The Exterminating Dragon's Hunting Method (4)
"Th-that kind of deception won't work on us!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! The human turned giant charges forward, bellowing some strange cry.
Hm? Did I do something weird?
It seems like he's talking about this form I'm in right now, but that can't be it. After all, this shape has already been acknowledged by other humans.
When was it again? Back in some SF dimension, when I was pretending to be a spaceship and giving a ride to a few humans I'd bonded with. The navigator guy was watching anime in his room, so I joined him in avatar form to watch together. I think it was an anime about robots. That's when the thought hit me out of nowhere—this could work—and that's how this "Gigant Mode" was born.
That human back then was bawling his eyes out in joy. So humans definitely like this form. I'm pretty sure even my past life self would love seeing me like this.
Not the time for those thoughts, though.
A warrior is charging straight at me right now to fight. Even if he's my enemy at the moment, I can't ignore a warrior's pride!
"Raaah!!!"
Whoosh!! The giant's fist tears through the air toward me.
Block it, or just take it? Either way, it makes no difference to me.
In that case...
Bam!
The giant's fist slams into my head. The air rips apart as shockwaves blast outward in every direction, but not a shred of impact reaches my head, protected by dragon gold. All I feel is a vague sensation of something bumping into me.
"Wha—?!"
Is that all you've got? If you wield a giant's power, then prove it to me.
"Raaagh!!!"
Bang! Bang! Boom!
Provoked, the giant unleashes a barrage of punches without pause. I take every single one without even guarding. The mana infusion would shred most barriers outright, and that sheer mass would punch through all but the toughest armor.
But the dragon gold coating my body isn't "most." It was originally my husband's, now evolved even stronger by my own power. A metal that absorbs and redirects all force—there's no way that level of strength could transmit shock to my insides.
Fwoooosh~!
"Huff! Huff!"
The giant pants heavily after his flurry of punches. I speak.
My turn.
I raise my right outer wing... no, my right arm in this form. At the same time, the wing joint—what's now my elbow—deforms, exposing a nozzle.
> Shuttle Pusher No. 1. Activating.
Vreeeeem!! Boom!
A massive burst of propulsion from my elbow rockets my fist straight into the giant's face.
"Guh?!"
Kaboom!!
One punch sends him tumbling backward. The giants I met in the past were tough enough that even I hesitated to brawl them hand-to-hand, but this human in front of me doesn't measure up.
Can a natural-born giant really compare to someone just mimicking the form with an ability?
> Expectations too high?
"Ngh!"
The giant groans as he rises, wiping the streaming nosebleed and resuming his stance.
"Attack!"
"Comrade! Hang in there!"
Meanwhile, the other humans close in, unleashing firearms and abilities at me.
Bam-bam-bam! Boom! Kaboom!
Flames, ice, bullets, lightning, and more pepper my body endlessly. But my dragon gold absorbs it all, promptly generating metallic material from the absorbed energy.
Using that, I form projectiles, load them into launch tubes.
> Loading complete.
> All launch tubes deploying.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
> Full salvo!
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Missiles launch from every tube on my outer wings—no, arms—legs, and torso.
Not missile wing fish this time. Just ordinary metal projectiles.
The missiles arc over the humans' heads, split apart, shatter into spores that scatter everywhere.
"Don't breathe it in!"
"Pinch your noses!"
"Eeeeek!!"
The humans frantically cover their noses and mouths. But unfortunately, these spores aren't inhaled poison.
They're fungal spores that activate on skin contact.
"Ack! Hahahahaha lololol!!"
"S-save me!!!"
"Eeeeek!!"
In seconds, they're writhing on the ground. I call these "Tickle Spores."
Originally a fungus that parasitizes skin, it induces mild tickling in the host during reproduction to make them flail around, spreading spores. I just tweaked it so the spores trigger tickling on contact.
Ticklish as hell, but harmless—no threat to life. They'll feel like they're dying from it, but they won't actually.
> Fwoosh! And just in case, incinerating the excess spores.
They're non-reproducing attack spores, but better safe than sorry.
"You vile monster!"
> Hm? Vile? Where?
The giant charges again, yelling nonsense I can't make sense of.
"Die!!"
Whoosh! He raises his fist again, so I raise mine too.
> Shuttle Pusher! Ready to activate.
> Ragnar Magnum, loading shock rounds.
Nozzles deploy at both elbows, revolver cannons at my wrists hum to life. Matching his wild swings, I counter with my own barrage.
> Ignite!
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!
Propulsion blasts from my elbow nozzles accelerate my punches at blinding speed. On impact, shockwaves from the wrist cannons recoil my arm back. Rinse and repeat for rapid combos. All I have to do is aim.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
My fists perfectly parry his. Iron clashes with iron, sparks and thunder roaring.
Crack!
"Gaaah!"
His left fist shatters and flies off. Meanwhile, energy surges into my returning right elbow.
> Shuttle Pusher, Repulsive Force Engine charging.
> 3.
> 2.
> 1.
> Ignite!
Kaaaa-BOOM!!
Space warps in a visual distortion as my right palm—no, fist would pulverize, belly too risky—slams into his chest.
Thud!! Whoosh!!
He's launched sky-high, crashing far away. I heard ribs cracking, but... he should survive that, right?
"My God..."
"Jesus!"
"WTF?!"
Humans from afar mutter in other languages. Too distant to make out clearly, but no need to care.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Nothing left to block me now. I stroll toward Pyongyang.
Tall concrete walls loom, topped by an ability-forged barrier. Their last bastion?
> Very well. Show me what else you've got. If there's more, bring it. I'll wait.
I declare it, crossing my arms human-style as I gaze at the city. Something emerges from within.
Ah, familiar stuff. Tanks, mortars... human weapons aiming at me.
"Fire!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom!
Enemy rounds pierce the barrier and hit me. I let them for a bit, then touch the barrier's top.
Thrum!
> Hm. Lets attacks in from inside, blocks from outside? Purely to let them hit me.
I take no damage from their attacks, of course. But with the barrier up, I can't damage them either.
> Only as long as the barrier holds, though.
Now, what to do? I confirmed early on it's tougher than expected. A harder hit would shatter it, and there are plenty of ways without breaking it.
Of those, what's best to break their will?
> ...Yes. That'll do.
I dodge back from their fire. They take it positively—hope glimmers inside. Too soon for that.
> Sound Cluster deploying!
> Wave ready!
Clack!
> Hup!
Equipment unfolds across my arms, chest, and legs. Minute vibrations focus all ambient sound forward.
Then, from the center, I roar with full force.
Groooaaarrrr!!
A touch of dragon fear, amplified by devices into hyper-vibrational sonic waves, blasted one-way. Name it... yeah, Dragon Roar Burst.
Shatter!
"Kyaaaaah!!"
"Aaaargh!!"
Kaboom!!
Pyongyang's barrier—and walls—crumble in an instant under my roar.
...Oops. Too strong?