Chapter 156
The problem that arose when the monster suddenly unleashed its Three-Year Power Release was this: It became incredibly difficult to continue the fight.
*'It's too hot...'
When the flames only reached my ankles, I could somehow endure the heat and fight, but now that they come up to my waist, the heat is unbearable.
It was fine for a moment, but without other defensive measures, I wouldn't be able to withstand the heat and would quickly be cooked alive. What's more, the monster itself was even stronger than before.
“Aaaargh!”
Suddenly, a scream echoed. Turning my head towards the sound, I saw Amon extending an arm of flame, grabbing an adventurer. I don't know how Amon managed to grab someone with fire, but the result was horrific.
Sizzle! A chilling sound followed, and the Adventurer was incinerated by the fire. The violent scream quickly died down, and the Adventurer's form disappeared, obscured by the flame.
Jackie!
Don't go in! It's too late!
One of the Companion Adventurers tried to save her but was subdued by another Adventurer. They must have been quite close, as that Adventurer's face was contorted in anguish. Indeed, the deceased began to appear as time passed.
*'Damn it.'*
I couldn't help but frown.
Even though I didn't have a strong connection to them, having people die around me wasn't a pleasant feeling.
Because of that, I smashed the surroundings with even more vigor. If I didn't want to see such sights, all I had to do was move more.
Fortunately, I was able to endure better than others. Whether it was because my blood was liquid, or because my demonic energy resisted Amon's fire, it wasn't as hot as I expected. And even if I got burned, it was right for me, who could Regenerate, to move even more.
CRASH! CRASH! Stone fragments scattered from the ground with violent impact sounds. For a moment, I regretted not bringing a mace or a hammer. As I was diligently smashing, a thought occurred to me.
*'Damn it... should I just attack its main body again?'*
Repeating this manual labor made me feel regret again. Before, I had only lightly poked it with my spear like a toothpick. Compared to its massive body, it didn't have a significant impact.
If I were to turn my spear into a halberd and cut the monster down in one go, it might be different.
But even with such thoughts, I couldn't bring myself to act. Its body was so ridiculously large that completely severing it would require a considerable amount of blood. I couldn't just try it without knowing how long the battle would last.
And soon enough, there was no need to try, because Jurgen suddenly swelled her Sword Qi and immediately launched an Attack towards Amon.
Swoosh! With a clean severing sound, its massive body was instantly split in half. Even if its body was soft, that was truly incredible martial prowess.
“What kind of human is she, anyway...?”
But there was no time to celebrate, because Amon's body instantly reattached itself, as if fire were merging.
You pathetic worm who can't even use fire... how arrogant. How dare you attempt to exterminate the King's body.
CRASH! Amon slammed down a fist made of fire. Jurgen easily dodged it and said with a wry smile.
Well, this one's no fun to cut. I don't know how we're supposed to fight it once it fully descends.
I agreed with her words. Although I hadn't let my guard down after hearing it call itself a king, it was honestly beyond my imagination.
Other Demons could certainly be handled alone, but this one, even without fully manifesting, was making the entire Extermination Squad struggle.
Honestly, if I were told to fight it one-on-one, I wouldn't be confident. Its ability was fire, of all things, and I didn't want to fight it.
Ah, if this is how it's going to be, I should've just quietly attacked the Ground. I put quite a bit of effort into that, you know.
As I was thinking that, Jurgen spoke. She definitely looked a little tired. It seemed that the attack she had just made wasn't easy for her either.
Still, it wasn't a bad attempt. Thanks to it, I completely abandoned the idea of attacking the monster directly. Other Personnel were also trying to annoy the monster, but everyone quickly gave up.
So, after digging at the ground for a long time again, I entered the safe zone. Perhaps because I had been moving for several hours, the heat in my body was no joke. I felt like I would collapse from exhaustion if I didn't rest periodically.
The Safe Zone that People had created in the corner could now be called a full-fledged refuge. Extermination Squad Members whose clothes had burned off were lying around resting, while Mages diligently chanted Incantations to cast barriers around them. Knights periodically stepped forward to block Attacks flying towards the Extermination Squad.
Certainly, it wouldn't be breached at this level for a while, though I didn't know how long that would last.
Yor!
As I entered the barrier, Chae-rin greeted me. It seemed she had already taken refuge there. As she approached, she suddenly saw me and froze. But unlike her frozen state, the chat window beside her was raging even more fiercely.
Wow lol Why watch porn? This is porn. This is hardcore porn lololol Ugh, this is 100% demonetization-worthy. Even better! Even a nun would definitely get off to this lol
Honestly, I could guess why they were acting like that. Chae-rin, who had been frozen for a moment, cautiously asked.
“Um... Yor, your pants?” “Completely burned off.” “Th-that, why is your underwear... that?” “...I can't exactly take this off too, can I?”
[No, please just open it up!]
[Look at those muscles, they're insane...]
[How can abs be so clearly defined into a six-pack...?]
[I think I can see the outline now... it's just so tempting.]
[If I could just get a taste once, I'd have no regrets.]
[These bastards are saying whatever they want because the Manager is in combat lololol]
As the chat reactions showed, I was practically a beggar. My top was practically all burned off, leaving me with just scraps of cloth, and my lower half was literally just a pair of blood-made underwear... Even a caveman would probably be better dressed than me.
To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing. Even for me, this attire wasn't easy to pull off. Not just the broadcast, but I could feel the Extermination Squad Members resting nearby, glancing at me. Of course, Knights were among those Extermination Squad Members.
On the other hand, I found it equally embarrassing to look at others. Just as my clothes had burned off, so had everyone's.
Many were almost half-naked, having taken off their armor with even their underwear completely burned away Hanbyeol Shin being one example. Somehow, their private parts seemed to have avoided burning, but the situation looked incredibly precarious.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked.
“Why on earth are they taking off their armor...?”
“They say it's too hot. Most of it is Lump of Metal, and they feel like their skin will melt if they keep it on...”
“Ah.”
It was a very understandable reason, so I nodded. Then, I started humming the national anthem to myself, though I barely remembered the lyrics.
“I absolutely cannot let my little friend get excited...”
Because if *it* got hard here, it would literally be a catastrophe. Because of that, I deliberately turned my head and looked beyond the Safe Zone.
Although it was hard to see clearly because of the fire, I could still make out the general flow of the battle.
Many people were still fighting. Among them, a few were diligently pounding on the exit. No matter how skilled in combat these individuals were, they were still human. As the battle dragged on, they wanted to at least create an exit to escape.
It would be good to survive even if they lost, and since they had already depleted some of the monster's power, escaping would still be a gain.
But no matter how much they pounded, the exit didn't open. Amon also knew that letting them escape would only make things more troublesome. So, he seemed to have set up defenses near the exit.
I saw the Adventurers pounding on the Passage Freeze, but I didn't stare for long.
'Anyway, as long as we win, that’s all that matters.'
With that, after a short rest, I plunged back into the fire.
It was time for more manual labor.
*
One hour, two hours, three hours... Time slowly passed. I continued the extermination, sometimes digging at the ground, sometimes resting.
The destruction of the Altar, which felt like it would take all day, was now nearing its end.
The Extermination Squad's destructive power was far greater than I had imagined.
Of course, everyone had to push themselves just as hard.
Thanks to that, the vast Ground was almost completely torn up.
But despite all this, Amon was still intact.
These pests...
Most of the Ground was a mess, but the Center where Amon stood was untouched. Perhaps if it were the Ground far away, it would be different. But approaching Amon, who was raging like mad, was not easy.
Still, it seemed our method wasn't wrong, as the monster was desperately trying to protect its Center.
We can't just break that.
I muttered, gasping for breath. If I went in there to smash the Ground, I'd clearly be caught by Amon and roasted whole.
Who in their right mind would go in there alone?
It was a rhetorical question, but an answer came. It was Nikki who spoke. Many people had collapsed from exhaustion during the battle, but she was still standing.
I inwardly clicked my tongue in admiration as I looked at her. Everyone else had rested in the Safe Zone multiple times due to the heat, but she was still destroying the Altar without a single break.
Even with her resistance to Flame, it was incredible tenacity. She must have been pushing herself quite hard.
Why was she pushing herself so hard...? Perhaps it was to gain recognition from others. Since last time, she had always craved recognition. It was a bit pathetic, but I didn't show it outwardly.
How about we take turns enduring its attacks, while the others continue to smash?
A discussion naturally began, and a strategy was quickly decided.
After all, there was only one way.
While people took turns blocking its attacks, the remaining individuals would smash the ground near the monster. It was a dangerous method, but also the most efficient.
Then, let's go.
With that, we took the remaining few Personnel and approached Amon. Only one step remained until we dealt with the monster.
And until then, I didn't avert my gaze. Everyone was now in rags, so it was embarrassing to look anywhere else.
“Is this a Battleground or a nude beach...?”
I just hoped the battle would end quickly so I could get dressed.