Chapter 23: An Iron Mine, the Beginning of Maddening Expansion!

"Is this the terrifying combat power of the Diamond rank?"

Su Mu gasped. He had estimated that he could hold out for fifteen minutes, but once the battle truly began, he realized how wrong he had been. If every strike carried such devastating force, he wasn't sure how long he could possibly endure.

"Blade-Slash, Little Divine Dragon, hurry! Open the passage immediately. We are no match for this Flame Giant; we must retreat at once." Su Mu turned his head and spoke to Blade-Slash and Little Divine Dragon with a calm expression.

However, neither moved. Instead, they looked toward the approaching Flame Giant, their eyes filled with an insatiable hunger for battle.

"Do as I say. I will be fine. By the time you break through the passage, I might have already finished off this wretched rock monster," Su Mu said, brushing off his subordinates' hesitation with a lighthearted joke. He raised his shield and began walking toward the Flame Giant step by step.

In the past, it was Blade-Slash and Little Divine Dragon who protected him; now, it was his turn to protect his comrades.

*I hope they can open the passage before I fall!*

With a smile and a heart set on martyrdom, Su Mu marched toward the giant.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Behind him, violent crashing sounds erupted. Su Mu knew that Little Divine Dragon and Blade-Slash had begun carving out the escape route as ordered, and a satisfied smile graced his face once more.

"Come on, monster! Let Grandpa Su see just how much strength you really have!" Su Mu stood his ground about ten meters from the Flame Giant, beckoning with his finger in a provocative gesture. Even facing a Diamond-rank behemoth, he felt not a shred of fear.

*Life is like a summer flower; though brief, it should bloom with brilliance.* Before entering the Dark World, Su Mu had already considered all these possibilities.

Undoubtedly, Su Mu’s provocation ignited the Flame Giant’s fury. The monster roared, its massive flail slamming toward him with terrifying force.

With a thunderous crash, Su Mu was sent flying over ten meters, slamming heavily into the ground. The blue protective barrier shielding the trio flickered violently, though, fortunately, it did not shatter. This was only the result of the giant’s attack being halved in power; he dared not imagine the consequences of a full-force strike.

"Cough, cough!" Dazed and reeling from the impact, Su Mu couldn't help but cough. Yet, he quickly scrambled to his feet and beckoned again. "Little monster, did your mother not feed you enough? You have no strength behind your hits. How are you supposed to be a final boss?"

Whoosh!

The Flame Giant exhaled two streams of fire from its nostrils, casting a look of utter contempt at Su Mu before raising its flail and smashing it down once more.

Boom!

Without surprise, Su Mu was sent flying again. This time, it took him ten full seconds to crawl back to his feet.

"Little monster, put some effort into it! Grandpa Su can still take it." Su Mu staggered toward the giant and issued another challenge.

Boom! He was sent flying again.

"Little monster!"

Boom!

"Little monster!"

Boom!

The battle unfolded in a bizarre rhythm. Su Mu was knocked away time and again, only to rise each time like an unkillable cockroach. The monster's attacks grew stronger, but it could neither break Su Mu’s defense nor finish him off.

Gradually, the monster began to lose patience. Suddenly, it roared, and a dazzling red light erupted from its body. Within this glow, the creature’s form expanded instantly, ballooning into a two-hundred-meter-tall titan. It cast its flail aside, and a terrifying greatsword wreathed in crimson flames appeared in its grip.

"Human, you have successfully incited the wrath of Symondo. Prepare to meet your death." The monster suddenly spoke in a human tongue, its voice so booming and resonant that the entire cavern vibrated.

*What is happening? Why is the monster talking? What does he mean? Is he about to unleash his ultimate move? Was he not using his full strength before?*

Su Mu’s scalp tingled. He gripped the Divine Guardian shield tightly. Exhausted, he was no longer sure if he could withstand a full-power strike.

Boom!

The Flame Giant swung its greatsword without hesitation, slamming it directly onto Su Mu's shield.

With a deafening bang, Su Mu was launched over ten meters away. The Divine Guardian shield was knocked from his grasp; he was spent, no longer able to hold it. The blue light that had enveloped the trio shattered into nothingness.

"Hahaha!" The Flame Giant smiled like a victor, dragging its greatsword as it strode toward Su Mu. "Why do foolish humans always seek to intrude upon the Dark World? Do you think yourselves heroes? No, you are merely cannon fodder for your empire. I have lost count of how many human elites I have slaughtered."

As it spoke, the Flame Giant raised its greatsword, ready to cleave Su Mu in two.

*Am I to die here after all? But there are still so many things I haven't done.* Su Mu sighed, accepting his fate. His mind drifted back to the happy memories of cooking with his parents when he was a child.

Suddenly, a boom echoed—the passage behind Su Mu had been broken through. A towering figure lunged in front of him, Blade-Slash charging toward the Flame Giant with his long blade raised. Simultaneously, Little Divine Dragon stretched its neck, clamped its jaws onto Su Mu’s collar, and dragged him violently into the tunnel.

"No!" Realizing what was happening, Su Mu roared, struggling to break free from the dragon’s claws to save Blade-Slash. He knew all too well that Blade-Slash was no match for the giant. A single strike would shatter him to pieces. Blade-Slash was sacrificing himself to buy time for their escape. How could Su Mu stand by and watch?

"Little Divine Dragon, let me go!" Su Mu bellowed, fighting the restraint, but the dragon’s claws remained locked firmly onto his shoulders, refusing to let him return to the fray as it dragged him deeper into the tunnel.

The Flame Giant’s greatsword surged with red light, completely engulfing Blade-Slash. Just as the blade was about to descend, a single golden monkey hair drifted down, landing softly between Blade-Slash and the giant, sticking firmly to the searing, flame-wreathed sword.