Moon's Labyrinths

- W-will Mr. Knight be ok? He really took a beating!

The reporter had been strongly rooting for Sungyoon, so he yelled out in surprise. But he was polite and added a ‘Mr.’ when referring to the knight.

People could see on the news that Sungyoon had been sent flying through several buildings, and a massive amount of dust rose into the air.

Jimin subconsciously put her hand over her mouth at the scene. Sungyoon fighting like this gave her a shock.

She had been determined to find traces of her father, so she had hired Sungyoon. But she was conscious of the fact that she had been pushing Sungyoon into danger. However, when she saw a fight between a Connector and a monster for herself, she realized it was beyond anything she could have imagined. It was a world that was hard to understand unless one actually saw it for oneself.

Hoo-doo-dook!

A movement could be seen in the house where Sungyoon had been thrown toward.

- Ah! He is alive! Mr. Knight is alive!

The excited reporter shouted as Sungyoon pushed aside the broken pieces of the house to reveal himself.

His silver armor was covered in dust, but it seemed Sungyoon had avoided serious damage.

However, the audience could not feel at ease since the Behemoth was, once again, charging toward Sungyoon.

When Sungyoon had smashed through the houses, large holes had appeared in them, but the houses themselves remained standing. However, the Behemoth's charge pulverized these very houses.

Kahhhhhhh!

Although the sound was coming through the screen, the audience still felt a chill run down their backs. It was fear at a basic level.

The Behemoth’s enormous body smashed into the place where Sungyoon stood.

Boom!

Not even a trace of the house was left behind. From the screen, it looked as if Sungyoon had been completely squashed.

The reporter screamed in shock. Jimin clenched her fists.

Fortunately, the camera picked up Sungyoon, who had dodged the attack. When she saw him, Jimin relaxed a little.

However, the Behemoth wasn’t done. It launched another series of attacks.

As she watched Sungyoon dodging in all directions, Jimin's hand became sweaty. Her heart pounded, and she wanted to look away.

However, she couldn’t do that. She had put him in this line of work where his life would be in danger. She had to watch him fight.

It was why she hadn't left the hotel even when the employee insisted on it. Jimin continued to watch the screen.

***

‘Shit! It's a complete tank!’

Sungyoonfelt like an infantryman trying to stop a charging tank with a pistol during WWII.

‘My attacks aren’t working.’

To be precise, his attacks were working. He kept adding wounds to the Behemoth’s body, but these wounds weren’t effective. They were too minor when one considered the enormous size of the Behemoth.

“Where are you, Ms. Grace?”

Sungyoon dodged the claws and called out to Grace through the communication device.

- I’m almost there. I’m sorry, but could you make sure it doesn’t move from that spot for a little bit?

Grace needed a certain amount of time to use her spell. She was not like Sungyoon, who could instantly activate his Gems.

However, the Behemoth was rampaging in random directions. Grace had to keep moving to new locations and try to activate her magic. However, the Behemoth kept moving out of her range by the time she was ready.

“I’ll try my best”

The Behemoth dished out indiscriminate destruction as it stomped everything near it. Could Sungyoon really keep it in one place? That was the question.

Kwahng!

‘Koohk!’

The claws once again sent Sungyoon flying. This time he was able to reduce the force felt on his body, so he wasn’t sent flying into a building like last time.

Taht!

Sungyoon landed normally. The distance between the Behemoth and him widened a bit. The Behemoth didn’t immediately attack its opponent. It just glared at him.

The manglared back at it as he unsummoned his sword and shield.

The halberd made its appearance.

Sungyoonlightly planted the shaft on the ground and checked the status of his other overclocked Gems. They were still fine.

He then aimed the halberd at the monster.

Until now, he had used his sword and shield to fight close range. But he had failed to keep his opponent in one place using this strategy.

Therefore, Sungyoonhad decided to switch it up. He wanted to take advantage of his reach and speed to occupy his opponent.

‘I have to do my best to attack it and bog it down.’

He could no longer let it destroy this city. Besides the obvious cost to human lives, this place was his party member’s home country. This place was where Grace’s family lived. And above all else...

‘I heard my daughter telling me to do my best!’

Above all else, Shinhae’s words had given him courage and confidence.

Sungyoon ran forward with all his might. The Behemoth charged forward in response.

Kwahng!

The ax blade of the halberd clashed with the Behemoth’s claws. Sungyoon had planned on deflecting the monster's attacks to keep it in one place.

Puh-uhng!

‘This is impossible.’

Thedifference in their power and size was too large.

‘I’d rather….’

Sungyoon was on guard against the Behemoth as he kept glancing at his surroundings.

“Do you see the four-story building to my right, Ms. Grace?”

- Yes, I see it.

“I'll lure it toward that building. Please prepare a big spell.

- Understood.

Sungyoon was around 300 m away from the building. He had to somehow lure the Behemoth there.

‘How should I do this?’

He realized this task wouldn’t be that difficult.

Ooh-wuhhhhhhhhh!

The Behemoth acted like a bull that had seen a red cape. It charged toward Sungyoon.

Sungyoon dodged, and the claws brushed past his back.

“Over here, you bastard!”

He yelled out loud to provoke the monster. He even clapped his hands. He didn’t think the Behemoth could understand him, but his gestures had the desired effect.

The Behemoth charged once again.

Sungyoon was barely able to dodge, and he slowly baited the Behemoth toward the building.

He felt like a Matador. However, an enraged bull looked cute and tame in comparison to the Behemoth in front of him.

Koo-ahhhhhhh!

Sungyoon was like a fly that kept annoying the Behemoth. The monster became as mad as it could be. It rushed Sungyoon.

Until now, Sungyoon had dodged at the last moment. But this time, he decided to run.

Boom!

The Behemoth rammed into the four-story building, and the building fell around it.

“Do it now!”

As soon as Sungyoon yelled, cold air started to form around the Behemoth. Cold energy surrounded the Behemoth and the fragments of the building. The temperature fell at a rapid pace, and everything nearby became frozen.

Zzuh-zuh-zuh-zuhk!

The Behemoth’s movements started to slow down. Its feet were starting to freeze.

Koo-ahhhhhh!

Kwah-jeek! Kwah-jee-jeek!

The monster thrashed to break the ice on its body, but the cold energy kept freezing it.

The cycle of the Behemoth freezing andbreaking the ice kept repeating. It seemed it would be impossible to completely freeze the Behemoth.

Still, Grace had been successful in slowing down the monster.

Sungyoon extended his hand.

Too-hwahk!

Stalagmites erupted beneath the Behemoth’s feet. However, they did no damage. Even a Jewel rank Gem was barely working on the monster, so there was no way Sungyoon’s magic would work. The stalagmites couldn’t even pierce its leather. However, the man hadn’t used his spell with the intention to cause damage.

Tah-taht!

Sungyoon ran forward. He ran up a stalagmite that had erupted from the ground. The stalagmite was high enough for Sungyoon to be able to reach the Behemoth’s face.

‘It's futile to just cut open its skin.’

Sungyoon didn't knowif he could defeat the Behemoth by inflicting numerous small wounds over time. However, one thing was for sure. It would take too long. Sungyoon’s Gems would be destroyed before that could happen.

Moreover, London would be razed to the ground even if he could defeat the Behemoth that way.

‘I have to pierce through a vulnerable spot.’

He was aiming for the monster's eye and the brain behind it.

“Hoohp!”

Sungyoon reached the zenith of the stalagmite, and he threw his halberd with all his might.

Kwah-jeeeeek!

Ggoo-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

This scream was on a different level when compared to the sounds it had made until now. Sungyoon’s halberd had accurately pierced through the Behemoth’s eye.

However, it wasn’t enough. A little bit more force was needed to drive the halberd deeper. The weapon needed to go deep enough to pierce through the monster's brain.

In any other situation, the Behemoth would've rampaged. But its body was frozen right now.

Sungyoon pushed off the top of the stalagmite as he jumped into the air. He summoned his shield. He planned on hitting the base of the halberd using his shield.

Hoo-oong!

The shield, which had a great force behind it, closed in on halberd.

Sungyoonjust needed to move a bit closer through the air, and he would be able to end this fight.

Hweeek!

However, it was in vain. The shield missed its target.

Ggoo-uhhhhhhhhh!

The frost magic couldn’t keep the Behemoth in place until the end. The halberd had moved to a distance that Sungyoon couldn’t reach.

“Shit!”

Sungyoon could only swear at this development. However, he wasn’t in a situation to cuss further.

Kwahng!

The Behemoth swatted Sungyoon out of the air as if it were catching a mosquito. The man had tried to block with his shield, but he was sent flying a great distance. He hit the floor like a piece of trash that was thrown against the ground.

“Koo-oohk!”

His whole body creaked and hurt.

‘Thankfully, I had this armor. I’m really fortunate.’

He felt thankful for the silver armor surrounding his body. If it hadn't been for that, he wouldn’t have been able to take so much fall damage. His body would've been a complete mess.

Sungyoon stood up.

‘Huh?’

He could see a large structure in the distance.

‘When did I get this far?’

He could see Buckingham Palace. Sungyoon had been too busy fighting that he hadn’t realized the fight had moved so far.

Of course, the palace was still a good distance away, and it still looked small.

However, it was also true that Sungyoon and the Behemoth had moved a considerable distance.

Thebattle hadn't been going on for too long. However, there was no traffic that could stop the Behemoth and Sungyoon. Terrain, roads, buildings were all ignored as they fought. This was why they had reached the region near the palace in no time.

The battle had been moving so fast that Grace had even asked Sungyoon to hold the Behemoth in place.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Grace. I’m telling you this beforehand, but I cannot fight while protecting Buckingham Palace.”

- I know it's too bad, but it can’t be helped.

Grace’s voice was full of lament, but she wasn’t childish enough to ask Sungyoon to protect the palace at all costs.

Both of them hadassumed everyone in Buckingham Palace would've evacuated by now. They assumed only the building would be destroyed. However, their assumption was ruthlessly proven wrong.

- What? Grandmother is still inside the palace?

Grace hadjust wanted to be prudent, so she asked if everyone had evacuated the palace. Sungyoon could hear her flustered voice through the communication device.

‘The Queen is still inside the palace?’

Sungyoon was truly taken aback.

‘I have to stop it from going toward the palace at all cost!’

The Queen of England was one of the pillars of this country. She was the mental anchor for the people of England. However, Sungyoon didn’t care about that fact. The only thing he cared about was that the Queen was Grace’s family.

- You should've evacuated her as soon as possible! Grandmother wouldn’t leave? You should've brought her out in any way possible!

Sungyoon had never heard Grace this mad. However, the Behemoth didn’t care about her feelings. It started to move.

‘Is it coming?’

Sungyoon became tense. However, the Behemoth was acting unusual. It wasn’t moving in an aggressive manner.

It stayed in place. At a glance, it looked indecisive. But on another glance, it seemed as if the monster was doing something important.

‘It is preparing something? No way!’

Sungyoon had an idea about what the monster was trying to do. His face crumpled.

‘I thought the Behemoth wasn’t able to shoot it because it was weakened.’

Sungyoon thought that if the Behemoth was capable of shooting it, the Behemoth would've used it at the beginning of their fight. So he had assumed the monster was too weak to use it. But it seemed he had been wrong.

The Behemoth reared backward.

Zzuh-uhk!

It opened its mouth wide open. The corners of its lips ripped open until its mouth expanded to its shoulders. A powerful light leaked out from its open mouth.

‘Breath!’

The Behemoth possessed an attack whereit let out a powerful beam of energy from its mouth. This was the very same attack. Sungyoon instinctively tried to dodge. However, he soon stopped himself. If he dodged, London and Buckingham palace would be destroyed. Civilians would be killed, and above all else, Grace’s grandmother would die.

‘“Shit!”

It happened as soon as Sungyoon took a defensive stance.

Puh-uhng!

The Breath shot out.