REINCARNATION OF THE STRONGEST WAR HERO

"Yo.. you.. Stay back." The human-faced creature staggered back. The rift that had started to form slowly faded.

The minotaurs that had been crashed by Logan stood up one by one.

"Catch him. And make sure he stays down for good this time." Human-faced creature lashed out.

All four minotaurs stormed toward Logan all at once. In that deepest layer of the A-class dungeon, a fight again broke out. Noah and Ali lay on the ground helplessly.

Logan had already started using everything he had. His internal energy, all five affinities, and his tier four spells. But still....

Against all those minotaurs at once, his battle prowess still fell short. Because those monsters were far from being weak.

Logan's fist slammed on one of them, but at that same time, another had hurled a punch. He ducked and dodged that, but a kick from the back sent him flying.

"Well done. Hit him harder. Kill him already." The human-faced creature was venting its anger from the sidelines.

Its well-planned strategy was all ruined by a single person. If it failed even today to complete its mission, then it will face serious consequences. Its objectives were already lying in front of it, but still it couldn't lay a hand on them.

While fighting, multiple wind blades flew from Logan's palms. He was enraged, fighting like a madman, but his head was still working. It knew what its primary objective was.

Those blades hovered toward Ali and Noah and then swiftly cut off their bindings.

Noah and Ali quickly reacted and got up, brushing off the chains from their body.

Ali's eyes narrowed, watching Logan struggle half-naked against the towering minotaurs. His fists clenched, frustration boiling in his chest. With a grunt, he tore off his own cloak and flung it toward the boy.

"Brat! Cover yourself at least!"

Logan caught it mid-motion without sparing him a glance. In one fluid movement, he wrapped the cloak around his lower body, tightening the knot at his waist. The mask still hid his face, but now he looked even more dangerous... an ominous figure cloaked in shadows, muscles glistening with sweat, eyes blazing with killing intent.

He launched himself back into the fray.

Bang!

A fist wrapped in ice slammed into a minotaur's ribs, caving them in before it stumbled back, roaring in pain. But before Logan could follow up, another minotaur swung its club. The impact cracked the ground where he had stood a second earlier.

Meanwhile, Ali and Noah darted toward the human-faced creature. "Damn monster, what the hell did you do to our magic?!" Ali hurled a punch.

But the monsters easily dodged it and kicked him instead. Blood gushed out from his mouth as he flew back. "Damn it, without magic we're just swinging fists," Noah cursed, ducking a black tendril that lashed out at him.

The creature's grotesque mouth twisted into a mocking grin. "Two lions with broken fangs… pathetic."

Ali rushed forward, gritting his teeth, and hurled a punch, flames instinctively flickering around his knuckles, but the seal crushed the fire before it bloomed. The blow struck the monster's chest but barely forced it back a step. Snarling, Ali spat blood.

"Tch… useless like this."

Noah had also joined, but the same results. Without magic, even a lion was worse than a cat in this era.

The chaos intensified. Logan fought the minotaurs with everything but the monsters weren't giving him room to breathe. Ali and Noah tried to pin down the human-faced creature, but without their powers, they were little more than distractions. The battle looked grim.

But just then...

"Guild master!"

A familiar voice rang out.

Logan's head snapped briefly to the side. Gideon's party stormed into the deepest layer, weapons raised, eyes wide at the hellish scene before them. Gideon himself was at the front, his aura fierce even without ignited magic. Ronald's spear sparked faintly, Jessi conjured water blades, Melissa's eyes glowed with gravity, Lilith and Luna trailed close behind, lightning flickering in both their hands.

"Move!" Gideon barked, and his team spread like wolves. Ronald's spear forced a minotaur to stumble back, Jessi's water scythed through another's arm, Melissa's gravity weighed down their swings, and Luna's lightning crackled in support. Lilith was as usual. Sprang into action like a uncontrolled force of nature. Air blades flew one after another, weakening the minotaurs, and lightning zapped wherever she aimed.

The pressure shifted. The human-faced creature faltered, its gaze darting between the hunters converging from all sides.

"No… not again…!" it hissed. Its right hand blurred bringing out the sphere with its left.

The rift began to form once more.

But someone's eyes never left his movements.

"Not this time!" Logan roared.

His body blurred, lightning bursting from his feet. The creature was about to flee again, entering the rift. But Logan's grip grabbed its neck tightly.

"Fuck!" The creature hissed and thrust its body forward with every ounce of force it had left.

And whoosh! The rift closed.

In the blink of an eye, both Logan and the human-faced monster vanished. The chamber fell silent, only the ragged breaths of hunters filling the void.

"No…!" Noah shouted, stumbling forward, but it was already too late.

Ali clenched his jaw. His instincts screamed danger, but there was nothing they could do now. Logan was gone.

The silence lasted only a heartbeat.

Rooooaaaar!

The remaining minotaurs bellowed and charged again.

"Everyone, don't stop!" Gideon's command snapped through the chaos. His party surged forward to meet the beasts, determination blazing in their eyes. Though Logan's sudden disappearance shook them all, it wasn't the right time to focus on that.

From behind, Emily rushed in, her hands glowing with gentle light. Healing magic poured into the wounded, her face pale with exhaustion but unwavering. "Don't falter! I'll keep you alive...fight!"

The dungeon shook with renewed battle. Logan was gone, but the others pressed on. Blades clashed, spells sparked, blood sprayed.

Minutes bled into hours. The hunters fought like madmen, their arms heavy, lungs burning, but they refused to give ground. Each minotaur was a monster on its own, stronger, faster, more vicious than any normal monster.

And yet, with Gideon's leadership, with Emily's desperate healing, they endured.

Finally, nearly an hour later, the sound of footsteps echoed again. Reinforcements... more hunters stormed into the chamber, eyes blazing, weapons drawn.

"Kill them!" Leo's voice boomed from the entrance, his team charging in with fury.

With overwhelming numbers now pressing from all sides, the tide turned at last. The minotaurs, cornered and bleeding, roared one final time before falling under the storm of blades and spells. Their hulking bodies collapsed, cracks spreading across their hides until, with a final shudder, they disintegrated into black corpses.

The dungeon fell silent.

Hunters panted, dripping sweat and blood, staring at the carnage. Relief mixed with dread in their hearts. They had survived—but Logan was nowhere to be seen.

Somewhere else, far far away from that dungeon...

A dim glow flickered in another one. The air was heavy, damp, pressing in like the weight of the ocean.

On the cold stone ground lay two figures.

Logan, bare upper body, a cloak covering his lower body somehow. And a few meters away, the human-faced monster sprawled, its twisted chest rising and falling shallowly.

Both unconscious.

The rift that had swallowed them was gone.

To be continued....