Arifureta: Dark Lord

Orcus Labryinth [4]

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"I need the person I trust to help me."

Reiji locked eyes with Hajime, carefully observing his body language. The unwavering determination in the boy's words resonated as truth. Reiji pondered the reasons behind Hajime's desire to play the hero. Was it driven by innate kindness? Or was it fueled by the need to prove himself to those who belittled him?

At that moment, Reiji didn't have the answers, nor did he find them relevant. The menacing gaze that bore down on them still lingered, and despite the risks involved in Hajime's plan, Reiji had unwavering confidence in his ability to thwart whatever scheme that person had in store.

Emerging from his contemplation, Reiji rested his spear over his shoulders and responded, "I suppose I can't really deny your request after you've said all that, can I? If I were to let down my disciple, I'd be nothing more than a piss-poor mentor, wouldn't I?"

"Be swept away, Wind wall!" Meld exclaimed, eliciting Reiji and Hajime to turn towards the ongoing battle. Meld quickly jumped back after he chanted that spell. The Behemoth smashed into the ground, pulverizing the spot Captain Meld had been standing on not even a second before.

The shockwave and rubble were blown away by the wind wall, keeping Meld unharmed. With how imprecise the Behemoth's attacks were, even a weak spell was enough to help avoid indirect damage. But if Meld had been forced to defend Kouki and the others he would have been utterly crushed.

"Alright then, let's get to work," Reiji instructed as he and Hajime jumped onto the Behemoth. The residual heat burned their skin as they landed. However, they ignored the pain as Hajime gathered his sky-blue mana, and chanted. He said no more than the name of the spell. It was, after all, the simplest, most basic magic.

"Transmute!" The Behemoth, which had been struggling to unstick its head from the ground, suddenly stopped moving. Because every time it tried to dislodge itself even a little, Hajime reformed the stone around it, keeping its head buried.

It braced its legs, attempting to use the weight of its whole body to rip its head free, only to find that the ground around its legs had been transmuted as well. The Behemoth's legs had sunk a full meter into the ground. And to make completely sure it wouldn't be able to break free, Hajime hardened the stone around them as well.

Assisting Hajime, Reiji positioned himself atop the Behemoth's head and placed his hands on its massive form. With a resolute focus, he channeled mana through his body, fixating on the looming shadow cast by the Behemoth.

His thoughts coalesced into action as he invoked the spell, {Shadowbind}. Mana surged forth, manifesting as ethereal chains that shot out from the Behemoth's shadow. Swiftly and deftly, the spectral chains wove and entangled around the target's limbs, momentarily immobilizing it.

Bracing its legs, the Behemoth exerted immense force, attempting to break free from the binds Reiji had imposed. However, its efforts were thwarted as it discovered that the ground surrounding its legs had undergone transmutation.

The Behemoth's legs had sunk a full meter into the hardened earth. To ensure its complete immobilization, Hajime fortified the stone, encasing the creature's legs, while Reiji infused his spell with additional mana, bolstering the durability of the ethereal chains.