Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Inverted Tidal Wave (3)
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As I flipped the mask over my face, the Inverted Tidal Wave, which had taken the form of a giant before my eyes, collapsed.
Just like I had done to the water dragon earlier, a white slash diced its massive body into tiny pieces.
Its vitality, which had survived even my strike with such effort, was rendered meaningless in an instant, breaking apart and crumbling into the seawater below.
“...”
But right now, I couldn’t even muster a reaction to it.
I was exhausted.
No joke—I really felt like I was going to die.
As I gasped for breath, sweat poured down my entire body like rain.
It felt like I had poured every ounce of my strength into that single punch.
‘...I was just imitating it, and this shit happens...!’
I thought that while heaving rough breaths.
No.
It was a good thing that even a clumsy imitation produced this level of power.
But with this much backlash, I couldn’t even imagine the strain on my body if I ever perfected it.
[System Message]
[ Fantastic spell operation! ]
[ Proficiency of ‘Trait: Spell Operation’ greatly increases. ]
[System Message]
[ You clumsily imitated a technique from a distant realm! ]
[ Completion of ‘Trait: Hand-to-Hand Combat – Stand-up’ greatly increases! ]
“...”
At least there were some upsides.
Looks like all this suffering wasn’t for nothing.
I scanned the system windows that popped up one after another in front of my eyes.
[Mastery Info]
[ Trait: Spell Operation ] [ Grade: Proficiency ]
[ Current Proficiency: 0% ]
[ Allows handling of the supernatural ability ‘spells’ that can be exerted based on the subject’s willpower. ]
[ ■ Output is determined by the ‘willpower’ held by the caster. ‘Willpower’ is calculated based on the degree to which the subject desires or yearns for their goal. ]
[ ■ Fusion of spells with other supernatural abilities is now possible. ]
Huh.
Fusing spells with other abilities? That’s a new function I’ve never heard of.
There wasn’t even a route in the game where Eliya could handle spells herself, so no comparison there.
And as I was thinking that.
[...What are you looking at, Dawood?]
A chilling ‘text’ caught my eye, sending shivers down my spine.
Just like always when she hit her berserk limit, Yuria was communicating not with her voice, but with words.
I glanced over, and there she was—Yuria, perched on a massive rock she’d somehow hauled over, spewing white energy in streams.
“...”
No, not just any rock.
She’d sliced off an entire coastal boulder the size of a house and dragged it here.
The clean cut made it look like she’d bisected some animal; it was absurd.
“Thanks for the save, hey.”
[I didn’t save you—I just sliced it because it was in the way. There’s a ton of things I want explained from you—]
Before she could finish.
-...
-...!!!!
The Inverted Tidal Wave, now a grotesque mass of flesh chunks that barely qualified as a ‘body,’ began moving again.
What insane vitality. Even Yuria, who’d reduced it to this state, looked dumbfounded.
[...Impossible. It’s still alive?]
Can’t blame her.
These things are under the ‘Curse of Insomnia.’
That’s why I couldn’t crush them with my bare fists alone.
No matter how much of a blow it was from a fragment of the devil wielding a ‘weapon,’ it couldn’t sever their lifeline.
Thanks to that.
---!!!!!!!!!!
The curse erupted from its body once more.
Even compared to what I’d pulverized earlier, this black wave felt several times more vicious—an atrocious pulse that could kill any lifeform it swept over.
[System Message]
[ ‘Curse Wave’ activated against you has been detected! ]
[ Magic Resistance stat roll... ]
[ Resistance successful! ]
I easily dodged a direct hit with another Divine Shield maneuver, but even from this distance, a resistance check popped up. That’s how vicious it was.
I’d seen this in the game too. The final pattern when HP hit rock bottom.
At this point, closing in to smash it with that move again would be tough.
With instant-death attacks spraying everywhere, approaching was a chore, and factoring in the backlash from ‘Sky Breaker,’ even landing one on each of the remaining two would push me to my limit.
So, to ‘finish’ this one off, I’d have to use Yuria.
That’s why I’d deliberately pushed her to berserk and brought her along.
And I had one more preparation for it.
“...”
I carefully eyed the ‘below’ the sea.
I could feel the churning energy down there.
‘It’s about time to come out.’
The other ‘two’ required scraping together every bit of tech from the Forge of Strife to summon, but this one? After all the chaos here, it was only natural for it to pop out.
-!!!!
Right on cue.
A massive wave surged as the ‘water dragon’ revealed itself.
It looked furious, like it wanted to see the faces of the fools wreaking havoc in its turf.
But.
‘...It used to look majestic.’
Sure, it was plenty big, but compared to the overwhelming bulk of the Inverted Tidal Waves, it felt almost petite.
And what I did next would utterly shatter its dignity.
One more Divine Shield boost. I leaped right up to the water dragon.
Its eyes locked onto me, growling a roar from its maw.
The problem was what came after.
It spotted Yuria right behind me.
-...
[System Message]
[ ‘Fear Brand’ effect activated! ]
[ ‘Water Dragon’ freezes stiff upon seeing target ‘Yuria’! ]
Big body, big eyes—easy to read the emotions in them.
Frozen solid by the terror deeply imprinted from when Yuria butchered it before. Like a debuff. Paralyzed for a few seconds.
And that was enough.
“...Hup!”
Reaching its jaw, I swung a punch.
‘Slapping it.’
‘Sending it flying.’
From the outside, it’d look like an ant punching an elephant into the air. That’s the size difference.
‘...Seriously.’
I’d long surpassed human limits myself.
Even unarmed, with hand-to-hand combat bonuses and EX-rank Desperate Situation, this was still insane.
[...Crazy.]
Even Yuria let out an involuntary groan at the sight.
-...
-...!!
The water dragon, launched by my fist, crashed straight into the Inverted Tidal Wave’s body.
And for a brief moment.
That contact ‘stripped away’ the Curse of Insomnia.
‘...That’s it.’
I smirked as I watched.
A familiar scene from the game.
The curse’s counter was holy power, but there was no way to slay a primordial god’s familiar here. Even the Saint couldn’t.
However.
If it was an ‘elemental lifeform’ at least at ‘special-grade’ level.
It could ‘neutralize’ the curse, if only for a moment.
Like I just did.
Of course, without the Fear Brand, I couldn’t have slotted the water dragon in there so easily—like some pinball.
Which means.
This precious ‘opportunity’ I’d created needed quick exploitation.
“Yuria.”
[...What?]
To the startled Yuria, at my sudden call.
I flashed a grin and tossed out the line.
“Truth is.”
To my opponent glaring expressionlessly, I continued calmly.
“You said earlier there’s a ton you want explained to you.”
[...You know that alrea—]
“But these enemies keep popping up so much now that I’m too lazy to explain.”
“...”
“No excuses, so just simple.”
“...”
To Yuria, mouth agape in disbelief, I beamed and threw it lightly.
“Catch me if you can~”
[...]
Yuria fell silent for a long beat after my words, then grinned wide.
[If you get caught, you die?]
“...”
Of course, her mouth smiled, but her eyes didn’t.
If she caught me, I’d really die.
-!
And then.
Everything happened in an instant.
[ Activating ‘Skill: Divine Shield.’ ]
[ Due to ‘Trait: Holy Power Operation,’ two are generated simultaneously! ]
Divine Shields materialized in midair; I stepped on them and charged the tattered Inverted Tidal Wave.
Seeing that, Yuria kicked off her severed coastal rock and pursued me.
“...!”
As I acrobatically vaulted over the two with flashy moves.
The water dragon and Inverted Tidal Wave in our path were ‘bisected’ in one strike.
Neither could even scream as they split in half.
The water dragon, being an elemental lifeform, might revive later, but the Inverted Tidal Wave turned to ash—definite death.
“...”
Unbelievable.
It was a makeshift strategy pieced together on the fly, but it worked better than expected.
Pre-berserk Yuria, OP as hell.
[Dawood.]
As I thought that and looked at Yuria.
She smiled brightly, covered in Inverted Tidal Wave fluids and water dragon blood.
Her face smiled.
But her eyes were dead.
[If you get caught, you really die?]
“...”
I know, damn it.
But.
‘...Two left.’
I eyed the remaining two giants.
And, as requested earlier from the Forge of Strife, I spotted the ‘Flame Demon’ and ‘Ice Tiger’ shapes forming nearby.
“...”
In my eyes, those two looked like one-use grenades right now.
Ones that could briefly dispel the Inverted Tidal Wave’s curse.
With Fear Brands fully imprinted, they’d be easy to use that way too.
“...”
I smirked, sorting out the routine.
Peel off the outer layer with hand-to-hand combat, shove the Lord of Magical Realms inside, finish with Yuria’s sword.
Simple work. Just repeat like a factory line worker on a conveyor belt.
“...Let’s wrap this up quick.”
I’ve prepared a ton so far.
Suffered a lot.
So.
Right now, let’s keep it easy and simple.
“...”
That way.
I can tidy up fast and prepare for the ‘aftermath.’
‘...Where’s that guy?’
Thinking about it, it’s pretty weird.
He threw in everything, even that big shot Allan, to summon these.
So where the hell is the summoner himself?
“...”
I had a rough guess where.
So, let’s hurry and chase him down.
With that thought, I launched myself at the second giant.
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Elnor Erinarije la Tristan greatly favored her polka-dot full-body pajamas.
She’d worn them since childhood—they were comfortable, and now she was so attached that switching felt impossible.
Of course, she knew they were a bit embarrassing for an adult woman, so she avoided showing them to others.
That’s why the knock right before sleep made her irritation boil over.
Ugh.
Changing clothes is such a hassle.
“...”
Another knock.
Elnor sighed, her annoyance peaking.
The clock showed deep into the early morning. Who’d visit at this hour?
‘...And it’s already noisy as hell outside.’
Dawood was gone. The whole academy felt bustling for some reason.
Unwelcome guests kept showing up lately, grating on her nerves.
And again, Dawood was gone.
Lately, she felt deficient in that man’s ‘essence,’ making her irritable, and this constant provocation wasn’t helping.
Ugh, no good. Next time I see Dawood, I’ll demand a hug and kiss first—
“Tristan Duchess. Are you inside?”
The voice from beyond the door snapped Elnor from her thoughts.
She’d dealt with plenty of unwanted visitors lately, but even so.
No doubt.
This was a voice she’d never imagined hearing here, now.
“...High Priestess Tatiana?”
“Greetings, Your Grace.”
“What brings you at this hour?”
“...It’s nothing much. Just.”
Tatiana continued with a smiling tone.
“I have someone I’d like to introduce.”
With those words, immediately.
A massive explosion rocked Elnor’s room.
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