Chapter 404: Yandel Stands on the Earth (2)
Chapter 404: Yandel Stands on the Earth (2)
It hadn't been long since Yandel entered the golem.
Fay knew she shouldn't be feeling this way, not when an Evil God was on the verge of descending, but she couldn't suppress the frantic pounding of her heart.
Is it going to move?
It had to. If it were a mere object incapable of movement, Clashing Steel wouldn't have bestowed a blessing upon it in the first place.
The moment Fay swallowed hard, her anticipation transformed into pure ecstasy.
Thump—
It was the sound of the golem’s heart beating—a heart powered by Yandel and the Dragon Heart.
The golem’s startup procedure was simple. First, it recognized Yandel’s mana and opened the cockpit.
Once Yandel boarded and placed his hands on the control panel, the golem—which used parts of Yandel as materials—verified if the pilot was truly Yandel himself.
Finally, once the rightful owner was confirmed, Yandel’s mana began to flow into every corner of the golem, synchronizing his senses with the machine.
That heavy heartbeat from a moment ago signaled that the golem had completed the final procedure and begun the assimilation.
From this stage onward, it would remain operational without issue until Yandel disembarked or ran out of mana.
“…Wait. How is he supposed to get out?”
Fay had been so focused on the construction that she hadn't considered an exit strategy for the massive golem.
But before she could come up with a solution, a change began to occur within the machine.
Vroom—
Red lines running across the black armor began to glow. Simultaneously, a searing heat radiated from the golem’s entire body.
The Blessing of Clashing Steel was activating.
“Hyaak!”
Startled, Fay scrambled to the side. She was still on the roof of the workshop, but being off to the side felt safer than standing directly in front of it.
Should I go down? It feels dangerous up here, but I’ll have a better view of the fight from this height. I know Levitation Magic, so I can just jump if things get bad, right?
As Fay ran through various calculations in her head, a purple light flared from the slits of the golem’s helmet—faster than she could reach a conclusion.
It was the sign that Yandel’s senses were fully assimilated with the golem.
Fay stopped thinking and stood frozen as the golem’s head began to move slowly.
The neck tilted slightly from side to side. That familiar gesture was exactly like the real Yandel. He was looking around, assessing the situation.
After a cautious look around, the golem came to a halt in front of Fay. Then, it gave a light nod.
The golem lacked a vocal apparatus to speak, but Fay, who had always watched over Yandel, knew exactly what that nod meant.
Thank you. Good job. You did well.
The words might vary slightly, but the sentiment was the same: he was acknowledging her. Just like he always did.
Fay felt a prickle of tears and crinkled her nose, but the moment was brief. The golem turned its head toward the Two-headed Giant, who was currently battering the nearly broken barrier.
The golem seemed to contemplate for a moment before reaching a decision. With a firm stance, it bent its knees slightly.
“H-Hieee! Junior?! You can’t! That won’t work!”
Fay’s face turned pale as she realized what Yandel was trying to do… but it was too late.
The red patterns glowed even more intensely. Whether Yandel didn't hear her or was simply ignoring her, he lowered his posture further…
And jumped.
“Kyaaaaaah!!”
Even with Yandel’s mana, it should have been impossible to generate enough output to lift such a massive frame.
Fay, certain the workshop would collapse under the recoil, hastily cast Levitation Magic and squeezed her eyes shut.
Boom!
“……Eh?”
The disaster Fay feared didn't happen.
The golem had leaped high into the air, cleanly clearing the workshop building.
Fay’s jaw dropped. Only then did she realize the true nature of the Blessing of Clashing Steel.
“Output enhancement…?”
Not just Fay, but Lokan and the other craftsmen who had participated in the project stared at the golem’s back with wide eyes.
The golem flexed its hands to check its movements, then clenched its fists and took a combat stance against the Two-headed Giant.
The fruit of Fay’s past and present now kicked off the earth to carve out a future.
*
“Holy crap.”
They say when a person is truly impressed, they lose their words. It’s true.
I was feeling a level of awe comparable to the first time I saw Carla naked or when I buried my face in Fay’s chest.
A high vantage point overlooking the world, and this entire body… well, it’s not technically my body, so maybe that’s the wrong word.
Regardless, a surge of power overflowing from deep within made me shudder.
“With this…!”
Even a giant born from the incarnations of two Evil Gods could be fought on equal footing with this golem!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
I kicked off the ground with heavy sounds that shook the earth. With every step, the scenery blurred past.
The distance between me and the Two-headed Giant closed rapidly. Noticing my approach, the creature’s eyes went wide.
—I thought you’d run away, but it seems you had a trick up your sleeve!
—Hahaha! What do you expect to do with a toy like that? Do you dare challenge Reckless Roar with brute strength!
The head of Confused Unity furrowed its brow, while the head of Reckless Roar laughed boisterously as if finding this amusing.
They stopped finishing off the crumbling barrier and prepared to meet my charge.
One arm and leg were thrust forward as the body tilted slightly—a combat stance ready to counter at any moment.
The moment I saw that, the excitement that had been boiling over cooled instantly, as if someone had poured ice down my back.
That’s right. Both Confused Unity and Reckless Roar were martial-type Evil Gods. While both were the type to rely on raw physical stats rather than technique… the fact remained that they were skilled fighters.
At the very least, they were better at fighting than I was, considering my close-quarters combat relied entirely on B-rank weapon skills and System corrections.
…Therefore, a mage must fight like a mage.
I shifted my center of gravity forward to accelerate even further while squeezing the mana from my heart.
I leaned into the vague sensation I’d felt since the moment of assimilation. I gave a name to the image forming within me.
“[Broken Shield!]”
I declared the activation word in Dragon Tongue. Unlike a normal Shield, this was a somewhat aggressive spell that exploded into fragments when subjected to a certain amount of impact.
As expected, the Broken Shield, which normally would have been sized for my human body, manifested at a scale matching the golem.
A translucent barrier deployed between me and the Two-headed Giant in an instant. The two Evil Gods flinched at the sight of the barrier, which was uniquely covered in cracks.
—What?!
—Again! You cowardly bastard…!
Though momentarily surprised, they followed through with their counter, trusting in their own strength.
Using the forward leg as an axis, the rear arm and leg lunged forward.
Massive, bulging muscles. A strike that looked more dangerous than any of their previous attacks slammed into my shield. However.
K-boom!
What followed wasn't the sharp sound of breaking glass, but an explosion. The shield, having held for a split second, detonated according to its design.
—Guaaaah!
—It stings!! But it’s nothing!
Size itself is both a weapon and armor. There was a reason the Two-headed Giant hadn't taken significant damage even after being hit directly by Punishment, which was essentially a high-tier spell.
Part of it was their superior regeneration, but primarily, it was because their massive size prevented wounds from becoming fatal.
Conversely, it meant that as long as the scale of the magic increased, I could produce meaningful results.
Shield fragments were embedded all over the Two-headed Giant’s body. However, since both Confused Unity and Reckless Roar were Evil Gods known for their toughness, the damage from the Broken Shield itself was minimal.
But it did fail to stop my momentum.
“Die!!!”
The moment I put all my strength into my body, heat surged through me. The red lines—the Blessing of Clashing Steel—glowed white-hot.
As the fire of the blessing spread through the golem’s frame…
KABOOM!
—Aaaargh!
—You piece of sh—!
The strike was far more powerful than I had anticipated.
The head of Confused Unity screamed as it was struck by a fist carrying immense mass, and even as they were sent flying, the still-conscious Reckless Roar spat out curses in frustration.
Of course, their body, unable to withstand the impact, was honestly lifted off the ground and sent tumbling backward.
Thud!
The giant crashed into the dirt.
With this, it was proven that in terms of raw strength alone, the golem was not inferior to the Two-headed Giant.
Perhaps because of that heat from earlier, my shoulders and wrists felt a bit stiff, but…
Pshhhhh—
White steam hissed from the red lines etched across the golem, and the faint discomfort vanished completely.
I didn't know the mechanics, but it was likely some sort of overload protection. It wasn't called a divine blessing for nothing.
The fallen giant rolled and quickly scrambled back to its feet, but no matter how fast they were, the one who was already standing was bound to be faster.
“[Grease!]”
The ground beneath the giant’s feet became slick just as it stood up. It seemed to hold its ground through sheer balance, but…
Wham—!
It couldn't help but fall again when I followed up with a dropkick.
I quickly straddled the fallen giant, taking a mount position.
“Be a good boy and become my dowry!”
From here on out, one-sided beating authorized.