Chapter 123: Extreme Situation (3)

Fighting through swarms of demonic monsters, we finally reached the third floor of the Abyss. Strangely enough, even though we had descended deeper underground, this floor was brighter than the one above. The entire space glowed with a heavy orange light, as if the world itself had been drowned in an eternal sunset.

Professor Baldwin frowned, her violet eyes scanning the orange-stained land. “What a vile place!”

This atmosphere wasn’t the kind of sunset one admired from a seaside resort. It was the kind of sky one would see when a mountain wildfire raged across the horizon, reminiscent of black clouds tangled with flames, like an omen of doomsday straight from the scriptures of the Seven Star Church.

“Dale. Have you been here before, in your past life?” she asked.

I gave a small nod. “Yes. This was where I fought my final battle against the Demon God.”

She kept quiet.

“Well, strictly speaking, it was on a lower floor,” I added.

Professor Baldwin’s face stiffened as she looked at me. “What kind of being… was the Demon God?”

“I don’t know.”

Her brow furrowed. “You don’t know? But you said you fought your last battle with it?”

I gave a bitter laugh. “I did. Though calling it a last battle makes it sound far grander than it was. To be precise, it was an utterly one-sided fight.”

Fragments of that memory surfaced within me, blurry recollections, like looking through a fogged window. Even so, I could faintly reconstruct the Demon God’s form. It was a black, formless mass, a body so vast its end couldn’t be seen, and eyes that blazed crimson.

“Professor, if you had to fight a typhoon, or a tsunami, or an earthquake, would you be able to describe what kind of being your opponent is?” I asked.

“That’s…”

“The Demon God was like that. A calamity.”

I had never even exchanged a glance with it, let alone words. It moved like a machine executing orders, existing only to scatter destruction and bring about the end of the world. Whether it could even be called a sentient entity was questionable.

“I can’t speak for the other gods, but the one I faced wasn’t a god. It was closer to a natural disaster,” I explained.

Professor Baldwin nodded, her eyes darkening. “I see.”

The thought of the battles I had endured in that past life pressed on her chest like a swallowed stone.

***

Elisha recalled Dale’s self-deprecating words, how he had claimed he was always trailing behind others, always too late.

The last-place hero, huh? Wasn’t that how he called himself? But is that really true? she wondered.

Her gaze lingered on Dale, narrowing slightly. Yes, perhaps he had indeed graduated at the bottom of his class. Perhaps he had been lacking compared to other heroes of his generation. Yet, if he had truly been the weakest, always left behind, how could he have become one of the Final Five Heroes? That unanswered question deepened Elisha’s stare as she walked ahead.

Dale, what kind of being were you in your past life? she thought.

***

Seeing Professor Baldwin just stare into the distance, I said, “Professor?”

She shook off her thoughts and replied, “Ah. Forgive me. My mind wandered for a moment.”

As she followed after me, she asked, “So, what is it you came down here to find on the third floor?”

“You’ve noticed how the demonic monsters in the Abyss are far stronger and more savage than the ones outside?”

Grimacing at the memory of their relentless attacks, she muttered, “I’ve had enough of them to last a lifetime.”

If the demonic monsters outside could still be considered living creatures, then the ones here were nothing more than monsters driven by bloodlust.

“Among them, some have been especially warped by the Demon God’s influence. They devour even their own kind and rule over their floor like kings,” I explained.

“Are you saying there’s a king of the demonic monsters?”

“Exactly. More precisely, the king of this third floor. The seals prevent them from leaving their domain.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I see. Then, the fourth and fifth floors must have their own kings as well?”

“Most likely. Though I’ve never seen them myself.”

“You’ve never seen them?”

“No. The Demon God killed them before they could crawl out of the Abyss.”

“Killed them? But aren’t demonic monsters supposed to be its minions? Why would the Demon God slaughter its underlings instead of leaving them to the heroes?”

I shrugged and kept walking. “I told you, didn’t I? It wasn’t a god. It was a calamity. In any case, my goal here is the king of the third floor, the one called Behemoth.”

“Behemoth. Just how powerful is this demonic monster?”

“Powerful enough to single-handedly slaughter five hundred and fifty-seven heroes, along with twelve thousand soldiers armed with magitech weapons.”

Professor Baldwin was speechless.

“Unless it’s the Archbishop of Madness, I doubt even an Archbishop could stand against it.”

Professor Baldwin’s face went pale with shock. “Wait, wait! Are you seriously saying we’re here to fight that monster?”

I smirked faintly and nodded. “Anything less wouldn’t qualify as an extreme situation, would it?”

“Dale, you…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be the only one fighting.” After all, with the Blessing of Resurrection, even in the worst case, I wouldn’t truly die. “Which brings me to the favor I wanted to ask of you, Professor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“If I don’t come out within three days, I’d like you to drag me out of Behemoth’s territory.”

With her threads of silk, she could pull me to safety without stepping into danger.

“Drag you out?” she asked.

“Yes. By then, the monster’s stamina should be heavily drained. I’ll send a signal if I need you to pull me out, but until then, you must not step inside under any circumstances.”

Otherwise, even she could get caught in the fight.

“Don’t tell me… you plan to fight it nonstop for three whole days until you die?” she asked.

To her, that was the only explanation for such a request. To be honest, I hadn’t even considered the option of not dying.

“It’s fine,” I said.

Her face twisted in anger as she grabbed my shoulder and shook me. “Fine? What about this is fine? Three days! You’ll die over and over without rest for three whole days!”

The Blessing of Resurrection was said to heal wounds of the flesh, but the torment of death seared into the mind did not simply vanish.

She continued, “If an ordinary person had to endure a pain beyond imagination for three days straight, what do you think would happen? It’s not the body that would break first, but the mind!”

“Three hundred twenty-seven thousand, eight hundred and twenty-one times.”

“What?”

I chuckled and tapped my temple with a finger. “That’s how many times I’ve died in a row. I endured it then, so do you think I can’t handle three days?”

Even dying nonstop for three days would only amount to a few hundred deaths.

Professor Baldwin’s eyes trembled as she looked at me. “Dale… What kind of life… did you live in your past life?”

I turned away with a faint smile. “What kind of life, huh. An endless one.”

Leaving her standing there in stunned silence, I stepped into Behemoth’s domain.

***

The creature’s body stretched nearly fifteen meters. Its face resembled a bull, yet the massive horns jutting from its forehead gave it the likeness of a devil. Its entire frame was clad in hide dozens of times tougher than steel, and the swollen, savage muscles beneath seemed ready to tear the skin apart just to display their power.

“Grrrhh!”

Black flames mixed with its breath, and twelve glowing crimson eyes all fixed upon me.

I raised my hand and slowly waved at it. “It’s been a while.”

Behemoth’s long tail scraped across the ground before rising upright in response. “ROOOOOAAARRR!”

It was a bellow that seemed to rattle the soul itself. The King of Monsters that reigned over the third floor of the Abyss stomped as it charged me. A fist larger than a grown man’s body cut through the air like a storm, but I made no attempt to resist and took the blow head-on.

My bones shattered, my arms and legs twisted at grotesque angles; my belly split open, spilling organs onto the floor; and my head detached from my body, rolling lifelessly across the ground.

“Grhhhhh!”

Behemoth had instantly crushed the intruding insect within its territory. Snorting black fire, it turned away.

Then, my voice came from behind, “Still got that nasty temper, huh

?”

It turned its head, only to see the bug it had just crushed standing there unharmed. “Grrrk?”

Behemoth frowned, unable to comprehend the situation. But that only lasted for a moment.

“ROOOOOOAAARR!”

If the prey revived, then it would simply be killed again. And so, Behemoth howled and charged once more.

I gazed at the charging creature and exhaled slowly. “Fuuuuh!”

I raised my sword and set my stance. The Primordial Flame within me, provoked by the death just moments ago, surged violently, coursing through my body.

“Ignite!”

Ashen flames ignited, wrapping around my blade. With a roar, I stomped forward toward the monster.

At first, we clashed evenly. I fueled my sword strikes, fists, and spells with mana that kept surging through Ignition, holding my own against the monster. But it didn’t last long. When the Primordial Flame burned out and Ignition faded, the fight shifted one-sidedly.

Behemoth barreled at me with savage force. “ROOOOAAAARRR!”

With a crunch, my severed limbs scattered across the ground. With a splat, my crushed innards drenched the floor. Finally, with a crack, my skull caved in, spilling brain matter. Yet, even so, despite it all, I rose and rose again.

“Haaah! It’s been a while, this feeling.”

The sensation of clawing and thrashing against an enemy that should never be opposed—I had not experienced it much since I returned to this life. But in my past life, it was all too familiar, endlessly repeated.

“Heh!”

A thrilling shiver ran down my spine, and a forgotten instinct awakened every cell in my body. Yes. This was the life I had lived, the path Dale Han had walked.

“Grhhhkk!”

Behemoth grabbed me and ripped my body in two, tearing me apart at the waist.

And yet, I rose again. Then, I slammed my sword down into its arm. The blade, wreathed in ashen fire, pierced through its iron hide and bit into its flesh.

“ROAAAAARRR!”

It was nothing more than a scratch, but that was fine. This was only the beginning. If once was not enough, then I would strike ten times. If ten was not enough, I would strike a hundred times. If a hundred was not enough, then I would strike a thousand times. I could still die many times over, and life did not end for me.

Behemoth faltered, stepping back. “Grrrk!Grrhhk!”

I grinned at it. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you coming at me?”

Shakily, I rose again, sword in hand. Ash scattered, and a green light gleamed through the haze of smoke. It was the very same light that had once driven countless demons and demonic monsters into terror.

“Well then, if you won’t come, I’ll come to you.”

The Undying Fiend bared his fangs with a feral smile.

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