The Minotaur's Berserk

The heat of battle against the Minotaur pressed in from every side. It felt as if scorching winds were dancing wildly nearby. The air around us grew hotter by the second, and though I had only been moving for five minutes, my breathing was already ragged. You would think a hero's body wouldn't tire so easily, yet here I was. This had to be the real pressure a true monster exerted. When every single second could decide life or death, the stamina required was inevitably monstrous. Still, despite all that...

It's manageable.

That's what I thought. The fight was going far more smoothly than expected. Its strength ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was overwhelming—blocking even one blow was difficult—but fortunately its patterns were simple. The party members I had worried might cause trouble were all performing their roles perfectly in this moment. Thanks to them, we still had some breathing room. Of course, that leeway didn't make us careless. We simply had a small margin; the situation could reverse itself at any time.

"Keep up the pressure."

As I reset my thoughts, Kamilla spoke from beside me. Her shield, which had only deflected the axe a few times, was already covered in scratches. I readjusted my grip on my sword and called back to Lily behind me.

"Please prepare the magic again. This time, target the right horn."

"Tsk, I know that even if you don't tell me."

After one quick grumble, she immediately began casting. Thick, concentrated mana started rippling around her. If we could endure another five minutes like before and sever that horn, the battle would essentially be over. But the world was never that kind.

Suddenly the beast roared. It seemed furious about its severed horn, the cry overflowing with pure rage. At the same time, it charged straight at us—the Minotaur's signature merciless, overwhelming rush. The ground thundered beneath its hooves, warning us of the danger. This was not an attack we could block.

"Dodge!"

Thankfully both Kamilla and I reacted in time. We slipped out of its path, senses sharpened to their limit, preparing for whatever it would do after the charge. But the action it chose was neither changing direction nor stopping.

"Wait, what?"

It ignored us completely and barreled straight toward the mage in the rear.

"Lily, move!"

We were thrown into confusion. Who would have thought it would ignore the two of us holding its attention and charge the mage instead? It must have realized who posed the greatest threat. Contrary to our hopes, monsters could think and judge too. It wasn't just a mindless axe-swinging brute.

We immediately sprang into action to stop it. Kamilla and I swung our blades desperately, carving wounds into its lower body, while the swift Adel raced to protect Lily.

"Ugh!"

Fortunately Adel reached her in time, so Lily's head stayed attached to her shoulders. A massive axe whistled over the spot where they had fallen. The charging beast had swung its weapon horizontally without breaking stride. The wind pressure alone told us how deadly it was.

"Lily, are you all right?"

"Ugh… yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for saving me."

She offered Adel a light word of gratitude.

"But all the mana I gathered is gone… I'll have to start the chant from the beginning again."

"...I see."

It seemed her broken concentration had dispelled the prepared spell. I clicked my tongue inwardly.

Tsk. As expected.

The Minotaur was stronger than it had been in the game. Its attack patterns remained simple, yet after taking so many hits the damage was still this minor. Even accounting for Kamilla being a defense-oriented character with lower offensive power, the result was unreasonable. Its durability must have increased dramatically.

"Let's adjust the plan slightly."

I had no choice but to change tactics. We couldn't stop its charge with our strength alone. We would need to borrow power from outside.

"Saintess, could you apply additional attack buffs?"

I looked at Yulise. Under normal circumstances she might hesitate, but the situation was urgent. She would surely agree.

When I spoke, clear bewilderment flashed across her face.

"Y-yes? But to do that, I'd have to cancel the defensive blessings I have active right now…"

"It doesn't matter. Cancel them."

If the attacks didn't hit, there was no problem. A simple enough answer. Fortunately I knew the creature's patterns perfectly, and my hero's body gave me decent reflexes. I was confident I could avoid every strike.

Yet even with such a straightforward solution, she still hesitated. Her pupils shook visibly from side to side. I frowned.

Tsk. Is she getting suspicious even now?

"If you're that worried, just buff me. There's no need to remove Kamilla's defensive blessing."

"No, that's not it…"

She let out a long sigh.

"Haa… Understood. I'll cast it."

Only then did Yulise seem to accept it. She clasped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her hands together again and began to pray. Each time her voice rang out, an inexplicable vitality surged through my body. The sacred flame bestowed by the Sun God Enen. It would become a sharp blade to punish evil.

The holy sword, now keenly honed, gleamed with a sharp light. I could clearly feel an edge capable of cutting through anything.

The Minotaur charged again. Once more its target was our glass cannon, Lily. The formation was exactly the same as before. Adel rushed forward in case of emergencies while we swung our blades to halt the charge. The only difference this time was that I had become far more irritating to it.

A chilling cutting sound rang out, completely different from before. The buffed blade sliced through its hide like paper and carved out chunks of flesh in an instant. It still couldn't reach the bone, but there was no denying I had become an opponent it could no longer ignore.

The beast finally let out a pained scream. Bright red blood poured from the thigh I had cut. Whether from rising fury or a shift in threat priority, its crimson eyes turned toward me. I forced a smile.

"So you finally look this way?"

Those eyes flashing with madness and rage were strangely thrilling. My heart nearly dropped. Thanks to that, the aggro that had been fixed on Lily completely shifted. The problem was that it had now locked entirely onto me.

The Minotaur seemed furious enough to ignore even Kamilla's attacks at its side as it swung its axe at me. Its insane endurance was impressive as always. The axe came crashing down toward my head. I hurriedly raised the holy sword above me.

Clang!

"Khh…!"

Even after receiving two layers of strength enhancement, a groan escaped me automatically. My muscles screamed as they were pushed past their limits. The sound of tearing fibers and grinding bones. It was proof my body was being wrecked in real time. A fierce pain made me frown involuntarily. But there was no time to wallow in it—the axe as large as my upper body was already swinging again.

Fortunately I managed to twist my torso sideways to dodge this time. The violent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wind pressure whipped my hair about.

"Hey, monster! Look over here!"

"This is… It won't even glance at the arrows stuck in its body."

I was wrong. The creature was completely enraged. I could feel its murderous intent, a clear desire to tear me apart. Every swing of its axe brought a terrifying gale that made me squint. Each blow was a lethal strike delivered with savage speed. Yet despite that, I felt a small sense of relief.

Thank goodness.

Now that its focus was entirely on me, the damage we dealt was accumulating properly. At this rate, it would be the one to tire first. If we could just buy time, its other horn would soon be cut off. In other words, victory was assured as long as I held out.

Even in the midst of the frantic exchange, I called out to the party's mage.

"Lily! How much time left?"

"......"

"Three minutes! Just endure for three more minutes!"

Strangely, the answer came from Yulise. Lily must have been too focused on her spell, so Yulise answered in her place. I didn't know how she was measuring the time, but she probably wasn't lying. I repeated her words in my mind.

Three minutes.

Three minutes. Short if you called it short, long if you called it long. To me, being driven to the brink of death in real time, it felt unbearably lengthy.

From that moment, my game of chicken with the beast began. Whenever it swung its axe wildly, I focused everything on dodging. Though the attacks were fast and powerful, the patterns themselves were consistent. There were no techniques or variations—just straightforward swings driven by the single-minded desire to rip me apart. Terrifying, yes, but also predictable. Concentrating was enough.

On top of that, with the party's support the beast quickly began to tire.

"Haaap!"

Slash!

Kamilla's sword carved a clean line across its back. A blue glow flickered along her blade. Unlike me, she had clear, distinct sword aura. It might have taken her some time, but she was undoubtedly an aura user. The beast's movements visibly slowed—a welcome bonus.

After that, the rest was predictable. The same magic as before flew through the air and severed the remaining horn without hesitation.

Slash!

The horn spun beautifully through the air. At the same moment, both of the Minotaur's knees hit the ground. I cheered inwardly.

Done!

Good. No need to worry about berserk now! Its strength seemed spent as well. All that remained was to cut off its head and—

That was when it happened.

Someone grabbed the back of my neck.

"?"

Before I could even feel surprise, my body was yanked backward at tremendous speed. There was no time to react. In an instant I was pulled away, and at the same moment—

A wind pressure like a typhoon erupted. It was on a completely different level from anything before. I hadn't seen it, hadn't sensed it, hadn't even instinctively predicted it. The only things I caught were the afterimage of the axe trailing in a line and the system's urgent warning.

"Hero! Are you all right?!"

"Huh…?"

When I finally regained my senses, I saw it. The Minotaur I had thought was on the verge of death now glowed with crimson eyes. Black smoke, something I had never seen before, rose slowly from its body.

The very berserk state we had tried so hard to prevent. I was dumbfounded.

What the hell is this…?