Chapter 405: Yandel Stands on the Earth (3)
Chapter 405: Yandel Stands on the Earth (3)
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Mounted atop the two-headed giant, the black giant golem swung its fists relentlessly.
Each time its hands slammed into the giant’s heads, the ground rumbled with a dull thud as if an earthquake had struck.
The giant’s neck, which had seemed too thick to ever bend, began to slowly tilt backward. Even after the back of its head hit the dirt, the onslaught continued.
Even I have to admit, this is no joke. I never thought I’d understand what it means for raw power to become an Authority in its own right this way.
“Just stay still and become part of my dowry!”
I shouted as I poured even more strength into my swinging fists. If I were in my own body, this action wouldn't have made a meaningful difference beyond a slight increase in effort.
The golem connected to me should have been the same, but…
Fwoosh.
The red lines etched across its entire body began to glow brighter, and I started to feel a slight searing pain through the connection.
Simultaneously, the golem’s punches became faster and more powerful. The Blessing of Clashing Steel was driving the two-headed giant into a corner.
It was a one-sided beating.
At this rate, the heads pinned against the ground would be torn completely from the giant’s body.
Of course, that was only if it kept taking the hits. An Evil God wasn't a pushover that would just sit there and die.
—Have you finally found the will to fight?! You, too, shall soon become one with us!
—Hahaha! This is much better than before!
The creature actually seemed pleased that I, who had been running away until now, was finally fighting back. It then raised the arms it had kept still until that moment.
It wasn't trying to guard. It was simply trying to catch my fists.
The strength of the golem and the two-headed giant was roughly equal. Actually, considering the power of the blessing, I might have been slightly stronger.
Since I was in a mounted position, I had the advantage in terms of leverage. In the end, although the giant managed to grab my fists, it couldn't fully stop the momentum.
Thwack!
The two heads were struck by the back of the giant's own hands, which were wrapped around my fists. It couldn't have been unaware that this would happen… so what was it planning?
While ramping up my vigilance, I mechanically raised my arm for another punch. Or rather, I tried to.
“Oops.”
It was true that my strength was superior when I was slamming my fists down, preventing the giant from blocking. However, simply preventing me from lifting a fist that had already stopped was well within its capabilities.
—Caught you at last.
—We will never let go!
The two-headed giant smirked with a face that was half-crushed from the blows but was rapidly regenerating.
Sensing danger, I quickly tried to stand up and shake off its grip… but I was a moment too late. Both heads had already unhinged their jaws wide.
“Tch.”
I didn't know what was about to come out of those maws, but I knew it wouldn't be pleasant. I hurriedly completed a magic spell I had prepared for just such an occasion.
“[Light Saber!]”
A streak of light cut through the air. The light saber, its output and range overwhelmingly enhanced, sliced through the two-headed giant’s elbow area.
It lacked the power to sever the limb completely, but it had enough cutting force to gouge through the flesh until bone was visible.
The giant’s arm instantly became a tattered mess. An arm in that state couldn't fully offset the golem’s strength.
Snap—
With the sound of something tearing, the giant’s arm was ripped away at the elbow. Just as I tried to pull back, different Authorities manifested from the open mouths of the two heads.
—Kraw-haaaaaaar!!
What came from the mouth of Reckless Roar was a typical War Cry. Though, being performed by an Evil God himself, its power was anything but typical.
Instantly, the two-headed giant’s entire body was enveloped in a red aura. At the same time, its already thick muscles pumped up even further, and it swung its knee toward my flank.
If I were in my own body and could feel the pain, it might have been different, but it was an attack that should have been insufficient to push back a golem that blocked out pain above a certain threshold.
Or so it should have been.
Thump!
“What the…?!”
I felt a sudden sensation of floating. Just how much had it been buffed? Beyond simply pushing me back, this massive golem was actually sent flying sideways, if only a little.
It had likely converted the damage from the one-sided beating I’d just delivered into rage, then exploded that rage all at once.
Still, only the outer armor on the waist was slightly dented; there was no major malfunction. The real problem was the Authority of Confused Unity that followed.
Crunch!
With the sound of a beast’s jaws snapping shut, the outer armor on one of the golem's arms was crushed as if it had been bitten off.
Void Feast.
The invisible teeth, which were the foundation and the entirety of Confused Unity’s Authority, had pierced through that solid Alchemical Steel.
“This is ridiculous.”
Wasn't the durability of this thing only slightly below dragon scales? Indeed, it had handled attacks without issue during simple physical brawling.
Then again, come to think of it, even real dragons were driven to the brink of extinction during the War of the Gods, so this wasn't entirely impossible.
Anyway, I was glad it held up even once. I doubted it could take a second hit in the same spot.
Maintaining the distance that had been forcibly created, I drew up my mana once more.
“[Fire.]”
Fireballs blooming in the air scorched both of the giant’s arms, which were still gripping my hands.
Perhaps because the firepower was lacking due to it being basic magic, or perhaps because the giant’s body was too sturdy, they weren't completely reduced to ashes.
However, it was enough to sear them to the point where reattaching them to its body would be impossible.
Watching this, the giant snorted and tried to plant its half-severed arms into the ground. Its size shrank slightly, and in an instant, new arms sprouted from the stumps.
It can do that too?
Well, that body was originally made by clumping together the flesh of other beings. Still, since its overall size had decreased, its total power capacity must have diminished as well. Thinking of it that way, the previous trade wasn't too bad.
What should I do next? I realized again from the previous exchange that I’d be at a disadvantage in a normal fight.
I had to create an opening with magic somehow, but the mana consumption required to maintain the golem while casting spells from inside was too high.
For now, I should use Grease to break its posture again… No, it wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
Should I go with lightning attribute this time? It’s sturdy and has great regeneration, but its structure doesn't deviate from the basic anatomy of a living creature, so paralysis through electrocution should be quite effective.
If I fire from a distance, the magic will just be devoured by Confused Unity’s Authority, so I have to get as close as possible and drive it in directly…
As I held my stance, ready to lunge at any moment, I spent a brief moment formulating various plans.
Sssss—
Steam vented from the golem’s body along the lines of the blessing. Beyond that white cloud, I saw the two-headed giant standing still, watching me.
It’s not attacking even after standing up completely…?
As if to resolve my sense of dissonance, the giant, whose eyes met mine at just the right moment, spoke.
—That taste just now… Yandel, you weren't a half-dragon, but a baby dragon.
—Of all the races I have seen since coming to this world, yours was the most admirable. Now I understand.
It was surprising that it could tell just by eating a piece of my outer armor, not even my actual body, but what bothered me more was that Reckless Roar’s manner of speech had become normal.
He was a god consumed by his own divine power. An Evil God who swung his fists according to the whims of the intense emotion known as rage. That was Reckless Roar. That was why he sometimes seemed like an idiot.
Isn't that what rage is, after all? A fire does not choose whom it burns. That is why no one can truly be the master of rage.
If one could control rage, it would no longer be rage.
…But that only applied to ordinary rage.
They say there is such a thing as cold rage. The fact that Reckless Roar had started speaking coherently meant the nature of his rage had changed.
Because the temperature of the rage had dropped, the physical enhancement would be slightly weaker. However, as his reason had returned, his combat techniques would improve.
In H&A, this was implemented as a significant increase in attack patterns at the cost of lower attack and defense stats. Simply put, it was Phase 2.
I didn't know what I’d done to trigger Phase 2 already, but for me, it was actually a good sign.
Usually, a boss with complex patterns and lower stats is more threatening than a brainless juggernaut with overwhelming specs…
But to me, who had memorized every single one of those complex patterns, it was nothing more than a self-inflicted debuff.
I braced myself, ramping up my concentration to see how it would attack, but what came back this time was once again conversation, not a fist.
—Since ancient times, dragons have had a habit of obsessing over one thing, no matter what it was. In your case, is it women?
—A dragon whose reverse scale is touched always goes mad with rage and runs wild. And rage is my domain.
No. It wasn't a conversation; it was a provocation.
Four eyes shifted their gaze simultaneously, focusing on the fortress walls. More accurately, they were aimed at my women, who were struggling to withstand the aftershocks of the battle in front of the wall.
“You bastards…”
Ugly Prosperity and Boiling Silence were the same, but why is it that these Evil Gods always target the people around me when their goal is to kill me?
I knew the reason. A person with much to protect has that many more weaknesses, and striking at weaknesses is the most basic of combat fundamentals.
If I were to get worked up and lose my temper here, I would be handing a weakness to Reckless Roar on a silver platter.
Simply by sensing where my anger was directed, he would be able to tell where and how I would attack next.
Thump—
The Dragon Heart, which had been overworked to control the golem, began to beat in a slightly different way than usual.
As if whispering not to forgive those who coveted my treasures.
Dragon instinct and obsession began to burn through my mind like a wildfire.
Even I knew this was a sudden and forced anger. Reckless Roar was likely using his Authority to incite my rage.
Forced Berserk was the most troublesome of Reckless Roar’s Phase 2 patterns.
But isn't rage something you can't stop even when you know it's happening? That’s why it’s also called a fire.
As if resonating with my state, the golem’s form began to change little by little.
The sleek muscles began to swell as if bursting with power, and accordingly, the armor that tightly encased the entire body split open, its edges sharpening into jagged blades.
Finally, the helmet, which was supposed to be as human-like as possible to avoid exposing unnecessary weaknesses, trembled violently as it covered the jaw.
Crack.
It began to split open as if it had been forcibly torn apart. The moment the jagged, tooth-like edges flashed menacingly.
Fwoooooosh!
The Blessing of Clashing Steel. The geometric red lines drawn across the body began to blaze. It wasn't a metaphor; they were literally on fire.
Not only was the heat incomparable to anything before, but the flames, hotter even than the fire consuming my reason, snapped me back to my senses.
“Whew… that was close.”
In mecha stories, things usually end badly when you go berserk.