Chapter 39: Calamity

Aftershocks littered floor 18, as tens of monsters ascended from the tree Labyrinth below. Bugbears crashed through the dense foliage; whilst hellhounds and insectoids dexterously weaved towards adventurers littering the floor.

The safe zone was completely abandoned, as if an unspoken vow had been broken. The wind died, giving way to the force of nature that was Goliath. The creature growled and observed its surroundings, gauging the army that surrounded it. However, the lumbering titan soon spasmed, broken from its concentration.

A lone adventurer ran up Goliath's mighty leg, before springing to its arm. Hit stared at the monster's face, which was half covered by a white fringe, and rocketed towards its cheek.

*BAM*

*Grooooar?*

The warrior's fist met its mark, emitting a halo of purple light, which lit up the monster's pitch-black eyes. The beast merely groaned in confusion as an ant somehow ascended to its towering heights. A colossal hand rocketed towards its cheek, intending to pulverise the injurious agent.

Hit allowed the cold fury that burned within him, to funnel his concentration to its maximum limit. He used the approaching hand as a platform, under time skip, and leapt to the giant's opposite shoulder, before sending out another haymaker. Hit did not stop, racing across the black Goliath's entire surface. His tireless body launched a countless array of luminescent punches and kicks.

The observing adventurers gasped in awe at the beauty of Hit's attacks: he appeared to be a perpetually rotating purple ray, like an electron orbiting the nucleus of Goliath. This enormous nucleus swung back and forth; shook itself; and smacked at each sharp pain that assaulted it; however, Hit would always remain just outside its grasp, and zipped along unremittingly.

On a nearby outcrop, Bell Cranel was distracted from the iridescent display, by shouts of terror from below. Mord's merry band of cowards were being chased by bloodthirsty creatures, who only became more ravenous as the delicious morsels ran back and forth, in terror. Bell tensed himself and addressed his companions. "We have to help them!"

Ryuu had her gaze fixed on Hit, completely unbelieving of what she saw. Her eyes darted across the purple rays of light as they whizzed around the enraged titan. However, upon Bell's request, she glanced down, and became disgusted at the proposition. "Don't. Think about the others."

Bell stalled in his run and considered his companions. The Takemikazuchi familia gazed back, awaiting his command; they still wanted to mend their frayed relationship, and make amends for an unforgivable act. Bell shifted his gaze to his friends, grazed face remaining impartial, allowing them to make an unbiased decision. Welf chuckled and smiled, which was accompanied by equally trusting grins from Hestia and Lili. Bell turned to Ryuu, his iron will further enhanced. "We're going to save them. All of them."

Ryuu smiled at the young boy, soothed by his innocence and bravery. "I'm not too confident about your strength as a leader... But you made the right choice." The elf then ran off, appearing like a green blur to the onlookers.

Bell watched her for a moment, then turned to his trusting comrades-in-arms. "Chigusa, take goddess Hestia to Rivira! Everyone else, let's go!"

""""Right!""""

The paired familia members nodded, before racing towards the battlefield. Goddess Hestia prayed for their safety.

...

By this time, Goliath was at its wit's end. This strange vanishing human could not inflict any lasting harm; however, the numerous jabs that it sent out were incredibly irritating. The titan decided to switch strategies, and punched down at the adventurers below, who were weaving around its legs.

Mord's companions screamed as venomous insects pushed them back, earning them a litany of oozing wounds. As level 2 adventurers, these foes should have been relatively easy to defeat. However, the pitiful bandits had allowed fear to grip their hearts, making teamwork impossible. Additionally, they were the poorest examples of level 2s imaginable. To add to their torture, an immense fist cratered into the ground, sending shrapnel flying in all directions. The mercenaries finally had enough and abandoned any hope of victory. "L-let's get outta here!"

*BOOM*

Demonic wrath sundered down from above: a blast of magic infused air would have obliterated the adventurers, had they not begun to flee. Thankfully, the men were merely blown away by the blinding blast.

"What the!?" Mord stared at his flung friends in horror, before gazing upwards at a terrifying maw. Goliath had used its infamous breath attack, which had now died down into white vapour. The terrified man barely had time to scream, as a bugbear's fist slammed into his stomach, launching him into a roll. Mord lay on his stomach, groaning at the incredible pain that assaulted him.

With surprising strength, Mord raised himself up, using his sword for support. Anguish at his friends' fate refused to die down. "What the hell is this!?" Mord swung at another swinging limb, this time from a Minotaur, yet was forced to part with his weapon, leaving him completely defenceless. The mercenary whimpered, staggering back as the beast drew back a furred fist; Mord's eyes flashed as the attack was set loose, aiming for his head.

*GROOAR!*

Suddenly, blood erupted from the approaching appendage, which fell to earth, with a wet thump; The minotaur bleated as twin daggers vivisected it, from head to toe. Red ichor pooled from vessel-less viscera, as two halves separated apart, before the entire construct vapourised into black and gold smoke. Mord stammered at his saviour, who did not even take a moment to glance at him, before dashing to his next target: Bell Cranel was on a mission.

Mord's eyes widened at the impossible sight. Despite being less than half his age, this kid had found the courage to fight back; he had the strength to forge his own destiny and defy fate. Tears threatened to drip down as Mord realised the foolishness of his ways. "Wh...huh!?" Mord shouted in confusion, as something, or someone, pulled him away. The man strained his neck backwards, to gaze upon a short girl, dressed in a tan cloak.

Liliruca grasped Mord's hood firmly as she dragged him along the ground. "I need to make sure you don't get in Master Bell's way!" The pallum dumped her cargo at a nearby tree, taking no care to dampen his landing. The furious woman turned back to her battling saviour, still not fully comprehending his actions. Her gaze flitted back to the vermin behind her. "I hope you're grateful. This is far better than you deserve, and you know it." She then dashed back, intending to save more undeserving souls.

Mord's eyes widened at the selflessness of the Hestia familia: first class adventurers in the making. 'What the hell have I been doing... beating up some kid, over what… girls? This Bell Cranel... He's a true hero.'

...

*GROOOOAARRRRR!*

Up above, Goliath bellowed in pain as the creature darting around it had ramped up his torture.

Hit had employed his pressure point attacks and began targeting body regions most sensitive to pain. Seeing that attacks were dealing negligible damage, he was now experimenting a little, and was surprised that they were having an increased effect. However, it was beginning to appear like his attacks would not be anywhere near enough. Hit's face darkened as a fist approached him.

*Shing*

As soon as the giant's limb touched his body, subliminal time skip activated. Hit rushed to action, and propelled himself away, using the arm as a springboard. The arm continued to sail ahead, impacting nothing. Goliath's eyes widened, and its body twisted painfully. Below, the rage inducing creature sent out another barrage of purple attacks, directly into its knee joint. Goliath stomped down, sending out billows of dust and gravel. Hit was playing an incredibly dangerous game: now that he was targeting specific regions, his attacks were more predictable. However, thoughts of doubts and fears never entered Hit's mind, completely trusting in his time skip. To onlookers, it was a dazzling game between a nightmarish cat and purple mouse. Unfortunately, the floor was becoming a cratered cacotopia. Goliath was completely focused on Hit, and raged about the floor, felling forests, and pulverising mountains.

The denizens of Rivira watched on, sweating at the impossible phenomenon; this was an enemy that was far beyond any of them. Bors stood in front of his colleagues, at the gateway into Rivira. He gritted his teeth and sweated, nervously. "What the hell is that thing!? Where did it come from!?"

The assembly tensed as Asfi arrived on the scene, appearing stony faced. "Bors! Gather your weapons, we must take that thing down."

Bors spluttered at her unreasonable demand and stuck a finger towards the raging behemoth. "Are you fucking crazy, Andromeda!? Look at the size 'a that bastard. We...!"

Andromeda narrowed her eyes and interrupted him. "We have no choice! Every single entry and exit point on this floor has been cut off by landslides." Her surrounding observers gulped, realisation finally settling in; they were trapped in this hellhole. Asfi continued. "...So, until we defeat this boss, I'm afraid we're stuck down here."

Bors chuckled sardonically, sending the blue haired woman a toothy grin. "Well... shit."

The man whirled around, facing his band of ruffians, and bellowed out orders. It was as if he was a completely different man, reborn as a strategic commander. "Listen up, you lot! Looks like we're gonna have 'ta kick some monster ass." He finished the statement by punching a fist into his palm, which served to elicit cries of agreement from his companions. Bors' fighting spirit boomed for all to see. "Round up every adventurer and weapon in town. If you run off, don't bother ever coming back. Now let's show this overgrown goblin, what we can do!"

"""""""YEAH!"""""""

Adventurers throughout Rivira answered the call to arms and raided their barracks. They showed true Rivira spirit and rallied together, ready to march on the enemy. Despite being cold hearted swindlers, they would never abandon each other, and would gladly die for Rivira. None of their members was a stranger to defending their home; this battle was just another day to them.

...

Finally, Hit was joined in his assault against Goliath, as reinforcements pounced on the distracted monster. Ryuu cringed at the immense rifts left in its wake. "We need to halt Goliath here, or there won't be anything left of this floor." The elf floated down, gracefully, and swung her wooden sword into Goliath's Achilles heel.

The powerful strike sent Goliath crashing down to its knees, providing a perfect opportunity for a counterattack. Ouka and Mikoto emerged from the sidelines, and swung their weapons into Goliath's motionless fist, which it had used to halt its descent. Unfortunately, the hunks of metal barely scratched the surface, and became embedded in its flesh. The two adventurers spluttered as the fist trembled, raising them upwards.

*BAM*

*BAM*

Two invisible pushes sent them careening away, down towards the ground below. Thankfully, they had been separated from Goliath, before ascending too high. Upon landing, they rushed to right themselves, and stiffened as their own weapons were flung towards the crash site, nearly striking their heads. Thankfully, the Takemikazuchi familia members caught the deadly instruments, and stared upwards. Hit was standing on the monster's shoulder, arms crossed.

Ryuu caught their attention as she glided next to them. "Get out of here, NOW!"

Unfortunately, the warning seemed too late, as Goliath prepared yet another breath attack. Circles of magic power converged on the monster's inhaling mouth, and blood red eyes burned down, hatred consuming them. Hit tensed, but relaxed at the sight of a familiar person below. The magic circles began to coalesce and accumulate as Goliath's magic finalised charging.

"«Will-o-wisp»!" Welf shouted from the sidelines, arm raised skywards.

*BOOOOOOM*

*GRRRAAAAARRRR!*

Goliath tasted true pain as the powerful magic attack detonated within its jaws. A dust cloud surrounded its face for a few brief moments, before it was dashed away, as magic force began to accumulate, yet again. A lipless mouth grinned down as a pinpoint of blinding light grew at its centre. Welf scowled at the successive use of magic. "Crap!"

"HA!" The agile Ryuu leapt upwards and kicked at Goliath's jaw. Unlike during Hit's strikes, the beast's head was sent careening to the side, upper and lower jaws swinging from side to side from the gargantuan force.

Inspired, Hit re-engaged his previous tactics and dashed around, sending out glowing cacophonies of attacks once more.

Ryuu landed back on the ground, surprised that her attack imparted such little damage. "This is no normal floor boss... Its potential has increased to level 5!"

Goliath ignored the purple fly buzzing around it, and readied a fist, to squash the first true danger it had detected. Ryuu dodged the splintering attack and dashed towards an approaching blue blur. Goliath twisted after her, relentlessly.

Time dilated to a crawl as the blue and green blurs passed each other. Somehow, Asfi and Ryuu's thoughts were transmitted perfectly.

Asfi began the mental conversation. 'Reinforcements are ready. Mages from the town are preparing to cast spells, as we speak. All you need to do, is keep Goliath busy, and prevent him from noticing the accumulation of magic. That boy's attacks aren't working anymore, and he's letting it cause too much collateral damage.'

Ryuu answered her colleague, still frozen in time. 'Then, why don't we work together to divide its attention.'

Asfi nodded internally, pleased that such a mature individual was here. 'Okay... so, what do you have in mind?'

Abruptly, Ryuu broke the mental link and darted away, leaving behind an affronted Asfi. The elf then sent out a sphere of green light, hurtling at Goliath's head. This served two purposes: it disrupted the breath attack it was currently charging and drew the beast's attention even further. Ryuu then dashed away, leaving only Andromeda in its enraged sights. The flummoxed human groaned, now knowing that it was her task to act as a diversion.

"Heh..." Above, Bors chuckled at the betrayal, and turned to a band of mages. They were a motley group: two tall humans, a man and woman, holding wooden staves; a bald codger raising a magic ball over his head; a typical elf; and, unusually, a muscled man, sitting in a meditative position. Bors bellowed out to the group, giving out the good news. "Attention, guys! Andromeda's playin' decoy, so start charging that magic! Take that bastard out with one shot!" Order given, the group began muttering their chants, noticeable halo of energy starting to accumulate around them, and their focuses.

Below, Asfi continued to dodge the volley of breath attacks, whose aim was slightly diverted due to the increasingly painful attacks from Goliath's ever-present nuisance. It had been several minutes, and Hit had not slowed in the slightest. Asfi scampered about, a little vexed at her elven friend. She panted and glanced at the charging mages above. "T-Thank you! I won't forget this, Bors!"

The surrounding adventurers did not sit idly and combined their forces; shouts and explosions rained onto Goliath from all directions. Ground troops rammed into the monster's ankles, embedding harpoons into its skin.

"Fire!" From the cliffs, ballistas catapulted wooden stakes, and a rain of arrows was launched from adventurers hiding amongst the trees.

Hit's mind went into overdrive as he was now forced to dodge the projectiles, along with Goliath himself. He had switched tactics again and was now doing a better job of keeping the monster perpetually focused.

**BOOM**

Hit smirked as Goliath's fist crashed into its own vile face; the speedster had goaded the behemoth into delivering a number of punches and slaps into itself; It was incredibly satisfying to watch.

The attacking army grinned at the splendid sight and ramped up their attacks as well. Bors beamed at his men, proudly, as they ransacked the town for supplies, only to sprint back to launch a lethal assault, disregarding their own lives. He was proud to call himself the elder of Rivira and called out. "We have all the weapons ya need; if you break yours, come grab another! This army was cobbled together at the last minute, so we can't afford to strategize! Just stay out of each other's way, and FIGHT LIKE HELL!"

"""""YEAH!"""""

Monster blood flowed like water, as ravenous adventurers annihilated their forces. Ryuu blitzed across the battlefield, blue eyes shining like icy lasers, screeching out a battle cry; Asfi set free carpet bomb attacks, using vials of burst oil; amazons battered durable insectoids, crushing their chitin exoskeletons; and mercenaries regained their courage, slicing through the mobs of vermin that dared to invade their sanctuary.

Bell sped around, searching for anyone in danger; minotaurs and bugbears soon became whisps as black and crimson blades rendered them asunder. Goliath screamed into the air, exasperated at the never-ending assault, never able to focus on a single enemy.

Heavy footfalls threatened to squash a fleeing man, sending him crashing onto the ground. Goliath glared down, finally seeing an easy target, and charged a glowing breath attack. The bald man whimpered, legs broken, and closed his eyes, expecting death to swiftly follow. Suddenly, he was lifted by the collar by a rushing individual. The two were launched into the air by the daunting shockwave.

"Bell!" Welf Crozzo cried out from below, as he saw Bell emerge from the cloud, holding the injured man like a guardian angel. Bell grunted and twisted, flinging the man towards a faltering Welf, who narrowly managed to catch him.

Bell stared at the rapidly approaching ground, worriedly, and drew his Hestia knife, before stabbing it into Goliath's thigh. The boy spiralled down the enormous leg, leaving behind an agonising trench in its flesh, relieving the creature of litres of crimson blood.

*GRAAAAAAAAAA!*

Goliath reared its head up in agony, and roared towards the stormy sky, lipless mouth frothing. It was as if the creature was pleading for aid from its mother, staring at the ceiling that birthed it.

Hit slowed his attacks and backed off to the trees; his attuned senses detected an immense accumulation of magic from a nearby cliff.

Bors glanced at the mages in glee: they had finally invoked their incantations. "Vanguard! Hold back, this is gonna be a biggie!"

Disastrously, Goliath fought through his agony, and launched a desperate breath attack, directly at the source of steadily accumulating energy. Bors' eyes widened, and the chief raised his wooden shield.

*BOOM!*

Goliath's head was sent back, recoiling as the powerful blast thundered out. Onlookers watched, dreading that their efforts had been for naught. Once the dust finally cleared, two trenches emerged, with Bors lying at their end. The valiant warrior held his shield in place, surrounded by glittering runic rings of fortitude. His eyepatch had been blown away, revealing an empty eye socket and faded scar. The man was far too stubborn to die, not when so many people were counting on him.

Bors grinned and let fly the fires of humanity. "Let 'im have it!"

The mages' foci flared in magnificent hues, and hell broke loose.

**BOOM**

**ZZZZZ**

**CRASH**

**WOOSH**

Fiery detonations and wind lances raged across the roaring titan. Ice splintered upwards, and trapped the creature's feet. Arcs of electricity crawled over Goliath's body, causing it to spasm uselessly, rather than escape the prolonged attack. Violent howls sang from the monster's jaw, which had opened to a ridiculous degree.

.

..

...

….

After the cataclysmic attack concluded, steam spewed from Goliath's sizzling body, which swayed, then fell to its hands and knees. Skin peeled away in large sections, revealing bloody pink flesh below. The ground shook as its entire lower jaw cratered down.

Bors' heart beat furiously, sensing that they were now in the final stretch. This battle bad been exhilarating! "Alright men, lets finish the job!"

Sparkles of courage glittered in the army's eyes, as they roared and ran at their foe, slightly greedy at the excelia and valis that would soon grace their pockets and souls. Ryuu took a step forwards, also intending to finish Goliath off, but froze in place abruptly. Her strong intuition held her back. "Not good."

Bell's eyes widened, also halting in his charge, as the titan trembled.

Hit stood atop a nearby branch, assessing the situation. 'Tch. The beast's rhythm has not changed at all.' Reddish prismatic aura scintillated all around the creature, reminding Hit of Jiren's limitless ki. Goliath raised its lowered head, to reveal a terrifying skinless skull, devoid of any eyes. Vacant sockets stared at the gaping adventurers, as Goliath stood up once more, to his usual towering heights. These insects would not topple him so easily. Hit's eyes widened as his keen vision saw skin bubble and move of its own accord. 'Regeneration!?'

In mere seconds, all of the damage dealt to the giant was regenerated: skin grew and knitted together; and a regal nose, mouth, and hate-filled eyes sprouted forth. Goliath screeched, holding his fists as one, and sent the sledgehammer attack down, upturning reams of earth and boulders.

A 'pyroclastic flow' of dust, rocks, and rubble sent the previously confident adventurers rolling away in the ensuing shockwave. The entire dungeon floor became bathed in a deadly red hue: an aura of death and despair. First, the natural beauty of this garden of Eden, had died into a grey lifeless limbo. Now, it had resurrected as a demonic hellscape.

.

..

...

Bell shuddered and raised himself from a prone position, surrounded by unconscious, or potentially dead, adventurers. The boy looked upwards, meeting eyes with Goliath. The beast was not at all weakened and grinned in self-satisfaction.

"H-how?" Precious daggers threatened to fall, as Bell loosened his grip on them, ready to give in to misery. Suddenly, his red eyes narrowed as a streak of light blossomed into view.

The familiar cacophony of purple rays, and grimace that marred Goliath's face, signified that Hit had, once more, gone on the offensive. Bell smiled, lopsidedly, glad that his friend was still alive. Hope rekindled within him, and he began strategizing. However, some doubts lingered. 'Why is Mr Hit still fighting, when his attacks are having no effect...?'

Bell shook his head free of such thoughts and raced off. His comrades could no longer defend themselves from the rampaging minotaurs and bugbears; they needed his strength! The boy decided to put his faith in Hit and tasked himself with rescue operations.