Kumodesu

Charlot charged ahead, leading the assault, with the Vice Director right behind her. They were the only ones who possessed defensive-type skills, capable of directly confronting high-level creatures like this one.

Using the two of them as the vanguard, the others also advanced, quickly spreading out to attack from multiple directions.

I shot out eight chains to wrap around the Cerberus, but the moment it exerted force and jerked, five chains snapped immediately.

I didn't panic, and instead quickly reformed the broken chains.

After my escape from the Scutigera King, I'd come to understand the limits of my strength. That's why I didn't expect the chains to hold it down completely—just stalling it for a few seconds would be enough.

Charlot's attack came crashing in. The Cerberus twisted its body violently, shattering the chains completely, then swung its tail to counterattack. But before the tail could land, the Vice Director moved in and blocked it.

He immediately used his talismans in an attempt to sever the tail, but it was useless—it didn't even flinch. In the end, he had no choice but to use his own body to stop it.

His protective skill was violently shaken but didn't break.

That became the opening Charlot needed. Her sword, now wrapped in blue flames, slashed downward. The strike successfully cut through its thick hide, but couldn't sever the tail completely—the blade got stuck halfway through.

Without hesitation, Charlot pulled the sword out, and the Vice Director quickly pulled back as well. The two of them retreated swiftly.

The Cerberus let out a furious roar. From the six spikes on its back, it began launching countless sharp projectiles in all directions. These spikes were incredibly deadly, piercing through even the stone walls I had constructed. Their speed was so extreme that I barely managed to dodge them all.

But the others weren't so lucky. No one died, but one person was pierced through the right side of their waist and was bleeding profusely.

After that wild barrage, the Cerberus suddenly vanished.

That ability... was truly strange.

I scanned the surroundings and spotted someone standing farther away from the group. Without hesitation, I pulled him closer—and just as I did, the Cerberus reappeared, lunging straight at the spot he had just been standing in.

"Thank you!" The man, having narrowly escaped death, bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

I waved him off, signaling him to stay focused on the fight.

But the question now was—how could we detect its presence before it struck?

Who would be its next target?

Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine...

Without thinking, I jumped into the air and tossed a bomb behind me. The Cerberus lunged and missed, only to have the bomb hit it squarely, causing it to stagger back slightly.

Did that work...?

As the smoke cleared, I saw that it wasn't injured at all—but clearly, it had backed off. Before this, it didn't even flinch at Charlot's full-force slash, yet now it reacted?

The bomb didn't deal damage, but something in it seemed to irritate it...

"Regroup! Pairs of two, back to back! Don't let it sneak up on you!" Charlot shouted, directing everyone to stabilize the formation.

I needed to observe more.

The Cerberus once again vanished into hiding. Its next target was one of the team leaders. He didn't react in time but luckily, someone next to him managed to pull him away, though his right arm was torn off in the process.

Seizing the moment it appeared, I threw another bomb at it.

Again, no damage but it staggered. A few others started to notice this behavior too.

"Have you found its weakness?" the Vice Director called out.

"Still testing," I replied.

"Understood."

With that, the Vice Director broke formation and charged ahead, and Charlot immediately followed after him.

The Cerberus tried to vanish again, but the Vice Director was quicker—he shot out a high-speed arrow, embedding it into the creature's hip. Though it didn't cause much damage, he simply smiled.

"Eight o'clock!" he shouted.

The person in that position quickly stepped aside, and right then, as the Cerberus emerged, the one standing before it was Charlot.

Her green-flamed sword thrust straight into the creature's left head, leaving a deep scar. The fire ignited violently, and the beast couldn't seem to put it out. It retreated slightly, trying to counter with its tail.

Charlot tried to dodge, but the Cerberus was faster, sending her flying. It immediately lunged after her, trying to finish her off.

I hurriedly threw a bomb at it and rushed to where Charlot had fallen, managing to catch her from behind just before she crashed into the wall. The Vice Director also stepped in, casting several magic skills to hold the beast back.

"You okay?" I asked, though my bones had definitely broken.

Charlot struggled to stand up from my body. Blood trickled from her mouth; her protective shield had shattered once again. Still, she reached out and helped pull me up.

The Vice Director arrived just in time and began treating my fractured bones.

"Not completely certain, but I think it's reacting to the Merenium I put in the bombs," I said, frowning. "Not exactly afraid, but clearly irritated when it comes into contact."

Merenium was a rare mineral found near mana fracture zones—often deep within dungeons. It wasn't especially harmful, but emitted mana waves that were out of sync. This caused temporary disruption for creatures with sensitive mana sensory systems.

I had acquired it because it was a crucial component in crafting assassin weapons—it doesn't deal raw damage but can disrupt the enemy long enough for a killing blow.

"It's taken three direct hits with those bombs and showed no damage. So at best, this stuff only slows it down briefly," the Vice Director said.

"A brief window is all we need," Charlot replied. "Loyral, how many bombs do you have left?"

I was slightly surprised she called my name, but I quickly answered, "About thirty left."

"Good. Everyone, regroup. Fall back while attacking!" Charlot tightened her grip on her sword and once again took the lead.

At that moment, one of the team members, shaken after seeing Charlot get thrown, began to panic and lost his will to fight. He suddenly turned and ran.

"You idiot! Get back here!" Charlot shouted.

It was the first time I'd seen her so shaken.

But the runner didn't get far, just a few steps before a sharp claw pierced through his back, killing him instantly.

"Foolish!" Charlot cursed, but I knew... the one hurting most inside was her.

The rest of the team, witnessing the consequences of breaking formation, quickly composed themselves and followed Charlot's commands. She once again led the charge, the Vice Director following close behind.

This time, the Cerberus didn't try to hide. It leapt onto a nearby wall, darting back and forth rapidly like it was cornering prey—until in a blink, it closed in on Charlot.

I launched my eight chains toward its two right legs, yanked hard, and summoned my dagger for a follow-up attack. The Vice Director , on the left, continuously fired off magic toward its three heads.

Vorsel, positioned behind him, channeled his shadow magic, cloaking the Cerberus in darkness in an attempt to suffocate it—the shadow realm had no air.

These combined attacks opened a window for Charlot to thrust her sword into its rightmost head.

The sword went in halfway before it jammed. My chains snapped, and Vorsel's shadow shattered, making him cough up blood and collapse.

Charlot didn't stop. She ignited her green flames, burning fiercely, causing the Cerberus to howl.

"Attack now!" she shouted.

I redirected all my chains to the burning head. Others also followed up, launching their own attacks—but nothing was doing real damage.

After casting more magic, the Vice Director lunged in to grab the Cerberus's tail, trying to hold it down. Two others rushed in to support him.

Under siege from multiple angles, the beast attempted to use one of its front legs to impale Charlot—but Vorsel intervened again, using all his remaining strength to slow it down with his magic.

I activated [Nightmare] to amplify my power, tightening my chains even further.

Seeing that it couldn't fight back, the Cerberus launched its deadly spikes again, in all directions. The Vice Directo rand the two others quickly withdrew, protected by his shield.

Vorsel immediately vanished into his shadow realm, safe for now.

But the problem now was—Charlot!!

She was too close.

Only when the spikes were nearly upon her did Charlot finally pull her sword out, leaving a massive, deep gash on the right head.

I released my chains, then quickly yanked her toward me with them. With the help of her barrier, we managed to dodge and block the remaining spikes.

Meanwhile, someone in our group had a spike go through his leg and collapsed—only to be hit by dozens more before he could even react, dying on the spot.

I didn't hesitate—tossed two more bombs at the Cerberus's face, then went in with my dagger, aiming for a sneak attack.

Slash!

The dagger connected, but only left a faint scratch. Still, the two bombs had made it stagger and stop its spike barrage.

I noticed something: the spikes growing on its body had become smaller.

So even it paid a price for that kind of attack...

I told Charlot about this, and the two of us pressed forward again. We kept targeting its injured right head. For some reason, it still hadn't healed from all this time—so even if our damage was minimal, we were slowly accumulating wounds on it.

But then, the Cerberus stopped engaging us directly. Instead, it suddenly lunged toward the body of the first person it killed.

Suspicious, I instinctively sent my chains out to drag the corpse away—but I was still a moment too late. The Cerberus managed to bite off one of its arms.

Instantly... the wound on its head began to heal.

No way...!

It can heal itself by eating other creatures' remains!?

Luckily, it had only consumed one arm, so the injury didn't fully recover. I was glad I managed to pull the body away when I did.

Others also realized the danger and someone quickly rushed over, grabbed the second corpse, and dragged it back.

From now on, we not only had to fight... We had to guard the corpses, too.

Everything just became that much harder.

The Cerberus didn't give up and continued charging forward, its target still the two corpses.

This time, it went after the other person instead of me.

Panicked, he hurriedly picked up the corpse and ran, covered by the Vice Director and another person.

"Give me the body!"

I shouted at him.

Not wanting to hold on to a disaster, he immediately threw the corpse over to me. So now I was holding both corpses, but that didn't matter—because the moment I received it, I placed both bodies side by side and sealed them inside a stone shell.

Then, I crushed them down to the smallest size possible, shrinking them into a sphere that could fit in the palm of my hand.

At first, I wanted to preserve the bodies of the two who had fallen, but the situation didn't allow for it—so I had no choice but to destroy them.

Charlot looked at me but said nothing.

I knew she didn't agree with this decision, but with time so tight, I didn't have the luxury of thinking too much.

Now that the Cerberus had lost its target, it stomped its tail on the ground in frustration.

It could no longer regenerate, so all we had to do was hold on and protect each other until it wore itself out.

Everyone quickly regrouped.

The Cerberus still stood blocking our way back to the fifth floor, and it seemed that this time, it truly had no intention of letting us go.

It charged forward at high speed, then spun around and swung its powerful tail.

Everyone immediately scattered, but two people couldn't dodge in time and were sent flying.

After spinning, it chased after the two injured ones.

Its goal was clear now, so the rest of us quickly reacted.

I launched eight chains, binding its two hind legs and pulling it back.

But just two seconds later, all the chains snapped—though I instantly replaced them with new ones.

Like that, I managed to restrain it for a few brief seconds—just enough for Charlot and the Vice Director to launch a pincer attack.

Charlot, wielding her sword, dashed in and slashed repeatedly at its torso.

Though she couldn't land a critical hit, she caused it to bleed heavily.

Meanwhile, the Vice Director fired off three consecutive fireballs, but his flames were weaker than Charlot's from before, and they extinguished quickly.

The Cerberus broke free of the chains again and swung its tail at Charlot while simultaneously firing six sharp spikes toward the Vice Director.

He managed to retreat in time, but Charlot was struck. Who knew how many times she had taken a direct hit from it by now?

The powerful blow forced Charlot to retreat, and her protective barrier cracked.

It seized the chance to pounce on her again with its claws—but my knife flew in time, slicing off two of its three talons. With only one claw left, its damage output was reduced, and Charlot was able to block it and successfully fall back.

While we held it off, the others managed to evacuate the two wounded, so for now, everyone was safe.

Realizing it couldn't keep up with all of us on its own, the Cerberus performed a new move.

Its three heads howled—then began to separate.

It can split apart?!!

In the end, the massive Cerberus divided into three smaller Cerberus, each still larger than any of us.

They each charged in separate directions: one toward Charlot, one after the Vice Director, and the last one chasing the rest of the group. It seemed to have identified Charlot and the Vice Director as the two strongest threats, so it deliberately pulled them away to isolate the others.

Even though it had split, their speed hadn't decreased—if anything, they felt faster, perhaps due to their smaller size.

The group panicked upon seeing a Cerberus charging at them while Charlot and the Vice Director were both occupied and unable to help.

I immediately launched eight chains from another direction to bind its legs.

Oh… it seems weaker now.

It had to struggle several times before breaking free from my chains, proving that its strength had decreased.

There's still hope!

"Vorsel, coordinate with me."

I sent a message to Vorsel nearby.

He nodded slightly, then slipped into the shadow realm to approach the Cerberus.

I quickly recreated my chains, while Vorsel created a shadow field that wrapped around the Cerberus' head, slightly slowing its movements.

"Attack now!"

I shouted at the people who had been frozen in fear.

One of them quickly responded, swinging a massive axe down on the Cerberus' shoulder.

The blow looked heavy and powerful, but it only left a small scratch on its body—but at least it was something.

Seeing that it could be wounded, the others followed up with coordinated attacks—some casting magic, others charging with weapons.

But after a few seconds, the restraints from Vorsel and me broke, forcing everyone to retreat again.

The Cerberus, now free, didn't attack right away—it stood there panting heavily.

Vorsel's control had been surprisingly effective, and we had left some wounds on it.

While it caught its breath, I glanced to the other two fronts—

The other two Cerberus were also not doing well.

With their strength reduced, Charlot and the Vice Director were able to deal much more damage to them.

Though both sides were still locked in fierce battle, the Cerberus were taking hits more frequently—Charlot was even overpowering one of them thanks to her incredible speed.

Sensing danger, all three Cerberus suddenly launched spikes from their bodies.

But this time, the spikes were only half the size they had been before, and their lethality had dropped noticeably.

Whereas before it took twenty stone walls to stop one spike—and even then it might not work—now fifteen were enough to block it entirely.

Back then, even twenty layers couldn't fully stop the spike or slow it down.

This… is a good sign.

Right now, we focused solely on dodging the spikes.

Even if they were less deadly, just getting hit by one could result in a barrage of follow-up attacks and open the way for the Cerberus to close in.

After a while, seeing that its spikes weren't effective, the Cerberus stopped firing.

I noticed that the spikes on their bodies had shrunk even further.

At this rate, I estimated they could only manage four more volleys before losing the ability to use that skill entirely.

Another lucky break was that the Cerberus couldn't move while firing spikes, so we didn't need to worry about surprise attacks during those moments.

Then, all three Cerberus began moving back toward each other, seemingly preparing to merge again.

Not a chance!

I immediately created a stone wall to block the Cerberus nearest to me—but it rammed straight through.

I continued erecting more stone walls in its path, over and over.

After a dozen or so attempts, I had managed to slow it down by a full second compared to the other two.

Using that brief advantage, I threw a marked stone toward that spot, then grabbed Charlot's arm.

"Get ready."

Charlot ignited her flames.

I used my teleportation skill, bringing the two of us to the location I had marked with the stone.

Thankfully, it worked on the first try.

As soon as we arrived, we were right in front of the Cerberus.

Charlot immediately swung her sword downward, and I quickly surrounded the area with stone walls and plunged chains into the ground to pin it in place.

The Cerberus raised its head—just in time for Charlot's devastating slash to crash down.

The glowing green blade pierced straight through its skull.

To be sure, I hurled a dagger right into the wound, driving it deeper—

—and straight into its heart.

We did it!

But before I could celebrate, a sharp pain exploded from behind, and both of us were suddenly sent flying.

This time, the impact was so strong it shattered an entire section of the wall, leaving a massive crater.

Turns out, the other two Cerberus had already merged.

Though it only had two heads, its combined strength had clearly surpassed ours.

To make matters worse, we had been so focused on the Cerberus in front of us that we'd completely let our guard down from behind.

My back, which had only just been healed recently, was broken again.

And this time was worse.

Because this time, I took the full brunt of its tail attack.

Last time, I had only absorbed part of the impact when Charlot was knocked away—but this time…

All of it hit me.

Grimacing in pain, I forced myself up, then pulled Charlot out from the rubble nearby.

She had also turned off her protective barrier earlier to unleash her full power in that last attack, so her injuries were just as bad as mine.

Her face was pale, but her eyes remained sharp and focused.

We said nothing, just silently looked ahead.

Cerberus...

The next scene stunned everyone.

The two-headed Cerberus... was eating the corpse of the one we had just killed!

It tore into it like a ravenous beast—as if that dead version of itself was nothing more than food to restore its strength.

None of us reacted in time—we were too shocked.

No one could've expected it to devour a part of itself to recover.

The Vice Director was rushing over to heal us and couldn't stop it in time either.

Under everyone's horrified gaze, the two-headed Cerberus completely devoured the other and began to… regenerate.

Its wounds closed rapidly, and the spikes that had shrunk so much regrew, returning to their original size.

Its aura surged again. It had completely recovered...

While its form hadn't changed much—still with only two heads—

We could all feel it clearly.

This Cerberus… was even stronger than before.