Chapter 15
The battle in the Death Sorcerer's dungeon raged on in a relentless back-and-forth. No matter how many times they sliced and tore into it with their swords, the Flesh Abomination's super-regeneration ability kept restoring the monster. And of course, its attacks had no chance of landing on them—they were too slow, too weak. On top of that, my buffs were enhancing them, so not even a single scratch marred their bodies.
A fist slammed down toward the ground. Bella dodged it effortlessly and cleaved through it with her greatsword. But disappointingly, the severed arm quickly reattached itself, regenerating in an instant.
"Argh, come on...! Regenerate like a normal fucking monster, you freak!"
"The core! Ye must cleave the core!"
And in this fight, my body wasn't taking any real damage either, so that was that.
"...That thing's regeneration is filthy fast."
This was a grueling fight in a completely different way from the usual. An infinitely regenerating mass of flesh... This battle wasn't causing me much physical pain right now, but I was worried about the aftermath. The muscle fatigue backlash from strengthening Cheong-ah and Bella's bodies was going to be brutal.
Was there anything I could do to help? As I racked my brain, Bella shouted and thrust her greatsword forward like a platform.
"Hey, Ju Cheong-ah! Step here!"
"Yes, coming!"
At her call, Cheong-ah seemed to catch on immediately and dashed toward Bella.
Thud-thud-!
Cheong-ah leaped onto the greatsword, crouching low, and Bella swung it upward with tremendous force. At the same time, Cheong-ah extended her legs and launched herself skyward.
Whoosh...!
Using the greatsword as a springboard and Bella's power as propulsion, Cheong-ah rocketed upward. A faint blue glow enveloped her body, shimmering brightly. The light soon gathered at her sword, forming a brilliant azure blade aura.
Pürmir
A blue light erupted from the sword, engulfing the world. Cheong-ah's body danced through the air at blinding speed. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of strikes connected in a storm of slashes too fast for my eyes to follow, raining down on the abomination.
The Flesh Abomination pulled all its arms together, wrapping them protectively around the area where its heart—and core—resided in response to the swift, lethal assault.
-Gwuuuu...!
Shred-shred-shred-shred!
Flesh tore away under the blade aura, arms shredding and regenerating in a frenzy. Every one of those countless arms was severed, but they quickly began regenerating again. They piled up once more to shield the heart. Before dropping back down, Cheong-ah had targeted the core as best she could, but unbound in midair as she was, she could only manage one solid hit.
"Nngh...!"
Cheong-ah bit her lip in frustration.
Still, her attack hadn't been useless—I could see the core-like mass embedded deep in the heart's center.
"So close, really."
"Tch... Too many damn arms, regenerates too fast. This thing's a total pain in the ass."
The regenerated Flesh Abomination resumed its assault. Heavy, sluggish punches befitting its massive bulk. Naturally, neither Cheong-ah nor Bella took them head-on—they dodged with ridiculous ease, as if they had no intention of getting hit in the first place. They immediately counterattacked, severing arms with precise strikes. Yet the monster regenerated its wounds just as quickly, unleashing a barrage of fists like a meteor shower.
Boom-!Boom-boom-boom-!
-Guooooooh-!!!
The cave floor, now slick with the transforming flesh mass, shattered under the abomination's blows. Chunks of stone sprayed alongside blood and flesh, regenerating endlessly. The problem was, its blood and chunks weren't normal. The blood was venom, the flesh toxic globs. As they splattered everywhere, I freaked out.
Their bodies were shielded by mana, so they were fine... but I wasn't.
Blind globs flew even toward me, huddled in the corner with my magic tool. I frantically rummaged through my bag, pulling out not a magic tool but a shield large enough to cover half my body. Clutching it tight, I shrank behind it.
Thung-!
I felt the flesh glob thud against the shield and bounce off, followed by a sizzling chi-chi-chi as black smoke rose and the metal began melting. This wasn't poison—it was straight-up acid...
"Yeonja, art thou well?!"
I shouted back at Dina's worried voice.
"I'm fine! You watch out!"
In the meantime, fists rained down on Dina too. Ignoring my concern, she dodged them effortlessly or slapped away the unavoidable ones with her hands.
"...Yeah."
Right, who was I to worry about anyone else? I should worry about myself. I tossed the melting shield aside and pulled out a spare one along with a magic tool to form a shield spell.
Tch, shoulda had this ready earlier...
Thus, I resumed my turtle-like defenses.
§
"Come on...! Stay down!"
Bella swung her greatsword, severing both legs of the Flesh Abomination in one go. The mushy flesh burst on contact with her mana-infused blade. The massive body wobbled slightly from the sudden loss, but its legs regenerated as if nothing had happened.
In the midst of the ongoing flesh-fist barrage, Bella dodged and yelled at Dina.
"Damn it! Hey, kid! No way to kill this besides smashing the core?!"
"Of course there be!"
"Argh, then spit it out sooner! What's the method?!"
"Slay the summoner!"
"...The fuck?!"
Bella's eyes bulged. Kill the summoner? Where the hell was the summoner hiding?! This wasn't the time for jokes!
But Dina was dead serious. Those were really the only two ways to take down this thing.
In the past, this colossal Flesh Abomination summoned by a Death Sorcerer had been a nightmare opponent. Normal abominations topped out at 2-3 meters—big for humans, sure, but targetable cores made them manageable. But these super-sized ones summoned by Death Sorcerers? A total hassle every time.
...Unless a Saintess was around.
No matter the size, it was still undead. Wounds from attacks blessed by a Saintess's holy power wouldn't regenerate. The problem? No Saintess here—not even a basic priest.
"No helping it, then."
Dina muttered lowly. She charged forward through the fist storm.
"I did not wish to use it yet, as it be somewhat burdensome still."
It had been mere months since awakening from her seal. Though unspoken, Dina's body—sealed for millennia—was far from its prime. Her mana reserves, strained by the half-comatose state required to sustain her, had atrophied badly. Her childlike mannerisms tied into that too. Sure, her mental age matched her apparent body to some degree, but the prolonged coma had fragmented her memories.
Seal aftereffects left Dina lacking in many ways compared to her peak. She was recovering, but full restoration would take time.
"Yet now, this body must step forth."
Cheong-ah and Bella were strong, sure. In Dina's era, they'd rank among top fighters; with their talent and age, they'd have made names for themselves. But they were still far short.
Compared to her—the Fist King.
"Huuuuh... up."
Dina inhaled deeply.
Hooo... Half-exhaling, then in. She held her breath a moment. Then assumed her stance: legs staggered slightly apart, one arm at her side, the other extended straight toward the target's heart.
"Haaaa..."
She exhaled the rest. Green mana swirled around her body, gathering at her dantian. It shimmered below her navel. As Dina stood motionless, Cheong-ah shouted in alarm.
"Dina, what are you doing? Get away!"
Dina didn't reply. At full power, she could've bantered through it, but her incomplete recovery made speaking impossible now.
Spotting her stillness, the abomination swung a fist down at her.
"Hey, that kid's really...!"
"Block it first, Bella!"
Cheong-ah and Bella rushed to intercept the blow.
"Got it!"
Boom-!Boom-boom-boom-boom-!
-Guaaaaaaaaagh-!!!
Fists hammered down to shatter Bella's greatsword. Cheong-ah's blade severed incoming arms, but they regenerated instantly, thrusting forward again. Meanwhile, the mana gathered at Dina's dantian spread through her body.
"My thanks for the guard."
Whispering low, Dina thrust her tucked fist upward.
Mountain Collapse
Qi erupted explosively. A massive fist-shaped surge of mana shot forth. The green blast collided with the abomination's incoming fists.
Bang- Paang-!Poooosh...!
The flesh fists burst harmlessly against Dina's qi punch. The abomination panicked—its shattered fists weren't regenerating. It hastily gathered all arms to shield its heart.
But...
"Futile."
As Dina's calm voice foretold, the colossal qi fist pulverized every arm, slamming into the heart in a flash.
Thoooom-.
A resonant boom echoed, like striking a giant empty box. In that instant—
-Gwuo-.
All the faces etched on the abomination's body glared wide-eyed, mouths gaping as blood gushed forth. Then, its body swelled... and exploded in a spray of flesh, blood, and entrails.
"...Whoa, what the fuck. What was that?"
"Dina, what the hell was...?"
"Hmph. 'Tis nothing much."
As Dina shrugged nonchalantly at the stunned women—
-Not bad.
A chilling, metallic rasp echoed. The space where the abomination had stood warped like a vortex. When it stabilized—
A gaunt figure draped in ragged dark-brown robes clutched a staff as tall as itself. Glimpses beneath the hood revealed a pitch-black skull.
-To fell even a mere basic Flesh Abomination in one strike...
Dina's eyes widened at the sight.
"Death Sorcerer..."
The true master of this dungeon had arrived.