Chapter 100

Gilmunbar faced Grace but ignored her, trying to head towards Theodore, who was engaged in battle with Luselaje.

"Which way are you looking?"

The axe and chain released from Grace's hand were charged with fighting spirit, drawing a large arc as they wrapped around the demon's body. At the same time, Grace herself burst forward, shattering the stone pavement with an explosive step.

"You are, an obstacle."

Gilmunbar's response was to counter on the spot, without even turning around. His face and posture remained directed towards Luselaje, though his overall form resembled a human. Under the black robe, there was an unnatural and unsettling skeletal structure.

A massive arm emerged from his shoulder, enveloped in miasma, and descended to crush Grace. Grace, in turn, raised her axe high and met the attack head-on with a powerful strike. The axe, charged with fighting spirit, clashed with Gilmunbar's miasma-covered arm, creating sparks that seemed to explode.

The massive arm recoiled and retreated into the black robe. In its place, a slender arm shot out from the gaps in the chain. Grace released the chain and pulled it back, then charged at Gilmunbar. The dual axes and the withered branches clashed violently, and the collision of fighting spirit and miasma produced countless sparks.

As Grace was pushed back, Gilmunbar, poised for a counterattack, was approached silently by Sheila from behind. As they passed each other, Sheila slashed with a dagger held in reverse grip, leaving a trail of blue-white afterglow from the fighting spirit-infused strike. The cloak Sheila wore emitted a faint light and then blended into the surroundings. It was made of Lunaworm silk, incorporating light magic for a deceptive effect rather than defensive enchantments.

"You are, cunning."

"..."

Gilmunbar did not even turn around. A slender arm shot out from the black robe, stretching straight to capture Sheila. This was blocked by Ilmhirld's arrows, which were fired in rapid succession at the extended arm and the demon's body.

Gilmunbar generated a shield of miasma. However, Ilmhirld's arrows were not ordinary. The arrows, carrying a curse, interfered with magic, causing malfunctions. If they hit a living being, they inflicted mental damage, and if a barrier of magic or miasma was created to block them—

"What?"

The arrows penetrated the miasma shield and hit the demon's body. By the time they reached the core, the curse and the arrow's momentum had been neutralized, but the demon seemed somewhat taken aback.

"It's not over yet!"

Seizing the moment of hesitation, a fierce blizzard mixed with ice pellets engulfed the demon. This was a simultaneous spell cast by Ashley and Ravine, who together created and launched the ice projectiles. The combined effect made the cold and the force of the launch far more powerful than if they had acted individually.

As the blizzard passed, Grace had already closed in. The force of her step shattered the stone pavement. She channeled the full power of her body's twist into a single axe strike, which, charged with fighting spirit, caught the demon's torso.

The demon's body bent in a V-shape from the impact. However, while Grace felt the satisfying resistance of the axe, she also sensed something amiss.

"—Heavy?"

It should have been a perfect strike. But it wouldn't cut through, and it wouldn't knock the demon back. An unusually heavy sensation, unlike her small frame.

Where did those massive arms come from—and where were they now? And why was this demon, despite being a demon, challenging a ground battle?

"Everyone! Get off the ground!"

Grace warned and leaped back. A moment later, numerous spear-like objects shot out from the ground of the square, piercing the positions of Grace, Sheila, and Ashley, who were standing at a distance, as well as where Ilmhirld was floating. However, Grace's warning was just in time. Everyone had already taken to the air, evading the attack. The demon, likely not expecting everyone to escape to the air, saw his attempt to eliminate them all fail.

"—Missed."

The demon muttered, his voice hoarse and devoid of inflection. Through the gaps in the black robe, withered branches could be seen. Gilmunbar, it seemed, was a half-human, half-tree demon. The recent attack must have come from the roots that spread like underground stems.

Luselaje had expected Gilmunbar to clear out the gathered humans, meaning he was a demon skilled in ground combat. However, this did not mean he was incapable of aerial combat. As he looked up at Grace and the others in the air, his entire body began to expand with a creaking sound.

Though he was a demon, not a dragon, Gilmunbar's true form was a red-eyed dragon with a complex body of intertwined withered branches. A young man's upper body sprouted from the dragon's forehead, and jagged mouths were present at the ends of the intertwined branches and vines. When in human form, he could release and manipulate the branches as needed.

Withered branches emerged from various parts of his body, lashing out like whips, causing the stone pavement to tremble. He took a stance as if rising from the ground.

"Well..."

Grace pondered how to deal with this. If it were a giant snake, striking the head would kill it, but was it the human part or the dragon part? Or both?

If it didn't die, what then? That was something to consider when the time came.

Grace narrowed her eyes, focusing on the human part of Gilmunbar, particularly his side. The wound from her earlier axe strike was still clearly visible. The reason the strike didn't defeat him was obvious: the wound was too small for his size and not a vital point.

Assuming the weak points were the human part or the dragon's head, how to get past those numerous tentacles?

"Grace."

Sheila called out to Grace.

"What is it?"

"What do you think he's looking at?"

"..."

This was a unique perspective from Sheila, who also served as a scout and had a friend like Ilmhirld. When they first met, Gilmunbar had attacked accurately without even turning around. The same precision was evident when Sheila cut in and during the ground attack. He must have some other sensory system besides vision.

Theodora seemed absorbed in his battle with Luselaje, but he might also be closely observing the situation, as he did in Zeveon.

Her job was to avoid burdening Theodora. What would he do in such a situation? He once said during training that understanding the opponent's perspective and taking action was key in battle.

"—I have a plan."

Grace briefly outlined her idea. Ashley and the others were undeterred, exchanging nods and glances. They had fought and trained together for a long time, knowing each other's strengths, weaknesses, and roles.

"He heard from his master that he could eat a lot if he was lucky. But the gargoyles won't do. I'll start with you."

Grace faced Gilmunbar alone, while the others spread out.

"We're going."

She said quietly, a thin smile on her face as she moved forward. Withered branches whistled as they approached, and Grace parried them with her dual axes, maintaining a certain distance. Meanwhile, the others engaged the demon's massive body from various angles.

She cut through the miasma-covered branches and vines with her fighting spirit-infused dagger, striking and retreating, shooting while retreating, striking with a mace, and slashing with ice blades as they passed. None of these seemed to inflict significant damage, as the sheer volume of the demon's attacks made it impossible to get close.

Despite engaging in multiple battles simultaneously, Gilmunbar's attacks were precise. He fought on equal or better terms against skilled opponents like Sheila and Ilmhirld. Grace was also at a disadvantage, with branches extending to trap her and whip-like branches attacking from all directions.

No matter how fast she moved, Grace had only two arms. Even with the shield on her legs, there was a limit to how many attacks she could block. A branch slipped past her defenses and grazed her head.

Blood trickled down her white forehead. The scent of her own blood, even from herself, made her feel a violent urge, and she smiled wryly in the midst of battle.

"—Truly, I am."

She touched her collar, where the protection spell activated, turning her Lunaworm silk clothing into a strong, flexible armor. It provided powerful defense but could not be maintained for long.

She continued to engage in combat while increasing her defense. Gilmunbar's branches still managed to break through and inflict minor wounds. A direct hit would cause damage that her regeneration couldn't keep up with, but Grace did not choose a defensive strategy. She increased the density of the fighting spirit on her axes and engaged the numerous branches and vines with a determination that left no room for retreat.

Despite this, she couldn't push back. Gilmunbar, recognizing Grace as his most dangerous opponent, began to focus on her, which was exactly what she wanted.

"Damn."

As she was gradually pushed to the wall by the overwhelming volume of attacks, it came.

A massive ice storm erupted from below Gilmunbar, engulfing his head. This was a level 7 water magic, Blizzard Storm, taught to Ashley by Theodora.

But from the ice storm, spear-like objects were ejected, flying straight towards Ashley. Ashley, with her eyes closed and gripping her mace, focused solely on controlling the magic circle. In the air, she had no means to avoid or defend.

However, Ashley suddenly moved at high speed, evading the spear. A moment later, the spear pierced empty space. It was Ravine, covered in an ice armor, who had carried Ashley on her back, racing through the air.

"Can't you be defeated by this!"

As the ice storm subsided, Gilmunbar's form was revealed, with a dense miasma swirling around his human part. He had withstood the ice storm with the miasma.

"Obstacle!"

The dragon opened its massive jaws, gathering miasma inside.

"Deep Mist!"

Ashley's form disappeared into a sudden dense fog. Gilmunbar lost sight of her, and the miasma breath missed, dissipating into the void. Ashley and Ravine, covered in ice, had already retreated.

"You—detect things outside your vision by temperature."

Grace said, narrowing her eyes. Sensory systems beyond vision could include sound reflection or temperature changes. The strategy would change depending on the sensory system.

The precise tracking of the invisible Sheila, the accurate attack from the ground, and the gap after the blizzard all pointed to temperature detection. When Gilmunbar attacked from underground, he targeted the exact positions of everyone. However, one target, Ravine, was slightly off. Grace had noticed this when she warned everyone.

Temperature detection in plants, while different in principle from Ilmhirld's, still relied on temperature changes to perceive objects. In winter, human positions would be clearly visible, but in the labyrinth, it was different.

"So what?"

Gilmunbar sneered, considering himself unharmed.

"Do you not understand why the ice storm was used?"

Behind Grace, an unnatural heat haze rippled on the outer wall. The moment Gilmunbar noticed it, a massive spear-like object shot out, deeply piercing the dragon's head.

"Gaah!?"

Ilmhirld, with her massive bow, and Sheila, covered in a light magic cloak, appeared. The Blizzard Storm had blinded Gilmunbar, at least around his head. With Sheila's cloak, he had no means to detect her. Ilmhirld, despite the fog and the blizzard, had the advantage of Sheila's sensory perception.

Grace, with a purple glow from her axes, prepared to charge.

"Don't underestimate me! I can see you!"

If that was his final move, it wasn't fatal. Grace knew she couldn't break through the tentacles. Before she kicked off in the air, a blizzard engulfed the area, and a dense fog pushed in from upwind, courtesy of Ashley and Ravine.

"What!?"

In the deteriorated visibility, figures scattered. Gilmunbar pursued them with his eyes, focusing on Sheila and Ilmhirld. The most dangerous target, Grace, cut through the blizzard faster than the arrow, striking the demon's head in a passing blow. The axe sliced through, and Gilmunbar's head separated with a look of shock.

Even then, it wasn't a fatal wound. Gilmunbar's body writhed, and the dragon's head let out a mad roar.

Grace, using a shield on her palm, applied a powerful braking force. She threw her axe into the air, fixing it in place, and used it to gain altitude. From above, she focused on her target with her