Journey to Planar World

”Charlie, this monster is strong. It’s possible it’s the strongest opponent you’ve ever faced before, except for the Evil Dragon Fafnir.”

Aishia’s expression was as flat as usual, but this time there was a clear warning tone in it.

”Yeah, I feel the same way. Aishia, be careful.”

No sooner had Charlie finished warning Aishia than he had to react immediately. The Juggernaut’s purple claws shot towards him with astonishing speed, aiming for his heart. With supernatural reflexes, he raised Terminus Est and parried the attack.

*CLANG!*

The loud sound of clashing metal echoed throughout the cave as the Juggernaut’s sharp claws struck the blade of the Sacred Sword. The force of the impact was tremendous, making Charlie’s arm tremble violently despite being supported by his enhanced physical strength.

Seizing the momentary opportunity when the Juggernaut’s attention was focused on Charlie, Aishia used Spirit Arts, materializing a blazing red energy bow in her hands. In an instant, a pure fire arrow shot towards the Juggernaut’s body.

*BANG!*

Under Charlie’s surprised gaze, Aishia’s fire arrow struck the Juggernaut’s body with a small explosion. However, instead of causing burns or damage, the flames did absolutely no damage as they touched the monster’s bones.

*SWISH!*

There was no time for further thought. The Juggernaut attacked again brutally. Its claws moved as fast as lightning, mercilessly targeting Charlie’s vital points.

*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*

Charlie fought desperately, parrying every attack with Terminus Est. The continuous clanging of metal created sparks of light in the dark air.

*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

The Juggernaut’s speed was so high that Charlie had difficulty reading its movements even with the help of his Six Eyes.

”If this monster is immune to fire elements, let’s try this.”

Aishia didn’t stand idly by. Seeing the fire attack was ineffective, she quickly changed tactics. Both her hands rose, and her Spirit Arts began to manifest another element.

*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*

Water from the Dungeon’s humidity condensed rapidly, forming sharp ice spears that shot towards the Juggernaut from various angles.

*WHOOSH!*

However, the Juggernaut agilely dodged most of the ice attacks, and the spears that managed to hit it seemed to shatter into pieces upon striking its bones.

*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*

Charlie continued to fight the Juggernaut at close range, his sword swinging, hoping to find an opening in the monster’s defense.

*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*

Every slash was easily blocked or evaded. The Juggernaut’s physical strength was also extraordinary. Every time its claws clashed with Terminus Est, Charlie felt a painful vibration in his arm.

’This monster’s physical strength is stronger than Revis’s!’ His mind was serious about how formidable the mysterious monster before him was.

”...”

Suddenly, Aishia stretched both her hands forward. A strong wind blew around the Juggernaut, trying to hold it in place. However, the monster seemed unaffected by the powerful gusts, continuing to move at the same speed.

*RUMBLE!*

Next, Aishia tried a more powerful attack. She gathered lightning energy in both her hands. Flashes of dazzling blue light illuminated the cave as she released two bolts of lightning towards the Juggernaut.

*BANG!*

The lightning struck the monster hard, and for a moment, the Juggernaut’s body seemed to twitch. However, when the lightning subsided, the monster was still standing upright, its bones looking slightly smoky but showing no significant damage.

”Arcs Rays!”

Charlie unleashed a barrage of light explosions that zigzagged through the air, chasing the agile Juggernaut.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

”Did it work?” Aishia asked hopefully.

”Not yet.” Charlie replied briefly.

His eyes, shining with Six Eyes, pierced through the swirling smoke screen. He could see the Juggernaut was still intact.

*WHOOSH!*

The next second, the Juggernaut lunged out of the smoke with even greater speed than before, as if Charlie’s attack had only made it angrier.

*PU-CHI!*

Unfortunately for Charlie, who was currently only at Level 4, the Juggernaut’s drastically increased speed caused him to fail to react in time.

The monster’s sharp claws slashed smoothly, severing Charlie’s left hand right above the wrist. The hand detached from his body and fell down the hole.

”Charlie!” Aishia cried out anxiously, seeing blood spurt from Charlie’s severed arm.

”Onii-chan!” Est’s panicked voice echoed in Charlie’s mind.

*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

The Juggernaut didn’t give its opponent time to breathe or recover from the shock. It immediately continued a deadly barrage of attacks, its claws constantly targeting Charlie’s vital points.

”Aishia, grab my hand!” Charlie ordered quickly, his voice strained with pain.

Although he was immortal in the sense of having a very long lifespan and not aging, he could still be killed. His immortality didn’t grant him instant regeneration. He needed his hand to be reattached with high-level healing magic like Dia Fratel.

”I understand. Hold on.”

Without hesitation, Aishia turned and flew at full speed into the gaping hole that marked the boundary between the 37th and 38th Floors.

*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*

Charlie’s situation quickly turned dire. With one severed hand, he was no longer able to parry every attack from the relentless Juggernaut, which came with incredible speed and power.

*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

*PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!*

The monster’s claws continued to strike, leaving gaping stab wounds and slashes all over Charlie’s body, piercing the legendary Armor of Fafnir.

”Haah... Haah...”

Blood soaked his body, pain began to spread, and Charlie knew that without drastic action, his end was near.

Realizing that he would die if he wasn’t serious, Charlie gathered all his remaining magical essence. Then, he focused his Spirit Arts to drastically enhance his physical fitness.

”Physical Enchant!”

*BUZZ!*

Instantly, a brilliant white aura enveloped his body.

His raw power surged, temporarily equivalent to a Level 5 adventurer. His physical fitness was amplified, his speed increased, and his reflexes became sharper.

*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*

However, even with this significant increase in power, the impact on the Juggernaut’s dominance wasn’t that great. The monster still moved faster, and its attacks were too brutal to fully withstand.

*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*

*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*

*PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!*

The fight became a terrifying dance of death under the dim light of the Dungeon. The Juggernaut completely dominated, every movement a deadly threat.

*WHOOSH!*

Its claws lashed out with lightning speed. Charlie moved agilely, barely dodging some attacks, but several still managed to penetrate his defenses, adding to the wounds on his already battered body.

”Shield!”

Charlie used Spirit Arts to aid him in the fight, although with one hand, his abilities were limited. He manifested a white energy shield at critical moments to block the Juggernaut’s attacks.

*CRUSH-BANG!*

The shield cracked and shattered under the force of the monster’s claws. Charlie tried to counterattack with his remaining right hand, swinging Terminus Est wildly, but the Juggernaut easily evaded his slashes or deflected them with its bony claws.

”GROOOAAARRR—!!!”

The Juggernaut roared terrifyingly, its voice echoing throughout the cave, emitting a terrifying aura of despair.

*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

The monster seemed to feel no pain or fatigue, continuing to attack brutally and relentlessly. Every movement showed a desire to finish off its opponent as quickly as possible.

Charlie was forced to retreat continuously, dodging the Juggernaut’s deadly attacks while searching for even the smallest opening.

”Typhoon!”

Using Spirit Arts to create a powerful gust of wind, Charlie tried to disrupt the monster’s balance, but the Juggernaut remained standing firmly.

The situation was becoming increasingly critical. The Juggernaut’s dominance was so absolute that Charlie felt like he was facing an inevitable natural disaster.

’If this monster were a spirit species, with Terminus Est in my hand, this fight wouldn’t be so difficult...’

Regretting his misfortune, Charlie still didn’t understand why such a powerful monster had suddenly appeared.

What he didn’t know was that the destructive power of I Am Atomic was the cause behind the desperate situation he was currently in.

Because Hera Record had no information about special monsters like the Juggernaut, Charlie didn’t know his arbitrary actions had triggered the Dungeon’s counterattack condition.