Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"...Not bad, an encounter?" Drake and Mash looked at the complex labyrinth around them and the bones of monsters lying on the path, and couldn't help but have some doubts about Ritsuka's standard for a 'not bad encounter'.

"Ugh... ugh... ugh..." After racking her brains, Mash, who couldn't think of anything at all, lowered her head. "What will I encounter in this underground labyrinth, Master?" Then, seeing Ritsuka's inexplicably flushed face, Mash couldn't help but think of a not-so-good possibility.

"You're not hoping to encounter some prince lost in this labyrinth, are you...?"

However, Drake's reaction seemed to be even stronger than Mash's.

His expression suddenly turned extremely wary, and he reached out and shoved Ritsuka, who was walking backwards, backwards.

"...!" He also shouted behind him, "Stop!"

A rumbling sound, like thunder, came from the unknown darkness ahead.

“…!” Sweat beaded on Mash’s forehead from nervousness as she quickly gripped her shield and held it up in front of her.

Meanwhile, the rumbling sound of heavy objects pounding on the ground from the darkness grew louder and louder...

"My premonition came true." Drake's expression remained completely calm, as if he were casually discussing what he had for lunch. "Something's coming...!"

"This aura is..." Mash and Nencho simultaneously detected the faint scent of magic in the air... "A Servant!"

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, a huge figure rushed out of the darkness.

His body was muscular and sculpted, with a black, gleaming armor skirt that extended from his waist down to his legs. His legs and arms were adorned with ornaments that looked like broken chains.

Most horrifying of all was the monster's head, which was covered by a jet-black mask shaped like a bull, with white hair hanging down to both sides of its neck.

He held two long and huge axes upside down in his hands. The cold light on them made Nian Zhuo feel no sluggishness at all, but rather as agile as sword blades.

"...Die." The unknown monster, with a bull-head-like mask, spewed out scorching white steam, its muscles tense as if it were about to charge at any moment.

Even if they already knew about the monster's mental state, they couldn't help but hold their breath for a moment when they saw its overwhelming physique, let alone Drake or Mash when they first met.

"So...so big...!?" Drake felt his entire field of vision filled with the monster's enormous body, and his hand holding the flintlock pistol felt weak. "What is this thing...?"

"I am Asterius." He raised his arms, the muscles in them radiating an overwhelming aura, as if the two heavy axes were nothing in his hands. "I will kill you all...!!" Then, the tall monster pushed off with his legs, his entire body soaring into the air, casting a huge black shadow on the ground.

“He’s a Berserker, just like Erik the Blood Axe King…!” Mash could only raise her shield as she watched him leap high into the air. “He’s completely unreasonable…!” But at the same time, a silver figure passed through Mash and headed straight for Asterius in the air.

It was Nian Zhuo, who had been maintaining the basic armor of Zi-O, who gripped the Time Gun Sword tightly and charged towards the huge, ferocious beast in mid-air, which had nowhere to hide.

“Mr. Nianzhuo! Please be careful!” Mash, who was familiar with history, naturally understood what kind of being the other party was. She shouted at Nianzhuo, “Asterius is his hidden true name—and his well-known name is ‘Minotaur.’ One of the monsters in Greek mythology! And—” Looking at the walls around her that seemed to have thickened due to the monster’s appearance, Mash’s tone became weak.

"This maze is his territory, so retreat is impossible!"

"No matter what, let's fight first!" With purple light added to the Time Gun Sword in his hand, Nian Zhuo decided to unleash the maximum power he could achieve at this stage as soon as he made his move.

The blade, imbued with the power of Zi-O, drew a purple semicircle, then formed a long, slender sword aura that rushed towards the leaping monster.

However, Nian Zhuo seems to have forgotten that from the beginning until now, there has never been a Servant that he could rival solely with Zi-O's basic armor.

"Bang—!" The ferocious beast roared, and the great axes on its arms swung down heavily, carrying immense kinetic energy and the momentum to shred everything. The beast's axe blades collided with the purple sword energy unleashed by Nian Zhuo.

It couldn't even hold out for a second. The purple sword energy shattered like glass, accompanied by a heavy, muffled sound as the air was compressed.

"Me...?!" Just as he was about to swear, Nian Zhuo, who was now in the air, became the one being attacked. The ferocious beast's axe swung down without weakening at all, smashing into Nian Zhuo's bright silver breastplate.

With a heavy, muffled thud, Nianzhuo could feel the terrifying sound emanating from the bones hidden beneath the breastplate, accompanied by excruciating pain.

"Ah!" With a cry of pain, Nianzhuo was slammed into the ground from mid-air by the Minotaur wielding two axes without any warning.

A huge cloud of smoke and debris completely pulverized the ground within several meters of the fallen Nianzhuo, creating a massive crater.

Emerging from the massive plume of smoke, the colossal beast roared as it brought down two axe blades, determined to sever Nianzhuo's head completely beneath it.

"Ugh...! Hiss...!" The pain in his chest caused crimson blood to flow from the corner of Nian Zhuo's mouth, which was hidden under his mask. He could only extend his spear and sword to block the monster's axe blade.

However, he was injured, and the monster attacked from above. Judging from this brief exchange, the monster's strength was also superior to his own.

So Nianzhuo could only lie in the center of the pit, watching helplessly as the monster's axe blade drew closer and closer to his neck...

"I never expected that I would suffer such a great loss because of my underestimation of the enemy...!" Muttering to himself, Nian Zhuo struggled to break free from the monster's deadly cage.

However, the monster seemed to only have eyes for him, simply using its power to completely pin Nian Zhuo to the ground, rendering him unable to move.

"Mr. Nianzhuo!" Mash lifted her shield from the ground and rushed over.

The power of the Servant hidden within the girl's frail body has been partially restored through continuous battles.

Nianzhuo suffered a loss and was forced into a desperate situation because he underestimated the Berserker, but the Berserker did not take the two girls on the other side seriously either.

...You're the one who's going to suffer.

"Thump..." Facing the berserker who only stretched out one hand to resist, Mashu's shield drew a semi-circle and slammed into the berserker's hand with heavy force.

In an instant, the berserker's hand, which had been filled with surprise, was sent flying high by Mashu.

"Hmph! This time it's my turn to help you, Nianzhuo!" Then, a pair of high heels stepped on the shield that Mashu raised, and the proud captain couldn't help but chuckle, pressing the flintlock pistol in his hand against the berserker's iron mask.

"Hmph~" He pulled the trigger, and thick black smoke billowed from the muzzle, accompanied by a thunderous roar that seemed to explode right next to his ears.

The berserker's powerful body flew to the side like a stone being thrown away.

A huge crater was smashed into the wall.

........................................................................

It seems this monster is a little different?

Even after its body was smashed into the wall, there were no obvious wounds on the monster's body.

"Mr. Nianzhuo..." Mashu helped Nianzhuo up from the pit, and seeing his weak state, she was also a little anxious. "Are you alright...?!"

"It's okay...it's okay..." How could it be okay? Nian Zhuo, who had taken the brunt of the monster's power head-on, was still feeling dizzy. His vision was sometimes blurry and sometimes clear as he looked at the ground in front of him. The dizziness made Nian Zhuo cover his forehead.

"Damn it...!" Drake shouted from ahead, accompanied by gunshots. "That monster is charging out again! Nianzhuo and Mashu, be careful...!"

The rubble on the wall was swept away in an instant by the monster's two large axes, and the black horns on its head pushed aside everything in its way, allowing the bull-headed monster to charge out once again.

However, everyone could clearly see the distinct crack on the face of the bull-headed masked monster, which brought some psychological comfort to the group.

Asterius, no. It should be called the Minotaur. The monster's muscles tensed again, the tip of its axe was once more aimed at Mash, and its roar shook everyone's eardrums.

"No... I have to—!" With Ritsuka's help, Nencho was helped to a safe area not far away to rest, while Mash grabbed her shield and went to support Drake.

Nianzhuo kept groping in his pockets, shaking his head to try and get rid of the annoying dizziness.

Finally, Nian Zhuo touched a knight's watch face in his hand and quickly took it out.

Yellow and green colors... that's OOO's watch face.

He understood that even with the Holy Grail's blessing, Mash and Drake, with their current strength, would find it difficult to defeat Asterius.

No, in this labyrinth of treasures belonging to this monster, defeating it is practically a pipe dream.

"Please, let me hold your hands!" His eyes suddenly cleared. Nian Zhuo could suddenly see everything clearly, turned the OOO watch in his hand, and pressed the button.

"OOO--!" From the depths of the maze, a red falcon flapped its wings and flew out. A yellow tiger roared and leaped out, and tiny green locusts hopped and skipped across the battlefield.

"Awoooooo!!!" Three animals disrupted Asterius's attack route, and the axe struck the eagle's claws, tiger's paws, and locusts with a metallic clang.

"This is... Mr. Nianzhuo...!" As if she had already anticipated that it was Nianzhuo's doing, Mashu looked at Nianzhuo behind her with surprise and delight. "That's wonderful!"

Then, Mashu saw Nencho waving at her while holding his forehead.

"Alright! Now it's my turn to make my appearance!" He placed the dial on the driver, and the three-colored ring enveloped Nen-cho's silver-white armor.

"Rider Time! Kamen Rider Zi-O!! Armor Time! Taka Tora Batta! OOO!"

Subsequently, the three small animals that were fighting the monster quickly left the battlefield, their bodies gradually disintegrating and merging with Nianzhuo's armor.

The red, yellow, and green armor merged with Nian Zhuo.

"Whoosh—!" Yellow claws shot out from his arm. Nian Zhuo looked at the monster opposite him, who was still fighting Drake and Mash, and smiled slightly.

The tiger-head armor on his right shoulder emitted a bloodthirsty red light, igniting a fierce fighting spirit in Nian Zhuo.

The red "eagle's eye" above his head also flashed a few times, and then everything in the entire maze became clear in Nian Zhuo's eyes.

"So that's how it is—it can improve my eyesight, and my dizziness and blurred vision were also restored because of this ability." Nian Zhuo stretched the claws on his hands, and the green armor on his legs began to emit a green shadow.

"Locust Jumper" is the name of the green armor on OOO's legs, which enhances Nencho's jumping ability.

Then, Nian Zhuo's shadow vanished from the ground and appeared above the monster.

Just like at the beginning, the same posture, the same height. Different people.

Nianzhuo decided to go all out this time; at the very least, he needed to temporarily stop the monster's attack.

The claws left golden afterimages in mid-air, and the monster seemed to sense something as it raised its head.

With a sudden burst of strength in his leg muscles, the shackles binding his legs creaked under the strain. Then, raising his leg, Asterius delivered a powerful kick to Drake and Mash's sides.

"Ugh—hmm." With a muffled groan, Drake dropped her flintlock pistol. Clutching her side, she felt as if several of her ribs were broken. Fortunately, with the blessing of the Holy Grail, its golden light slowly repaired her injured body.

"Ugh—!" Mashu was kicked away by the monster and staggered back in pain, while Asterius broke free from their attack.

Then, as if completely ignoring inertia, the monster retracted its leg without any resistance, disregarding even its momentum. Asterius looked up at the claws that were getting closer and closer to him.

The monster, its muscles taut and its limbs covered in decorations as if bound by chains, raised its massive axe blade.

The axe blade and the claws collided completely in the next moment.

The ground beneath Asterius's feet was instantly shattered, broken, and sank, just as it had been at the beginning of Nianzhuo's existence.

However, unlike Nian Zhuo, the monster was not completely suppressed; it remained firmly standing on the ground. The sinking of its legs did not affect the release of its power at all.

"No way—" Nian Zhuo even felt his body trembling slightly. "This guy's strength is even higher than A...?"

The truth is just as Nian Zhuo guessed.

Asterius, this monster (hero), although given the name Asterius—"Lightning"—is rarely called by this name.

His most widely known name in the world is Minotaur, meaning the Minotaur King.

The monster born from the union of Pasiphie, wife of Minos, the king who ruled Crete, and a bull, was born with the head of a minotaur and the body of a man.

Minos, at his wits' end, ordered the skilled craftsman Daedalus to build the Labyrinth, a labyrinth from which there was no escape.

Because of this added fame, the monster possesses a unique skill called "Demon by Nature".

The Demonic Nature: A++ is a skill not acquired through the fall of heroes or gods, but rather by innate monsters. It grants superhuman strength and endurance.

Therefore, the claws were gradually suppressed by the axe blade, and the monster showed signs of turning the tables.

"This is troublesome..."