BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Cracks spread across all three walls at once. It was impossible to tell what kind of attack the creature had used.
All Kanzaki Rei knew was—
in the very next second—
all three walls shattered simultaneously!
CRASH!
This time, the monster finally broke out.
THUD—
Just as it prepared to charge forward, it slammed directly into an invisible wall.
「Guardian Barrier (LV:201)」
Although it was called a Guardian Barrier, it could also be projected outward.
After all, it had originally evolved from 「Rigid Barrier」, and every version of the skill remained compatible.
It was the same principle as how Kanzaki Rei could use both Ice Spindle and Ice Spear.
The moment the creature broke through the heavy wall—
it crashed straight into the barrier.
Before it could destroy the barrier—
three heavy walls rose again.
"Human! Are you done yet?!"
Pretty intelligent.
It understood that if it broke three heavy walls at the same time, Kanzaki Rei might not be able to replace them quickly enough.
But in truth—
it had misunderstood.
Kanzaki Rei's magic was cast through triple casting, completed simultaneously.
If he wanted to restore the walls—
he absolutely could.
However, Kanzaki Rei chose to observe the creature for a moment.
It was a good opportunity to see why it was so ridiculously durable.
After a brief look—
he roughly understood.
The creature's body, formed entirely of blood, was constantly absorbing fresh blood.
From beneath the throne, streams of blood continuously surged upward, pouring into its body.
Every attack Kanzaki Rei dealt—
consumed part of that blood.
So then—
did it have any weaknesses?
Kanzaki Rei's gaze swept across the distance…
…Forget it.
Let's just wreck the entire room first.
Starting with the altar.
This time, Kanzaki Rei's Earthfire did not directly target the boss.
Instead—
it erupted at the center of the arena.
BOOM!
Molten lava exploded outward!
Massive spikes erupted from the ground!
Sharp rocks crashed down from the ceiling.
「Heavenfall Stone (Second-Tier) (LV:201)」
Kanzaki Rei hadn't only been leveling up his old spells.
Over the past few days, he had deliberately searched out new magic to learn.
He was improving every single day.
In an instant, the once-pristine altar was bombarded into ruin!
PSSSH!
Before the carpet bombing had even finished one full cycle—
a sound of blood spraying and tearing flesh echoed from afar.
It worked?
That fast?
As expected—
triggering mechanics is faster than brute forcing.
But the moment Kanzaki Rei finished that thought—
BOOM!
One heavy wall instantly shattered!
Then the barrier in front of it shattered as well!
SPLASH!
A streak of blood-red light suddenly shot straight toward Kanzaki Rei!
So fast!
And the force behind it was terrifying!
You've got to be kidding.
Did it just enter a berserk state?
Damn it. Guess I shouldn't have messed around.
Kanzaki Rei cursed inwardly—
but his hands never slowed down.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
All twelve heavy walls formed instantly within the corridor ahead.
And in front of them—
three layers of barriers overlapped.
Kanzaki Rei immediately canceled the heavy walls protecting Ross and Maizel, using every wall to reinforce his own defense.
He had remained inside the narrow corridor the entire time.
If the boss wanted to reach him—
it had to pass through the corridor first.
BOOM!
The boss slammed directly into the barrier!
Blood splattered wildly in every direction!
Yet even so—
the attack instantly shattered all three overlapping barriers.
What the hell?!
That much damage?!
CRASH!
Before the boss could strike the heavy walls—
three new barriers formed immediately!
BOOM!
The monster swung its arm in a furious smash!
The three barriers shattered again!
This time—
its attack finally struck the heavy walls!
With terrifying penetrating force, it destroyed two walls in succession!
But almost simultaneously—
the barriers formed again.
And the moment the barriers reappeared—
the two shattered heavy walls had already been fully restored.
RUMBLE!
Earthfire. Ice Spindles. Wind Swarms. Lightning Flash. Holy Judgment Cross. Water Whip Blades. Poison Vines.
A chain of spells rained down relentlessly!
Come on!
If you want to fight—
then let's fight!
Let's see whether you break faster, or I defend faster!
Kanzaki Rei's temper finally flared.
Two God-Tier talents.
He had endured and developed himself for so long—
and he still couldn't solo a boss like you?
If I can't solo you—
how many people in this world actually can?
Kanzaki Rei's usual caution didn't mean he had no pride.
The reason he was cautious was because he wanted to develop safely.
Grow stronger until he became invincible.
Otherwise, if he died recklessly before growing stronger—
wouldn't all that development be a complete waste?
But if after all that growth—
he still couldn't defeat one small boss—
then what the hell was the point of developing at all?
A Monarch-Class monster wasn't the pinnacle of the world.
If I can't even defeat you—
who the hell can I defeat?
Oh, right.
It's true.
The reason I wanted to save them wasn't because of any complicated moral justification.
It was simply because—
this was within my ability.
I believed I could kill you, so I came to rescue them.
If this were a Seventh or Eighth-Tier dungeon, there's no way I'd even step inside.
At the end of the day—
it's because I know you can't kill me.
At that moment—
Kanzaki Rei's thoughts became perfectly clear.
And his spellcasting became even faster.
BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!
Lightning storms.
Exploding earthfire.
Rising pillars—
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Blood sprayed wildly.
Heavy walls stacked layer upon layer.
At the same time—
a violent gale erupted!
The boss had barely advanced two steps—
before the storm blasted it backward again!
「Repulsion Wind Blast (LV:201) — Forced Knockback, Blow-Away Magic, Wind Attribute Damage Amplification」
After blasting it away—
Kanzaki Rei's defensive line reformed instantly.
Man and monster—
bombarding each other head-on.
However—
Kanzaki Rei remained in perfect condition.
The boss clearly was not.
Blood continued spraying from its body.
And its form seemed to be gradually shrinking.
…
What kind of monster was this mage?
It had never seen magic like this before.
And why could he cast without chanting?
Why could he cast so many spells?
Was his mana infinite?!
Even the blood pool had already been drained dry by him!
It had gone all out—
entering a Blood Frenzy state—
and still it couldn't break through his defense?
Those barriers…
Those damn barriers—
why did they form so fast?!
And those walls!
And those winds!
Every time it finally broke two walls and advanced a few steps—
a gale would blast it all the way back again!
Even when it unleashed its strongest attacks—
it could only destroy a few layers of barriers.
Meanwhile—
that human boy
just stared at it with cold, indifferent eyes.
As if he were looking at some boring piece of trash.
I'm trash?
I—the Blood-Origin Monarch—am trash?!
"I'M NOT TRASH!"
"YOU'RE THE TRASH, HUMAN!"
"YOU—ARE—TRASH!"
WHOOSH!
All the blood in the room—
splattered across the walls,
spilled across the floor—
from every direction—
suddenly surged toward it!
But explosions erupted from all sides!
A violent gale instantly scattered every drop of blood being drawn in!
…
As if Kanzaki Rei would ever let his enemy get what it wanted.
One glance and it was obvious—
the creature was trying to enter a final burst state.
There was no way he'd let it absorb blood comfortably.
SHING!
Ice spindles shot everywhere, freezing the blood.
Earthfire erupted, and fireballs detonated!
The blood was evaporated instantly!
In short—
he simply refused to let it absorb anything smoothly.
As for whatever nonsense it was shouting—
Kanzaki Rei didn't care.
Monsters barking nonsense was perfectly normal.
Ignoring meaningless chatter was enough.
From beginning to end—
Kanzaki Rei never said a single word.
Only the Blood-Origin Monarch roared in rage and fury—
which only made it look like an utterly powerless failure.
And in truth—
facing Kanzaki Rei,
it truly had no path left to victory.
The blood pool had already been completely drained.
Its reserves were gone.
Even its final burst of power could not break through Kanzaki Rei's turtle-like defense.
Why did this mage even build such absurdly strong defenses?
Why defend so thoroughly?!
Its original plan had been simple—
use its blood pool to exhaust Kanzaki Rei's mana.
After all—
he was a mage.
For any mage—
mana was always the fatal weakness.
What mage had infinite mana?
What mage could cast spells endlessly?
As long as the battle dragged on—
eventually his mana would run dry.
But until the moment of its death—
it never discovered
when Kanzaki Rei's mana would reach its limit.
WHOOSH!
Blazing Earthfire engulfed it once more.
CLANG—
This time—
the sound of armor hitting the ground echoed.
No longer did it stand like a king.
Instead, it collapsed to the floor.
The blood that formed its body no longer held shape—
it seeped silently into the ground.
All that remained on the floor were
a set of armor
and several brilliant crystalline blood beads.
Seeing this—
Kanzaki Rei finally let out a breath.
Good lord.
Finally killed it.
That thing was ridiculously tanky.
Kanzaki Rei checked the mana within his body.
Still 3,000,000.
After that entire battle—
he hadn't lost a single point of mana.
「Void Domain (LV:200) — Restores 10% mana per second, continuously increases maximum mana, grants magic absorption resistance, self-generates mana, and produces higher-quality mana」
The way it had been shouting so loudly earlier—
he thought it might be one of those immortal mechanic bosses.
Turns out—
it can still die after all.
Kanzaki Rei looked toward the armor lying on the ground.
A Monarch-Class monster…
Its loot should be pretty generous, right?