Fighting is fun.
I wonder when I started feeling that way.
It certainly wasn’t when I was still with the pack.
The possibility of losing a comrade due to a small mistake, the constant tension and responsibility, there was no room for the idea of having fun.
Perhaps the feelings from my previous life remained. I think my aversion to combat was stronger.
Then, I was driven out of the pack, became fascinated by the 〖Feral Beasts〗, and started engaging in combat on my own.
Before I knew it, my aversion to combat had disappeared.
“(〖Compact Slash〗!)”
<–Stop Genbu Shield (Glacier Shield) activated, Mana Barrier Stagnate Layer–>
The Forest Turtle’s halberd is blocked by the black tortoise shell shield.
There’s a layer of phosphorescence around the shield, and the moment the halberd entered it, it became unnaturally heavy. It wasn’t a simple increase in weight, but more like the feeling of a sudden increase in air resistance, like swinging a stick underwater.
I immediately counterattack with a Dragon Drill, but I guard that with another halberd I imitated.
Sparks fly with a grating sound, and the impact forces me to take a few steps back.
“(Hahaha, I like this kind of thing!)”
My heart races at the challenge of something that won’t go as planned.
As I shot an arrow, taking advantage of the distance, I suddenly remembered my conversation with Fiss.
“Hey, why are you trying so hard to become stronger? You’re already strong enough to defeat 〖Feral Beasts〗 alone, is there a reason you need to become even stronger?”
I was at a loss for an answer back then, but now I can say it definitively.
I like fighting. I’m not crazy enough to risk my life, but I want to fight with all my might.
That’s why I’m so eager to gather the means to do so.
“(Ouch, that drill ignores 〖Toughness〗 after all.)”
I got hit by a drill thanks to the white tiger’s legs, which allow for fast and flexible footwork.
In return, I slashed his flank with 〖Blink〗 and 〖Cross Counter〗, but my own 〖Life〗 was reduced by about a hundred.
I thought I should avoid that drill as much as possible. I also thought it was fun.
It’s not hunting, it’s not trampling, it’s a fight, and that makes me incredibly happy.
There aren’t many opponents who can fight me properly. Anything below a 〖Dire Beast〗 dies with a jab.
At the very least, it has to be a 〖Feral Beast〗 or higher for a proper offense and defense to be established, so an opponent I can go all out against is precious.
Even more so if they can actually damage me.
The tension of dodging and defending to protect myself, rather than the usual training dodges and defenses, is refreshing.
The sense of accomplishment when I overcome such a strong enemy must be extraordinary.
“(〖Whip〗…!)”
With a whoosh, I lashed out with the Red Whip, and the Machine God took a big step back. The tip barely reached, but it was guarded by the tortoise shell shield.
Taking advantage of the distance, I shot an explosive arrow and released the bow imitation. I had a replacement ready.
The Machine God moved one step to the side to dodge the explosive arrow and approached again.
“(〖Whip〗!)”
I swung the Red Whip once more.
This attack was evaded with a leap. It seems he understood the characteristics of the whip after the last one.
The Machine God soared through the air with its wings and quickly launched a kick attack.
“(This reaction speed is troublesome…! Does it have a 〖Skill〗 that increases dynamic vision like 〖Blink〗? Interesting!)”
Since it also surpasses me in mobility, most of my attacks are dodged.
If anything hits, it would be a wide-area attack like 〖Thousand Blades Burst〗, but that’s a last resort. There’s a limit to the number of shots, and more than anything, it’s not fun.
I’ll use my trump card after I’ve exhausted all other options.
“(Release ‘Convergence’, add ‘Collection’!)”
<–Detection of 〖Zone Control〗 generation. Deploying Alfness Field–>
“(Hmm, that won’t work.)”
I tried to interfere with 〖Zone Control〗 like I did with the Old Gargoyle, but it was repelled.
It seems the Machine God can’t use 〖Zone Control〗, but it has a 〖Skill〗 to prevent it.
After attacking several times, I reaffirmed the Machine God’s strength.
Attacks using 〖Mana〗 are detected in advance, and its learning ability is high, so it adapts to techniques it’s seen once.
If I’m going to land a hit, I have to finish it off with the first one.
“(…Alright, I’ve decided, I’ll go with this!)”
I have a plan. Now it’s just a matter of timing.
Amidst the fierce clash of weapons, I waited patiently for an opportunity… and soon, that moment arrived.
“(〖Quake Swing〗!)”
The moment the Machine God landed, I struck the wasteland with the imitated Forest Hammer.
A violent vibration spread, and the Machine God’s core wavered slightly. At this perfect opportunity, I rushed forward.
However, this interference is not very effective against a Machine God with flight capabilities. It will just escape into the sky again.
In fact, the Machine God took flight before I could close the distance,
“(Heat Ray Firing!)”
And both legs and one wing were melted by three heat rays.
The three eyeballs that fired the heat rays weren’t the ones I had prepared just now. They were the ones I imitated when I released the bow imitation.
The charge was already complete at that point, and the Machine God was wary of the 〖Mana〗 in the eyeballs.
If I had fired them normally, even the high-speed heat rays would have been dodged… that’s why I aimed for a timing it couldn’t react to.
The Machine God began to fall due to the damage to its wing and legs, and I jumped into the air.
With only half a wing, it wouldn’t be able to evade in time.
The Machine God’s remaining options were the tortoise shell shield on its right arm or the dragon drill on its left arm.
The Machine God chose,
<–Stop Genbu Shield (Glacier Shield) activated, Mana Barrier Stagnate Layer–>
The tortoise shell shield.
It was a rational decision. There’s no way I’d be defeated by a single drill hit at this point, and there’s even the risk of it being used against me with 〖Blink〗.
But even this response was within my calculations.
I manipulated the Red Whip and Forest Shackles to go around the side of the shield, avoiding the phosphorescent area.
“(Alright, that worked!)”
I confirmed with 〖Clairvoyance〗 that the weapons had wrapped around its limbs, torso, neck, and head.
But the Machine God is no slouch either.
It forcefully moved its dragon arm with 〖Power〗, trying to cut me with the drill.
“(Then I’ll have to take care of that first, 〖Strangulation〗!)”
I put more force into the weapons binding the Machine God.
〖Strangulation〗 is a 〖Skill〗 that, as the name suggests, enhances the power of strangulation.
The count for 〖Storm Strike〗 has also accumulated quite a bit, providing ample enhancement.
The sound of creaking came from the Machine God’s entire body.
I poured an overflowing amount of 〖Mana〗 into the Red Whip wrapped around its neck.
The Red Whip increased in heat even more, which accelerated the deformation of its neck.
While resisting the approach of the drill, I continued to tighten with all my might, and then… CRACK.
The neck, unable to withstand the pressure, finally snapped.
<–Crystal link, no response. 〖Mana〗 supply line, severed. Remaining time until autonomous calculation circuit shutdown: 2.5 seconds–>
<–Defense mission, continuation is difficult to estimate–>
<–Fu, func, tion, is, sto, pp, ing, ma…–>
~Unidentified Information Recording Area~
…
War-Inducing Weapon Creation, Fue Toukouya’s 〖Soul Accumulation Value (Level)〗 has increased to 228.
…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Alright! Complete victory!”
The feeling of my 〖Level〗 increasing told me of my victory.
“(〖Parry〗, there.)”
Then, I landed, dispersing the impact.
I can’t let the Machine God’s corpse get damaged.
It was an interesting Demon Beast, and I don’t want to damage it if possible. I picked up the arm and leg parts that had separated along the way and stored them in 〖Weapon Storage〗.
“(Though, the analysis can wait. Right now, I need to meet up with Fiss—)”
“To think you would even defeat the ‘Colossus’ sama, what an ambition! Truly the embodiment of evil! You are the child of the Demon God sama, the savior who will bring the spring of Demon Beasts to the earth!!”
A shout that had gone off the rails was heard.
Feeling a sense of déjà vu, I turned my attention to the voice, and as expected, the man in ceremonial robes was riding on a paper carpet.