Volume 7 Chapter 4 Part 4 (1/2)
”Just whatpower is that?”
Scoruas, still reeling from the kick he had received, whispered his astonishment while pulling up his body, scorched by lightning and flames.
”I'm wondering too. Do you know anything?”
While perceiving the energy from the other battle, s.h.i.+n answered to Scoruas' mumbled words.
As the lightning stopped, s.h.i.+n kicked the ground and closed in on the demon.
His right hand wielded Moonless, the left one the newly unsheathed Oboro Muramasa. Its grade was superior ancient, similar to Moonless. In this world, it was a masterpiece among katanas, regarded as a ”sword of the G.o.ds”.
”ThiSs poWeErrare yOu rEeAlly hUmaN?”
”Who knows? In any case, you're going to die here, so you're fine not knowing, right?”
s.h.i.+n answered Scoruas while cutting through the octopus tentacles that stretched towards him.
The tentacles were hard enough that Legend-grade weapons would simply bounce off them, but, before Ancient-grade weapons, they were as helpless as regular octopus tentacles.
With Limit released, s.h.i.+n's muscular strength was unbound, which, coupled with the blades' sharpness, sliced through the tentacles like a hot knife through b.u.t.ter.
”Here's a little bonus too.”
After slas.h.i.+ng 3 of the tentacles in half, s.h.i.+n activated the Flame and Wind combination skillEcho Bomb.
What appeared was a ball of fire with a 1 mel diameter.
The b.a.l.l.s of fire quickly became 10, then 20, then rained on Scoruas' face.
”GwAAh?? nOT onLy pOweR, bUt MagIC toOo!? ”
Scoruas tried to parry the fireb.a.l.l.s with his pincer-like arms.
The fireb.a.l.l.s exploded as soon as they touched the pincers, thus inflicting damage to the monster's sh.e.l.l. The compressed air within the fireb.a.l.l.s was also carried by the blast, sending its vibrations to the enemy's sh.e.l.l.
As the directed sound waves. .h.i.t the sh.e.l.l, they gradually caused cracks to appear on its st.u.r.dy surface.
Echo Bombwas a skill that caused damage both by sound waves and explosions, useful for damaging a monsters' hard skin and armor.
The endless flood of fireb.a.l.l.s crushed Scoruas' pincers and scales, which were starting to fall off.
Continuous casting of this skill was a feat that not even several magicians could perform, even when taking turns casting.
It only became possible when one managed to cast it without chanting, possessed enough magical power, and high enough stats.
”As expected of a Grand Duke, you're pretty st.u.r.dy.”
This fierce attack would have turned a normal field boss to ashes, but Scoruas' HP had barely decreased.
Protecting himself with his pincers helped too, although Scoruas' defensive power was originally very high.
With his previous kick, s.h.i.+n had planned to crush the demon's organs. However, Scoruas' stomach was now only slightly dented and had already recovered to the point that it couldn't be said to have been sunk in.
s.h.i.+n's main priority had been to create distance between the two demons, but to withstand an overlimit kick showed that Scoruas' defenses were quite impressive.
”The scales form a layered armor, I see.”
s.h.i.+n formed his guess while looking at the scales still falling from the demon's body. New scales were created where fallen ones used to be, hiding the demon's skin from sight.
”Looks like I can't just lock you down.”
The newly formed tentacles knocked down Echo Bombbefore s.h.i.+n's eyes.
The 3 tentacles, huge in comparison to the demon's body, moved all around and hit all the fireb.a.l.l.s, barely missing any.
The few fireb.a.l.l.s left were blocked by the pincers.
The recovery ability probably extended to the whole body, as the demon's lower body also began to move again.
”Not a chance.”
s.h.i.+n, while keeping the magical skill active, rushed towards the horse legs that were trying to move.
The trunk-like legs were nothing more than a target for s.h.i.+n. He closed in and swung his swords down, attempting to cut them off in one fell swoop.
The legs, however, noticed the sudden change before s.h.i.+n could get close enough.
Octopus-like tentacles began sprouting from the horse legs' surface.
Every tentacle was roughly 15 mels long and as thick as a big rope. The tips were armed with knife-like sh.e.l.ls, but the most notable thing was their ma.s.sive numbers. The octopus leg-like appendages, easily numbering over 100, chased after s.h.i.+n just like tentacles hunting their prey.
”Quit sprouting bizarre stuff!”
”dO noT thINk I wIlL juSt SIT BaCK aNd do NOThINg!!”
s.h.i.+n put some distance between him and the demon, all the while cutting down tentacles. After roughly 10 mels, the tentacles stopped their pursuit.
In their place, huge tentacles came cras.h.i.+ng down on s.h.i.+n's head.
”Hah!”
s.h.i.+n swungMoonlessand Oboro Muramasain a cross, which was enough to blow away 3 tentacles sprouting from Scoruas' right arm.
”Oops!”
The left arm's pincer came on the offensive as well. It was not impossible to slash it, but if he remained in place he would have been thrown back.
As s.h.i.+n jumped to dodge it, he felt a stronger gaze pointed towards him.
s.h.i.+n faced upwards and found Scoruas, with his mouth wide open and pointed at s.h.i.+n. A large amount of compressed water was already present inside the mouth.
”Kaaahhhhh.”
It was highly pressurized water breath a wide range attack sea-dwelling monsters excelled at.
But it could not be unleashed.
”GRUAAAAAAAA!!!”
”!?!”
Kagerou had circled around the demon, jumped on its back and sank his claws on Scoruas' head.
Returning to his original form, Kagerou had jumped while usingHiding, attacking Scoruas from his blind spot.
After s.h.i.+n had kicked Scoruas away, Kagerou had hid on s.h.i.+n's shadow.
Streams of water burst through the gaps of the demon's closed mouth. By forcing Scoruas' mouth to close just before the shot, the breath attack was unleashed within the demon's mouth.
The leaked waterstreams cracked open whatever ground they touched, proof that the attack's power was not to be underestimated.
”YoU FiLThy BeASt..!!!”
Scoruas was now rampaging, trying to shake Kagerou off his back. He tried to reach around his back with his tentacles, but Kagerou had enveloped his whole body in lightning, thus burning the tentacles and preventing them from wrapping around him.
Scoruas was a rank 3 boss, but close to rank 4.
In comparison, the Gruef.a.go -the ordinary monster version- was roughly in the middle of rank 3.
Kagerou, however, was a mutated species, and his rank was more or less the same as Scoruas'.
His physical abilities were more than enough to cause damage to the demon.
”GHAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
Kagerou, his battle instincts now completely released, unleashed a roar that boomed throughout the surroundings. His lightning-clad blow easily crushed Scoruas' scales and sank into the demon's flesh.
The divine beast then attacked the pincers' base with his fangs, causing cracks to open on the monster's carapace with a loud creaking sound.
”Kagerou! Get away!”
Schnee's voice resounded through the battlefield.
Scoruas was freed from Kagerou's attacks, but his relief was short-lived; seconds later, the demon was once again under attack.
Just as his attention was drawn to his back, crescent-moon-shaped blades of ice targeted him from the front. The blades were thin and almost invisible to the naked eye.
The blades were roughly 1 mel long: if they could be caught, they looked extremely fragile.
”Kh!”
Scoruas tried to crush them with his tentacles, but felt that each blade was imbued with magical power; he then quickly jumped away while using his sh.e.l.l-clad left arm as a s.h.i.+eld.
”My arMis FReeZiNG”
The ice blades did not cause much damage. Yet each spot they touched froze instantly, in a 2 mel radius.
The chilling air affected not only the surface, but also deep within the carapace, robbing Scoruas of his mobility.
”I apologize for being late.”
”We were all waiting for you.”
Because of his physical abilities, s.h.i.+n always struck first. In this situation, separating the two demons was of the utmost priority, so it was not a real problem.
”It looks like they are struggling less than expected. They might really defeat the enemy before we join them”
”Fantastic news. That Adara demon wasn't that strong, then?”
”It appears that Wilhelm's spear and Tiera's arrows had a greater effect than expected. They were much more powerful than I expect them to be.”
”That's intriguing. We'll have to ask them after we take care of this one.”
s.h.i.+n and Schnee drew closer to Scoruas, all the while conversing in a perfectly usual manner.
”The tentacles always get in the way. It'll be easier to use this too.”
”I'll borrow it, then.”
s.h.i.+n pa.s.sed a card to Schnee, who materialized it.
What appeared in her left hand was a short sword with a transparent emerald-green blade and dainty decorations. The blade part was roughly 60 cemels long.
The name of this superior Ancient-cla.s.s weapon was Suirentou Kabutohana.
”Here I come.”
Schnee's silhouette vanished in thin air. Moving quickly and gracefully as if dancing, leaving after-images in one's wake was a Kunoichi's specialty. It was fruit of the combination of the movement-type martial skills Ground Shrinkand Mirage Dance.
While the tentacles unsuccessfully tried to halt her advance, Schnee carved Scoruas' front left leg with her blades. The weapons she wielded were both of Ancient grade; the carapace's defense power was nothing before them.
At the same time, she had activated the Katana-type martial skill Pomegranate Burst.
Scoruas' front left leg, struck by a storm of blue and green slashes, had already lost half of its functionality.
”It won't go like before this time!”
s.h.i.+n was running towards the demon's front right leg.
His attack was straight from the front; Moonlessand Oboro Muramasarepeatedly unleashed cross-like slashes.
It was the Katana-type martial skill Brilliant Void Cross.
The Light and Dark elemental blades felled the tentacles and carved cross-shaped scars on the demon's body. Scoruas' front right leg lost all of its functions roughly at the same time that the left one was crushed by Schnee.
”ThIS iSABsUrDhOw coUld I”
Because of the damage to the legs and Kagerou's lightning attack received from behind, Scoruas was now slumped forward. Before his eyes stood s.h.i.+n and Schnee, both with weapons at the ready.