Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Opening
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In animations or comics, there's that kind of direction.
The staging where the environment around a human's swung fist transforms entirely.
Where a massive expanse of land gets obliterated, or a building dozens of stories tall crumbles down.
Those exaggerated effects thrown in to show a single human displaying absurd strength.
And now.
The most ridiculous scene even among those categories was unfolding right before my eyes.
If it had been a physically enormous impact, I might not have been this shocked.
But the sight caught on the tip of the fist Casa had just thrust toward the sky.
The 'night.'
Was crumbling.
-..
-...
-.....!!
The dim sky, depending on the time of day.
For a very brief moment, 'shatters.'
Like a mirror smashed to pieces, its surface twists, breaks, peels away, and through the forcibly distorted space, a brilliant 'sunlight' that could never exist in the sky at this hour seeps in.
“...F, fuck.”
I mutter curses continuously while staring up at it.
I know what this means.
‘...The dimension itself has been twisted.’
I groan inwardly with that thought.
In game terms, almost everything in this range would be hit with an instant-death judgment.
Anything caught in that attack just now would be wiped out just from grazing it, unless they were top-tier powerhouses in this world's lore.
The founding Tristan Grand Duke, called the strongest sword saint in history, is said to have sliced the sky open with his sword to chase away the night and bring dawn.
Though it was only for an instant, though it was only a very localized area.
Right now, Casa had recreated that spectacle just by swinging his fist in place.
‘...Does this even make sense?’
I force down my weakening legs and think that.
I knew Casa hadn't earned the title of Fist Saint from some card game.
But anew, I feel how insanely lucky it was that I blocked this man's fist before.
“Shamanism.”
Casa's voice drops flatly in front of my dazed self.
“Is a supernatural ability manifested based on human 'willpower.' The world thinks it's exclusive to the tribal alliance, but that's just because they're often in extreme situations that make it easy to awaken. Anyone can wield it.”
As he says that, Casa slowly sits down on the ground.
The artificial bodies made from materials taken from the rulers of the demon realm were all shattering to pieces.
Even with those materials, they were in that state after just one use.
Considering what he did, it's impressive they held up even once.
“And since it's activated based on the human mind, unlike mana or divine power, it has no 'limit.' The limit of the ability is determined by how desperately you desire it, how earnestly you wish for it—that 'will.’”
“...”
“With a will that can reach the sky, you can shatter the sky like this.”
Of course, in other words.
It wasn't even his original body, just a hastily made artificial one. And he pulled this off with it.
“You could definitely do it. Not exactly the same, but you could mimic something similar.”
Even after pulling off something like that, Casa casually sits back down, picks up the bear-shaped pipe beside him, and says.
“I don't teach anything to those who aren't worth teaching.”
Yeah. Familiar line.
In the game too, after this line, Eliya got a skill.
‘...Hmm.’
But, did anything change for me?
Seeing that, I just feel it's incredibly impressive, but no enlightenment dawns on me.
On how to use the ability or—
[System Message]
[ You have witnessed an unbelievable feat! ]
[ New function added to 'Trait: Martial Arts – Stand-up'! ]
[ 'Stance – Sky Shatterer' added to motions! ]
[System Message]
[ You have gained valuable instruction! ]
[ Acquired 'Trait: Shamanism Operation'! ]
“...”
Ah, like this.
I wasn't expecting some earth-shattering enlightenment, but this feels a bit too bland somehow.
It's true to form for me, who always gets things for free.
“From your expression, looks like you took something away.”
Casa smirks, seeing my face.
I did take something, definitely.
I sigh and respond.
“...With skill like that, how'd you end up losing limbs?”
Allan Ba-Tor is no slouch, but seeing the feat Casa just pulled, even if that guy charged in with three trucks full, he couldn't win.
Casa just shrugs and answers.
“Back then, that bastard had my clan's lives hostage and threatened me. So I just let him chop them off obediently.”
“...”
Of course, in the end, on Tatiana's orders, Allan wiped out the Garda clan anyway.
‘And it didn't even end there.’
Thinking of what Tatiana had 'done' to Allan's body when I met him recently.
My face sours automatically. Nausea rises.
To the point where I can roughly predict Liru's reaction if she sees it now, on the verge of rampaging.
“Can you handle it?”
As I mull that over, Casa tosses out the question.
His gaze is fixed on the horizon. Precisely, on the terrifying 'tidal wave' forming there.
Tatiana's summoning ritual is nearing completion.
And that means.
[ Crisis situation detected. ]
[ Judged as a direct threat to life. ]
[ Skill: Desperate Situation applied at EX rank. ]
It's time.
As that window pops up, I feel power surging through my body and sigh.
“...What choice do I have but to, or die.”
With those last words.
I leap straight off the coastal cliff in front of Casa.
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Thud, I feel the rock I land on shatter.
My body feels light. It's always like this when Desperate Situation activates, but especially now.
‘...Definitely gotten tougher.’
I've felt it many times before, but all that hard training with Liru wasn't for nothing.
To the point where even this is possible.
“-Hup!”
With a kiai, I kick off the ground, and the surface recedes at terrifying speed.
Like Elnor did before, I can mimic flight with pure physical ability.
‘...Maybe nearing two-piece-set Elnor level.’
My current physical specs seem to have risen to a comparable level.
And while floating at that dizzying height, I scan the surroundings.
I spot what I'm looking for soon enough.
I land back on the ground, shattering another rock, and leap toward it.
My body, flying at least a few hundred meters like a cannonball, crashes onto the tribal alliance boat like an impact.
“W-Woah!”
Talion at the helm startles with a scream.
At my request, he'd parked the boat here and waited.
“I'm he-”
As I start to greet him, I see the small ice kitten on Talion's head.
“...”
No, ice tiger cub.
What's with him carrying that around on his head.
“...What's that?”
“This? Seems to be a baby ice tiger. Since the mother vanished, it's been clinging to me like this. Guess it likes me.”
“It had cubs?”
Didn't know that.
Whether flame demon or ice tiger, once beaten like that, it takes at least months to a year to revive.
With the mother gone, it's instinctual for the cub to cling to someone who seems protective like that.
“Well, so for the time being, I'm planning to take care of it.”
Talion reaches up, strokes the ice tiger's head, and says.
It's purring and rubbing its head there, so they've bonded in the meantime.
“...But isn't that a magic beast?”
“Fundamentally similar to animals, so raising it should be too. Can't just abandon an orphan, so I'll walk it properly and feed it well.”
“...”
Whatever, I'm not the decision-maker. Do what you want.
More importantly, the crisis right in front of us.
“...B-Bro.”
“Yeah.”
I give a short reply to Talion's trembling voice.
“Being around you, I go through every kind of situation.”
“Yeah.”
“Last time with the dragon, I thought that was the peak. Nothing could shock me more.”
“Yeah.”
“...How do you always manage to surprise me with something new?”
“...”
Yeah, it does look kinda scary.
I sigh, looking at the massive 'sinkhole' before us. Similar to when the Kraken was first summoned.
Except.
The 'scale' is incomparable.
A hole boring downward, visibly prominent even in this vast sea. Big enough to fit the entire Forge of Struggle with room to spare.
The seawater 'rising' from the deeply pierced hole in the seabed looks like a tidal wave.
An inverted tidal wave. Aptly named.
And within it.
-...
-...
-....!!!
The 'cursed' being.
An invader from another dimension that can never mix with 'this world' reveals itself.
It feels like sticky, slimy soot from the sewer bottom slithering into the mind. An aura only something that scatters all kinds of curses just by existing can emit.
First to emerge is a massive tentacle. Spewing blood and curses in all directions, ancient hieroglyphs carved on it emit eerie light.
That alone could envelop and crush the entire Forge of Struggle, but far more of the body connected to that tentacle remains in the sinkhole below.
That's just a 'part' of the whole body.
Its true size is beyond fathomable.
“Bro.”
“Yeah.”
“...Not just one, huh.”
“Nope.”
I nod to Talion's hollow voice.
Originally, just one, but now three total.
Effect from designating Allan Ba-Tor as an apostle. Tatiana's scheme to definitely kill me.
Doesn't care what happens to the others, but determined to take me down, summoning three of these monstrosities.
“Talion.”
“Yeah?”
“You practiced maneuvering this boat hard against the sea dragon before.”
“It was rehearsal for now.”
“To dodge something like that, even that counts as rehearsal...!”
“No, that's not the point.”
In fact.
Even that becomes 'mere' in the face of the top-tier threat—there's one more.
Strictly speaking, two.
“...Huh?”
As Talion blankly replies.
The massive body rising before us.
In an instant, gets 'crushed.'
--!!!!!!!!
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With volume like sky and earth tearing simultaneously, the ancient being emerging from the sea depths lets out a agonized scream.
‘...Not dead in one hit.’
Guess it's worthy of a chapter boss fight.
Doesn't die instantly even clashing with 'that.'
“Dawood Campbeeeelll--------!!!!!!!”
Amid the roar, a voice clearly asserting its presence rings out.
A bellow from a human 'leaping over the sea' far on the horizon.
So full of ferocious hostility that Talion unwittingly mutters sorry.
“Get the fuck out here before I kill youuuu--------!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“...”
No.
If I pop out, I'd die.
I sigh and gesture to Talion.
“Let's bounce.”
“Roger.”
The boat accelerates sharply.
For now.
Chapter 3 boss fight.
Apostle of the Inverted Tidal Wave, Ancient Sea Depths Being Subjugation Battle, commences.
And simultaneously.
!!!!!!!!!!!Demon Alert!!!!!!!!!!!
[ 'Demon-related' emergency event occurred! ]
[ This is a top-priority event! ]
[ Fail to act correctly within the time limit, and you will die! ]
[ Event related to target 'Liru'! ]
[ Immediately devise survival countermeasures! ]
Evasion maneuvers to survive against two demon vessels, begin.
“...”
It's not just my imagination that the latter part looks far more disastrous than the boss fight.
“...So popular, gonna die of happiness, really.”
“I agree on the dying part—!”
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