Chapter 89
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: The Alchemist of Tin
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The body of that tin-made bastard was unlikely to be scratched by my attacks.
Layering Sturdy Beak might make it possible, but it would be far too inefficient.
Facing a monster like him without utility skills meant I'd be crushed by a single mistake, no question.
【Skills】
「Crow's Eye LV5」
「Bird's Wisdom LV2」
「Night Feather LV1」
「Shadow Flame LV2」
「Night Summoning LV1」
「Twilight Feather LV3」
「Afterimage Feather LV10」
【Traits】
「Sturdy Beak」
「Glow」
「Shadowization」
「Flexible Bones」
「Unerasable Flame of Revolution」
This was my current status.
Glow and Shadowization were powerful utility skills I couldn't afford to drop, and Flexible Bones helped with evasion too.
The Unerasable Flame of Revolution was a trait I'd stolen from Red Cape. It had a one-time limit, but it granted a cheat-like ability to rise again even after falling.
And Sturdy Beak was a trait I had to keep in any situation.
「Sturdy Beak (Mountain Eater)」
The beak hardens, allowing you to eat even things that can't be eaten.
It wasn't just about hardening the beak; it had a hidden effect of striking spiritual bodies.
Of course, claws could suppress spiritual bodies too.
Shadow Crows were a species that devoured such impure existences, so it wasn't strange for me, a higher species, to have that ability.
Sturdy Beak maximized that effect.
So in this situation, assigning traits like this would be most efficient.
"When did you gain these abilities...? No, your form changed, so of course it makes sense!"
Black Wolf's tone shifted.
She'd seemed dragged into an impossible fight earlier, but now she saw a path to victory.
"You've caught me off guard. Adapting to this body won't be easy."
The Lord of Tin looked down at his shadow-transformed body.
It was bound to be hard to adapt.
Even the Sage showed a feral side instead of his usual solemn demeanor when shadowized.
"Kiwiieek!"
...Though honestly, it seemed like he just enjoyed it.
Either way, time for the counterattack.
"Awooooo!"
The emboldened big bad wolf charged at the Lord of Tin.
Her power was shadows.
A wolf who wielded shadows saw the shadow-turned Tin Woodman as easy prey.
Shwaaaak!
Countless shadows extended out, seizing the Tin Woodman.
"Hmph! You can't break free now, can you?"
Unlike before, without his brute strength, escaping Black Wolf's bindings wouldn't be easy.
I flew at him at my top speed.
Even in that state, the Lord of Tin swung his fist.
Fwoooosh!
The speed and power were lesser than before, but taking a hit wouldn't be pleasant.
So dodging his attack came first.
Tzzt.
I instantly turned to shadow and evaded.
It wasn't just one dodge.
I adjusted my position to lay the foundation for taking him down.
"Swung!"
Swungswung swiftly swapped the feathers on my body.
Replace all traits with Sturdy Beak.
SturdySturdySturdySturdySturdySturdySturdySturdy Beak.
At the same moment, I burst out from his side.
Dodge enemy attacks with utility skills and exploit openings.
At the perfect timing, concentrate all traits into attack power.
A strategy only we could pull off.
Queeeee!
The relentless beak pierced his flesh.
Fwoooosh!
His shadow-made body tore away in an instant.
With my overwhelming speed focused at the beak's tip, the physical force was immense.
His massive frame staggered momentarily, and we didn't miss the gap.
"Awoo!"
Black Wolf shot forward like an arrow, slashing diagonally with her claws.
Shwaaaak!
Her attack landed solidly too.
"Kiwiieek!"
Moona's attack wasn't particularly effective.
"Crow! We have to end it in one go!"
Black Wolf bound him further with surrounding shadows, seizing the chance.
I had no intention of wasting this opportunity either.
A massive shadow bound by shadows.
I still had a skill that could deal a fatal blow.
Shadow Flame LV2
Fwoosh.
The shadow-made flames flew toward him.
Kwaaaang!
Black flames clung to his body.
Shadow Flame, the blaze that burned impure existences.
His body had turned to shadow, and as the Host of the Eternal Night to begin with, Shadow Flame was inevitably effective.
Fwoooosh!
And that wasn't the end.
"Nice!"
Black Wolf kept binding him with shadows.
The shadows she used naturally turned to kindling, fueling the flames even larger.
Fwoosh, fwoooosh!
Shadow Flame engulfed his massive body entirely.
Without Afterimage Feather, this strategy would've been impossible.
"All looks, no substance, huh?"
Black Wolf raised her chin triumphantly.
"We got him!"
"Caaaw!"
I hurriedly flew to Black Wolf.
No, she did this last time too!
"Ow! Why? We did great together!"
Don't give me that hurt look.
I'm the one who's hurt.
Saying stuff like that makes it seem like even if we beat him, he'll get back up.
Fwoooosh.
Well, probably not for real.
"As expected, defeating the Scarecrow wasn't mere luck."
Sssizzle.
The flames died down.
His voice was the same as before.
A mechanical tone, as if our attack hadn't inflicted much damage.
"Not bad."
His body was definitely still shadow-like.
Exerting physical force would be hard, and even standing on the ground difficult.
So how had he endured that attack?
Endured? Was that all?
As the dust and smoke settled, his form emerged.
Not in his original spot, but somewhere unexpected.
He stood precisely at the temple's center.
Where the massive axe was embedded.
An ominous aura radiated.
I knew what he was about to do.
"So I must respond in kind."
The Lord of Tin reached out.
"Qui nunc regnat, olim silvam secabat."
⟨ Ancient Incantation ⟩
The Latin chant shifted.
The atmosphere changed.
"I am now a lord, but once I was a woodcutter."
I instinctively knew what this moment meant.
The boss fight phase transition.
When the boss's health drops to a threshold, an event triggers a new pattern.
If phase 1 was the golem fighting with its bulk, this felt like phase 2: the axe-wielding Tin Woodman.
"H-Hey... th-that..."
Black Wolf, who'd declared victory, stammered.
"Caw..."
I couldn't shake my unease either.
First off, the problem was surviving that attack unscathed.
Shadow Flame had scorched his tin enough to melt it, yet he moved as if unharmed.
Separate from his strength, it defied logic.
There had to be something more.
Something hidden we hadn't grasped.
But now wasn't the time to ponder it.
That overwhelming axe.
Figuring out how to block it came first.
Of course, though the weapon looked incredibly threatening, it shouldn't deal fatal damage to us in shadow form.
"Don't get complacent, my foe."
The Tin Woodman stared at me.
Grooooan.
Power surged into his massive arm gripping the axe.
Black energy rippled along the blade.
"Kiwiik... Hmm, this isn't good."
Moona muttered from my shoulder, snapping to attention.
It looked bad at a glance.
The glow from the weapon screamed trouble.
"Little wind. He wasn't a mere golem. That power he's using now is akin to alchemy."
...Alchemy?
A word I never expected popped out.
I could understand sorcery or magic, but alchemy?
And from that bulk, no less.
It shattered my common sense.
"I was a woodcutter and an alchemist."
The Tin Woodman declared himself the Alchemist of Tin.
"Killing shadows isn't the work of daylight. When night falls, all becomes shadow. That is true shadow-slaying."
I knew little of alchemy and questioned if this even was it, but his intent was clear.
Black energy gathering ceaselessly.
A power akin to the Eternal Night.
His axe had transformed to counter my and Black Wolf's traits.
He wasn't a martial artist but an alchemist.
And the current Tin Woodman was about to unleash his full power.
"Crow. Take this."
I glanced at Black Wolf.
"W-What? That look...? You're not planning to use me as a shield again...?"
"Cackle."
"You crazy bird! Y-You... This is the last time! I'm never lending you my tail again, got it?!"
Her words said no, but she didn't refuse.
Yeah, sorry, but draw his attention one more time.
The attack seemed fully blocked, but I'd spotted something odd.
Exploit that, and we could pierce his ironclad tin defenses.