Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 96

[*Domesticated Minotaur*]

“MMMUUUUU!”

A massive bull-like creature roared, standing on two legs at the center of the colosseum.

In front of it was a small and fragile figure—Suho, the One-Horn demon.

The size difference made Suho appear even smaller and more insignificant against the towering beast.

[Looks like they brought out one of the labor camp beasts.]

“Seems like it.”

It was like dragging an ox from the fields to participate in a bullfight—except this “ox” was a hulking mass of muscles, standing upright like a human.

The Minotaur snorted and pawed the ground, nostrils flaring as if ready to charge at Suho the moment the magical shackles binding it were removed.

[Are you sure you’re okay?]

“Who, me?”

Suho grinned and responded with a nonchalant tone.

Esil’s voice, however, was heavy with concern.

[Even a domesticated Minotaur has monstrous strength. Its thick hide makes it incredibly tough. If things get dangerous, don’t hesitate to call us all out.]

If Suho summoned his shadow soldiers now, it would shatter the illusion of him being a demon.

And if the demons realized Suho was not one of them, every demon in the colosseum would immediately turn on him.

Normally, Suho could replenish his forces by converting the corpses of his fallen enemies into shadow soldiers.

But against demons, it was a different story.

[*Mana contamination prevents extraction.*]

Demons couldn’t be turned into shadow soldiers.

This meant that if the colosseum’s demons attacked en masse, Suho would have to face them all alone.

Despite Esil’s repeated warnings, Suho only gave her a cryptic smile.

“Don’t worry. I’ll hold out until the Tyrant King shows up.”

No matter how tough it got, it couldn’t be worse than Ammit’s daily quests.

*Shiver.*

The mere thought of returning to face those torturous tasks sent chills down Suho’s spine.

From afar, the demon guards misinterpreted his reaction.

“See? Whether he’s a demon noble or not doesn’t matter. Look how weak he is.”

“If he’s only got one horn, it means he’s either been drained dry by other demons or mutated after ingesting a few drops of noble blood.”

However, the head guard remained focused, his eyes sharp and unyielding as they bore into Suho.

“Start with one.”

At last, he gave his command.

“After five minutes, release two more. Five minutes after that, release four.”

“Do you think it’ll last that long, sir?”

“Fools. That’s why we’re using Minotaurs.”

The guards nodded in agreement with the head guard’s logic.

Even though the Minotaurs were now docile beasts raised on fodder in the labor camps, they hadn’t always been so.

“Minotaurs were once brutally savage creatures. They would crush every bone of their prey, pounding them into a pulp until the flesh turned to jelly before finally eating them.”

Regardless of Suho’s identity, the guards had one job: to make the execution as gruesome and prolonged as possible.

—

*Clank!*

The announcer’s booming voice signaled the release of the Minotaur’s shackles.

“MMMUUUUUUUU!”

Freed at last, the enormous beast charged at Suho with terrifying speed.

*Boom!*

‘It’s fast!’

Dust and sand exploded into the air as the Minotaur’s massive fist came crashing down where Suho had been standing.

The sheer size of the creature belied its surprising speed.

*Crash!*

The ground shattered under the weight of its strike.

The Minotaur’s fists kept pounding relentlessly.

*Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!*

“MMMUUUUUU!”

The devastating power left even the slave demons in the audience trembling.

The same beast they had used to pull carts in the labor camps now revealed its true, terrifying strength.

‘This is exactly the reaction we wanted.’

Satisfied with the audience’s terror, the demon guards exchanged pleased grins.

But then—

“MMMUUHH?!”

The Minotaur suddenly froze, its fist embedded in the ground. It raised its head sharply.

Above the swirling dust, Suho was descending from the sky, sword poised to strike.

*Swoooosh!*

The Minotaur retaliated, swinging its massive arm vertically at Suho.

*Boom!*

The air rippled with the shockwave generated by its colossal strength, aiming to swat Suho out of the sky.

[Dodge it!]

At Esil’s urgent warning, Suho twisted his body mid-air, stepping lightly onto the Minotaur’s fist before leaping even higher.

‘Its reflexes are impressive.’

Suho’s eyes gleamed as he analyzed the beast from above. His gaze was disturbingly akin to someone choosing cuts of meat at a butcher’s shop.

“Whoa!”

“Did you see that? He dodged it!”

The audience erupted in cheers.

Despite the overwhelming size difference, Suho was holding his own, earning the crowd’s admiration.

*Swoosh!*

At that moment, Suho swung his sword, aiming for the Minotaur’s shoulder.

*Crunch!*

But instead of piercing the hide, the Hellsteel sword bent and crumpled like cheap metal.

“Ha ha ha! Look at that!”

The demon guards burst into laughter.

The dull, rusty weapons provided for the show were never meant to injure the Minotaur’s tough hide.

That was the point: to turn the execution into a grotesque farce.

Unfazed, Suho adjusted the bent blade’s angle and jammed it into the Minotaur’s eye.

*Splurt!*

“MMMUUURRR!”

The beast let out a pained roar, thrashing violently.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Desperate to shake Suho off, it swung its massive body wildly, but Suho clung to one of its horns with one hand, dangling effortlessly.

With his other hand, he raised a clenched fist, smirking.

“This is going to hurt.”

*Whirrr!*

[*Title Effect: Wolf Slayer activated.*]

The Wolf Slayer buff, which increased all stats by 40% against beast-type monsters, surged through Suho’s fist.

Channeling that power, Suho drove his fist directly into the Minotaur’s face.

*BAM!*

“MMMUUU?!”

Stars exploded in the Minotaur’s vision as it staggered from the impact.

And then—

“Good durability.”

Suho grinned as the beast managed to stay upright, giving him the perfect target for another blow.

*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!*

Again and again, Suho’s punches landed with relentless force.

The Minotaur’s face began to cave in, its massive frame crumpling under the sheer violence.

“Wh-what the…?”

The demon guards, who had been smugly enjoying the spectacle, shot to their feet in shock.

The Minotaur couldn’t even cry out properly before it was beaten to death.

“Release two more! No, send in four!”

*Clang! Clang!*

The head guard barked out orders in a panicked voice, and the gates holding the beasts swung open all at once.

[Interesting.]

In the shadows, Ber’s eyes gleamed like crescent moons as he watched the scene unfold.

[It seems these demons are far more considerate than expected. Lord Suho will surely be pleased.]

Ber’s observation was spot on.

*Thud. Thud. Thud.*

Still gripping the horn of the fallen Minotaur, Suho looked up.

His eyes landed on four more beasts charging toward him, their massive frames rumbling the ground.

He broke into a sharp grin.

“Good. The more, the merrier.”

At that moment, Suho decided to step things up.

“Gray, empower me.”

[‘Pet: Gray’ activates empowerment.]

*Swoosh!*

Suho’s hair began to glow with a silvery sheen.

“Ooooh! The One-Horn is…!”

“A shapeshifting demon?!”

“I’ve never seen one that only changes hair color before…”

The commotion in the stands came to an abrupt halt.

A massive, oppressive aura radiated from behind Suho like a divine glow, silencing everyone.

[*The King of Beasts, Lord Fang, salivates at the sight of prey willingly rushing into the maw.*]

*Shudder!*

“MMMUUUU?!”

The Minotaurs charging toward Suho froze, their primal instincts overridden by an overwhelming sense of dread.

[*Effect: Fear activated.*]
[*All stats of affected targets decreased by 50% for one minute.*]

The charging Minotaurs noticeably slowed.

However, the beasts, raised under the suppressive rule of demons, failed to realize their reduced strength.

“MUUUUOOOR!”

Overwhelmed by an inexplicable unease, they lashed out with even greater ferocity, their massive fists slamming down in blind desperation.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

Their relentless assault filled the colosseum with a dense cloud of dust, accompanied by shockwaves from their crushing blows.

The audience’s excitement reached fever pitch.

*Roaaaaar!*

—

[‘Skill: Body Reinforcement’ activated.]

*Bam!*

“MUUUR?!”

Out of nowhere, one of the Minotaurs was sent flying backward through the cloud of dust.

*Crash!*

Another beast slammed into the wall.

*Crash!*

A third followed, shaking its head as if to clear the daze.

“What… What’s happening in there?!”

“What’s going on?!”

Amid the stunned cries of the audience and guards, the dust began to settle, revealing a towering figure.

It wasn’t the frail One-Horn they expected.

“That form…?”

Gasps echoed through the colosseum as Suho’s massive silhouette came into view.

Unnoticed by the crowd, Suho had activated the skill *”Giant’s Armor”*, enlarging himself to match the size of the Minotaurs.

With black energy swirling around his fists, he locked hands with one of the beasts, evenly matched in a test of raw strength.

*Smiirk.*

Amid the clash, Suho met the Minotaur’s gaze and smirked.

“You’re pretty strong.”

“MMMUUU!”

“But what should I do?”

Suho’s grin widened, baring his teeth in a feral smile.

*Thud!*

“MUUUGH?!”

Suho’s strength surged, forcing the Minotaur to its knees.

“I’ve been hitting the gym pretty hard lately.”

Seizing the moment, Suho raised a fist and drove it down with crushing force.

*BOOOM!*

The Minotaur’s silent scream was its only response as Suho’s blows reduced its body to pulp.

—

The once-deafening colosseum fell into a stunned silence.

Suho’s overwhelming and brutal display left even the most seasoned demons shaken.

In that silence, the older demons began to recall a long-forgotten figure.

“Vo… Vulcan…”

The name slipped from someone’s lips, small and hesitant.

Yet it spread like wildfire.

“Lord Vulcan…?”

“Vulcan?”

Realization struck the demons as their eyes widened in horror.

“No way! That One-Horn…”

“It’s the same horn as the Demon of Greed, Vulcan!”

Memories of the towering, destructive, and insatiable demon noble resurfaced, filling the minds of those who had seen him before.

“Dear god, it’s him…!”

Those who had witnessed Vulcan’s terrifying presence in the past were left paralyzed with shock.

“Lord Vulcan has returned! He’s been resurrected!”

“No! That’s impossible, you fools! Vulcan died long ago during the Monarch War!”

“But…!”

“It’s similar but different! Look closely! That thing only has one horn!”

The demon guards screamed themselves hoarse, trying to quell the rising panic.

But then—

“Oh, my god…”

A restrained sigh escaped the lips of the head guard.

“Could it be that Vulcan had a hidden heir…?”

“……!”