Cleaner

Azrael was sitting crosslegged on the ground and had his backpack on the right side close to him.

Reaching his hand inside it he got a monster core out of it. These cores were the crystals that were dropped by the monsters.

Each contained a certain amount of mana inside them. It was a rather foreign concept to Azrael but what he knew was one thing.

Taking the core to the mouth he started to crunch on it and then swallowed it.

The cores were like food to him as well. The energy contained inside them were absorbed by him and lowered his hunger.

From that moment onward Azrael stopped ripping apart the monsters bodies and just killed them to gain their cores.

It has been 5 months now since he entered the dungeon. For every normal person this amount of time was insane as a solo adventurer.

But Azrael didn't care and felt relaxed as if this was already his second home.

Munching on some more cores he soon burped. Whatever the case, mana was way more effective stilling his hunger.

Then he stretched himself a little and popping sounds of his joints could be heard. His tail also wiggling around.

Standing up, a light breeze that blew over gently caressed all the crimson bandages on his body.

Currently Azrael was fully wrapped in bandages all over his body. He looked like some crimson mummy.

Only his eyes, mouth and some of his hair was left untouched. But otherwise he was wrapped up nicely.

Those medical items were found by him on already dead adventurers or those he saved.

"Now then...How long will you take to come out?" Azrael was staring right at a colossal monster that was hidden behind a crystal layered wall.

He wanted to crush it and already tried to smash the wall but it was rather sturdy and regenerated nearly instantly.

So it was no use freeing him sooner. That is why he kept waiting at this spot for him to spawn.

The monster he was waiting for was the goliath.

After standing for another 15 or so minutes a group of adventurers came closer.

"Hey, you. Get away from there. Our expedition is about to fight that now."

Azrael ignored the guy that was talking to him.

"Oi, did you not hear me?" The guy became irritated and walked over to him.

"Hey, look at that guys outfit.", commented another member of the group.

"Creepy."

The guy that seemed to be in charge now stood near Azrael.

"Piss of already. We have the rights to hunt the Goliath."

"I don't see your name on it...", replied Azrael.

"What?"

"I said, who are you that you can call dips on a monster while I was already waiting long before you. Did that get into your brain?"

"Why you little bastard! If you don't move then I will use force." The guy took his spear from his back and threatened to use it.

Now Azrael was changing his gaze towards him. And when he landed on the guy his eyes contracted a little.

A creepy smile surfaced on his face. "Well, I will be damned. Look who we have here. You trash did get far."

"What did you call me!?"

"Trash. And I will repeat it every time you want. By the looks of it, you don't even seem to remember me anymore..."

"...I never saw someone like you."

"I guess it's true. Maybe if I do this you will remember..."

Azrael charged at him and the guy reacted by making a horizontal swing. But Azrael only dodged with ducking under it and sent a punch to his abdomen when he reached closer.

The power behind that punch sent the guy gasping for air and instantly to his knees grabbing his stomach.

Then Azrael softly kicked him completely to the ground and picked up the spear that he dropped.

"No Valis on you, but this trashy spear? Oh well..." Azrael proceeded to crush the spear in two with his knee.

"You..." The guy made big eyes and finally remembered. Yes, it was the redhaired lancer he met when he was the first time in Orario.

Azrael squatted down to him. "You better move back to the city before I change my mind and kill you all. Do not think I will be lenient with you any longer. Do you understand?"

His still glowing golden eyes were boring into his enemy's mind and fear surfaced on the redheads face. He clearly knew this guy was too strong for him. And he himself was already a level 3 peak adventurer.

Crawling up and then retreating to his group Azrael just watched and waited for a wrong move of the group.

But it looked like one of the 12 people whispered something to the redhead while glancing at him. Shortly after they actually retreated.

"Hmpf..." Azrael only looked back at the Goliath. And he could already see cracks appear on the wall.

"So you are close to getting released, huh. Let me see how strong you are..."

Just when he said those words the whole 17th floor was rumbling.

The cracks on the wall became even larger and the Goliath soon got one of his arms out. Its skin was pitch black and when its head finally started to show one could see the long white hair.

Its luminous reddish eyes were immediately glaring at Azrael, who only smirked in return.

When the Goliath was finally free it roared and punched out towards Azrael.

Twisting his waist and gaining momentum he also did the same.

The collision ruptures the ground underneath both of them and the shockwave of their power dispersed into the surroundings.

The arm Azrael was using screamed out. He could feel his muscle telling him that they got damaged.

But Azrael also saw veins appear on the arm of the Goliath. It, sure enough, had received some damage as well.

Roaring again it continued to try and smash the ant in front of itself.

But repeatedly the much smaller Adventurer returned the attacks right back at it.

Not only that but the longer they exchanged attacks the more the surroundings started to vaporize around them. Tremors started to shake the whole floor.

"What is this idiot doing!? He doesn't dodge and just exchanges hit after hit with the freaking Variant!! We need to get out of here! We cant handle this!", screamed someone and tried to balance himself.

"No! We wait! As long as this bastard is living we wait! Stick to the plan!"

"Have you already lost your mind!?"

"We can make it. We are faster than that monster. So if he dies we can leave. But otherwise, stick to the plan! It was you who suggested it in the first place!"

The person that tried to flee grumbled but still nodded to the redhead. It was the same group from before that was now watching Azrael's fight.

Meanwhile, Azrael started to grin and his clothing that mostly was made out of bandages slowly vaporized as well.

His well-toned body underneath could now be slightly seen. It was just as red as his previous clothing. The massive amount of blood he spilled the past months still clinging to himself.

"Ahahaha!! Come, punch harder!" With that said his own body started to produce steam through the heat inside his body and all the sweat on the surface mixed together with the dried blood.

The vapor around him became a satanic crimson aura and soon his own punches became loaded with energy. Harder and stronger by each attack. The Goliath also increased in power as if saying it will not stop.

Suddenly his right punch met the giants left and the immense energy traveled through its arm and ruptured its bones.

The bones splinted and ripped apart its flesh. It cried in agony but still attacked with its left arm. But even that became mangled to no recognition after the same thing happened to it.

But it didn't take long and the Goliath regenerated and kept fighting on. Its durability increased and weirdly enough it even started to use kicks and stomps.

Minutes after the fight between them started it became only gory. Each of them seemed to rupture something in their bodies and blood and parts of flesh flew around but they both still kept going.

"What monsters are these two...What in the world is going on?", asked a woman in the redheads group. She clearly didn't seem as confident anymore.

"That is all the more reason we need to get rid of that bastard.", gritted the redhead.

"Raaaaaaah!" Azrael cried out and devastated its body again and could only start huffing in exhaustion.

Even if his body stood and was only damaged and crippled for a short moment, the pain and exhaustion would accumulate at some point to such an extent that it would be too much. Going unconscious at this moment would be fatal.

And the Goliath was just regenerating without even the slightest sense of fatigue.

'Looks like I chewed more than I could handle. Time to try this out...'

With his last energy, he cupped his hands together at his waist and felt the mana around himself. Since he had no idea how to use Ki he replaced it with Mana.

Even if it would not work, he needed to use that little window created by the regeneration of the Goliath.

"Ka...me...ha...me....." A blue orb of energy collected itself between his hands with small sparkling mana particles twinkling into it. Azrael only smirked feeling the energy. "HA!"

The mana collected erupted forward with his guidance and clashed against the Goliath. It didn't really stay in beam shape and became like a raging wildfire, spreading everywhere in front of him.

The Goliath´s whole body was swallowed by the wild blue energy and disintegrated. Only the huge core stayed at that point and fell to the ground.

"Hah....hah...It worked out..." Azrael placed his hands at his waist and tried to regain his breath.

Suddenly he noticed people approaching him.

"Haha, now that you are exhausted we will take that core and your life!!" It was the group re-engaging him.

"..." Azrael only raised one hand. "As I thought. Trash remains trash...."

It was unlucky for the group that Azrael got some insight into mana control just a second ago and still could feel residual mana inside his arms.

And when he swiped his right arm horizontally a crimson red mana wave erupted and engulfed the group of 12 with a massive amount of land behind them being included. It killed them while their screams could be heard from their agony.

After the energy dissipated like a flame having nothing more to burn only dead charred husks were left...

Azrael only spits to the ground in disdain. Suddenly another rumbling occurred. This time the magnitude came close to a massive earthquake.

That had Azrael frown and he looked to the wall but there was nothing for him to be seen.

A piercing gaze locked onto him and feeling this killing intent on him he suddenly looked upwards.

His eyes became wide in shock. At the ceiling, he could see a dark tattered shadowy skeleton slowly appear. Its weapon was close to it.

The sharpness was easily seen by its gleam and the type of it was only speaking of death. That is because the huge 12-meter monster that was emerging this time looked like a death reaper.

Its tattered black mantle was ornated with thick chains holding most of itself together.

An earsplitting scream traveled through the floor and a dark mist slowly descended. Right after that its hollow eye sockets came to life with eery greenish flames in them.

"This...I don't remember...What the hell are you?", asked Azrael himself. He also could feel dread crawl up his spine.

Did he really feel fear from that monster? It looks like he has to retreat immediately.