Chapter 70: Level 9 Scavenger? Dragon Flame Bone Crusher!
Arthur's magic surged, and the Heavenly Star in his palm swelled, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the super-large worm!
Whoosh!
A sharp whooshing sound suddenly erupted, and a pitch-black hunting shadow abruptly snuck up behind him, aiming straight for his heart!
His Intuition and Transparent World simultaneously warned him, and Arthur twisted his body in a flash of lightning, parrying the deadly blow with the flat of his sword, barely.
A colossal force struck, sending him flying back more than ten meters, directly towards the super-large worm!
The greedy monster suddenly opened its mouth, and corrosive liquid shot out like a high-pressure torrent!
"Get lost! I don't have time for you right now!"
Arthur roared, flinging out Overlord Heavenly Star with a backhand, its violent gravity reversing all the corrosive liquid in the sky, smashing it back onto the worm itself!
Taking advantage of the super-gravity core suppressing the worm, Arthur's body suddenly shook, and he looked back.
He saw a ferocious Alien slowly sharpening its scythe-like upper limbs at his original position, its blood-red eyes fixed on him.
Its body was no more than two meters tall, its pitch-black bones gleamed with crystalline cold light, and its recurved legs were full of explosive power.
Arthur pondered for a moment, then whispered softly.
"Juggernaut? Is it because of Overlord Heavenly Star? Or was it the worm's phosphorescent explosion just now?"
He couldn't help but mock himself, wondering if his luck stat on his panel was fake.
Otherwise, why would he constantly be in such trouble!
Arthur's killing intent suddenly appeared, and the Juggernaut's four limbs suddenly crouched low, then it abruptly erupted like a predatory hyena, transforming into a black lightning bolt and pouncing!
Arthur held his Holy Sword inverted, and the scorching wind pressure instantly enveloped his entire body, as he charged forward with an even more violent posture!
...
Awooo—!
A wolf's howl pierced the air, and Bete, relying on his astonishing leg strength, was the first to rush out of the broken forest, anxiously searching for Arthur.
However, after he stood firm, the sight before him left him dumbfounded.
The Heavenly Star's magic had weakened, and the super-large worm was trying to break free, while not far away, Arthur was locked in an intense battle with another fierce Alien!
Bete, known for his speed, found it extremely difficult to even catch the afterimages of the two, let alone intervene, so he could only roar in frustration.
"Hey! Arthur! What the hell is going on now? Why is there another monster!?"
At this time, the members of the Familia successively passed through the forest, also seeing a scene completely different from what they had expected.
Arthur dodged the Juggernaut's scythe-like limb, then retaliated with a Winged Blaze, explaining without looking back.
"Because of the destruction just now, the Dungeon sent out a Cleaner. To be fair, this thing is much stronger than that worm!"
"You guys came at the right time, that worm is yours, I'll take care of this Alien!"
"Cleaner Juggernaut!?"
Before others could react, Riveria had already exclaimed in shock, her face suddenly changing.
She instantly recalled the few records about it within the Familia.
The most fatal abnormal situation caused by external forces in the Dungeon was the Juggernaut!
When a certain floor suffered large-scale destruction and its structure was on the verge of collapse, the Dungeon would give up on repairs.
Instead, it would activate this self-preservation mechanism, giving birth to a special monster whose sole purpose was to annihilate invaders!
Its strength depended on the floor of its birth, and since they were on the 50th floor, referencing the 49th floor's Floor Boss, Balor...
The level of this Juggernaut was probably—LV9!?
...
Even Riveria, who was always calm and collected, now had cold sweat seeping from her temples, and her knuckles, gripping her staff tightly, were slightly white.
She tried her best to catch the two afterimages rapidly moving through the forest, but could only barely lock onto them at the moment of their fierce collision.
"Everyone prepare, take care of the worm leader as quickly as possible, and support Arthur!"
Riveria gripped her staff with both hands and quickly began chanting a new spell.
"Oh, Spirit of the Wood, fulfill my wish! Oh, Robe of the Forest, my name is Alf!"
A soft, veil-like breath instantly covered all allies, and everyone's spirits were invigorated, their fighting will rekindled.
Bete spat fiercely, then turned and charged towards the super-large worm still struggling not far away.
Tiona, who was closer, leaped high, swung the greatsword she had just snatched, and unleashed a Flaming Heavy Slash with power far exceeding her usual.
Tione flicked her wrist, throwing out two recurved knives, precisely pinning the worm's flat tentacles to clear a path for her sister, and loudly reminded her.
"Watch out for the corrosive liquid!"
"I know!"
Tiona, who had just cut open a charred wound, quickly pulled back, dodging the splashing corrosive liquid.
She looked down at the greatsword, which was already starting to show nicks, and complained loudly.
"Even Riveria's magic can't protect the weapon? A few more cuts and the sword will be useless, how are we supposed to fight like this!"
"Go complain somewhere else!"
Bete roared as he charged forward, a bloodthirsty frenzy on his face, boldly pushing forward with the newly enhanced defensive magic.
In an instant, moonlight swirled around the werewolf's iron boots, and a heavy kick slammed violently into the worm's head, causing a dull tremor!
Following closely behind Bete was Ais, surrounded by a faint blue aura.
Unlike her companions, who used a variety of weapons, she was the only one among them who perfectly combined Magic Breath with sword skills.
The spreading sword aura, ignited by magic, burst forth, and the strong wind swung from bottom to top tore apart the worm's throat, piercing straight through its spine!
Screech—!
Amidst the distorted screams, a multicolored cluster of particles once again appeared near the super-large worm.
The light particles sparkled on the charred ground, beautiful like fireflies under the night sky.
Before Ais and the others could continue their pursuit, Riveria, who had finished chanting her super-long magic, signaled everyone to retreat.
Defense Link · Dimension Severance!
A barrier-like translucent canopy rose before them, inverted and covering the ground.
The next moment, continuous explosions once again shot skyward!
...
Meanwhile, at the edge of the dilapidated forest.
Arthur listened to the continuous roar of explosions behind him, then once again flashed to intercept the Juggernaut attempting to turn, a playful smirk on his lips.
"Your aggro mechanism is really simple, you bite whoever has the most destructive power?"
The Juggernaut lowered its head, emitting a low growl, and rapidly wielded its scythe-like limbs, creating bursts of whooshing sounds.
Arthur steadily parried the simple and brutal series of high-speed slashes, then unexpectedly lifted his foot and kicked the opponent hard.
The Juggernaut rolled on the ground, then flipped back up, turning to charge towards the explosion.
Seeing that the Juggernaut was determined to leave, a hint of regret flashed in Arthur's eyes.
It was rare to encounter a monster he could exchange a few blows with, but it lost its fighting spirit so quickly?
"I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it!"
Wind King Full Release · Red Dragon Roar!
In an instant, with Arthur at the center, the air rapidly heated up, charred wood reignited, and rocks shattered!
A ferocious crimson giant dragon roared into form, flapping its wings to attack, opening its huge mouth filled with fiery fangs, and swallowing the Juggernaut whole!
Crunch!
The ear-splitting sound of bones breaking was clearly audible!
The dragon's head rose high, letting out an earth-shattering roar, and destructive blue-white dragon's breath surged forth!
The Alien Cleaner, specialized only in offense, was completely disintegrated and evaporated in the breath!
When the dragon's breath dissipated, the Juggernaut was reduced to dust.
However, at this moment, Arthur suddenly lowered his head, staring at the charred Dungeon—
A sense of horror, far more terrifying and ancient than the Juggernaut, was quietly spreading.
It was as if a sleeping giant beast had been awakened, and the entire 50th floor, no, even the areas below it, began to tremble slightly!
Buzz—!
Amidst a faint, almost imperceptible hum, the starlight mark on Arthur's left palm grew hot again.
The giant beast, which had violently turned over, seemed to sense something and immediately fell silent.