The three, when they first encountered Asterion, barely managed to escape, hiding in the dark part of the cave, giving themselves time to fully recover—until they were found again and had to fight to survive.
"Thorny Vines"
Several vines wrapped around Asterion's arm, piercing and holding him in place, while Sylvia's body was covered in wounds, a barrier protecting her from the next axe strike that clashed against the water barrier.
"Cursed Water Chain"
A chain coiled around Asterion's neck, sealing part of his magic. This was the new spell Caelan had been training so hard on over the last month, following every step of Enrico's training letter.
"Feather Magic: Extra Weight"
With his spear becoming heavier, Liam cut one of the Minotaur's tendons, making him immediately turn toward him with a punch that sent him crashing against the wall.
'Damn, I'm already getting dizzy.'
With his head throbbing in pain, Liam tried his best to calm down, placing his hand on his head and noticing blood spreading across his face. Focusing his vision, he saw Sylvia saving Caelan, pulling him out of the way with vines. Asterion's body turned redder, his speed increasing so much that the ground beneath him shattered as he vanished.
"Where did he go?"
"Behind you!"
Asterion was behind Sylvia, preparing a finishing blow with his axe. Caelan jumped and pulled her out of the axe's path, making them both fall to the ground. Asterion's gaze shifted toward them, preparing to move again, until five wind daggers struck his back, piercing him.
"Damn, I caught him by surprise, and that's all the damage I managed?"
In a pit, Elian had his daggers pointed at his opponent. Surrounding his body in wind, his speed increased, and he appeared beside Liam, forming a siege around Asterion.
"Good thing you showed up in time."
"Thank me later by asking Enrico to buy me some items."
"I think it'll be hard for me to do that, since asking others for things isn't really my thing."
Asterion gripped his axe with both hands and spun, sending out a slash from his weapon in all directions. The four tried their best to dodge, but Caelan, being the slowest, took a deep cut to his shoulder.
"Caelan!"
"Don't worry, I can heal myself."
"That's not it—you need to fall back, we need your healing."
Caelan lowered his head, avoiding their eyes, but retreated to do his work. Sylvia looked at Asterion, who was squeezing Liam's neck tightly, and a memory flashed of her friend being killed that day when she thought of herself as useless.
'I'll try something dangerous.'
Elian tried to help by slashing Asterion's arm with both daggers, pouring half of his mana into them, managing to cut a third of the arm before being kicked away. Asterion still held Liam, who was stabbing with his spear, desperately trying to make him let go. From a distance, Sylvia gathered magic in her hand, a sword beginning to form—she was trying to replicate what Virelle had done in that dungeon.
'I could never forget what happened that day, so I know how to shape that magic, at least at a lower level.'
The sword caught Asterion's attention, and sensing danger, he went on the defensive, placing his axe in front after throwing Liam far away. Sylvia pointed the sword forward, mana gathering around it.
"Sword of Vines: Piercing Blade"
Charging forward, her sword clashed against Asterion's axe, which held firm even with that much mana. Still, the ground around them cracked and crumbled.
'I can't break through this axe, so…'
Sylvia shifted her sword slightly to the side, doing something risky. Because of the attack's speed, she had no time to dodge, and her arm was cut by the axe's blade—but thanks to that, she managed to leave a hole in Asterion's abdomen.
"I did it—"
Asterion's eyes glowed dark red, his muscles swelling as he swung both arms sideways, striking her arm with the axe's bone handle and sending her crashing hard into the wall. Caelan immediately ran over, seeing her arm broken and bruised purple.
'I'll have to get close.'
Elian and Liam appeared, one on each side of Asterion, giving Caelan time to heal Sylvia.
"Spectral Thrust!"
"Wind Blades!"
Both tried to strike him but were forced back as Asterion spun with his axe to counter them. Liam pulled back, preparing to thrust again—until a red blast shot from the axe, hitting him squarely and slamming him into a wall.
"Speed Boost!"
Elian began circling Asterion, creating three images of himself that mimicked his movements. Faking an attack, at the last second he pulled back and threw both daggers at Asterion's feet, piercing them.
'Perfect, now he won't be able to keep up with my speed.'
"Irritating human."
"Wait—you can speak?"
With a burst of red mana erupting from his body, Elian was flung away, nearly falling into a pit if he hadn't grabbed the edge in time. As he tried to move, his face was suddenly gripped by Asterion's massive hand.
"Let's see if you can withstand this, humans."
His face was crushed in Asterion's grip as the Minotaur charged around, slamming him into the ground and walls. Spinning in the air, he drove Elian's body deep into the floor, creating a crater.
'I'm going to die?'
"Goodbye, human."
Seeing the axe being raised for the final blow, Elian tried with all his might to stand, but his bones were broken in at least seven key places for body movement. As the axe descended, only one thought ran through his mind:
'Someone save me.'
Closing his eyes, Elian heard a loud sound of something stopping the axe. Opening them, he saw Enrico holding an improvised shield brimming with his own mana.
"Looks like you were having some trouble."
"Thank God you came."
Elian smiled in relief as Enrico nodded at him. Bursting his shield into mana, Enrico caused a fiery explosion that pushed Asterion far back.
"I was right behind you, human."
"Sorry to make you wait—I was just helping someone."
His smile grew excited, for this would be the battle where he would use everything he had learned at the Solcren Ferreira mansion.