How I Became the Strongest Sovereign

Chapter 143 - The Penultimate Floor

We had spent a couple hours preparing for the next floor, healing from injuries and filling up our mana reserves. A lot of the Hunters voted to go back through the portal to the real world whilst the brave ones remained. 

I looked around scanning the S rankers that had remained to clear the second floor. We had around 17 of us left and around 100 A and B rankers. The rest had fled.

"Is everyone ready?!" Taras shouted and everyone roared back with a powerful battle cry.

"Stay Close and watch each other's backs." He turned around, putting on his helm and gripping his longsword tightly.

Everyone released their mana pressures accordingly and got their weapons out. 

I took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly.

'Voadhailis, Cambio Forma'

'Lightning Aura'

"CHARGE!!!" Taras shouted from the top of his voice, opening the gate finally and running into the next floor.

The first 3 S rank Beasts pounced on instinct but Taras blew them back with a condensed light blast.

The second floor looked the same as the first floor. The eerie and dark atmosphere was just as strong and the dense fog messed with the visibility.

We moved in a coordinated manner in pairs of 3. One support type mage, one caster and one striker on each group. 

My team consisted of Volk and one other support type mage. She was a 22 year old young woman with powerful nature magic. She covered our weak spots and provided us with buffs and quick heal spells: The perfect support.

Rank 19 S Rank Hunter, Piper Stone.

**

Things were going well as 3-4 teams focused on 1 S rank beast each. Our plan was immediately put into effect and it was seeming to work.

I clashed with the Green Insect type S rank beast our team was dealing with. Its claws were sharp and it had an insanely strong exoskeleton. Even with my imbued mana attacks I couldn't cut into its exoskeleton. 

"Zeref watch out!" Piper shouted from behind but I couldn't dodge in time. 

I crossed my arms taking the impact of its spell full on. Another one?!

[You have taken 4562 Damage!]

Ow.

I dusted myself off and jumped back into battle. 

Volk and I worked together. I held the beast down with Gravity Magic momentarily whilst the other Hunters dealt the final blow.

Immediately we moved onto the next beast. This time it was a humanoid Troll; it swung its fists around blowing back several Hunters.

Volk cast his flame Magic but the troll brushed the flames off with ease punching Volk back with force. 

"This thing is f*cking powerful!" Volk said, chugging down a healing potion.

"Okay keep going. Zeref and Simon attack it from the side, Volk follow up and smash it down. I'll support from behind." Piper ordered and we all nodded, getting into the motion.

Simon the other Striker type mage flanked from the side with me. Augmenting his body with Earth Magic, he punched the Troll with his Earth Gauntlets but it blocked with its arm. 

Lightning cackled around me as I blitzed behind it and sliced horizontally with Voadhailis's Claw. I needed the final kill more than they did. 

[You have levelled up!]

[You are now level 125]

[Total Available Stat Points: 40]

"Great job. I didn't even have to lay a finger on him." Volk chuckled.

"GUYS WATCH OUT!!" Piper screamed from the top of her voice but her warning came too late.

BOOM!

We all were sent flying back from the huge detonation. What the h*ll was that? My ears rung from the large explosion and my feet felt heavy. A thick smoke of dust filled the whole area mixing with the dense white fog.

[You have been stunned!]

[State is returning back to normal]

I shook my head, quickly picking up Voadhailis's Claws and scanning the surroundings. Sh*t!

I ran over to Piper's limp body first. Was she unconscious?

"Piper, Piper wake up!" I shook her awake and she regained her consciousness.

"Zeref." She cried, sitting up. 

She peered forwards into the fog and her face went pale white. 

"What? What are you sensing?" I asked, looking in the direction she was staring in with fear. Nature Magic was the best for sensing things, so even with my sixth sense and all my efforts I still couldn't see anything. Why was she so scared?

"Wh-What is that?!" She said frantically pointing into the thick cloud of dust, like she had seen the harbinger of death. 

"Zeref RUNN!!!" She screamed.

Then a sharp blow impacted my chest sending me flying back several meters, before I crashed through a boulder.

[You have taken 8356 Damage!]

"Zeref!! He-" Piper's cry was cut short as I heard a clean cut and the splash of blood, then the thud of something rolling on the floor.

I gripped my chest in pain, spitting out blood. What was that just now? I had several broken ribs from just one blow. Quickly pulling out some healing potions I chugged them down, getting up on my feet and removing my eyepatch.

[You have recovered 5000 HP]

Was that Insect beast feeding on them?

My eyes shook in fury as I blitzed towards it.

'Purgatory.'

My dual Short Swords blazed with flame magic and lightning magic as I swung both blades in unison. The insect beast kept up with my speed and still wasn't taking any damage. It's black body in fact became even harder due to its darkness magic augmenting.

I threw the blade in my left hand towards the beast but it dodged it, lunging forward aiming its claws for my throat. 

'Switch'

I swapped situations with the blade that had flown behind it, immediately. Not wasting any time I spun downwards slashing down at the Insect beast's body, Imbuing my other blade with potent Lightning Mana. 

SCREECH!!!

It roared in pain as I chopped off one of its arms. How did it even manage to dodge so fast? My initial target was its head but it managed to somehow move to the left. 

I condensed a flame ball in my palm pressing it into its back. It was sent flying forward before the condensed flame ball detonated. 

I scanned frantically with my demon eye through the thick cloud of dust. Where did it disappear?

SCREECH!

I heard a loud insect cry, which caused the whole floor to shake. I cursed my luck. The Dark Insect beast had escaped; that thing was definitely the strongest of them all. 

I hadn't realised it before but where were the other Hunters? No way they all died. 

BOOM! BOOM!

Large bursts of light and painful screeches came from the left. That must have been Taras. I first searched the previous area for Volk. It seemed that Simon had passed away as he had no pulse and Piper was sadly decapitated.

"Oi! Get up!" I slapped his face a couple times looking around for lurking beasts. He was lying unconscious with other piles of bodies.

"Zeref?"  He finally opened his eyes. "What happened to your eye?!" 

"Don't speak. Just drink this." Opening up a bottle of healing potion, I poured the contents into his mouth. With each gulp the colour of his face was returning and the paleness began to disappear.

I pulled him up when he had fully recovered and handed him his hammer. He looked around at the countless piles of bodies and he couldn't help but shed a tear. 

"This isn't over yet. We need to join Taras. And don't worry about these Hunters; I'm certain they're not dead yet. I can sense their heart beats. They're alive; now hurry up and follow me." I said. 

"Zeref, you're a demon?" He smirked, wiping his tears, "I knew there was something special about you."

I ignored him, putting my eyepatch back on and heading for Taras's location.

**

Taras swung down with might, imbuing his whole body with light mana. The speed and power was almost close to my swings at full power. What a strong man.

"It seems they retreated backwards." Taras wiped off the blood that was dripping from a cut on his forehead. 

The other S rank Hunters in his group also looked tired as they panted in exhaustion. 

"What do we do now? Are the others dead?" One of the S rankers asked in worry.

"This is too much." One of them moaned, falling to the floor in exhaustion. 

The healing potions were good for recovering from physical injuries but mental scars and mental fatigue couldn't be recovered without meditation and sleep.

"I think I injured their leader; that's why they all retreated. It's a dark coloured insect beast with a ferocious battle strength. It wiped out my squad. We must move now whilst they're vulnerable." I said, looking at Taras. 

"The kid is right. We have to finish it off while we can." He knelt down grimacing from the cut on his torso. Pulling out a healing potion from his dimension he chugged it down in one go before crushing the bottle.

No one wanted to argue with Taras or me and reluctantly all got up from their resting positions for the penultimate battle.

**

"AAARGHH!! HELP!!" 

"Nooo!!" 

"Kill those B*STARDS!"

Yells of despair and pain echoed throughout the fog as Hunters fought with all their might against the remaining S rank Beasts. Was this my fault? Should we have rested before attacking?

Many Hunters were dying whilst both Taras and I fought back to back against the Dark Insect beast - their leader.

We had to finish it off first so the other remaining Insect S rank beasts would stop their coordinated attacks.

"Pillar of JUDGEMENT!" Taras shouted, clapping both of his palms together. A burst of mana engulfed the whole area and like the spell's name suggested a bright pillar of light engulfed the Dark Insect beast.

SCREEECH!!

It roared in agony calling its subordinates to help it. The other beasts' attention all locked onto Taras and they all blitzed towards him. 

Kicking one in the stomach with full power the beast flew back tumbling back, the other Hunters pounced on it finishing it off.

'Ice Palace!'

With a powerful step, A burst of ice mana exploded out from underneath me freezing the 7 S rank Insect beasts that were targeting Taras.

'Purgatory'

My eyes glowed intensely as I unleashed the forbidden sword style I had vowed to never use.

'Blade Art: 3rd form, Final Slash!'

Using the sword style I had learned from the previous king in my old world I released one of my strongest techniques, slicing off all of their heads with a single slash. 

[You have levelled up!]

[You have levelled up!]

[You have levelled up!]

[You are now Level 128]

[Total Available Stat Points: 70]

I wanted to stray away from this sword style but in the end, I still used it. This sword style was forbidden to use in my other world so I had forgotten about it. In this world I could use it freely…

SCREEECHH!!!

A burst of darkness mana broke Taras's spell and I saw a blur instantly teleport in front of the S rank Hunter.

"DODGE!!" I yelled.

I rushed towards him but I wasn't fast enough. Taras's body was flung towards me. I caught him but still fell backwards from the powerful force used.

Good. I could still hear his heartbeat but his mana was completely depleted.

"I AM THE KING!!!" The Insect yelled in beast tongue, finally speaking a normal language instead of screeching.

Pushing him aside I got up, removing my eyepatch. I looked around, The Hunters were a good distance away. 

I looked at the Dark Insect beast that had grown some wings. Darkness mana oozed out from its body and it was even giving off a powerful mana pressure. 

'Shackles Release'

The ecstatic buzz from the burst in power made me close my eyes. I gripped Voadhailis's Claws tightly as my muscles grew in size and my hair grew in length and turned blood red. My veins glowed blood red and my senses heightened to a whole new level.

Finally 2 horns propped out of my head and my feet left the ground as I levitated into the air. 

The insect beast roared once more to intimidate me but I showed no fear. The 2 short swords in my hand dematerialised leaving my hands free.

It blitzed towards me reeling its claws back to slash at my face but instead of cutting me Its body curled around my fist and was sent rocketing backwards. 

A single of my punches caved in its exoskeleton cracking it, leaving a large whole through its body. I flash stepped behind it with my right hand, imbued with 'Indra's Spear.'

My hand pierced through its exoskeleton until my hands wrapped around its mana core. Gripping it I pulled it out of its body killing it instantly. 

"So much for being the king.  I am the only King…"