Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Australian Continent (4)
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A massive monster resembling a rhinoceros called 'Belucam,' a drake—a subspecies of dragon—and a basilisk that turned everything to stone charged ferociously toward them.
RUMBLE...!!
Though not fully mature, each was at least 100 meters tall. On top of that, they were driven mad by the curse of berserk rage.
They were no slouches compared to the adults that had once reduced countless cities to rubble in the past.
'...This'll be tough.'
Lee Sang-hyun instinctively sensed it would be a grueling fight.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Of course, his heart remained as steady as ever. It circulated his blood without a hint of excitement, suppressing the hot rush surging toward his head.
'...Using the Fourth Form would be risky.'
The Fourth Form—Unity—flashed in his mind, capable of felling one beast in a single strike, but he shook his head. The danger was too great.
'If my body were in peak condition, maybe... but not now. Better to hold off. Passing out from using it could get me killed. Instead...'
Lee Sang-hyun calmly analyzed the situation and arrived at the solution.
'A chaotic melee is the way.'
His answer was a messy brawl. Lure them into a tangled frenzy where friend and foe blurred, and he could pick them off easily.
'I can slip away like an eel, but they can't.'
When a human under two meters tangled with giants over 100 meters tall, the advantage was obvious.
Lee Sang-hyun eyed the charging behemoths from afar, plotting a convoluted melee.
RUMBLE...!!
He baited the sluggish Belucam, slow to turn, toward the basilisk.
"?!!"
By the time the rhino-like Belucam realized his intent, it was too late to stop.
BOOM...!!
Its massive horn collided with the basilisk's flank. Lee Sang-hyun slipped out between their tangled legs and struck the drake.
SLASH...!!
His elongated bloodsword sliced the drake's ankle—the same spot as before.
"KRAAAK!!"
The enraged drake spewed blue flames. Millions of degrees hot, these weren't mere fire; they vaporized everything.
Lee Sang-hyun lured the flames toward Belucam.
WHOOSH...!!
Berserk and mindless, the drake kept blasting blue fire, heedless of Belucam's presence.
"BUOOOOH?!!"
The blue flames engulfed Belucam, who had barely extricated itself from the basilisk.
The basilisk recoiled at the sight.
"GRRR...!!"
Realizing its mistake, the drake clamped its jaws shut, but too late—Belucam's armored hide was scorched.
Lee Sang-hyun seized the moment and attacked Belucam.
PFFT...!!
Spikes from his bloodsword burrowed into the wound, widening it.
"BUOOOOOH!!!"
Belucam's eyes rolled back as it raised its right foreleg high and slammed it down.
BOOM...!!
The kilometer-wide ground caved in, unleashing a devastating shockwave.
It was like a colossal meteor strike. Even the other giant monsters, basilisk and drake, couldn't withstand it and toppled awkwardly.
'...Impressive power.'
Lee Sang-hyun had hidden by its left leg, opposite the striking foot, dodging the worst.
The shock still ruptured his eardrums and churned his guts, unbalancing him as the earth vanished beneath. But Super Regeneration healed it effortlessly.
'Your turn now.'
He dashed toward the flailing basilisk caught in the shockwave.
WHOOSH...!!
Sensing him, the basilisk unleashed petrification gas on sight.
CRACKLE...!!
The pale gas turned soil, dust—everything gray, devouring hundreds of meters like a fog of death.
"Thanks."
Too predictable to faze Lee Sang-hyun; it even helped.
Under the basilisk's jaw, he spun and hurled his bloodsword at Belucam through the gas.
WHOOSH...!!
It pierced Belucam's left eye with supersonic speed.
"BUOOOH?!!"
Not deep enough to destroy the eyeball, but enough to enrage it.
RUMBLE...!!
Furious from the eye wound, Belucam charged blindly toward the bloodsword's origin.
Naturally, the basilisk was there.
"?!!"
Prioritizing evasion over pursuit, the basilisk twisted away.
But Lee Sang-hyun didn't let it.
THUNK...!!
He leaped high, stabbing its exposed throat.
Not lethal, but it foiled the basilisk's dodge.
Inevitably...
Belucam and basilisk collided again. This time, it wasn't just tangling.
Maddened Belucam gouged its horn into the basilisk's belly, reared back, and flung it skyward.
"SS...AA...AA...AA...?!!"
WHOOSH.
A 100-meter behemoth soaring through the air was a spectacular sight.
'No time to gawk.'
Lee Sang-hyun rushed the drake, distracted by the flying basilisk.
"KRAAK?!!"
Snapping to, the drake spat red flames.
Unlike blue flames that melted like breath weapons, red were bombs.
Wider range.
Instant detonation.
BOOM...!!
Less raw power, but perfect for nimble small targets like Lee Sang-hyun.
Except...
SLASH...!!
"KRAAAHK?!!"
Lee Sang-hyun was far tougher than he looked.
'Good try, but too weak.'
Bombs wouldn't stop him—not after surviving Stenno the little giant's fists.
He slashed the drake's ankle again.
SLASH...!!
Fourth cut. This time, through scales, flesh, to bone.
"KRAAAAHK!!!"
Inflicted by something a fraction its size? Pride wounded, the drake erupted in blue aura.
Its near-black scales turned blue instantly, monstrous power surging, warping space with heat haze.
'...Big Bang!'
Lee Sang-hyun recognized the 'Big Bang' and retreated swiftly.
"BUOOO...!!"
But Belucam charged right at him, rhino-style—barreling through anything.
Lee Sang-hyun decided to use it.
'Here goes.'
Miscalculate, and he'd eat drake's Big Bang, or get smashed/trampled by Belucam.
Yet he stayed calm, veering to lure Belucam toward the drake.
RUMBLE...!!
200 meters between drake and Belucam. Lee Sang-hyun in the middle...
'Cloud above.'
Portaled away.
"?!!"
Belucam noticed too late—the drake's Big Bang swallowed space.
BOOOOOOM...!!
More terrifying than Belucam's stomp, it ravaged a 3km radius.
"...!!"
The basilisk, flung high then crashed down, barely recovered before the blast choked it. Misfortune piled on.
"......"
Escaped via portal, Lee Sang-hyun watched from above, waiting out the explosion.
'Still alive.'
Soon, the aftermath showed.
Drake at ground zero, exhausted, reabsorbing flames.
Belucam, directly hit, charred black. Armor saved it from instant death, but black fire and smoke rose from wounds.
'Drake first.'
Lee Sang-hyun cloud-kicked toward the reabsorbing drake, gripping a 10-meter-thick bloodsword—thicker than usual.
WHOOSH...!!
Drained from Big Bang, it missed the attack.
"?!!"
Too late to react.
SPLAT...!!
The longsword pierced skull into brain.
Then exploded.
BOOM...!!
Bloodsword bomb pulped the brain.
"KR...AA...AA......"
Dying groan as the drake toppled. Lee Sang-hyun landed and charged the barely standing Belucam.
"BU...OO...OO...!!!"
Sensing danger, Belucam mustered strength for another stomp.
BOOM...!!
Weaker post-Big Bang—half power.
Lee Sang-hyun ignored the shockwave, charging.
"BU...OO...?!!"
Charred Belucam looked shocked at the ignored wave.
THUD...!!
He zipped between legs, climbed haunch to torso.
Then stabbed the base of the hump-like thick spine.
THUNK...!!
Belucam twisted, but bloodsword pierced spine and exploded.
BOOM...!!
"BU...UU...UU......"
Astonishingly, below the hump was Belucam's brain.
BOOM...!!
Brainless, the body collapsed.
Sturdy legs gave out.
"......"
Drake and Belucam down, Lee Sang-hyun eyed the basilisk.
"SS...AA...AAA...!!"
Less affected by Big Bang thanks to being flung far, it was relatively intact.
But terror filled its eyes—clearly fearing the others' deaths.
Berserk curse still gripped it; no fleeing.
THUD! THUD! RUMBLE...!!
Gas-mouthed, it charged fiercely, eyes murderous for the kill.
'In that case...'
Lee Sang-hyun pretended a head-on clash, dropping to run.
Distance closing.
At 500 meters.
Basilisk slammed tail for abrupt stop, spewing petrification gas—a beat faster than expected.
WHOOSH...!!
Gas turning life, objects—even mana—to stone blanketed the area.
Overwhelming range and density; prior blast seemed playful.
"Right here."
But Lee Sang-hyun, onto its plan, wasn't fazed.
Portaled atop its head, formed bloodsword.
Right then.
"?!"
Gas-spewing basilisk slammed head down. Gas surged upward inverted.
Lee Sang-hyun ignored, stabbing head.
SPLAT...!!
Exploded it.
BOOM...!!
Basilisk gas weaker than Belucam's wave or drake's Big Bang.
But turning life, objects—even mana—to stone was deadly.
"......"
Mana shield spared him stone fate, but petrified mana trapped him as a statue.
Heart steady: thump. Thump.
CRUNCH! CRACKLE...!!
He shattered the stone mana and emerged.
'Dead.'
Brain-blown basilisk head-planted dead. Heart still beat, but no proof of life.
Just in case, Lee Sang-hyun checked Belucam and drake.
......
......
No revival. Both perfectly dead.
'Now what's left...'
Turning, his gaze—sensed beyond sight—fixed on something.
The Babel Tower.
There stood the Babel Tower, embodying disaster.