84
Chapter 84: Spirit Creature
Probably because he had encountered the creature up close?
The system recognized the wolf that Mamorota was riding, Kaiji, as a [Spirit Creature].
A peculiar quest obtained in a peculiar situation.
The Quest Window blinked as if clamoring to be opened immediately. Dong Bong-su's eyes turned toward it for just a very brief moment.
That was the moment.
"Hyaaah!"
Suddenly, Mamorota's Iron Club began spinning like a top. It was a technique called Great Force Hegemon Rotation, which emitted energy waves from the hands instead of Club Energy to add rotational force to the club.
Kreeee—!
The powerful rotational wind pressure generated by the Iron Club sent Dong Bong-su sharply bouncing backward.
Mamorota seized that opportunity!
Thud! Crunch!
He broke the Base of the last remaining Trebuchet that Dong Bong-su had been protecting.
Dong Bong-su had no chance to block it. He had never seen or imagined a technique that rotated weapons. Of course, the biggest mistake was probably taking his eyes off the situation even for a moment while weapons were locked with a strong enemy.
'Interesting. As expected.'
When on earth would he see the end of it?
This was a world of endless beasts, the edge of the Central Plains. Indeed, how many more interesting monsters must inhabit the Central Plains, which was at its very center?
Dong Bong-su lifted one corner of his mouth slightly even though the launch platform—the Base—of the last remaining Trebuchet had been destroyed. Then he dismissed concern for the blinking Quest Window.
The Spirit Creature was Kaiji. Not Mamorota.
The Spirit Creature Quest wouldn't be too late to think about after dealing with Mamorota. Moreover, right now, it was time to save the one remaining Trebuchet first.
Dong Bong-su gripped the Wanderer's Sword familiarly. Now, holding a sword felt far more natural than picking up a spoon or chopsticks. All too naturally.
Whoosh—!
Mamorota rotated the Iron Club again and swung it toward the final Trebuchet. This time, the target was the Main Support that supported the entire Trebuchet. If the Main Support was crushed, the Trebuchet would essentially lose its function.
Bap-bap-bap—!
Dong Bong-su used [Lightness Arts Lv.8] to rush toward Mamorota as fast as a bullet.
"...!"
Mamorota's bulging eyes grew even larger. The speed at which Dong Bong-su was covering him was much faster than expected. Such speed without any preparatory movement. For Mamorota, it was impossible to understand or even imagine.
He hastily released the Iron Club that had been extending toward the Main Support. It was already too late to retract the technique.
The Iron Club flew toward the Main Support with its extending momentum and rotational force still alive, but as a trade-off, Mamorota couldn't completely retreat backward.
A moment of mortal danger!
As if sliding, Mamorota's body pulled back and evaded Dong Bong-su's sword.
"Huff… huff…"
Kaiji, who had become one with Mamorota, had retreated at a dramatic moment. If not, he would have been struck by Dong Bong-su's sword without fail.
'That was close. But now all the Huihui Cannons are destroyed...!'
His life had been precarious, but there had been gains. No, he had been certain there would be.
However!
The Iron Club flying while rotating at high speed was flying toward a completely unexpected place. Normally, by now it should have completely broken the waist of the Main Support...!
"...!"
Slash! Aaargh—!
The Iron Club sliced through 'empty air' and passed by, turning five or six Gray Wolf War Squad members in its path into bloody pulp.
"It... it disappeared!?"
That's right. Just as Mamorota said, the Trebuchet had evaporated a moment before being pulverized. Instead, Dong Bong-su stood indifferently in that spot.
He looked at him and said quietly,
"As expected, there are limits with just skills alone?"
"..."
Skills? He couldn't understand what he was talking about. However, one thing was certain: just before his Iron Club crushed the Main Support of the Huihui Cannon, Dong Bong-su had grabbed the Main Support with his hand.
And then...
It disappeared. The whole thing.
"I didn't want to use Inventory Divine Art in places with lots of people if possible."
Inventory Divine Art? Mamorota still couldn't understand what Dong Bong-su was saying.
However, Dong Bong-su had no obligation to explain such things to Mamorota in the first place.
Thud—!
Following that, Dong Bong-su's turn began.
Shrrrrrk—!
The Wanderer's Sword drew the sword path of [Direct Strike at the Yellow Dragon] and extended straight forward.
One couldn't block a sword with bare hands. Mamorota quickly drew the Barbarian Blade at his waist and deflected it from right to left as if sweeping rain.
Clang—
The Wanderer's Sword and Barbarian Blade met violently in the shape of the character for 'person' (人). Despite being drawn hastily, Mamorota's blade had Blade Energy enshrouding it, so he could barely block Dong Bong-su's attack...!
Tssss—
A minute sound. Mamorota instinctively tilted his head to the side.
At that moment, a thin, long scratch formed on his neck. Had it not been for his Energy Sense tempered by long years of war, he would have died without fail.
The attack just now—when the Wanderer's Sword and Barbarian Blade met and the distance between Dong Bong-su and Mamorota narrowed, Dong Bong-su had shot an Iron Piece from his mouth.
Truly a battle method only Dong Bong-su could employ.
However, somehow Mamorota had blocked Dong Bong-su's move.
Now Mamorota's side was advantageous. If it was close range...
Mamorota and Kaiji—they were two, and Dong Bong-su was alone. Moreover, Dong Bong-su had already wasted movement to use his trump card, and his extended sword was twisted to the side, pushed by the Barbarian Blade.
"SkraaaaC!"
As expected, Kaiji reacted immediately. It wasn't a creature that would miss a piece of meat that had come right up to it.
Kaiji thrust its large maw wide open toward Dong Bong-su's thigh. Then it immediately closed its mouth.
Crunch—Snap!
The sound of Kaiji's teeth, sharp as if honed, digging into Dong Bong-su's thigh was pleasant to... hear...?
Something did get pierced.
However!
It wasn't Kaiji's teeth. The one injured wasn't Dong Bong-su either.
"Skreee—!"
Kaiji howled and hastily retreated backward.
Splurt—
Blood spurting from the creature's palate and tongue eerily soaked the ground.
The attacker was injured instead.
'Why?'
Mamorota couldn't understand the reason this time either. What his eyes saw was only Kaiji suffering with two sword fragments lodged in its mouth. He didn't hesitate much and pulled out the two Sword Fragments lodged above and below in Kaiji's mouth.
"Skreeee—!"
Pulling out hurts much more than being pierced. Mamorota knew that well, but there was no time to hesitate. Because he knew full well that Dong Bong-su would follow up immediately.
Swish—
As expected, not missing the opening, Dong Bong-su followed up again.
Whoosh—
This time it was [Sweeping Away a Thousand Soldiers].
Even while suffering, Kaiji raised its front paw to sweep Dong Bong-su's lower body, and Mamorota raised the Barbarian Blade vertically to block Dong Bong-su's technique.
Like the previous attack, this type of combat method was called Man-Wolf Death Method in the North.
When the wolf blocks, the person attacks; when the person defends, the wolf pounces on the opponent. Depending on the situation, both could go on the offensive, or both could focus on defense. As long as they moved organically, they could fight in far more diverse ways than fighting alone, and their power didn't simply double but their offensive and defensive capabilities improved tremendously.
In the current situation too, if Dong Bong-su didn't retract his sword and retreat backward, he could only take a hit himself without any gains.
Because Mamorota had blocked his sword, and right now there would be no way for him to block Kaiji's claws...!
No. No.
Mamorota still didn't know Dong Bong-su well.
Bang—!
Mamorota, who had blocked Dong Bong-su's attack, was flung from the saddle.
[2 Consecutive Strikes Failed. Player powerfully pushes enemy backward.]
The skill [Consecutive Strike] had activated.
Thus, Man-Wolf Unity was broken.
That didn't mean the crisis facing Dong Bong-su had ended. Because Kaiji's claws were still covering his lower body, aiming for him.
Although Consecutive Strike had activated at an excellent—precisely calculated—timing to fling Mamorota away, Dong Bong-su was also too late to retreat backward.
That moment!
Whoosh—!
Dong Bong-su disappeared. And Kaiji's paw sliced through empty air without gains, just like Mamorota's Iron Club earlier. Literally, a futile kick!
Dong Bong-su had used the [Consecutive Strike]-[Footwork] combination technique like when he had killed Paitan before.
Two birds with one stone.
With this single move, he avoided Kaiji's attack and got behind Mamorota, who was floating in midair.
"...!"
Mamorota's mind was completely blank. Though he had fought countless battles on the northern grasslands for decades, this kind of fight was completely unprecedented in his life.
When he first started fighting Dong Bong-su, he couldn't imagine this form of combat at all. No, who on earth would fight in this manner? Techniques that absolutely couldn't exist and combat abilities beyond common sense.
However, he too was a northern warrior seasoned in battle. Since his first combat at fourteen until becoming a veteran of a hundred battles, he had combat senses engraved in his body like instinct.
Though surprised, Mamorota dealt with it calmly.
The moment Dong Bong-su disappeared, he felt the presence of something behind him, floating in midair. The cold killing intent climbing up his spine put all his senses on alert. How Dong Bong-su had done it no longer mattered. What mattered was simply that Dong Bong-su had appeared behind him.
He immediately twisted his body backward and swung the Barbarian Blade, gathering all his power. That appearance was like a great dragon coiling and uncoiling to strike with its tail. It was a technique called Great Dragon Tail Sweep and the Great Force Hegemon Rotation technique was added to it, greatly increasing its power.
Boom—!
Dong Bong-su's sword and Mamorota's blade met once more in the air. As expected, a tremendous explosion and energy wave occurred, sending them flying in opposite directions.