Chapter 440: Training Maniacs

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH SHAK SHAK SHAK

The winds lashed and the cold breeze blew. Shards of ice and flakes of snow were aflutter in the winds, a blizzard brewing in turbulence, flora of blue and white reaching towards the ceiling. It was a heavy storm of frost, painting the scene glacial blue.

BOOOOMMM CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE

Amidst the horrifying storm of blue and white, the sound of thunder echoe nearby. Bolts of lightning danced along the ice, booms and crackles echoing in the air as the two opposing forces clashed and collided with one another.

The storm of snow rushed forth like a flood and the tornado of lightning rampaged as if there was no tomorrow. It was a scene of the apocalypse, the end of the world, only a couple figures to be seen, blurs and flashes clashes time and time again.

A silver haired elf brandished her daggers, silver streaks gleaming in the storm of white. A flash of gold and white followed, a booming dash of electricity crackling with every jab. They clashed, the shockwaves ringing as they did.

⟨⟨Pinpoint Tempest: Deathpierce!⟩⟩ ［Grey］

A cold voice echoed and the winds howled soon after. The winds started to bellow and lash out, gathering and coiling on the young man's arm. He shot his fist to the air, a deafening screech echoing soon after.

The punch connected without a hitch, a few more following as it echoed. Cracks then followed and a pained screech danced along with it. The Sovereign Arflus was hurled dozens of meters away, staggering before firmly planting its foot to the ground.

Yet everything was far from finished. As its core cracked once more, the young man once again pounced towards it. He didn't give the former any chance to rest, throwing his punches without a single gap, striking from sharp and difficult angles.

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE BOOOOOOMMMMMM

The core burst forth and lightning lashed out like rampaging whips. The ground was peppered from the violent slew of bolts, craters forming one after another. It has become a maze of its own, the bolts of lightning serving as pillars and walls.

Yet despite all that, the young man continued his stride, bolting stubbornly the enemy before him. He was clad in wind, fire, lightning, and light, his whole body augmented to the highest degree, built for speed and power.

However, the enemy was not stupid either. As soon as Grey came in range, it quickly let out a storm of lightning bolts, running rampant all over the place. His target wasn't the young man, but rather, the lightning veins below him.

CRACK CRACK SHATTER CRACKLE BOOOOOMMMMM

The lightning vein broke, and a large explosion followed soon after. The whole room was painted white and gold, bolts of lightning running wild as they engulfed the whole place without leaving a single spot behind.

"Haah... You're needlessly smart for a monster." ［Grey］

Unfortunately for it, it wasn't the first time Grey had to deal with such nonsense. He and Yuna had already disarmed countless traps and such a trap was no different. Moreover, he had already seen it happen with his eyes. All he had to do was dodge.

Now, he appeared in front of the enemy, distance closing to less than a foot and fists now clenched ever so tightly. Mana coursed through his veins and augmented his fists, his gauntlets shining a dim platinum color.

⟨⟨Megaton Gatling!⟩⟩ ［Grey］

One punch was thrown and soon came the next. From dozens to hundreds, and then to thousands, a flurry of fists peppered the enemy without a shred of mercy. It may be made of electricity, but magical attacks could still damage it.

All the Sovereign Arflus could do was defend. While the attacks themselves don't really do much individually, the same couldn't be said when it was facing hundreds of them in just a single second. Its core continued to crack with time.

WHOONG WHOONG WHOONG WHOOOOONNNNGGGGGG BOOOOOOMMMMM

The core exploded again and a lightning-filled pandemonium rang out in the Boss Room, swallowing every little thing nearby and disintegrating even the tough and resilient floor of the place, leaving not even ashes behind.

Grey was able to get away just in time, but the same could also be said for the enemy as it increased the distance between them. It knew full well it was at a disadvantage when engaging in close combat, so it was best to run away.

"Escaping, huh... How typical, but... Have you forgotten already...? I'm not your only opponent here, bastard." ［Grey］

Such an escape was futile. As soon as it backed away, rather than safety, the only thing that greeted it was pain. Yuna's Winter Forest had once again encroached its vicinity and bound its path, frozen trees growing in the way,

The trees became walls, the wines lashed out like whips, the leaves fluttered like tiny blades, the grass sharpened like spikes, and the flytraps became massive jaws. It was a forest of death and suffering, one one must avoid.

⟨⟨Northern Wind: Boreas!⟩⟩ ［Grey］

Grey also didn't let up his attacks, attacking from a range and hurling spells towards the enemy. With just a slick of his fingers, countless spears appeared in thin air and soon darted towards the enemy, numbering in the hundreds.

Rather than destroying the Winter Forest, all it did was dodge Grey's attack. As soon as it tried to move and swing its six arms, the spears then peppered it. It ran and it ran, sending a parade of lightning bolts every once in a while.

"You fell for it, fool." ［Grey］

But that was its biggest mistake....

The trees weren't just sprouting at random, but rather, created a singular path which funneled the enemy to a place they wanted to go through. It noticed the ploy quite a bit late, a platinum glimmer gleaming in the air as cold daggers appeared out of the blue.

⟨⟨Thousand Bleeding Streams!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］

The daggers danced and a thousand slashes were drawn in the air. It wasn't just the first attacks, but the ones Yuna had prepared with "Phantom Streams". She activated them simultaneously, letting the enemy have a taste or a bladed hell.

One... Two... Three.. Four... Five... Strikes connected again and again, soon reaching the thousands and soon enough numbering in the tens of thousands. Each one was just a ticklish strike, but when lashing out simultaneously, it packed quite a punch.

Moreover, that wasn't the only thing to worry about. As Yuna flapped her wings, a thundering explosion rang out in the air and feathers burst forth like a devastating flood. The place was painted scarlet, flashes of light following soon after.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

It couldn't move away, but the Sovereign Arflus could still defend itself. It let bolts of lightning cause a ruckus throughout the Boss Room, countering the feathers and the blades, shockwaves echoing like some sort of grand orchestra.

Grey also continued his torrent of spears, soon letting blades join in the fray. Yet the enemy remained standing, its six arms striking in all directions, and shattering all the nuisances coming its way. Its eyes burned with flames of rage and wrath.

At the same time, it also threw out lightning bolts and arcs, creating a field of its own. It destroyed Yuna's Winfer Forest and let the snow be blown away. The whole floor was purified in a single go, a fierce flint shimmering soon after.

"Yuna, brace yourself!" ［Grey］

As soon as it was safe, the enemy then turned its body towards the young lady and struck her as much as it could. Thankfully, Grey's words rang in her ears before she could even see the punch, activating Phaseless as soon as she could.

The punch simply passed through and the young lady remained unharmed. She then appeared out of thin air again, landing a heavy strike on the core before being taken away from a tight spot with Grey!s "Gate".

"That was a close one. Are you alright, Milady?" ［Grey］

"Un! I'm more than fine! Thank you for saving me." ［Yuna］

"No problem. Just make sure to be careful next time. That guy's needlessly sharp and fast. You'll be done if you're not careful." ［Grey］

"I know! I'm always careful, you know?!" ［Yuna］

Or so she says, but she has brushed past death too many times for Grey to remain calm. She may be revived using the "Divine Necklace", but he would still hate seeing his fiancée dying before his eyes. That would be terrible.

It would have been easier had Polaris and Sirius been with them, but with the way things have played out, the two of them now know just where they stand against Labyrinth Bosses. It was still difficult, but not as much as before.

Actually, even if Grey were to solo the Sovereign Arflus, he would still have an even chance of winning if he uses every trick up his sleeve. The only problem was that he wouldn't improve in such a way. Restrictions were necessary.

"Haah... Forget it. Just make sure to keep yourself safe. I'm going to have a heart attack if you keep doing it that way. It's too dangerous." ［Grey］

"Mou... Like you have the right to say that. I'm also worried for you, you know? We're just even." ［Yuna］

"Well, I guess you're right, and... You're really persistent, aren't you?!" ［Grey］

Their conversation only lasted for a little over a dozen seconds, the last walls of ice and winds soon broken apart by the enemy. It reached out its claws once more, all of them rushing towards Grey and Yuna at breakneck speeds.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

A series of thundering explosions rang out once more, Grey's fist and the Sovereign Arflus' claws exchanging fierce blows. Each clash was powerful enough to wipe out entire villages, shockwaves laying waste all over the place.

At the same time, Yuna took her leave, Grey creating a gate for her to escape. She once again vanished using her "Nihility", not even a trace of her to be seen. There were no footsteps, no breaths, no subtle movements. Nothing at all.

All that there was was a rapidly growing frost and snow, once again encroaching all throughout the place. She made sure to fill every corner with traps, deadly horrors hiding behind the paradise of blue and white, seemingly fragile as glass.

'Right. Time is almost up,' ［Yuna］

Several minutes have passed since the battle started, and it was yet another time to drink another "Fairy's Blessing". A single brewing cam makes about a dozen battles, so she still has a couple hundred more to spare.

And well, since it was a new day, Yuna had also brewed a new type of explosive concoction she formulated using all the results from yesterday. The result was a Legendary-Grade potion, nicknamed "Devil's Whim".

It was an item the complete opposite of the "Fairy's Blessing", bringing forth neither strength nor courage, but ruin and death. She was only able to make about three of them, but it was more than enough to experiment on.

'And... Now!' ［Yuna］

The young lady didn't waste any time and quickly filled the concoction with as much mana as it could handle. It was thrown soon enough, darting at tremendous speeds as it crashed towards the enemy, reacting with the air as soon as the bottle was broken.

SPARK CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE BOOOOOMMMMMMMM

The spark started out small at first, but it grew to a tremendous and dangerous sea of flames soon after. It was imbued with both fire-attribute and lightning-attribute mana at the same time, amplifying its destructiveness to the make.

The clouds of smoke and dust soon cleared out, and the scattered debris slowly settled down on the ground. A single figure remained standing in the middle of the explosion. It was riddled with scratches, a couple cracks here and there.

It may not be able to kill a Disaster-Class monster, but it was powerful enough to deal some damage. Calamity-Class monsters would have already been heavily injured and S-rank ones would have instantly died. It was really powerful.

"Hey! I almost got caught up in that! You should warn me first!" ［Grey］

"Owwie!!" ［Yuna］

Though, it wasn't just the enemy. Grey was quite taken by surprise as well. He was able to dodge, but had he been caught up by such a sudden attack, he would have sustained some heavy damage as well. He almost had a heart attack.

Even now, his heart was beating rapidly in nervousness. Had he not possessed the "Eyes of Destiny", he would have really been in big trouble. All he could do was bonk his beloved fiancée in the head, the young lady flinching soon after.

"Uuu... I want just testing it out... I didn't mean to startle you." ［Yuna］

"Startle.... I'm more than startled, you know? Had I been a step too late, it would have gotten dangerous. Are you really trying to kill your fiancé?" ［Grey］

"Uuu... I'm sorry..." ［Yuna］

It was like a father scolding his daughter, the latter apologizing soon after. However, with the young lady still holding two other potions in her hands, she doesn't look very convincing. God knows when she'll use them again.

And like last time, their conversation was quickly cut short by the impatient enemy before them. It didn't rush at them, but it still sent down a rain of crackling lightning bolts, painting the whole palace gold and white as if it was nobody's business.

Yuba used her "Phaseless" to let the bolts phase through her, and Grey used his "Gate" as a means of escape. Neither of them was hurt by the deadly torrent of bolts, only the sound of thundering reverberating all throughout as they crashed.

Soon after, Grey's gate was once againー or rather, multiple gates were opened. The Sovereign Arflus was encaged with gates, not a single gap to escape to and not even a single second to think, the next volley of attacks arriving soon after,

The Sovereign Arflus tried to send attacks throughout all directions, but the bolts of lightning simply came back right at it. It didn't hurt, but it was more than enough to ascertain that it was really trapped inside.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM

What followed soon after the confirmation was a torrent of blades and spreads coming from Grey, the winds also vibrating at supersonic speeds, loud explosions happening every so often as winds and lightning clashed.

Yuna didn't miss out on either. She soon threw another potion at the enemy, now filling it with ice-attribute mana. It was so pure and powerful, the enemy was trapped in a frozen block of eyes for a few seconds, receiving the full brunt of Grey's barrage.

However, such a scene didn't last for more than a couple minutes. Despite the fact it was confused, the Sovereign Arflus continued to rush into the gates, teleported every single time until it finally came out after a couple trial and errors.

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE BOOOOOOOMMMM

And as one would expect, the first thing it did was lash around, bolts of lightning and flashes of light rampaging all throughout the place. Rage which was only fueled as Yuna threw her last explosive potion towards it.

"Haha... Yuna... Now you've done it..." ［Yuna］

It was filled with rage and irritation, wanting to tear the two apart but not possessing the ability to do so. It shot out bolts of lightning once again and resumed its original form, its whip-like tentacles lashing out all throughout the place.

It soon opened its massive maws and fired off a beam of light and lightning, razing everything to the ground it came into contact with, and disintegrating Yuna's Winter Forest, the whole place filled with ruin and devastation.

"Hahaha. It's really getting pissed now, huh... You shouldn't have thrown that potion, Yuna. Now, look at what you've done." ［Grey］

"It's all for the sake of alchemy!" ［Yuna］

"Alchemy... Haah... Just how did I fall for you?" ［Grey］

There was idle chatter in the air, and the next moment, there was destruction. The Sovereign Arflus continued to lash out and our two protagonists carried on with their counters and ambushes as well, fighting toe to toe against one another.

It lashes out, Grey and Yuna attacks, the two youths escape, the Sovereign Arflus gets trapped, then soon escaping, and finally lashing out again. Such a great pattern continued to unfold, thunders and shockwaves echoing time and time again.

Before long, several hours have passed and several thousand blows have been traded. The once magnificent Boss Room has now turned into a devastated and disastrous sight with little to no resemblance of what it was in the past.

HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF

At the same time, the figures fighting have also started to tire out after a long and arduous battle. Being the weakest of the three, Yuna was the first one to take the heavy toll, her body screaming in pain and fatigue as she fought.

She had used elixirs and potions time and time again, fighting with all her might. She also used recovery spells using Holy Magic as well. However, her mind was an utterly different matter. It was now riddled with fatigue, her fortitude slowly crumbling.

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE WHOOOOONNNGGGGGGG

It was the perfect opportunity for the enemy to strike, and so it did, ferocious and feisty bolts of lightning once again lashing out in the open and a beam of gold and white bolting towards the young lady.

"Hey now, don't you know it's rude to attack a young lady?" ［Grey］

Thankfully, Grey arrived just in time, extending his hands out to create not a barrier, but a gate before him. The enemy's attack went straight in and was directed back at it as it poured out of another gate, hitting it directly with a boom.

At the same time, while she wasn't hit by the attack, Yuna soon staggered and her legs soon gave down. Fortunately enough, Grey was there to catch her before she fell to the ground, carrying her in his arms like a sweet bride.

"Fufufu! Is this what it feels like to be a bride?" ［Yuna］

"So you still have the strength to joke around, huh..." ［Grey］

"That's because I know Grey will protect me no matter what. I'm safest when in your arms, after all." ［Yuna］

"Safest, huh.... You sure say some silly things." ［Grey］

Grey replied, and a pair of beams rushed towards them soon after. However, much like the ones before them, they were simply negated with a wave of Grey's hands, a couple gates appearing around them and firing them right back where they came from.

The young man also created another gate before him and linking it outside the Boss Room. The first round of their "training" was now over, and it was time to rest and recuperate their body and minds. It was time for a break.

"Looks like you're still lively, huh... How nice... Enjoy it while you still can... Your days are already numbered." ［Grey］

His cold voice drifted in the air, and soon, he stepped foot inside the gate. Before long, the whole room was enshrouded in silence, but a single figure remaining all throughout. It soon sat back down, quiet as can be.

On the other side of the door, Grey and Yuna had already arrived back at their camp. As soon as they did, Grey then casted a couple recovery magic on the young lady and also offered her something sweet and chilled to drink.

Yuna was a little weak at first, but the moment she tasted something sweet, her mind was immediately received and she chugged down her glass of orange juice. It wasn't very cold to match her liking, and refreshing as can be.

"Puwaah～! That was amazing! I feel alive again!" ［Yuna］

"That's a quick recovery. Are you sure it's okay to stand up and stretch so quickly? You might strain yourself, Yuna." ［Grey］

"What are you saying～? I'm not that frail, you know!" ［Yuna］

She really was a bundle of joy and a ball of energy. It was just a fine glass of orange juice, but it worked more miraculously than a Superior-Grade potion costing millions. She is now lively as can be, stretching her body all the whileー

"... No, actually, I think I'm still tired... I'll be in your care～!" ［Yuna］

... Or at least she was doing so at first, but as soon as she saw the opportunity, she immediately started acting tired, soon laying down on the ground and laid her head on Grey's lap. A sweet smile soon bloomed on her lovely face.

"You silly girl... You really love being spoiled, huh..." ［Grey］

"Fufufu! And I wonder who made me out to be like that?" ［Yuna］

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Not that I regret it or anything." ［Grey］

Well, Grey wasn't complaining either. Yuna might act fine already, but he knows she is still exhausted from the battle, just not wanting to worry Grey any further than he already is. Spoiling her a little more was nothing much.

Just like that, Grey and Yuna rested for a while and chatted about a couple topics they found interesting. It was mostly all about some random things, the two flirting ever so openly in the Labyrinth, until...

"Grey, I'm hungry... I want to eat fried rice..." ［Yuna］

... Yuna suddenly came with a random request. They have been so caught with their training, they've completely forgotten they haven't had lunch yet. Thankfully, Yuna is not the type to forget such things, so they were quickly reminded.

"Hahaha. Then, let's cook ourselves some fried rice, shall we?" ［Grey］

A light chuckle adrift in the air, Grey and Yuna soon stood up and whipped out the portable kitchen like they usually do, cooking all sorts of tasty and wonderful dishes. Before long, an orchestra of aromatic aromas filled the air.

The familiars and spirits were soon called and they all had a lovely lunch together. They chatted and laughed, giggles and chuckles adrift over the dining table as they had a hearty meal. What followed after was relaxation.

A couple hours quickly passed by and the two raided some treasure rooms for a change of pace. It was very much relaxing and exciting, healing their exhausted minds and preparing them for what's about to come.

Soon enough, the two have fully recovered and the time has come yet again. Both Grey and Yuna headed towards the Boss Room, their daggers and gauntlets once gleaming bright as they equipped them. Excitement was adrift in the air.

"Alright! Time for another round!" ［Grey］

"Un!" ［Yuna］

CHAPTER 440 END