Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Colossal Statue of Ruin, Uroboros
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Uroboros swung its arm toward me. Its fingertips raked across the ground, kicking up a massive furrow of earth that came crashing down on me. I hastily veered outward, bursting through the cascading mound of dirt and pressing on.
I spat out the soil that had gotten into my mouth along with my saliva, grumbling under my breath.
"This bastard... ridiculously strong."
The surrounding plains had turned into a total mess. Everywhere the monster's massive hands and feet brushed left the earth torn apart mercilessly, and wherever boulders struck created deep, long craters without fail.
Shouts erupted from the castle guards on the ramparts. They were too far to make out clearly, but the enormous shadow looming over my head made it ironclad—I poured on maximum speed and charged ahead with everything I had.
With a boom, my felsteed and I, caught between its fingertips, were flung forward by the surging ground.
I glanced back. Uroboros was still pursuing me relentlessly, with Knight Izenberg and Evelyn hot on its heels.
Boom. Thud. Thud.
Shells from the magic cannons fired by the castle guards hammered into Uroboros one after another. They only left scratches, but it seemed annoyed, hurling dirt mounds at the guards.
A few magic cannons and guards were swept away by the debris, tumbling beyond the ramparts.
Seizing the moment its attention shifted, I changed course and slashed at the tip of its foot with Yojjo. A chunk of metal ground away by the Aura Blade clanged to the ground.
It was fairly sizable, but to Uroboros, it was less than a clipped toenail.
'Annoying. At this rate, it'll never end.'
Kuoooo... Uroboros let out a bizarre roar, pounding its chest in frustration before grabbing nearby boulders and hurling them wildly.
A boulder rolled past me with a thud, bouncing like it was alive. A barrage followed, sending rock shards flying everywhere.
Sharp fragments grazed me, slicing shallow cuts into my limbs. Some hit my face too, but aside from a gash on my forehead, they bounced off with dull thuds.
"Damn it. What kind of ordeal is this?"
The price of pride was steep.
All I'd ever wanted was not to bow to anyone else, but the world wouldn't tolerate someone like me.
The world always told me to submit to the strong. It said things would be easier that way.
Of course, submission would make life easier. No need to fight the mighty, no need to defy the law of the jungle.
But strategic retreats were one thing—absolute submission was out of the question. Submission meant weakness, and in the age of ruin, the weak died first. To me, who'd survived that future, weakness was synonymous with death, a mindset to avoid at all costs.
That's why I despised subjugation. Those who kneel rely on others, and those who rely get abandoned and die in the end. They never learn true survival because they've never carved their own path.
Yes. I'd always stood against death alone, protecting my life with my own hands. There was no reason to kneel before a Valkyrie queen who'd grown up like a flower in a greenhouse.
"You dried-up old spinster. Just wait till I see you. I'll splash shitwater right in your face."
Another palm whistled over my head. The gust rocked my felsteed, but I slowed sharply to regain balance.
Its next palm strike shook the earth, launching my felsteed and me into the air again.
The moment I landed, I wheeled around and charged straight at Uroboros.
Metal sheared away in Yojjo's arc.
Evelyn and Knight Izenberg followed up, slashing its legs as they streaked past.
Despair began creeping into everyone's eyes. No matter how much we hacked at the colossal beast, it showed no signs of faltering. If anything, the minor wounds only enraged it further, making it thrash wildly and shower the area with dirt and boulders.
"Tch."
I charged again.
Suddenly, its claw-like grip shot toward me between its legs. I abandoned my attack and dodged back on my heels. It whiffed, stumbling forward off-balance.
As the ground quaked with a boom, a woman's magical telepathy whispered in my ear.
"Hey, kid. Uroboros's weak point is the massive essence in its chest."
It was Catrine's voice. The only one who called me "kid" was that redheaded pest.
She must have taken a dislike to Nemisona for defying Chronos's laws, or maybe she just wanted to protect the humans inside Divinum Castle.
Yeah, that sounded like Catrine. While the other Valkyries fled, she'd fought alone for humanity.
Still, I pouted in dissatisfaction.
Uroboros's chest was nearly twenty meters thick. If the massive essence was the weak point, it'd be buried deep inside—there was no way Yojjo could reach it. Even with Aura Blade, it'd barely penetrate two meters.
"Tch. That's your idea of intel? You think my sword can even get in there?"
"I bet you could manage it, kid. Right, Karl's Grand Duke's Heir?"
I flinched inwardly. How the hell did she know my identity?
Up to now, only one person could've possibly figured me out: my best friend Hubeo. He knew about my relationship with Shura and our encounter in Aim Village.
I had no clue how Catrine knew, but she was definitely guessing. Otherwise, Princess Ignatius wouldn't have tried to unmask me earlier.
"What the hell are you babbling about? Why would I be that traitorous Grand Duke's Heir?!"
"You sure you're not?"
"Of course not! That guy's dead!"
"Fine, weak point info withdrawn. Just run far away and stay safe till Armida gets back from chasing Prosia. And good luck."
She said it so infuriatingly. Why was she always such a pain to me specifically?
Still, I'd gleaned one hopeful hint: Yojjo held immense power. The issue was I couldn't wield it properly, but there had to be a way. I'd tapped into it once against Catrine, after all.
Maybe that's why Yojjo led me here—to draw out its true strength, just like it had guided me to Catrine in the past.
'Yojjo, is that it?'
I stared at Yojjo's blade, lost in brief contemplation.
Should I hold out and wait for Armida's help after she finds Saint Prosia? Or stake my life and push forward?
In the past, I'd always chosen the latter. Rather than wither away waiting for slim salvation inside the castle walls, I'd plunged headlong into hordes of demons waiting to claim me, seizing survival on my own terms.
And the latter had always been right. No salvation came; everyone left behind died. I'd clawed through the demonic swarm like a madman and barely reached the rear alive.
'When have I ever trusted anyone else?'
I immediately turned my steed around. I'd always trusted only Yojjo—and myself, who'd fought for survival. This time, to press further ahead, I'd trust only us.
I charged at Uroboros as it slowly rose.
"White Face! Are you insane?!"
Evelyn's piercing shout came from behind. By then, I'd already climbed its arm and launched myself at its steel head, swinging Yojjo with all my might.
A sickening slice, and its forehead parted like tofu. But that was it—it barely flinched, swinging at me as I fell.
I jammed Yojjo into its torso to halt my descent. Cold metal brushed my toes as a gale whipped my body around.
I yanked Yojjo free and used the momentum to carve into its shoulder.
"White Face! Pointless attack! Get back—it's dangerous!"
Even as Knight Izenberg yelled, my body sailed onward. I crashed into the ground, tumbling and skidding through dust clouds before finally stopping. I propped myself up, wiping blood from my mouth with my forearm.
The impact made breathing agony. My dragged shoulder and thigh throbbed, every joint in my body screaming.
"Tch. Not that easy, huh?"
Uroboros lumbered over with earth-shaking steps and stomped down hard. I waited in the shadow of its foot, then leaped aside as it neared. Dust erupted with a boom, flinging me airborne again.
That's when a beam of intense light shot from the ramparts, slamming into its torso. I thought it was a magic cannon at first, but no—those didn't fire light.
My narrowed eyes spotted two women: Shura and Princess Ignatius.
I shouted.
"Shura! I told you to take Padilla and get to safety!"
"I got Padilla to safety."
"Hey! That meant you too!"
"I'm fighting with you."
She never listened. Not that I did either. Guess birds of a feather really do flock together.
"Do whatever you want!"
Our assault continued. With Uroboros fixated on me, Evelyn and Knight Izenberg's Aura Blades pierced its feet, while Shura and Princess Ignatius's spells scorched dark burns across its body.
But still no decisive blow.
'How the hell do I trigger the magic?!'
I had no idea what was missing for Yojjo to activate its magic. I was furious enough at Nemisona, resolved to advance, dead set on destroying Uroboros, and trusted Yojjo wholeheartedly.
It was clearly a mental trigger, but what more did it need to respond?
I glared at my prowling black felsteed, its snort almost tempting me to flee. I bit my lip hard.
If not now, who knew when I'd get another shot at awakening Yojjo's magic.
Uroboros was the obstacle blocking my path away from the age of ruin. Difficult or not, I had to break through. Fleeing it would only let the thick, dark despair of that era swallow me whole.
Kuoooo.
A fierce crimson glow ignited in Uroboros's eyes. As unease gripped me, Catrine's telepathy arrived.
"Rampage mode. Watch out!"
"Damn it. When wasn't it?!"
But she was right. It grew more ferocious, faster, lashing out indiscriminately.
As it flailed its arms wildly, the ground peeled up and dirt chunks flew. I spurred my growling steed roughly toward it.
Fragments had already lacerated my body, leaving me bloodied, but I ignored it. All I wanted was to draw out Yojjo's magic.
"Yojjo! Please!"
My full-force slash carved a deeper, larger gash in its foot than ever before. Slight, but Yojjo had definitely reacted.
Real combat was the key. Only by pushing my mind to the brink against a formidable foe did Yojjo stir.
'That's why it never budged in practice.'
But it faded back to normal. My strikes reverted to superficial scratches.
It stomped; I dodged. It punched; I evaded. Pinned toward the ramparts, I leaped onto its instep, bounded up, and slashed its calf.
"Yojjo! Go!"
Its steel flesh cracked. Yojjo reacted again. I still didn't grasp the full mechanism, but I was getting closer.
Meanwhile, cannon fire and Seven Divine Artifact spells pounded its body relentlessly.
Forced back to the moat, I vaulted it, then climbed the pursuing foot upward.
Its fist hurtled in.
I jumped high, clinging precariously to its wildly shaking forearm until I reached a certain height, then hurled myself at its thick steel chest.
"Yojjo! Please!"
I slammed Yojjo down with desperate prayer. Its chest split raggedly, forming a massive groove.
A faint glow shimmered deep within. I smirked faintly. It worked again.
Princess Ignatius on the nearby ramparts yelled to everyone.
"Focus all attacks on that glow in its chest! That's the weak point!"
Cannon shells and spells poured into its chest. Most were blocked by its brutish steel hands, but some slipped through its fingers, striking the massive essence.
Krrrk. Grrrn.
The magic runes on the essence's surface damaged, Uroboros jerked unnaturally. It curled its limbs, staggering before rampaging wildly.
I landed, eyes wide. Its malfunctioning arm swung toward Shura and Princess Ignatius, who were mid-spell. They tried to abort, but it was too late—the steel forearm loomed right over them.
Shura and Princess Ignatius were in danger. A chill ran through me as I bolted mindlessly.
"Damn it all!"
Finally, their Seven Divine Artifacts unleashed their ultimate spells. I scaled the ramparts, leaped with all my strength, and hurled Yojjo at its forearm. It exploded with a boom, flying far off.
Soaring high, I ignored it and smashed Yojjo down on Uroboros's head.
"Die!"
Boom! Crunch! It crumpled like crushed tin. Its sturdy steel legs burst apart, and its waist-deep dented torso wobbled before toppling backward.
Landing, I stared at Uroboros's wreckage, my hand trembling around Yojjo. What the hell just happened? This colossal steel monster crumpled like scrap before one strike? And that jump earlier—what was it? I'd used a mere 30-meter rampart to vault to the head of a 100-meter behemoth.
Evelyn approached with a terrified look.
"Wh-White Face, what the hell was that?!"
I had no idea either. I'd barely triggered Yojjo's magic, and now this unknown power again. I truly had no clue to the limits of Yojjo's abilities.
Knight Izenberg dismounted in shock and hurried over.
"H-Hubeo Saint Trio EX? No way... White Face, you can use that too?"
"What?"
He pointed at the wrecked, inert Uroboros.
"Didn't your magic activate alongside the Grand Saintesses'? And only Hubeo Saint Trio EX packs that kind of destructive power."
I blinked. 'Hubeo Saint Trio EX.' Oh yeah, I'd heard of it. During that play in Kara about Hubeo's heroics.
Even the devout had limits, but this guy bought that hype hook, line, and sinker.
End