Chapter 585: [585] Minotaur.
Alan hurriedly opened a portal to the world of Gigantum, where the Labyrinth like city of the Minotaur's was. He wasn't able to go to his army directly, as they were on a floor he hadn't travelled too. He appeared on the second floor instead, where he took a moment to appreciate what Twilight had done with the place.
The second floor, once filled with broken buildings, was now...great. The broken buildings were fixed and roads were present. There wasn't much here, but it was certainly better. A lighting system had also been installed. Alan knew the first floor would be so much better if the second floor was like that. He could see some works still going on, so he swiftly left.
Using his instantaneous teleportation, he teleported to the end of the second floor and descended, using the same mode of teleportation continuously.
'They are on the fifth floor...'
Alan thought, as he reviewed the mental connection he had with his army. The Jade army, was stationed on the Fifth wave, in front of a sort of gate. They had stopped and requested his aid. 'Did we encounter the higher ranked Minotaur's?'
That shouldn't be possible, that would only happen a floor lower than where they
were...unless the Minotaur's, sensing the danger and casualties migrated to the higher floors, to provide a better defense.
'Well, they did build a city... as shabby as it was.'
It wasn't too far-fetched to believe they didn't have any sort of intelligence. Alan was simply wondering something else.
'That damn human at the city...as well as the giants all suffered a drop in their intelligence due to Agri wreaking havoc on this planet a while back... Did the Minotaur's suffer the same? A drop in intelligence or a weakness?'
It didn't seem like it, when he was still with his army and fought the Minotaur's with them...they appeared normal. Besides, the reports his commanders gave were accurate as well, telling him that the Minotaur's. It seems Agri only had a beef with the giants when he came here...
Alan finally reached where his army was. In the back the magicians and some of Twilight's medical staff, mainly healers sent by Richard to help him out, were busy tending to the injured soldiers, it seems they got used to the appearance of the jade soldiers. On the front, the knights, their mounts and the spear men took up formation, to fend off any sudden attacks. His commanders noticed him and walked over to him, and Alan could see what was stopping them.
A wall, a massive wall and a gate, much like the one at the entrance of the labyrinth city in the desert up above. But that wasn't the issue. If it was just this, Alan could simply break it once more... The real issue was what was behind the wall.
'They really migrated.'
He could see them on top of the walls, each one no less than an S-rank monster, and behind the walls? Multiple SS-ranked monsters. Alan gulped, his knees a bit weak. He would die if he rushed in by himself, no doubt.
"So that's the issue, huh..."
His army could take care of the S-ranked ones, if they weren't in a big group...but the problem was, they were.
[Dragon eyes has been used.]
For a more accurate assessment, Alan used his Dragon eyes, and he had to admit the bitter truth. All the Minotaur had really migrated, in order to provide a final defense. The lower floors were practically empty, with only their children, calves habiting them.
"We...can't really break through this, can we?"
Even if Twilight was involved, it would be impossible to break through this barricade. They would all be slaughtered. If he perhaps went into his dragon form...he could break through but without a skilled healer or a buffer behind him, reinforcing him his scales would be ripped apart among all the strong Minotaur's around. Their brute strength would be able to kill him, even with his Phoenix bloodline.
'Well, I got the healing part done... I just need a good buffer.'
Unfortunately, no troop had been unlocked that could buff him. He wondered if he should call Sabrina and have her fill the role, but decided against it. Opting to not bother her for now.
"Well, I guess we go with plan B."
His commanders looked at him with a strange gaze, they turned their heads, confused. Probably thinking, 'There was a plan B?'.
Alan chuckled, as he ordered.
"Just stay here, I'll deal with the boss."
Although the Minotaur's had migrated, not all of them. The 'big bad' was still in his room, the lowest floor. Perhaps he was arrogant or whatever. Alan did wonder why they only focused on defense and didn't think of reclaiming their city or avenging their fallen brethren. But it made the job easy for them, so he didn't mind.
He activated his skill, and his body soon disappeared, his commanders were even more confused, and Alan reassured them.
'Just sacrifice anything we found on these floors to the altar, I'll summon more troops when I get back.'
They saluted, and Alan jumped over the walls, amidst the minotaur's, he looked around, trying to see if any could sense him, but thankfully he was safe.
"So even they can't see me."
He figured as much, so he proceeded forward, rushing to the lower floors, he had to run because he could not teleport while in this state, which he found annoying.
As he made his way, he abruptly stopped, looking right into an SS-ranked Minotaur, which was also looking at him. It was a comical stop, and Alan was sweating, thinking.
'... He can't see me...right?'
The minotaur didn't change his direction, and Alan was seriously considering opening a portal, cancelling his skill and running.
Thankfully, the Minotaur turned it's head soon, after it smelled something. Alan heaved a sigh of relief. Thinking that it was just a pure coincidence.
He continued onwards, The SS-ranked Minotaur sometimes tried to smell something in the air but failed at it. Then went back to their works.
'Thankfully, they are bulls and not dogs.'
His skill was supposed to not leave any scent of his but it appeared that the senses of higher ranked monsters were just different. They could still sense something was wrong, albeit only
a little.
Alan finally reached the lower floor, and ran to meet the Minotaur at the bottom. He could only see calves here, the children of the Minotaur's.
They weren't humanoid, but resembled actual calves one could find back on Earth.
'Huh.'
Alan didn't think much of it, and after a while finally reached the lowest floor.
!...!
There was a gate and walls here as well, but instead of having an opening like the gate before, it was connected to the ceiling, making it so that Alan couldn't jump and enter like before. The gate had the same bull head carvings on it, but it seemed to possess another power as well, Alan could also feel the mana of the being behind the doors, pulsing through this entire
floor.
He undid his disguise, and wielded his spear. He immediately broke the door using the first movement of his chaos spear technique.
He found himself using this spear art more than the Heavenly Sky spear, despite the danger it
posed to him.
The door was broken through quite easily, the shock was great enough that the Minotaur's above would have noticed it, and Alan was sure some of them were coming back.
Alan cast his skill once more, before the dust settled and entered the room.
It was filled with decorations of bones, skeletons of monsters the Minotaur's may have slain.
And right in the middle of it he saw the monster.
An SSS-ranked monster, equal to his master and Sir Oliver, perhaps even stronger than them
in some aspects.
The minotaur was clearly taller than the rest, and had a beard as well a crown on his head, that
oddly enough, his horns kept it in place.
Besides that, unlike the other minotaurs as well, there were proper garments on his body,
they looked and bent like cloth but had a metallic texture to them, possibly an armor of some
kind.
He also had a weapon, not an axe but rather a sword, much like the one his master had but only much, much bigger.
It probably wasn't sharp when you looked at its edge, but no one would still want to get hit
with that monster, no matter what.
Alan has activated his spatial disfigurement but even then the monster kept it's eyes on the
door, where the dust had settled.
'It knows.'
Alan thought, noticing the look in its eyes. The monster knew someone was there, someone
who had entered and was moving around his room.
It was evident how it always managed to be looking at the same direction where Alan was, but
it couldn't see him.
It just...knew?
'Well, let's get this done with.'
He affirmed, as he leapt into action