Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Unique Specimen, 'Giant Lamia' (3)
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Flash!
The Red Lamia raised its serpentine tail. Like a massive, ancient tree, the column slammed down toward me.
Crash, cra-ack!
Twice, the lamia’s tail struck with enough force to shatter me, devastating the cavern floor. The hard rock ground caved in, a clear testament to the immense power packed into that sturdy tail.
Of course, I had already used ‘Counterattack’ to get behind the Red Lamia. I immediately unleashed Astaroth upon its back.
My starlit sword pierced through the faint aura of demonic energy protecting the lamia’s body, wounding the nude, human-like upper torso of the Red Lamia. Perhaps because her upper body was human, red blood, not blue, spurted from the wound.
Sssssss-!!
Furious, the Red Lamia coiled its body, crouching down.
A spinning attack pattern using its entire body. In response, I immediately activated ‘Block’.
Clang!
A powerful three-spin combo. Even though I used the ‘Block’ skill, which parries all blockable attacks, a massive shockwave jolted my body.
Shhhhhk.
It even has a knockback effect. This pattern must be so powerful that I’ll be pushed back unless I use a Just Guard.
I frowned at the slight damage that came through my sword.
This spin pattern is trickier than it looks.
A single attack can be completely negated with a ‘Just Guard,’ which triggers upon a perfectly timed block, but this thing spins three times. The second and third hits land after the Just Guard window closes.
It’s hard to walk a tightrope against a pattern like this. I can’t easily dodge it either, since its massive, tree-trunk-like lower body sweeps across the entire area. Of course, there are ways to completely evade the damage, like using Backstep or a double combo of Left and Right Counterattack.
However.
Sssssss-!!
Clang, clang, clang, claaang!
"Tch."
While fighting the Red Lamia, I glared at the Blue Lamia, which was shooting blue demonic poison needles at me from a distance.
These things have a ranged pattern. What’s more, it synergized with the close-range patterns of the nearer lamia, pressuring me with attacks that didn’t overlap.
The giant lamia’s ranged demonic poison needle pattern, thankfully, was a blockable projectile, but its firing rate was incredibly fast. It gave me no room to drop my guard. While one of them used its ranged attack, I was completely on the defensive.
In that case, I might as well.
Thump!
I immediately used Backstep to put distance between myself and both lamias.
Whoooom!
Red demonic energy gathered in the Red Lamia’s hands, and blue demonic energy in the Blue Lamia’s.
Pewpewpewpew!
A barrage of fast and powerful demonic poison needles shot mercilessly toward my body.
Th-th-thump!
I veered to the right and started running in a wide circle around the lamias’ nest.
It’s better if I keep my distance from both of them. If I don’t have to worry about melee patterns, I can see the attacks coming and dodge.
Swoosh! Tilting my head, I dodged a red demonic poison needle that flew toward my neck with a terrifying whoosh, then immediately lowered my stance. Whoooom! Starlight gathered on my reverse-gripped sword.
Sh-sh-sh-shk!
Starlight Sword Ki. The Swordsman’s ranged attack skill.
It’s the perfect skill for dealing effective damage in a situation like this, with two of them close together and me at a distance.
As the shower of starlight from my sword struck the lamias, they writhed violently and began firing a second, faster volley of demonic poison needles.
The needles flying from both creatures were faster than a Black Dragon’s spear. The number of projectiles kept increasing. Soon, I could barely see an opening to dodge.
Twirl.
I lowered my sword diagonally, then slowly raised it, as if in a dance.
I wonder what this looks like to an observer. Melissa’s sword dance was so beautiful. Would my flailing motions look like a sword dance, too? In reality, I’m just swinging a sword imbued with sword ki at high speed.
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
The sound of the demonic poison needles deflecting off the starlight that now swirled around me was terrifying, like a swarm of bees hitting a windowpane.
[Sword Wall. Release]
Fwooom!
Astaroth is small, fitting for my body. But the experience it held was more than enough to create a heavy, air-rending sound.
Sh-sh-sh-shk!
The starlight that had gathered around me instantly scattered, sweeping over both lamias.
And as a bonus, it also hit the cluster of eggs piled up at the edge of the nest.
Crack, cra-a-ack!
The unhatched eggs shattered, sending bizarre lumps of flesh flying in all directions. I dodged a piece that flew my way and smirked.
How disgusting. Definitely different from chicken eggs.
This was also part of the plan.
These eggs would have definitely gotten in the way later.
I need to make full use of my first area-of-effect skill.
Sssssss-!!
Kiaaaah-!!
Whoooom!
The lamias seemed even angrier than when I’d interrupted their tryst. Their faces twisted into demonic masks as they began gathering demonic energy in their hands again.
"I don’t think so."
Slide.
I immediately slid forward.
Just before the third volley of demonic poison needles could be fired, I successfully squeezed in between the Red Lamia and the Blue Lamia.
Flick.
Seeing me enter their melee range, both lamias raised their tails simultaneously.
Crash, cra-ack!
Thump. I leaped up from my spot in an instant, landed on the lower bodies of the two serpents, and executed a Flash Strike.
Sh-shk!
As expected of the Swordsman’s ultimate damage skill, Flash Strike, it tore through the lamias’ tough scales, carving a visibly large wound. It even sliced through their demonic protection with ease. But the giant lamias’ tails were as thick as my torso. It was like stabbing a whale with a kitchen knife—it wouldn’t hurt much. I wonder if a named monster’s massive HP pool is proportional to its size.
Sssssss!
The Blue Lamia and Red Lamia immediately coiled up and began to spin simultaneously.
Fwooom!
A spinning attack using their giant serpent bodies, sweeping across more than half the battlefield. It was certainly not an easy pattern to deal with.
But what if I make both of their patterns overlap?
"A single Backstep is all it takes to resist."
Thump.
Having dodged the terrifying spinning attack by slipping through space, I immediately raised my sword and began to fairly slice and dice the bodies of the two lamias, who were now stuck together.
Sh-sh-shk!
Amidst the mercilessly flying chunks of lamia flesh, I grinned.
What’s this? It’s easier than I thought.
All the multi-boss encounters I’ve faced so far have been tricky. Fighting two at once isn’t just twice as difficult.
That’s because their attack patterns are different. Even a simple sword swing needs to be blocked twice if the timing is off. The first named bosses of the ‘Frozen Palace of the Tundra,’ the Spearman and the Shield Bearer, were especially bad—their attack range, timing, and methods were all different. When I fought them alone, even I had to focus with extreme concentration.
But what if their patterns are identical, like these lamias?
I just need to bait out one ranged pattern, then force their melee patterns to overlap.
Sssssss-!!
I rode the serpentine tails of the two lamias as they rushed to coil around and crush me, grinning as I gleefully fed them a meal of my blade.
"Ehee, eheehee!"
A look of indignation crept onto the faces of the lamias as I attacked them.
Since they have human faces, they can make all sorts of expressions. But why look indignant? Weren’t you trying to eat me anyway?
Then again, I did interrupt their tryst. I even killed their unborn children. From the lamias’ perspective, I’m nothing short of a devil. Who’s the real demon and monster here?
Still, no lewdness! That’s a capital offense!
[Hidden Named]
[Level 55 Red Lamia]
[HP 42,149,655 / 70,000,000 (60%)]
[Hidden Named]
[Level 55 Blue Lamia]
[HP 41,998,124 / 70,000,000 (60%)]
Sssssss-!!
"Ah."
I, who had been dodging their overlapping attacks and running across their scales while looking for openings in their major patterns, was taken aback by the serpents’ strange behavior.
The eerie sound of snakes slithering across rock filled the air with a *shaaa, shaaa*.
The lamias had suddenly ignored me and started moving somewhere.
This is definitely a special pattern.
After confirming through the named monster interface that both lamias’ HP had dropped to 60%, I raised my sword and watched their next move.
Where the eggs had been, only red and blue demonic energy swirled above the remains.
On the bodies of the two lamias that dove straight into that demonic energy.
Whoooom!
Veils of red and blue light formed around each of them, respectively.
A barrier mechanic?
Is it like the damage reduction shields I’ve often seen on named monsters in elite dungeons? There must be a mechanic to disable it, right?
First, I’ll fire off some sword ki to see what the damage reduction rate is.
Sh-sh-sh-shk!
As the starlight sword ki from my blade struck the Red Lamia’s body.
Vwoom!
It was absorbed with a strange sound. And then.
Sh-sh-sh-shk!
It shot back out toward me.
"Gasp!"
Thud.
I was shocked. I hadn’t expected this. After rolling hard to dodge the sword ki, I stared blankly at the two lamias as they began to approach me again.
That barrier isn’t a damage reduction shield.
The fact that my sword ki was returned to me means.
"A reflection barrier...?"