist glowed with heavy dark magic, pressing the air tight around his knuckles.
He threw three fast, heavy punches straight into the beast’s hard head bone.
Boom! Boom!
The thick black shell cracked under his heavy fists, showing the glowing purple magic heart inside.
Leo pushed his bare fingers straight into the crack and grabbed the magic core.
He pulled the glowing purple ball out of the monster’s flesh with a wet rip.
The Mother Beast froze in the air, let out a dying cry, and fell heavily into the black water.
A big wave of water splashed across the whole room.
Leo landed on his feet on the broken stone floor, holding the dripping purple core in his hand.
The living flame inside his chest ate the purple magic quickly, turning it into pure physical strength.
A warm wave of power flowed through his body, bringing him closer to his next power level.
Seraphina lowered her light shield, breathing hard as she looked at him with wide blue eyes.
She had never seen any man fight with such raw physical power, tearing giant monsters apart without using a weapon.
Suddenly, a loud grinding noise came from the deep ground under the pool floor.
The death cry of the Mother Beast had broken the ancient iron chains holding the deep earth together.
From the dark hole in the floor, an even bigger ancient monster began to climb up into the light.
The stone floor shook violently as heavy footsteps came closer from the deep dark.
Leo turned toward the hole, his dark eyes sharp and ready for the final test.
He pulled his fists tight, standing firmly in front of the Saintess.
No monster from the deep dark would pass through this room alive.