Chapter 264: Say It
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 264: Say It
The spectators watching from outside the Palette let out collective gasps of awe.
“As expected of an Orichalcum Grade.”
The combat power of the synthetic monsters Yoo Eon had created was truly marvelous, but Adelaide Margarita, who had withstood them all on her own, was equally impressive.
The fact that she still had a trump card left after enduring such a battle for an hour and a half was proof enough that her status as an Orichalcum Grade was no empty title.
“I see, so she had a skill like that.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen her use it.”
The existence of the Prime Legacy was information known only to a few: some of the Chief Examiners, Murit Denshter, and a handful of veterans within the Guild Headquarters.
Had the Chief Examiners been ignorant of that skill, they would have declared Adelaide unable to continue long ago.
Skaeda Justitia inwardly nodded at Adelaide’s phenomenal endurance. After all, they were both Orichalcum Grades; it would be a blow to their collective prestige if she suffered a pathetic defeat.
“Still, it was a magnificent display of command. He accurately grasped the combat power and specialized performance of each entity, leading them into an effective pincer attack.”
As if already sensing Yoo Eon’s defeat, Skaeda Justitia began writing her evaluation in the notebook she held.
‘A commander-type explorer who actively controls high-output entities. Expected to perform excellently in the future if equipped with a Battle Attire and stealth artifacts to effectively supplement his own defensive capabilities.’
When Skaeda finished her notes and looked back at the Palette, she saw the moment immediately after Adelaide had sliced through the flesh giant and Yoo Eon’s right arm.
“He doesn’t seem to react much to pain. Maintaining his composure even after his right arm was severed is commendable.”
“Ah—I don’t think so.”
Murit Denshter, standing beside her, slowly shook his head, contradicting Skaeda’s assessment.
And in that moment, the scene they witnessed was…
“What in the…”
From between the heaps of the giant’s sliced flesh, muscle fibers and skeletal structures began to wriggle and squirm, suddenly lunging forward to seize Adelaide’s neck from behind.
It was strange that Adelaide hadn't noticed it, and even more bizarre to see her, despite being in peak condition, dangling in the air and struggling without being able to resist.
It was like an ant trampling a dragon to death. A mere arm, sprouting from a pile of meat sliced like cube steak, had suppressed an Orichalcum-grade explorer who specialized in close-quarters combat.
“No, how on earth…?”
What followed only made them doubt their eyes further.
Yoo Eon’s entire body was momentarily swathed in crimson muscle and sallow lumps of fat, and before long, a pitch-black monster stood in his place.
His physique had grown about 1.5 times larger, with bright red flames flickering along his head and back. A thick tail, reminiscent of a Dragon Species, lashed out, exuding a malevolent aura.
—BOOM!
The sound made them think something had exploded. Had Adelaide counterattacked? Indeed, a thick cloud of dust was rising from where the two had been standing.
But defying everyone’s expectations, the first thing to emerge from the dust—shattering like the peak of a solid stone mountain—was…
“L-Lady Margarita…!”
Adelaide Margarita was sent flying into the distance, effortlessly smashing through four or five stone peaks along the way. It wasn't an emergency escape via a skill, nor was it a rapid evasion powered by mana.
She was simply being hammered away by overwhelming physical force.
* * *
—CRASH!
In an instant, the mana barricade surrounding her entire body was half-destroyed. Unlike her encounter with the previous synthetic monsters, there was no toxic gas, nor were there harmful components inducing paralysis or hallucinations.
With a single punch Yoo Eon had driven into Adelaide’s solar plexus, her entire body had been sent hurtling through every obstacle in her path, smashing through stone peaks for kilometers.
“Gah…?!”
She was so shocked she couldn't even grasp the situation she was in. Even worse, the forearm that had been gripping her neck was still attached, refusing to let go.
“Gasp… Hrk…!!”
Deprived of oxygen, Adelaide’s face began to turn blue. While a massive amount of mana was being drained to maintain her half-shattered protection, Adelaide hurriedly raised her right hand and severed the forearm gripping her throat.
“Why…?”
But even though the forearm was cut off, the grip did not loosen. Normally, the mechanism of a grip is created by tendons starting from the elbow pulling strongly on the fingers. To Adelaide’s mind, this made no sense.
However, the hand currently clutching her neck was not powered by force transmitted through tendons; it was made of muscle fibers packed densely inside the skin of the fingers and palm.
And these were no ordinary muscles. The masseter muscles—the muscles that produce the greatest force relative to volume in a living being—were reinforced with mana and situated inside the hand.
The hand, which had been strangling Adelaide with a grip strength of approximately 16 tons, only fell to the ground after its thumb was severed by her aura-infused blade.
“Hrk, ugh…!!”
Her insides were in turmoil. Her stomach churned from the mysterious attack that had struck her solar plexus, and her heart began to thud in shock.
The Upper Esophageal Sphincter, which normally prevents stomach contents from refluxing, failed involuntarily. Pieces of the sandwich she had eaten for a quick meal, mixed with coffee diluted by gastric acid, poured out through her throat and nostrils.
“Blegh…!”
Even in her delirious state, she raised her head as she felt an ominously powerful mana. What met her eyes was…
“A m-monster….”
* * *
“This makes no sense.”
A body that was not human.
No, it was a body that didn't even follow the basic principles of a living organism, created solely for combat. Digestive organs and anything else unnecessary for battle—anything that could be a weakness—had been entirely excluded.
In the abdomen, where digestive organs should have been, three pairs of lungs inhaled the surrounding air as if tasting it, and two massive hearts pulsed loudly, supplying an enormous volume of blood to the giant frame.
In the void of the thoracic cavity created by the lungs moving downward, over a dozen mana cores coexisted, radiating a sinister energy.
Skaeda Justitia’s ‘Eye that Pierces Principles’ peered through the subspace at Yoo Eon’s form, flashing constant warnings.
‘I have to run.’
A creature so dangerous she completely forgot this was a sparring match. In fact, she questioned if it could even be called a living thing. It was nothing more than a living sin against biological science, merely mimicking the form of a bipedal primate with limbs.
“Calm down, Skaeda.”
“Haa… haa….”
Before she realized it, she was breathing heavily, and Murit Denshter had to intervene. Skaeda lowered her gaze and read the contents of the notebook in her hand.
‘A commander-type explorer who actively controls high-output entities. Expected to perform excellently in the future if equipped with a Battle Attire and stealth artifacts to effectively supplement his own defensive capabilities.’
“No… no!”
Skaeda tore out the page, crumpled it, and forced it into her mouth.
“Mmph, ugh….”
“What are you doing…?”
Murit Denshter questioned her bizarre behavior, but Skaeda had no room to care about what others thought.
‘If he saw that note, he would have killed me.’
After forcing the crumpled paper down her narrow esophagus, Skaeda stroked her chest and let out a sigh of relief. There was no way that thing was human. Explorer Aven was a monster perfectly imitating a human being.
‘I’m alive…!’
* * *
While Skaeda Justitia was acting erratically, the battle continued.
There was one piece of good news and one piece of bad news for Adelaide Margarita.
The good news was that only 20 minutes remained in her sparring session.
The bad news was that Yoo Eon had decided to force a declaration of surrender from Adelaide within those 20 minutes.
“Kyaah…!!”
—CLANG!
Blade and fist clearly collided, but the sword shattered, and the fist drove into her body. In a fight between superhumans, one might ask what was so special about that, but the one swinging the sword was Adelaide, an Orichalcum-grade explorer and a Sword Master.
Evasion was futile; she was caught and pummeled before she knew it.
Trying to match him in a contest of strength was impossible.
Even when she tried a surprise attack using mana, there were no openings.
The combined attacks of the summons that had slowly gnawed away at her mana for an hour and a half had only reduced it by about twenty percent.
But after being beaten by Yoo Eon’s true self for about ten minutes, her remaining mana had dropped to less than ten percent. Now, actual physical damage was beginning to take its toll.
Only one thought began to fill her mind.
‘I have to say I lost.’
There were still ten minutes left, but she no longer had the mana to withstand his attacks.
Perhaps Yoo Eon realized this, as he gradually lowered his power and held back his strikes. Just enough so she wouldn't die.
—THUD!!
“Ugh….”
She tripped and tumbled while trying to run away, and since her limbs were in no condition to move, she couldn't get up and was kicked away.
She tried to squeeze out the last of her mana to endure the remaining time.
“Haa… haa….”
How long had it been since she had panted so hard, sweating pathetically? It had been so long since she reached the Orichalcum Grade that she couldn't even remember.
—GRAB.
Her head was seized by a large hand. Pain throbbed as it pressed into her temples. Her skull felt like it would split in half at any moment.
“Ugh, aaah…!”
“Say it.”
A voice pierced through the constant ringing in her ears. Adelaide, dangling in the air and kicking her legs feebly, opened her eyes blurred by tears mixed with dust.
“I… I surrender….”