Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Chapter 36 - Dragon Burst #4
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Kaliot, who was born and raised in the sea, felt no discomfort in underwater combat.
No, rather, underwater battle was his specialty.
"Kuhahat! Kuhahaha!"
The superhuman strength enhanced by frenzy virtually ignored the water's resistance.
The punch that shattered cliffs and generated shockwaves was as fast and sharp as its power.
"Urk!"
The only silver lining was Schwarz's presence.
Instead of confronting Kaliot head-on, Luther utilized Schwarz's mobility for evasion—no, essentially flight—and somehow dodged the barrage of punches raining down like bombs.
But Kaliot's weapons weren't limited to his strength-infused fists.
-Swish! Swish! Swish!
Tentacles sprouting from Kaliot's back lunged at Luther with the ferocity of harpoons.
Their numbers were overwhelming, and they were far faster than his fists, so even Schwarz's speed couldn't allow a complete escape.
While piloting, Luther desperately twisted his body to evade the tentacles, but each dodge left scratches on his shoulders, back, neck, and waist, and damage appeared on Schwarz's exterior.
"Haa, haa, haa."
Luther exhaled roughly from within his visor.
Blood seeped from the cracks in his shattered nanosuit, sending sharp pain through his nerves, but he ignored it and focused his mind.
How long had it been since he started dodging Kaliot's attacks?
He couldn't tell exactly, but at most three minutes—no, perhaps just two.
-Kwa-gaga!
A tentacle pierced through where his head had been moments ago. Luther ducked urgently and turned Schwarz toward the surface, calling out to Integra once more.
"Integra!"
But there was no response.
It wasn't as if she was ignoring him; she truly seemed unable to hear.
Why?
Could the functional shutdown from the submarine tunnel be happening now?
No, that couldn't be.
It was far more likely that she was simply focused on absorbing the fragments.
"Gahaha!"
Kaliot's laughter echoed from behind.
Even underwater, Anes and Kaliot's voices rang clear, proof that their shouts didn't rely solely on physical sound.
Voices resounding directly in the mind.
A form of telepathy.
One piece of evidence that they were dragons.
-Kwang! Kang!
Useless distractions.
Luther gritted his teeth, skillfully maneuvering Schwarz to dodge the tentacles again, then floored the accelerator.
According to the HUD info, Schwarz's engine was on the verge of its limit.
So, he had to escape to the surface before then.
Soar into the air even briefly to lure Kaliot out of the water.
Schwarz's armaments weren't fully depleted.
The Gatling beam cannon remained.
Once out of the water, he could deal some damage somehow.
-Kakang! Kakakang!
Claws at the tentacles' tips scraped Schwarz's exterior.
They deeply slashed Luther's waist, slicing through the nanosuit and into his skin and flesh, red blood bursting like jelly and staining the surroundings in a misty haze.
It hurt. Even in the water, the wound felt like it was being seared by fire.
But Luther clenched his teeth and refocused.
The surface grew brighter ahead.
"That's far enough."
The voice came from behind.
But in that instant, Luther looked to the side instead of turning back.
Kaliot, who had been behind him, was now there.
No, only for a moment.
His body surged upward at terrifying speed, overtaking Luther in an instant and flipping to block his path.
"That was fun."
Kaliot opened his mouth wide.
The faces embedded in his body screamed silently, and a massive shockwave erupted from his maw, engulfing Luther.
-Kwagagagagagaga!
The shockwave slamming into Luther and Schwarz didn't dissipate easily.
It continued onward, making it impossible for Luther, at its center, to even hold onto Schwarz.
"Urk!"
Luther released Schwarz.
Swept by the shockwave, Luther and Schwarz were flung in different directions, and Kaliot, watching it all, grinned widely before launching himself at Luther.
-Kwang!
Kaliot plummeted like lightning.
Without Schwarz, Luther's underwater mobility was abysmal.
But Luther didn't give up easily.
He raised his right arm to deploy his shield and manipulated Night Wing to drape a pitch-black curtain over it.
-Kwaaaaaaang!
Kaliot's fist smashed into the black curtain.
Night Wing withstood the monstrous strength, but the propelling force was unstoppable.
Luther was mercilessly pushed, plummeting helplessly toward the seafloor, where immense water pressure crushed him.
"Grut!"
For a moment, he couldn't breathe properly.
His vision blackened, and maintaining consciousness grew difficult.
But Luther forced his thoughts onward.
Gritting his teeth, he manipulated Night Wing to reinforce the nanosuit's breaches and unleashed thrust to soar upward.
-Kagagagaga!
A rain of tentacles poured down.
Luther relied on the backpack camera instead of his unrecovered vision.
He compensated for the difference between natural sight and camera view with instantaneous calculations, dodging the tentacles.
-Kwak! Kwak! Kwak!
After evading the onslaught, he slipped through the gaps.
Luther spun his body, threading through the tentacles, and as if anticipated, Kaliot's shockwave followed.
-Kwa-haa!
Luther didn't resist the shockwave.
He manipulated Night Wing to maximize the propelling force.
But in that very moment, the tentacles he'd passed reversed direction and stabbed into his back.
For Luther, already being pushed by the shockwave, evasion was impossible.
"Krack!"
Tentacles pierced his shoulder and thigh.
And before Luther's eyes, Kaliot's fist rushed in.
"It's over."
The massive fist approached.
Dodging was impossible.
Thus, Luther raised his right arm.
Intending to deploy the black curtain with Night Wing once more.
But right after.
Almost simultaneously.
[Masterreeee!]
Integra's voice filled his mind.
And in that moment, Luther understood.
Following the compressed transmitted data, he pulled back his fist, and blue lines traced over his right arm, forming the shape of a Power Fist.
And it became real.
The 'transmitted' Power Fist materialized over Luther's right arm, emitting blue lightning!
[Gigaaantic—Pistooon!]
With Integra's roar, the clenched fist met Kaliot's in a clash.
The collision of monstrous strengths unleashed a colossal shockwave, sending Kaliot, who hadn't anticipated the counter, hurtling toward the surface.
-Kwagaga!
Sharp blades from the side severed the tentacles piercing Luther's shoulder and thigh.
And before Luther appeared a white, massive combat drone and Integra.
[Master! Master! Are you okay?!]
[Commencing treatment immediately!]
Integra, face nearly tearful, scanned Luther's body and reached out toward him.
The pristine white combat drone split into five, attaching to Luther's chest and limbs, reinforcing the nanosuit itself.
It was sudden, but Luther understood.
No, he already knew.
The 'material transmission' that had just occurred.
An advanced technique unlocked only mid-to-late in Star Savior.
And the nanosuit now before him was familiar.
This was the true combat nanosuit used by 'Luther Lightseeker.'
[All parts compatibility complete!]
[Fourth core system unlocked!]
[9th Generation Combat Nanosuit, 'Einherjar,' activating!]
Blue light emanated from Luther's entire body.
It resembled knightly pure white armor as before, but it was incomparable.
Einherjar.
God's warriors opposing Ragnarok.
Night Wing suited it perfectly.
It became a pitch-black cloak enveloping the pristine white armor, with black mane-like adornments rising over Luther's neck and shoulders like a lion's.
And on Luther's shoulders, sky-blue cross-shaped shields formed to protect him.
[Tripple Drive system all clear.]
[Energy full charge.]
[Nanosuit upgrade complete!]
Blue glow emanated from Luther's visor.
Boundless power seemed to surge through his body.
[Commencing self-repair.]
[Administering painkillers.]
[Master, the fourth fragment was no ordinary fragment.]
[It was different from—]
"Grrrrraaaaaah!"
Kaliot's bellow cut off Integra's voice.
The enraged beast swelled even larger, back to the surface.
But Luther no longer intended to evade.
Integra glared at Kaliot with equal fury.
[Briefing on the fourth fragment will be postponed.]
[Installing new combat system for immediate battle.]
No reason to refuse.
As Luther permitted instantly, a beam of light pierced his spine.
[Combat system installation complete.]
[Weapon system all clear!]
Luther clenched his fist.
The nanosuit was upgraded, but aside from the pre-made Power Fist, he lacked proper armaments.
Clairheim Morr remained unusable, and micro-missiles were depleted.
But this was enough.
Facing the charge of Kaliot, now nearly 7 meters tall, Luther spread his arms wide.
Integra, having obtained the Dragon Heart absent from Star Savior, activated her unique system prepared in advance.
[Dragon Burst!]
The Dragon Hearts comprising Triple Drive lit up simultaneously.
A massive blue flame erupted in an X-shape from Luther's back, shaking the surroundings.
[Over Boost!]
[Countdown commencing!]
[30!]
[29!]
Overloading the Dragon Hearts to output three times normal for a short burst.
Night Wing unfurled largely from Luther's back.
Terrifying flames from the backpack boosters rocketed him upward.
-Kwaang!
Unimaginable speed underwater.
Thus, Kaliot couldn't properly perceive Luther striking his abdomen.
Only after shattering the surface did he register Luther pushing him amid pain.
Overwhelming output.
"Grooo!"
Kaliot tried grasping Luther with both hands as he was forced upward, but failed.
As if perfectly timed, Luther struck again, using the recoil to spin and kick Kaliot's abdomen with both feet.
"Kuhuk!"
Struck in the gut once more, Kaliot was hurled even harder.
And Luther deployed Night Wing.
To deliver a fatal blow before Kaliot could counter properly.
[Turning!]
As Luther spun again, blue flames jetted from Night Wing once more.
Luther overtook Kaliot in one breath, claiming higher sky, then rotated in midair to right himself.
The faces on Kaliot's back looked at him.
Pleading expressions as if begging not to be killed, but Luther knew.
They were long dead.
All mere deceptions by Kaliot.
"Integra!"
At Luther's call, Integra responded.
Overloading the Dragon Hearts once more in Dragon Burst state.
[Dragon Burst! Spiral!]
A momentary over boost of six times normal output for just 5 seconds!
-Kwagang!
Blue flames blazed beyond the widely spread Night Wing.
Propelled by immense power, Luther became lightning itself, charging at Kaliot, his kick smashing into the beast's back.
A shockwave erupted.
The atmosphere roiled as blue flames flared larger.
-Kwagagagagagaga!
Kaliot's back shattered.
Luther's kick pulverized and pierced through.
Kaliot's scream drowned in thunder.
-Kurur!
The roar and shockwave repelled the surface.
Luther, slowing with spread Night Wing, looked up.
Kaliot, chest holed massively, vomited blood and convulsed.
Clearly attempting belated transformation to true form.
But Luther wouldn't allow it.
He extended his right arm toward the falling beast.
Pouring all remaining Dragon Burst power into an Energy Gun—no, Energy Buster.
-Kwagagaga!
A blue pillar struck Kaliot.
The fiend who massacred the weak with laughter screamed amid the blasting light.
[1!]
[0!]
[Dragon Burst terminating!]
The blue flames on Luther's back faded.
Exhaling roughly, Luther slowly withdrew his right arm and gazed skyward.
Kaliot's remains were falling, but Luther and Integra knew.
[At the last moment, projectiles intervened and took Kaliot's head.]
[Another mid-tier dragonkin?]
Luther nodded at Integra's question.
The remote weapons invading the light pillar were surely Anes's.
Thus, despite Kaliot's escape, Luther exhaled in relief instead of roaring.
Anes had already returned.
Meaning she'd lost North Xuanwu.
And one more thing made Luther smile brightly.
"Amazing, Integra."
The 9th-gen combat nanosuit Einherjar appeared in Star Savior.
But Dragon Burst did not.
It was a new system Integra had devised, squeezing every bit of wisdom from data gathered in past battles.
[Ahem, well, nothing special.]
Integra crossed her arms, turning her head slightly as if nonchalant, but her face was red, mouth twitching, shoulders shaking.
Moreover, Luther could tell.
She had activated her 'program.'
"Thanks, you did great. I'm glad it's you, Integra."
Stroking her head as he spoke, Integra huffed again but soon beamed.
[As expected, I'm essential to Master.]
"Yeah."
Luther smiled again, and Integra, suddenly shy, coughed and continued, face flushed.
[Anyway, Master, shall we head back?]
[I want to brief you on the fourth fragment.]
What on earth had they obtained to make her like this?
Her fidgeting eagerness promised something good.
[But Master.]
"Hm?"
[Where's Schwarz?]
At Integra's question, Luther blinked, looked down, and Integra, activating radar belatedly, widened her eyes in shock.
[Master! It's sinking!]
"Hurry, let's go!"
Luther dove urgently toward the surface below.