Chapter 91
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Wallet Warrior Crow
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The Tin Woodman's body must be something like armor.
Since I'd been striking the armor and not its core, it was only natural that it hadn't taken any real damage.
Of course, that didn't mean everything I'd done up to now had been pointless.
Those visible cracks.
Thanks to them, I'd uncovered the truth and devised a plan to take it down.
The cracks I'd made had widened further during the fight with the Black Wolf.
And it had been protecting those cracks excessively.
Even a child could figure it out: striking there would pierce its tin armor.
"Caw!"
Of course, it wouldn't be easy.
The moment I'd unleashed Twilight Feather, it had defended its crack.
That meant it knew. It recognized its own weakness.
With that massive arm blocking the crack, there'd be no way for us to attack it.
If you thought about it conventionally, anyway.
But if I turned the situation around, the answer would come into view.
It was using its arm to cover the crack.
That didn't mean we couldn't attack—it meant its own offensive options were reduced.
To move that enormous body, it absolutely needed both arms.
Even just walking required using the recoil from both arms to move effectively.
So in its current state, with one arm out of commission, it was as good as us having neutralized one of its arms.
"Caw, caw!"
Now that I'd grasped the situation, it was time to act on it.
Swungswung had made a small mistake, but it had already scattered all the offerings we'd gathered.
Naturally, the offerings I'd collected were meant to fuel Night Summoning.
Using this much silver and shiny trinkets would sustain twilight by the hour.
And of course, the feathers' power would grow stronger too.
「Night Summoning LV1」 is activated.
A few silver coins glowed with pure white light.
Silver coins have become your offerings.
Your territory is designated.
Your current territory is the Tin Temple.
The pure white light shifted to twilight hues, then seeped into my feathers.
Twilight descends.
"Caw."
What I'd summoned was twilight.
But I hadn't used all the offerings—just a tiny fraction.
My feathers now were as hard as steel.
It went without saying they were far tougher than the ones I'd thrown earlier.
Shweeeeeek!
I swept my wings in that state, launching feathers at it.
Swoooosh.
Kabooooom!
It swung its massive axe to block the feathers I'd thrown.
If it kept focusing solely on defense like that, piercing through would be tough.
Of course, it wasn't entirely fruitless.
Crack.
Even now, I could hear the sound of its crack widening.
The Tin Woodman glanced down at its crack.
"Indeed. At this point, there's no hiding it."
It was probably trying to stall for time with conversation.
It knew the power I'd activated had a time limit.
Attempting to talk when it knew we were on a timer?
I wasn't stupid enough to fall for that.
My pumpkin-colored feathers glowed brightly.
Creeeeeak!
I spun my head around and around, making the shadows grow and shrink repeatedly.
"Why the head...? Anyway, got it!"
The Black Wolf understood my intent and instantly unleashed shadow bind.
Shwooooosh!
The amplified shadow I'd created bound its body in an instant.
"This massive flesh was never originally mine."
Even in that state, the Tin Woodman kept talking.
"Indeed. In a way, you could call it armor."
Shweeeeeek!
Kagagagak!
Even as it spoke, its gaze was fixed on me.
It reacted to every move I made, swatting away every Twilight Feather.
"I am a woodcutter and an alchemist. When I set down my axe, I become a lord—but I can never shed the name of alchemist. Do you know why?"
Swooooosh.
Black energy gathered on the axe once more.
"Caw!"
I quickly signaled and prepared to dodge its attack.
Creeeeeeeeeeek!
But it wasn't aiming for me—it struck the floor.
It couldn't hit me at this range anyway, so it unleashed a shockwave across the entire temple.
Kabooooooom!
"Seriously! We're gonna get buried at this rate!"
The Black Wolf, exhaustion plain in her voice, let out a complaint.
I couldn't keep leaving the front line to her anymore.
She might have a bit of strength left, but using it would put her in danger.
"It's because of this damned flesh. I can set down the axe, but I can't set this down. This armor has already become one with me."
Its explanation made the situation clear.
It had used alchemy to end up like this.
It probably hadn't intended it.
Some side effect had trapped it inside the armor, turning it into this golem-like form.
"That's why I can only ever be an alchemist."
Think of it as a kind of curse.
It couldn't remove it itself.
But my earlier attacks had definitely created cracks.
It couldn't escape, but I could break through.
"Caw."
I darted forward swiftly.
"What are you... Kyah!"
I clamped my beak onto the tail of the Black Wolf, who was about to charge ahead.
"H-Hey, where are you biting! Why pull?!"
"Caw, caw."
"...You mean I can rest now?"
I nodded.
The Black Wolf had worked incredibly hard.
To perform so admirably as the front liner despite being summoned so suddenly.
If I could, I'd give her one of my treasures.
"Got it. Looks like you've figured out how to take that thing down? Then I'll rest a bit. If you're in danger, I'll bite and drag you away."
"Caw caw."
Yeah, rest in the back.
"Guess I'll check out this robe I just picked up."
"Caw."
Don't do that.
With the Black Wolf pulled back, I stepped forward.
"Indeed. You come yourself."
The Tin Woodman swung its massive axe to greet me.
It was time to end this.
「Night Summoning LV1」 is activated.
I called forth the night.
A few silver coins on the floor turned blue and seeped into my feathers.
Remnant Light descends.
"That power... I've never seen anything like it, even on that long journey. What in the world are you?"
"Caaaaaw!"
I used Remnant Light feathers.
Creeeeeeeeeeek!
Intense light burst forth again, turning everything it touched into shadows.
"KeeweeEEEEK!"
It's doing it again.
Thud.
The golem's massive body tilted slightly.
It had only just escaped shadow form, and now it was back—its body must be struggling to adapt.
Plus, the crack was growing larger by the moment.
"But that ability won't pierce me."
It was right.
Remnant Light Feather was the ultimate utility move.
A skill to dismantle enemy defenses and protect allies.
It had no offensive power on its own.
「Night Summoning LV1」 is activated.
For attacks, Twilight Feather was better.
Twilight descends.
"What... is this...?"
I could hear the Tin Woodman's mechanical voice laced with panic.
It had finally realized how I planned to target it.
I'd said I would use all my offerings.
Did it really think I'd burn them all in one Night Summoning?
I planned to maintain the abilities for very short bursts.
For how long?
Until the offerings ran out.
Remnant Light descends.
Twilight descends.
"Caaaaaw!"
I swiftly took to the air and charged at it.
Shweeeeeek!
The moment I launched feathers, its axe swung.
It planned to block my attack and counter me.
Remnant Light descends.
Pzzt!
Time shifted in an instant.
Remnant Light poured out fiercely once more, and the Tin Woodman touching it inevitably turned to shadow.
Thuuud.
Releasing and reapplying the ability was like starting over, so its body had no choice but to tilt again.
What would be the result?
Kwachik!
The Tin Woodman's axe missed me and failed to intercept the Twilight Feather.
It successfully struck near the crack.
"Kuh... Such power... I've never even heard...!"
Fwoooooosh!
Though hit, it didn't give up.
It swung its black-energy-infused axe diagonally.
That attack could slice through shadows themselves.
Twilight descends.
Its body returned to normal, and naturally, with the shift, its stance collapsed.
And an attack with a broken stance was something I could handle easily now.
Kabooooom!
I raised my wings to block the weakened axe.
Reinforced by Twilight Feather, blocking this much was simple.
"Caaaaaw!"
Remnant Light and Twilight.
By wielding these two times, I threw off its focus.
Silver coins, ornaments, jewels.
I invested them without sparing a single one.
"Next, that brooch."
Moona was recording everything from my shoulder.
More precisely, calculating the changes based on the value of the items I used as offerings.
Shweeeeeek!
Crack!
When it adapted to the shadows, it had to face steel-like twilight; by the time it blocked that, its body turned to shadow again.
It changed unpredictably.
And it wasn't just time that shifted.
I kept spinning my head and flashing repeatedly.
What I was constantly switching were my traits.
By using pointless traits like pheromone manipulation, I induced confusion.
How many abilities did I have?
What exactly were they?
How should it respond to my attacks?
Dozens of possibilities branched every minute—its mind must be exploding with complexity.
And I knew that fact better than anyone.
Its axe kept aiming at the wrong spots.
"Caaaaaw!"
I signaled.
"Swung!"
Swungswung quickly rearranged my traits.
Its crack was now as big as Swungswung's head.
I pointed my beak at that crack and charged.
The same attack I'd used at the start.
Shweeeeeeeeeek!
My rock-hard beak struck the crack dead-on.
Kwadududududuk!
"Kgh... Kuuh...!"
The fortress-like Tin Woodman.
Crack.
Cra-cra-cra-craaaack!
Its sturdy armor finally shattered.