The Earth Guardian (2)
I stared dumbfounded as the Earth Guardian rose in all its imposing majesty.
Its form closely mirrored the archetypal golem of fantasy lore—distinctly humanoid in shape, yet towering several times larger than any mortal man. According to the Starlight Princess's explanation, it was an entity inhabited by an ancient elemental spirit.
Why the hell did it wake up now...?
That sudden awakening was the immediate problem. Or rather than saying it had suddenly appeared, it was far more accurate to say it had roused from a long slumber, considering what had looked like a mere heap of rubble just moments ago had clicked and snapped together into a living titan.
Giiiiing—
The guardian, forged entirely of Orichalcum, fixed its gaze squarely upon me. It had no visible eyes, but the subtle downward tilt of its massive head made its focus unmistakably clear.
Wait, that thing in the middle...
Backing away step by cautious step, I fixed my eyes on the center of its chest. Embedded deep within its sternum was something that glowed a vivid, piercing azure, contrasting sharply with the rest of its metallic frame. It looked like a spherical orb—an unmistakable, glaring focal point.
Is that its core?
A faint memory resurfaced. Back when I had slain the Mad Dogs and first crossed paths with a guardian, Sword Master had mentioned something about targeting the core in its chest. To reach it, I would have to bring the giant down by crippling its legs first. Its sheer height worked to my advantage in that regard.
If the opening presents itself, I can strike the core directly—
Clank! Clank!
...Naturally, nothing in this death trap of a forest was ever that simple. As though donning another suit of heavy armor, fresh plates of Orichalcum snapped over the guardian's chest, sealing the core behind a thick metallic shell. The behemoth's frame bulked up right before my eyes, as if it were putting on sheer muscle mass.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, but I forced my racing mind under control.
No. I can do this. I brought down the sabertooth tiger, didn't I?
The Earth Guardian hadn't outright designated me as a hostile target yet, but it was coiled to attack at a moment's notice. The very fact that it had meticulously shielded its exposed core proved it was already on high alert.
"Kyuuuu..."
Wonmo bristled his fur, growling low in warning. The little cub clearly sensed the danger radiating from the titan. When the giant chicks were chasing him, he had curled into a quivering ball of terror, but now he was puffing up his chest like a true wild beast. Perhaps he calculated that facing a lone opponent gave him better odds.
Still, avoiding a battle was always the best course of action. I eased my weight onto my back foot, preparing to retreat.
Right at that moment—
[Krrrr-clank—]
THUD!
With an ominous, grinding mechanical screech, the titan took a heavy stride forward. In that same instant, loose chunks of Orichalcum scattered across the cavern floor snapped toward it like metal shavings to a magnet. The core appeared to function like an electromagnetic vortex, vacuuming surrounding ore into its chassis.
BOOM! THUD! THUD!
The Orichalcum colossus advanced toward me in purposeful strides. Its eye level loomed far higher than even the sabertooth tiger's, making my chest tighten with unavoidable tension. I watched every subtle twitch of its joints, carefully steadying my breath. As my respiration leveled out, the mana coursing through my vessels began to circulate with fluid grace.
[Gzzzt—]
The moment my mana surged, the construct let out another jarring mechanical groan. Lifting one colossal leg, it brought it down in a thunderous stomp.
KABOOM!
A violent shockwave tore through the earth, shuddering right up through the soles of my boots. But what happened next knocked the breath straight out of my lungs.
CRACK-CRUNCH!
Jagged earthen spikes erupted from the ground, surging toward me in a rapid wave. The attack wasn't blindingly fast, but the sheer shock of it locked my muscles for a fraction of a second.
"What the—?!"
I threw my frozen body sideways, wrenching myself out of the trajectory. The stone spikes grazed past my coat with a sharp hiss. A guardian equipped with ranged artillery was an entirely different beast than a sabertooth tiger. This was not going to be an easy fight.
I have to close the distance anyway.
I tightened my grip on my blade and shield. My plan remained anchored to Sword Master's advice. Bipedal humanoid monsters shared a universal weakness alongside their advantages: two-legged locomotion. Take out even one leg, and its mobility would collapse completely.
"Kyuaaa!"
Before I could even finalize my approach, Wonmo charged in with valiant fury. Given his miniature size, however, it crossed the line from bravery straight into suicidal recklessness.
Before I could cry out and lunge to snatch him back, Wonmo slammed into the construct.
Thump!
It was an undeniably adorable body slam that failed to budge the titan by even a millimeter. My heart leaped into my throat, but the guardian's reaction was utterly bizarre. It acted as if Wonmo didn't even exist, simply marching forward with its eyes—or whatever passed for them—locked squarely on me.
Does it not register creatures below a certain threat threshold?
I couldn't say for sure, but it clearly harbored no hostile intent toward the little cub. And given how sluggish the construct's steps were despite their devastating weight, Wonmo wasn't in any immediate danger of being stepped on.
Grrrr-creak—
The marching guardian slowly raised both of its massive arms. Sensing immediate danger, I cut hard to the right.
Skrrr-clank—
Yet the way its body tracked my movement defied anatomy. Its torso twisted at a grotesque, impossible angle, swiveling nearly a hundred and eighty degrees as it brought both fists crashing down.
KABOOM!
Its twin stone hammers slammed into the bedrock, and just like before, sharp earthen spears burst from the floor, hurtling directly toward my flank. Its wind-up was ponderous and heavy, but the triggered spell moved with terrifying velocity. A single lapse in concentration would be fatal.
Now!
Its wind-up was slow. That brief window right before it unleashed an attack was my only viable opening.
Wuuung—
Mana shimmered along the edge of the Heavenly Demon's Sword like a rising heat haze. The objective was simple: sever the guardian's leg in a single, decisive stroke. Once it lost its footing, it would be far easier to dismantle.
Scrrrape—
The grating sound of grinding boulders grated against my ears as the guardian began to lift its heavy foot once more.
"Kyuuu?!"
Wonmo, who had been fiercely scratching at the ankle, let out a startled squeak and clung to the rising limb for dear life. The construct still showed zero awareness of the cub's presence. I immediately shifted my target to the supporting leg firmly anchored to the ground. Thanks to its ponderous motions, closing the gap to its planted foot took barely a second.
Up close, this thing is even more monstrous.
The top of my head barely reached its groin. Yet the larger the target, the wider the openings. I accelerated the flow of mana through my dantian, pouring everything into the blade. The aura coating the Heavenly Demon's Sword blazed with incandescent intensity. One clean cut through the knee joint, and it was over.
Right as the leg carrying Wonmo reached the apex of its stomp, I unleashed my slash. Drawing directly from the Gallery's martial posts, I swept the blade from the inside out to drive every ounce of body weight behind the cut.
Yes! It hit—!
SHUUUUUK!
Before my triumphant grin could even form, reality shattered my expectations. The shimmering aura blazing along the steel was violently devoured by the guardian's leg. Like water poured over dry sponge, every trace of energy vanished in the blink of an eye.
CLANG!
Worse still, the Heavenly Demon's Sword failed to cleave through. The edge bit halfway into the metal and wedged solid.
Even stripped of its aura, this was a legendary blade that sliced through seasoned hardwood as effortlessly as soft tofu.
Damn it, Orichalcum absorbs mana...!
There was no other explanation. One of Orichalcum's core traits was that absorbing mana caused it to harden temporarily. Because I had always thought of that effect as "temporary" and irrelevant to my survival, I had completely overlooked it in the heat of combat. In my single-minded rush to empower my blade, forgetting that fundamental property had led me straight into a catastrophic blunder.
THUD!!
The guardian's stomping foot struck the cavern floor. Spotting the descending limb, I raised my shield to brace for impact while yanking the Heavenly Demon's Sword free with everything I had.
KABOOOM!
A shockwave of fractured stone erupted around the impact crater. If I hadn't angled my shield toward the point of impact at the very last second, the blast would have crushed me on the spot.
"Guh!"
Even with the shield absorbing the brunt of the kinetic force, the sheer concussive blast hurled me backward through the air. In mid-flight, I forced my neck forward to keep my head tucked. Sword Master's post on breakfalls echoed in my mind: Even if you can't roll out of a fall, tuck your chin to protect your skull at all costs. That is the only way to avoid fatal secondary trauma.
Thump!
Just before my skull smacked against the hard cave floor, something soft caught the back of my neck. A split second later, a searing jolt of agony flared across my shoulder blades as my back took the brunt of the crash, but with my head completely unharmed, I was still in one piece.
"Ugh... thanks."
"..."
The one supporting my head was none other than the Fast Tree Sloth. Ppareumbo offered only his trademark, unblinking poker face in reply. I drew in a ragged breath, fighting to steady my battered lungs.
Where's Wonmo?! Did he make it out?!
Scrambling to my feet, my eyes scanned the cavern in a panic. Given the sheer force of that stomp, I prayed the little guy hadn't been crushed.
"Kyuuu! Kyu-kyu!"
I found him almost immediately. Unbelievably, the little cub had scrambled all the way to the very crown of the guardian's head, flailing his tiny claws in a furious flurry of scratches. The guardian didn't flinch in the slightest. In fact, it still appeared completely oblivious to the cub's existence.
What the hell is going on?
Even accounting for the disparity in strength, failing to notice a creature clinging to the top of its head was beyond bizarre. As I tilted my head in confusion, the Earth Guardian slowly swiveled its torso toward me.
Skrrr-clank—
Its chest plates parted once more, exposing the glowing azure core. Just as I wondered why it would willingly expose its most vital organ—
Wuuuung—
The light within the core flared with blinding intensity. The sight sent an icy chill shooting through my veins. Every survival instinct screamed in unison: Dodge! If that hits you, you're dead!
I threw myself across the stone floor just as the blinding glare peaked, far outshining any Light spell I had ever seen.
FZZZZ-BOOM!
A focused beam of destructive energy erupted from the core, roaring like a laser straight out of a science fiction movie.
KABOOOM!!
The beam missed me by a hair's breadth, and the resulting aftermath left me speechless. A massive, scorched crater had been hollowed out of the bedrock as if struck by an artillery shell. It seemed even Orichalcum couldn't absorb excessive destructive energy without consequence.
"Hah... hah..."
Gasping for breath, I stared at the smoldering crater in sheer disbelief. A direct hit from that would have vaporized me instantly.
Clack! Clack!
The chest armor snapped back into place, sealing the core away once more. It clearly couldn't fire that beam indiscriminately.
Did it discharge the very mana it absorbed from my sword?
That was the only logical hypothesis. Suppressing a groan, I pushed myself up from the rubble. This was the first time my ability to wield mana had been completely weaponized against me. The only saving grace was that the construct had only absorbed the mana I projected outward as aura.
Which means internal body reinforcement is my only option...
Still, I held the Heavenly Demon's Sword in my hands. The fight was far from over. If I chipped away at it with patience, its fatal flaw would eventually present itself.
"Hey, Ppareumbo. Can you slice through that thing?"
"..."
Bbarmbo slowly shook his head. Even for a beast capable of dicing iron drums into ribbons with a flick of his claws, solid Orichalcum was too much to ask. Given the guardian's sheer density, attempting to strike it might shatter his claws instead.
[Krrrr-clank—]
THUD! THUD!
The construct lurched forward again, grinding out its mechanical groans. Without eyes, how could it track my exact position with such pinpoint precision? Yet it remained completely oblivious to Wonmo perched squarely atop its skull.
It wasn't seeing with physical vision—it was tracking me through sensory perception. It was sensing mana.
I can't be certain yet.
I needed another exchange to confirm the theory. Silently regulating my breath, I watched as the guardian slowly raised its arms again. It was winding up for the same devastating double-fisted slam—and that wind-up was my window.
No external aura. Pure, unaugmented steel from the Heavenly Demon's Sword...!
Before its arms could descend, I darted directly between its colossal legs. Circulating mana exclusively within my muscles, I felt every tendon ignite with explosive power. Gripping the hilt with both hands, I swept the blade from the inside out with everything I had, targeting the right knee joint.
SHING!
The blade carved through without resistance, and the guardian's right leg sheared clean off. The Heavenly Demon's Sword had done its job. Stripped of its pillar, the construct's massive frame lost its center of gravity entirely.
CRASH!
The colossus toppled forward, sending Wonmo clinging to its head into a panicked squeal. But taking a leg wasn't enough. Unless I shattered the core buried within its chest, the guardian would never stop moving. Now that it was forced onto one knee, scaling its back was effortless.
Tap!
Leaping high into the air, I landed lightly upon its broad metallic shoulders. Flipping the Heavenly Demon's Sword into a reverse grip, I hoisted it high above my head. If I drove the blade straight down through its back and pierced the core from behind, this nightmare would be over. Remembering the lesson from before, I kept the mana circulating strictly within my body, refusing to let even a wisp bleed into the blade.
"Haaah!"
With a guttural battle cry, I drove the sword downward with all my might—
SLAM!!
A massive spike of solid rock erupted violently from the guardian's back, smashing straight into my stomach.
...Huh?