Toji stood at the edge of a crumbling ledge, arms crossed, his loose black robe fluttering in the rising updraft.
He wasn't in a hurry.
Down below, thick fog veiled something massive moving, no, slithering, with predatory intent.
His eyes didn't narrow. They merely observed.
"...Looks annoying."
With a snap of his fingers, black shadows swirled in a circle behind him.
Chains rattled like serpents slithering out of the abyss.
And then it stepped forward, Mahoraga.
But not the usual one.
This was the Totality form.
Towering. Armored in black scale-like plates from shoulders down to the very ends of its legs.
Its head remained bare, revealing sharp, wide wings expanding.
From its back jutted a titanic, curved greatsword, its very weight causing the earth to hum beneath it.
Chains adorned its limbs like brutal decorations.
The adaptation wheel rotated ominously behind its back, casting flickering shadows against the rock wall.
Toji sat down, lazily reclining against Divine Dog: Totality's massive furred flank.
His arm rested over his forehead, the other dangling loosely as if this was nothing more than a lazy afternoon nap.
Nue screeched softly above, circling once and landing quietly behind him.
Escape Rabbits darted around like sparks in a bonfire, and Toad rolled lazily in a puddle, blowing bubbles.
"Alright, go kill it" Toji muttered.
Mahoraga: Totality stepped off the ledge, crashing down into the mist like a meteor.
The Juggernaut revealed itself in a flash of movement, an impossibly long, sinewy, almost skeletal dragon-like creature, its skin stretched tight over protruding bones that shimmered like black glass.
Its eye sockets burned red.
It roared, and the air itself bent.
Mahoraga didn't flinch.
The Juggernaut struck first.
A blur of scale-launched projectiles, dozens, hundreds, shot forward like bullets.
Mahoraga's wheel spun, adapting mid-strike.
It moved impossibly fast for its size, shifting its shoulders, angling its scales, and suddenly the barrage simply ricocheted off the black armor harmlessly.
The ground quaked as the Juggernaut charged, bones erupting from the ground like spears, slicing upward.
Mahoraga leapt, dragging its sword downward in an arc that carved the air itself.
One wave of pressure shattered the rising bones.
The Juggernaut screeched as the blade grazed its shoulder, cleaving bone and hide alike.
Toji yawned, listening to the chaos unfold. "Huh... it screams like a dying elephant."
But the Juggernaut wasn't idle.
It adapted quickly too.
From its spine, a lattice of sharpened bones exploded outward, forming jagged wings.
It lifted off the ground, flinging itself toward Mahoraga with terrifying speed.
Its claws burned with violent magic, arcs of pressure leaving cuts in the rock around them.
Mahoraga blocked with its sword, but the impact shook the entire floor.
They clashed midair, sword and bone, weight and speed.
Every strike of the Juggernaut shattered the stone beneath them.
But Mahoraga began to twist, shift, pivot differently, mimicking.
Its strikes began to mirror the Juggernaut's rhythm.
And then it struck with one of the Juggernaut's own techniques, a bone whip manifested from its arm, coiling and snapping into the monster's side.
Crash!
The Juggernaut slammed into the wall, a crater forming behind it.
Mahoraga's adaptation wheel turned again, once, twice, and suddenly, black flames swirled around its blade.
Mimicry.
Totality wasn't just surviving, it was learning, copying.
And turning every piece of the Juggernaut's violence into its own weapon.
High above, Toji plucked a grape out of a pack he stole off an adventurer and popped it into his mouth.
"Tch. Should've brought alcohol... Why don't i just sent them here to do the work from the start?"
He watched Mahoraga leap forward, sword glowing with cursed energy and stolen flame.
Each strike now carried part of the Juggernaut's madness, folded into a perfect, adaptive rhythm.
...
The crater cracked as the Juggernaut rose again.
Its once-glassy bones now marred with deep black gouges, chunks of armor torn from its limbs.
Blood, if it could be called that, oozed a shimmering dark liquid that hissed where it touched stone.
The creature opened its jaws, then shrieked.
The walls trembled, the air thickened.
From its spine and arms, more bone began to emerge, longer, sharper, and fused with flickering magical energy.
The Juggernaut's claws lit up like torches of crimson flame, and then...
It vanished.
Mahoraga turned just in time.
A claw, covered in molten bone, raked across its shoulder.
Sparks and cursed energy flared as the Totality armor took the hit.
The wheel turned again, slow, deliberate.
The Juggernaut reappeared behind it, teleporting in sharp, blink-fast bursts of magic-enhanced movement.
Each time it landed, a burst of sharpened bone rose from the ground.
Mahoraga was pushed back.
The creature was adapting too, not just physically, but tactically.
But so was Mahoraga.
Its sword burst into flame, mimicking the same crimson energy the Juggernaut now used.
And then it disappeared as well, its own body vanishing in a mimicry of the Juggernaut's blink-teleport, reappearing to the left.
A clean swipe.
CRACK.
A section of the Juggernaut's ribs went flying.
Above, Toji popped another grape into his mouth, smirking lazily. "Figures. Once the wheel spins twice, it's already over."
The Juggernaut roared, leaping into the air, its wings now fused with bone-blades that turned mid-flight, slicing air.
It launched downward, a living drill of magic and bone.
Mahoraga met it head-on.
Its own armor shifted mid-motion, growing spiked protrusions to mirror the Juggernaut's impact style.
The two forces collided in midair like twin meteors, and for a second, the 25th floor buckled, stone cracked, fog was swept aside, and distant monsters scattered from the shockwave.
Mahoraga grunted for the first time, blade spinning in a full arc.
The Juggernaut's right wing was severed.
A moment passed.
Then Mahoraga's body rippled, cursed energy forming jagged spikes from its chest and shoulders.
They resembled the Juggernaut's own weapons, only tighter, faster, and optimized.
It had not only copied the Juggernaut's techniques.
It had improved them.
Now it was faster.
The next clash ended in a storm of shattered bone.
By now, the Juggernaut's body was breaking down.
One leg gone, part of its spine exposed.
It opened its jaws again to unleash a storm of bone spears, but Mahoraga, already adapted, took one step forward and did the same thing.
A dozen cursed bone spears erupted from Mahoraga's palm, intercepting the blast in midair.
The monster shrieked, overwhelmed.
Then came the end.
The great sword, now crackling with layered cursed energy, adapted flame, and reinforced mass, swung in a diagonal arc.
The blade cleaved through both the Juggernaut's remaining limbs and its neck.
A final wheeze echoed in the fog.
And then silence.
Toji yawned, stretching, brushing Divine Dog's fur out of his face.
He didn't even look impressed.
"Finally. I was starting to think you were gonna drag it out."
Mahoraga stood still in the crater, motionless.
The wheel spun once, and then faded.
The fight was done.
Toji stood and dusted himself off, cracking his neck.
"Alright. Now go carve the core out so I can sell it."
Mahoraga turned, walked toward the twitching corpse of the Juggernaut, and got to work.
...
The echoing quiet of the cave felt almost oppressive after the battle's violent conclusion.
The Juggernaut's massive, dragon-like form lay still and lifeless, a twisted monument to the shikigami's power.
Its skeletal body, covered in scales, was shattered, its bones sticking out of its body at odd angles, and its blood pooled across the stone floor like dark, viscous oil.
Toji, on the other hand, was far from impressed.
He reclined lazily against Divine Dog: Totality, who had settled next to him like an overgrown, sleepy canine.
The shikigami's golden eyes gleamed with amusement at its master's indifference.
Mahoraga: Totality, its form clad in its enhanced, scale-like armor, stood tall in the center of the battlefield, its adaptation wheel still spinning faintly as it scanned the area for any residual threats.
But there were no more threats.
The battle was over, and Toji's attention was wandering, slightly bored.
"Alright, what now?" he murmured to himself, stretching his limbs out.
He glanced around the cave again, taking note of the shikigami all surrounding him.
Divine Dog: Totality yawned lazily, barely looking up from its comfortable position.
Nue fluttered around, its wings buzzing as it darted in and out of shadows, peering curiously at the fallen Juggernaut.
The escape rabbits were hopping in playful circles, chasing each other's tails. Toad, as usual, was standing still, eyes keenly surveying the surroundings.
"...dammit..."
A soft tug on his pant leg interrupted his thoughts.
One of the escape rabbits, a small ball of white fur, tugged at him impatiently, hopping in place with its long ears flopping.
The little creature nudged toward the cave's opening, its tiny paws pointing in the direction of something nearby.
Toji raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the small creature.
"What do you want?" he muttered, pushing himself to his feet.
He was still feeling lazy, but his shikigami weren't going to stop pestering him if he didn't at least check out whatever they were excited about.
Without another word, Toji started walking toward the cave's narrow passage, Divine Dog: Totality following close behind with its lazy, heavy steps.
Mahoraga: Totality, unsure of what to do now that the battle had ended, trailed behind him with its enormous sword still resting across its back.
Nue zipped ahead in its usual excitable manner, darting between rocks and peering down at the ground curiously.
Toad kept its position, ensuring nothing crept up behind them.
After a few minutes, Toji reached the source of the escape rabbit's excitement.
He found Bell Cranel and Ryuu Lion, both unconscious and injured, lying together against the far wall of the cave.
"This kid... not again..." He let out a long and tired sigh seeing the top 1 troublemaker in this city.
Their clothes were torn, their bodies bruised and battered from the fall, but despite their condition, they were still huddled close, with Bell's arms wrapped protectively around Ryuu.
Toji glanced down at the pair with an unreadable expression, the faintest hint of annoyance crossing his features.
The sight reminded him of something. He'd seen this before, though not in the exact same circumstances.
He could almost feel the warmth of an old memory tugging at him, of a time when someone had been just as vulnerable and trusting with him.
But he quickly pushed the thought aside.
He was not here to play caretaker.
"Fucking hell... this is not a dating spot..." Toji muttered under his breath, scanning the two adventurers quickly.
Ryuu's face was flushed from the cold and exertion, while Bell looked slightly disoriented but alive.
He wasn't particularly concerned for their safety, he didn't even know them, after all, but he couldn't just leave them here either.
Toji glanced at Round Deer, who had been patiently waiting nearby.
It stepped forward, its soft, glowing antlers casting a gentle light over the injured pair.
The shikigami's calm, nurturing aura made it the perfect candidate for healing.
Without needing a word, Round Deer moved toward Bell and Ryuu, its energy radiating as it gently administered reverse cursed technique to mend their wounds.
As Round Deer worked, Toji turned his attention back to Mahoraga.
The giant shikigami was still holding the Juggernaut's core, its massive, armored form standing motionless nearby.
Toji glanced over, his expression blank but still amused by Mahoraga's confused presence.
"Mahoraga" Toji called out, his tone flat and indifferent. "Carry them out of here. All the way back to the surface."
Mahoraga, of course, didn't reply.
It simply nodded, as if it understood what was being asked of it, though the shikigami was still clueless about the exact situation.
It knelt down and, with surprising care given its massive size, lifted both Bell and Ryuu into its arms.
Divine Dog: Totality, as always, seemed unfazed by the action.
It followed slowly behind Mahoraga, its massive paws thumping softly against the ground as it kept pace with the group.
Nue darted around them, occasionally flitting ahead to scout the path.
The escape rabbits, always playful, skipped around Mahoraga's feet, hopping excitedly and seeming to congratulate themselves on another successful "mission" of getting Toji's attention.
Toad was last in line, maintaining its position as the vigilant protector of the group, its head constantly swiveling to check the surroundings.
Toji stepped forward, heading toward the exit of the cave without a second thought.
Round Deer followed, its presence warm and comforting as it moved behind the group.
Its soft light was like a steady beacon of calm, ensuring that any lingering discomfort the adventurers might feel was soothed away as they slowly regained their strength.
As Toji led them out of the cave, he allowed himself to relax a bit more, his body moving almost lazily.
The air felt different now, fresher, colder, a shift from the heavy atmosphere of the underground. The surface was closer, and the light, even dim, was a reminder of the life that awaited outside.
He didn't know what the future held for these adventurers, for the Xenos, or for the world he was slowly changing, but for now, this was enough.
His shikigami, were all playing their roles without question.
"Don't cause any more trouble" Toji murmured quietly as they reached the mouth of the cave. "I don't feel like dealing with any more surprises today."