The giant's fist blasted through the horde of monsters. The monsters, caught in the air, were struck by the powerful blows of the floor master estimated to be level 4.
Amidst the chaos, Toki crawled forward.
No matter how much his skills healed his body and strengthened his status, there was no way he could face both Goliath and the swarm of monsters at the same time.
So he deliberately charged into the monsters, hoping that Goliath, pursuing him, would crush the horde in the process.
Besides, with so many monsters crowded together, their attacks would likely hit each other, turning the fight into a chaotic brawl, that was the plan.
"Let the curtain rise on this stage!"
Toki used a Minotaur as a shield to block a Hellhound's flamethrower. He lured the claws of the tiger-like monster, the "Ligerfang Fang." causing it to clash with another Ligerfang Fang sneaking up from behind.
["A staff in hand, a magical staff that creates every kind of miracle!"]
Even with no time to catch his breath, Toki cast a new spell. It was a difficult magic to use and ill-suited for combat, but in this situation, it was the best option, so he sang its incantation.
["Oh, my god... If it is within your power, "]
Toki dodged Goliath's fist, sending nearly twenty monsters flying. One hit from that fist and he'd be instantly incapacitated, yet he refused to stop fighting.
["That vision I once saw, the glory too great to bear!"]
In Toki's hand was a single staff, pure white and translucent, with a single feather attached to its tip. If the"Infinite Abyss" magic governed the darkest part of his soul, this spell controlled the transparent, pure part.
["Bring forth a miracle, just once!"]
The incantation was complete.
["Kerykeion!"]
The first verse of the song ended.
["Harbinger of the end, the white snow. Blow with the wind before the twilight!"]
The second verse followed, smoothly woven.
Kerykeion, a rare mimicry magic that allowed Toki to replicate spells he had seen or heard, despite the relatively low difficulty.
The song he sang was a love song his beloved had once sung to him. It was the same melody that played when he fought the man-eating flowers at the Monster Festival.
["Closing light, the freezing land.…"]
Toki slipped through the monsters and passed beneath Goliath's feet. Caught off guard, Goliath couldn't react, and none of the monsters chasing him noticed.
["Blizzard, the three severe winters - my name is Alf]
The feather on the staff scattered. Then, Toki unleashed his imagination magic.
["Wynn Fimbulvetr!!"]
Three swirling blizzards struck Goliath and the monsters. The freezing storm, said to chill the very atmosphere, quickly extinguished the monsters' lives, turning them into icy statues. The frozen air formed a barrier that blocked any further intruders from entering the room.
Inside this wall of ice stood an ice statue of Goliath, who had turned to attack Toki.
Seeing this, Toki, his mind battered and on the verge of collapse, forced himself awake and downed three high-grade mental recovery potions all at once.
Then,
["This vessel is filled with the abyss."]
He began chanting again.
["All that touches it is dyed black. All that is reflected falls into darkness."]
Goliath was still alive.
Toki's magic was only mimicry. No matter how well it was performed, it was never the real thing. Even the strongest mage, Riveria Ljos Alf, couldn't defeat Goliath with an imitation spell.
["Eternal night's capital, new moon's embrace. I am a wandering harbinger of slaughter."]
Toki knew this well. It was all or nothing from the start. His real trump card was his longtime partner, a charged attack fueled by all his mental power. The blizzard was only meant to buy time and hold off the other monsters. Even as mimicry, the ice wall created by Toki's boosted abilities couldn't be broken by level 2 monsters.
["Manifest, O power of judgment."]
He quietly wove the spell.
["Infinite Abyss."]
But nothing happened. At least, nothing visible.
Toki calmly opened his hands. Black shadows began to gather, shaping into a gigantic Harpy.
His previous battle against the giant flower had shown him that his giant serpent form alone couldn't defeat Goliath, or rather, Toki's stamina would run out before that could happen.
So he gathered shadows into the form of a giant Harpy, charging it with an enormous amount of magic to sever Goliath's head in one strike.
Silence ruled the cavernous dungeon. It was as if time had stopped in the room just before the 18th floor.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes passed…
Then,
A crack appeared in the ice statue.
Like a monster being born, the cracking sounds grew louder.
The statue shattered.
"ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!!"
Goliath bellowed in fury, furious at being immobilized, and raised his hammer to strike at Toki.
But Toki dashed silently toward him.
Goliath caught a glimpse of a red shadow leaping and threw a punch at it. His fist easily blew the shadow away, but he was shocked.
The shadow was the "Salamander Wool." but the one wearing it was gone.
At that moment, Goliath completely lost sight of Toki.
Behind him, Toki used the ice wall to perform a triangular leap, reaching the height of Goliath's face. Using Salamander Wool as a decoy, Toki fully distracted Goliath's attention and silently struck with the giant Harpy.
Boosted abilities and the "Assassination" advanced skill allowed the Harpy to slip through and sever Goliath's neck cleanly.
Goliath twitched, his head sliding off as his body crumbled, turning instantly to ash.
As a huge pile of ash rained down, Toki collapsed to the ground.
With the skill effects gone and his body pushed beyond its limits, he could no longer obey his commands. The drain on his mental energy sent him drifting toward unconsciousness.
Still, Toki desperately dragged himself forward, crawling with his arms.
I have to go back…!
Fighting the fading of his senses, he reached for the hole leading to the 18th floor.
I have to live. I have to get back…!
Stretching his hand forward desperately… he collapsed face down.
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