Leon blinked in surprise. "Behemoth?"
Even Ais, who had been fighting with unwavering focus, faltered slightly upon hearing the name and nearly took a venom arrow to the face. She dodged in the last instant, heart pounding.
Everyone had read about the three great quests, heard stories, even received intelligence from the Guild but none of them had ever seen one up close. And truthfully, the description they had didn't quite match.
According to the records Leon had received, Behemoth was a dragon-like species, something akin to a dinosaur. A massive, wingless lizard, a far cry from the traditional flying dragons. Perhaps something closer in silhouette to the mythical Godzilla, albeit smaller. Yet the thing before them was unmistakably drenched in poisonous fluid.
"That's right. That's Behemoth." Gareth's voice came through grim and heavy. "When it uses its ability, its body becomes completely coated in venom."
"Ais, Alise, Ryuu, do NOT get hit. That venom… it's beyond deadly."
He hesitated, then continued in a quieter tone, "Zald, Gluttony. Remember him?"
Everyone did. A famed adventurer, renowned for his unmatched stamina and internal fortitude.
"Even he couldn't withstand it. After defeating Behemoth, he took a bite of its flesh, just one."
"In a few short years, his body deteriorated. He was barely recognizable in the end."
Gareth clenched his fists at the memory. He and Zald had once been close, drinking together after every expedition. Friends, rivals, brothers-in-arms. That was why Gareth knew more about Behemoth than anyone else alive.
Hearing his warning, Ais, Alise, and Ryuu immediately became more cautious. They shifted tactics, retreating from melee range and switching to long-range combat.
Ais summoned the howling wind. Ryuu unleashed her radiant strikes of light and gale. Alise's blade flared with bright, crackling flames.
"We're coming!" Finn's voice rang out again from the orb. "Hold on, Ais! Alise! Ryuu!"
"Leon, how much longer?" Riveria's voice trembled slightly as she asked.
Beside her, Lefiya and Alicia wore anxious expressions, eyes never leaving the glowing thread of light guiding their path.
"Just two minutes." Leon responded calmly. "They can manage until then. Behemoth's strength is equivalent to the Black Dragon from before, and Ais and the others are fighting smart. They'll hold."
Leon's eyes remained focused on the display from the Veins of Light. He had eyes on every move, every breath, every moment. If anything truly dangerous occurred, he would act.
His steady reassurance soothed the tension in the group.
Riveria exhaled slowly, and Lefiya let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Leon didn't lie. If he said they'd be okay, then they'd be okay.
As he guided Finn's and Tione's teams through the icy labyrinth, his gaze never once left Ais' battle.
Finn's team was the closest. Finn, Gareth, Bete, and Aki sprinted at top speed, burning stamina without hesitation. Within one minute, they would arrive at Ais's location and join the battle.
Following closely behind, Tione's group advanced at full speed, and Leon's team remained the farthest from the battlefield.
By the time Finn and his team of four joined the clash, Tione, Tiona, and the others also arrived, adding their strength to the rapidly escalating battle.
But even with so many powerful adventurers now present, Behemoth was simply too strong.
Despite a lineup consisting of five Level 7s, three of whom had only recently ranked up, along with three Level 6s and two Level 5s, their combined might still wasn't enough to overpower the monster. They were being pushed back, not decisively defeated, but clearly suppressed.
Just then, a beam of white magic streaked through the corridor, Leon's group had arrived. Thanks to Leon's absurdly fast flight magic, their four-person team made it to the battlefield in under half a minute.
And by that time, the battle was already at a boiling point. Everyone was going all out. There were no reservations, all magic, all skills, all trump cards, anything that could be used without risking their lives was hurled at Behemoth.
Yet despite their best efforts, Behemoth remained dominant. Its entire body was encased in a toxic layer of purple venom, and its melee capabilities were unmatched.
Strength, speed, reaction time, on all fronts, it outclassed even the strongest in the group. Even while surrounded and attacked from all directions, it fought with the ease of a predator among prey.
But its advantage wasn't just raw power, it was the fear of its venom. None of them dared to make full contact. No one wanted to test what would happen if they were splashed, pierced, or even grazed by that substance. And so, they hesitated and Behemoth capitalized on that.
If they had ignored the venom and attacked recklessly, perhaps the fight would've been even but fear dulled their edge.
As soon as Leon's team landed, everyone noticed.
Riveria and Lefiya immediately began casting spells, while Alicia drew her dagger and sprinted toward the frontlines.
Leon narrowed his eyes at the giant beast, studying the vile liquid that coated its massive body. Without warning, he vanished in a blur, teleporting mid-air above Behemoth's head.
He reached down casually and let a droplet of venom touch his finger. Then in a flash, he reappeared back where he stood moments ago.
Everyone on the battlefield had seen it. Their jaws dropped.
"Leon, what the hell are you doing?!" Gareth's voice rang out, strained with panic.
No one knew the danger of Behemoth's venom better than Gareth. Seeing Leon deliberately make contact with it nearly gave him a heart attack.
"Leon, that was too reckless." Even Riveria, who had just been chanting her incantation, stopped mid-spell in shock.
But Leon remained calm, not even looking up. "Relax. I'm fine. Focus on the battle."
His tone was steady, completely unbothered. Leon knew exactly how dangerous the venom was but he had no fear.
After all, within him resided the Sephiroth Graal. No matter how severe the damage, his body would regenerate immediately. But right now, he wasn't relying on that.
He intentionally suppressed the Sephiroth Graal's healing and let the venom begin to corrode his hand, just enough to test something.
Could his light magic purify it?
A moment later, brilliant white light shimmered from his palm.
Gate of Heaven.
As the divine glow spread over his hand, the venom sizzled and dissolved, purged in an instant. The blackened skin underneath healed as if it had never been touched.
Leon smiled faintly. "Perfect."
Lefiya, observing from behind, instantly understood his intention. Her eyes lit up with realization.
And just like that, a wave of radiant light spread across the battlefield. A warm, purifying brilliance enveloped everyone, and for a split second, they all froze.
They knew this light. They had fought bathed in it during the previous floors, Leon's Gate of Heaven.
Then, Leon's voice echoed in their minds through the communication orbs.
"My Gate of Heaven can cancel the effects of the venom. Go all out. Don't hold back. I won't interfere with this one."
That was all he said but that was all they needed. Everyone's spirits surged. The weight that had been holding them back vanished instantly. There was no more fear, no more hesitation. It was time for war.
Ais, Tione, and Tiona's enchanted wings flashed behind them. Divine winds, spatial tremors, and surging war auras exploded out as they dashed forward.
Finn, Gareth, and the others activated their strongest abilities without a second thought.
The venom? No longer a concern.
Their blades sang, their spells roared, and the true counteroffensive began.
Behemoth, once in control, found itself besieged on all sides by unrelenting attacks. Its advantage was gone, it faltered.
Magic rained down from above. Riveria's high-tier chant and Lefiya's wide-range light spells struck true, slamming into the beast with dazzling impact.