Chapter 71: Projection, Slaying a Hundred Heads!
Because Hestia invoked her divine power within the Dungeon, the 18th floor saw the birth of a creature that should not have existed—a mutated Monster Rex.
As a designated safe zone, the 18th floor is not supposed to produce any monsters, let alone a creature of the Monster Rex's caliber.
But due to the Dungeon's fury, as a means to take revenge against the gods, it chose to vent its rage by birthing such an abomination.
"Boom!"
The massive Monster Rex was colossal in size, and every movement it made seemed capable of utterly crushing fragile humans.
However, this newly born Monster Rex encountered an outcome it could have never imagined.
A fragile, ordinary human wielding basic weapons suddenly repelled it in a single instant.
It was like a dream—unbelievable not only to the adventurers present but even to the Monster Rex itself.
"ROOOOOOOAAAARRR!!"
The Monster Rex let out a piercing roar.
Its enormous eyeball glared furiously at the cloaked man holding twin swords before it, as if staring at some unspeakable anomaly.
In the middle of all this, the cloaked Shirou had already launched another wave of attacks, tearing into the beast's flesh with his twin swords.
He didn't want the chaos on the 18th floor to escalate any further.
After all, this monster had been summoned by himself, specifically to acquire materials needed to forge the Chains of Heaven.
If the situation grew too chaotic, not only would things spiral out of control, but his identity might also be exposed.
This was an accident.
Therefore, Shirou needed to personally and quickly eliminate the Monster Rex he had summoned.
"Trace On!"
Just as the twin swords in his hands shattered from the previous clash, Shirou initiated a new projection and manifested two brand-new long swords.
He then charged toward the massive monster and, without holding back in the slightest, engaged it with full force.
"BANG!" "BANG!"
At that moment, the adventurers in Rivira Town witnessed the most unbelievable sight of their lives.
A human wielding mere iron weapons was fighting alone against the Monster Rex—and not only that, he was dominating the massive dark giant, even thrashing it.
"What the hell is that…?" "Is that guy even human?!" "Who the hell is he!?"
The adventurers of Rivira stared in disbelief, their expressions entirely consumed by confusion and shock.
Meanwhile, Hestia, Bell, and Lili had just arrived at the 18th-floor entrance from the 17th.
Upon seeing Shirou effortlessly suppressing the Monster Rex, that terrifying dark giant, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, Shirou's combat power had always been beyond comprehension. Even the notion of him soloing the 18th floor's Monster Rex didn't surprise anyone within the Hestia Familia.
"ROOOOOAR!!"
While everyone wore various expressions of shock and awe, the one in the most pain was undoubtedly the Monster Rex itself.
It could never have imagined that such a ferocious human existed in the world. Shirou's terrifying strength and combat technique made the floor boss look like a newborn infant in comparison.
And in fact, before Shirou, that's exactly what the dark giant resembled—just a baby.
Not even considering raw attributes or stats, the difference in combat skill alone made the beast not even worth a drop of Shirou's sweat.
"BANG!" "BANG!"
Shirou completely overpowered the Monster Rex, but even so, he couldn't instantly kill it.
The reason was simple—the beast's life force was simply too vigorous. It was too massive, and ordinary wounds weren't enough to kill such a gigantic monster. He would need to completely destroy its body and then pierce its core.
Realizing this, Shirou stopped holding back.
Just like in every previous time he had slain a Monster Rex, he slowly raised both hands—
"Full Projection Deployment!" "Trace On!"
In that instant, a tremendous surge of magical energy erupted from Shirou, and countless long swords manifested behind him, floating in mid-air.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of swords were forged and locked onto the Monster Rex!
"Perish!"
Without a hint of hesitation, Shirou unleashed every weapon at once.
"SPLAT!" "SPLAT!"
A barrage of swords rained down on the Monster Rex's body, tearing through flesh and causing horrific wounds.
And due to its massive size, there was nowhere it could flee that the projected swords wouldn't reach. Wherever it tried to run, it would be slashed apart!
"RAAAAAAGHHHH!!"
The dark giant shrieked in agony. The sheer one-sided beatdown evoked even a hint of pity among the watching adventurers.
They knew all too well: had it not been for this terrifying cloaked man, the ones screaming would have been them. But the shock was so overwhelming that they couldn't help but feel sympathy for the tortured monster.
"This combat style… feels familiar somehow."
Seeing Shirou conjure a rain of swords, Bors, one of Rivira's leaders, showed a doubtful expression.
He thought long and hard—until he remembered a certain legendary figure the Guild had once warned them about:
"The Sword Demon."
That terrifying figure who had once crawled out of the Dungeon. A man who could conjure infinite swords and rip monsters to shreds.
"Could it be—this guy is the Sword Demon?! So the Sword Demon wasn't just a myth after all?!"
Bors and the other adventurers of Rivira were completely stunned.
The tales of the Sword Demon had faded over time, as there had been no sightings for ages. Most adventurers had forgotten all about him.
The time Shirou previously slew the mutated monster on the 20th floor had been covered up by the Loki and Freya Familias, so the public never learned of it.
But now, seeing that terrifying sword-user—the rumored Sword Demon—in person, the adventurers finally understood:
He wasn't a myth.
He was real.
And at this moment, seeing him treat the mutated 18th-floor Monster Rex like a toy—mercilessly slaughtering it—there was no longer any doubt. The Sword Demon was no fantasy.
His power rivaled that of a Level 6, possibly even Level 7, given the mutated Monster Rex's enhanced strength.
While the adventurers were speculating, the Monster Rex's expression finally twisted in despair.
Unlike a normal floor boss that would simply die at its limit, this divinely warped creature began glowing red from its eyes as it leaned back ominously.
"What the—!?"
Shirou's instincts screamed at him—danger was coming.
Immediately, he halted his sword barrage and raised his right hand.
"Trace On!" "Rho Aias-Sevenfold Ring of Heaven's Aegis!"
Instantly, a shield of seven cherry-red petals bloomed from his hand—thick and resilient.
At the same time, the dark giant gathered all of its energy in its mouth for one massive attack.
"RUAAAAAGHHHH!!!"
With a deafening roar, it unleashed an overwhelming shockwave.
Just witnessing it made the adventurers' eyes nearly burst. Everyone knew—if that wave hit them, they were done.
They watched in horror as Shirou's body was engulfed completely by the monstrous blast—his figure swallowed whole by the force!
"ROOOOOOOOAAARRRR!!"
The Monster Rex then howled victoriously to the sky, its roar echoing across the entire floor—summoning hordes of monsters.
From the forest, from the grasslands, from the wetlands.
Monsters surged from all directions. The once safe zone of the 18th floor was now crawling with enemies.
To the adventurers, this was nothing short of a nightmare.
"This is insane! We're dead!!" "Is this the Dungeon's revenge?!"
Despair gripped them. The overwhelming chaos had robbed them of all will to fight.
Even Hestia was shaken.
"This is too unnatural," she muttered. "Why does the Dungeon hate the gods so much? Could a mere wisp of divine power cause this level of mutation? Is it really willing to go this far just to exact revenge on us!?"
Everyone was shocked beyond words.
But the Hestia Familia had only one concern now—Shirou's safety.
If he had been defeated just now, they were all finished.
"ROAAAAAR!!"
The Monster Rex bellowed again, seemingly venting its anger from the earlier humiliation.
But just as it began to bask in that fury, its enormous red pupils widened in disbelief.
Because through the clearing smoke—Shirou reappeared, standing unscathed, not even a scratch on his cloak!
"Looks like I'll need to end this fast."
Seeing the monsters now swarming the floor, Shirou knew he could no longer hold back.
He raised his right hand and began a full-power projection.
"Trace On!"
The magical circuits in his arm glowed with dazzling light, his power reaching the utmost limits of what he could handle.
"BOOM!!"
With a howl like a roaring wind—
Shirou completed his projection.
In his right hand appeared a strange stone axe.
It looked heavy—unsuitable as a weapon—but Shirou wielded it easily, lifting it with one hand and aiming it forward.
"BANG!"
The moment Shirou raised the axe high, a violent shift occurred in the Monster Rex's eyes.
Despite being a monster, it still had instincts—and what it felt now was unmistakable:
Fear.
The Monster Rex trembled, overwhelmed by terror, instinctively sensing that continuing this fight meant death.
For the first time—it began to flee.
But for Shirou, who had already completed his projection, there was only one task left—annihilate the enemy. "Nine Lives - Shooting a Hundred Heads!"
Like a gale, Shirou vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was directly before the Monster Rex, the axe raised like divine punishment, glowing with heavenly light.
"BOOOOOOOM!!"
An explosive boom shook the floor.
It seemed like one mighty blow—but those with keen ears would hear nine distinct slashes unleashed simultaneously!
"ROOOAAARRRGHHH!!"
With a shriek and the sound of both body and core shattering, Shirou completely obliterated the mutated Monster Rex born on the 18th floor with a single strike.
The massive body was torn into countless pieces, and amidst the remains dropped a piece of light red material.
The moment Shirou picked it up, he knew—
This was the perfect material he needed to forge the Chains of Heaven.