~Skill Details~
Shoot: Unleashes a powerful shot.
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The 〖Shoot〗-type 〖Weapon Skill〗 I’ve been using with bows and arrows doesn’t specify that it’s limited to bows in the “Skill Details.”
So, as long as it’s a shot, I can use it even without a bow and arrow.
“〖S(Sparkle) U(Aproot)〗, plus, 〖Heavy Shoot〗, sixfold!”
〖Mana〗 flows into the six Crimson Wings like a torrent, illuminating the surroundings with a bright glow.
What’s released is a ridiculous number of crimson magic bullets.
To avoid collisions between the magic bullets, I slightly offset the firing angle of each one, so the horizontally spread magic bullets would look like a giant red flower from afar.
The crimson magic bullets, almost covering the sky, are guided by 〖L(Lock-on) AIM〗 and close in to engulf the Earth Serpent.
“Gigi gigishaaaa!!”
The Earth Serpent, thrown out diagonally above me, isn’t just watching silently.
As if saying it won’t hold back, it consumes a large amount of 〖Mana〗, creating and launching the largest rock masses it has ever produced, one after another.
Also, separately from that, it used a 〖Skill〗 to create something like a steel shell and clad its entire body.
A makeshift armor, I guess. The armor and the main body are counted separately with 〖Storm Strike〗, so it’s effective to some extent.
While I was thinking about that, the leading crimson magic bullet collided with a rock mass.
The magic bullet, about the size of a balance ball, collided head-on with a rock mass that was about one size larger, and pierced through it without any resistance.
–Juooh
Leaving behind only a red-hot hole, a crimson flash soared through the sky.
The rock masses that stood in its way were all burned through, and sometimes they couldn’t withstand the pressure and exploded.
After piercing through about five rock masses, the magic bullets began to show signs of weakening, and they were overwhelmed by the third rock mass and disappeared, but immediately after, the following magic bullets pierced through that rock mass.
The magic bullets are far superior in both quantity and quality.
“(Well, considering how many 〖Skills〗 I stacked, the difference in specs is huge.)”
The Crimson Wings, an artifact specializing in high-heat magic bullets, was made using the Burning Wings of the Machine Gods as a reference, along with top-grade Mana Crystals and many rare Mana Minerals.
〖S(Sparkle) U(Aproot)〗, which can dramatically increase output and refine and fire high-density 〖Mana〗.
〖Heavy Shoot〗, which can unleash a powerful shot by accumulating power.
And the computational power correction during parallel firing by 〖L(Lock-on) AIM〗.
The Earth Serpent’s rock masses seem to be sturdy enough to clash with the Machine Gods’ normal magic bullets, but this time it’s at a disadvantage.
Breaking through the rock mass defense network, the crimson barrage rushes towards the Earth Serpent.
“Gashii…!”
Red spots begin to appear on the Earth Serpent’s body, which had coiled up to protect its vital points. The steel armor had melted from the magic bullets.
The spots continued to increase, and when the second crimson magic bullet hit the same spot, the Earth Serpent screamed.
It seems the magic bullets had reached its bare flesh, piercing through its hard rock scales.
Judging from the movement of 〖Mana〗, the Earth Serpent seems to be desperately repairing its armor, but it’s not keeping up with the onslaught of crimson magic bullets at all.
The armor is melted again as soon as it’s repaired, and its body is burned from the melted areas.
The areas where the armor wasn’t red-hot became fewer, and it scattered molten metal like blood every time it was hit.
“(…It endured it, huh? It’s tough.)”
After all the crimson magic bullets hit, what remained was an Earth Serpent with half of its body charred.
Since the charred body’s regeneration speed is slowed down, it suffered damage that won’t heal at least until the battle is over, but even so, it had managed to protect its two heads.
However, it seems to have exhausted its strength.
Its falling figure was limp and powerless, so if it fell to the ground, I could use my trump card—
“Shuro!”
“Shaaaa!”
“(Tch, a bluff?)”
The Earth Serpent accelerated suddenly, as if it had seen through my calculations.
If it was being ambushed below, it was probably trying to turn the tables by quickly approaching and launching a surprise attack.
It kicked off the rock masses it created in the air with its eight legs, and was falling as if running through the sky.
“(It’s not just that, this speed… is it using the 〖Omoishi Serpent’s Evil Eye〗 on itself!)”
One of its heads is facing the other head. By doing so, it seems to be increasing its own gravitational acceleration.
That’s not just for acceleration, but also to increase its attack power.
Just like when I crushed its head, it’s trying to make a comeback by delivering a blow that takes advantage of its weight. That’s the kind of spirit I felt.
Well, I don’t know what its actual aim is.
I was just tricked a moment ago. It might try to escape by passing through the ground. I should also consider the possibility of being caught off guard.
“(No, either way, it doesn’t matter. You’re one step too late.)”
The only regrettable thing about the Earth Serpent’s surprise attack is that it didn’t take action until it had completely blocked the crimson magic bullets.
It might have been dangerous if it had charged in while taking the magic bullets, but now the preparations for the second trump card are already complete.
“(Activate, Heat Ray Demon Eye.)”
The firing port of the artifact, which looked like a combination of a sphere and a triangular pyramid, appeared on my body surface.
From it, which had finished charging 〖Mana〗 within my body, a single ray of dazzling white light extended.
The white light, as hard to look at as the sun, reached the Earth Serpent at an incredibly fast speed, and in the next moment, it had pierced through its head.
The Heat Ray Eyeball, now called the Heat Ray Demon Eye. That is the name of this artifact.
It’s a Heat Ray Eyeball made by processing the third eye of the “Flame Sea,” enhanced by the effects of the artifact.
I started improving this weapon as a countermeasure against regeneration, but the Heat Ray Eyeball, which converts 〖Mana〗 into light and heat and irradiates it, had good compatibility with Mana Crystals that can control 〖Mana〗—no, it was too good.
The heat ray, with its excessively high temperature, took on a color like sunlight, and the firing mechanism self-destructed after a single use due to the heat of the white light.
“(Ouch… it’s still tough to take damage every time I use it.)”
But the damage the Earth Serpent suffered was nothing compared to that.
The head that was using the 〖Omoishi Serpent’s Evil Eye〗 was melted off, and the other head was also severely burned.
“(〖Replicant Form〗, Gen Shield, activate.)”
Even if I dealt a heavy blow and stopped the attack, the Earth Serpent is still falling.
To prevent it from escaping, I imitated a certain artifact.
It’s a shield made with reference to the Machine God’s armament, the Glacial Shield.
Like that one, it lays down a phosphorescent light in front of the shield, reducing the momentum of objects within the range.
By omitting the transformation mechanism and focusing all resources on the phosphorescent light, both the range and the reduction rate have been dramatically improved.
Even so, it couldn’t stop the Earth Serpent, but it’s enough to slow down its speed this much.
“(〖Replicant Form〗, 〖Capture〗.)”
I imitate many Forest Shackles and Corpse Ropes—ropes made from the skeletons of the 〖Feral Beast〗 of the Demon Beast Cult—and capture the Earth Serpent that had charged in.
It shouldn’t be able to pass through these.
“Gii… Shuaaa…”
The Earth Serpent struggles painfully.
Since its wounds are charred, there’s little bleeding, but its stamina should be greatly depleted. If it’s restrained in that state, it’s game over.
Somehow, it manages to thrust its tail blade at me, but it slides off the surface and doesn’t pierce at all.
“(–I see.)”
And at that moment when the Earth Serpent’s tail touched me, I was convinced. It was as if an electric current ran through my mind.
I can do it now.
“(Rest in peace, and become my nourishment. 【Thunder Harvest Scythe】)”
I gently touch the Earth Serpent’s forehead, which is about to use a breath attack. And I send a single bolt of lightning deep into its body.
The lightning that reaps life, which I can now handle since my 【Unique Skill】 has been upgraded.
Even the instant death that should have been reliably prevented by the 〖Resist〗 of an 〖Calamity Beast〗 is a different story if it’s suffering from a near-fatal injury.
Its body twitched in restraint like a patient receiving an electric shock—and at the same time, the sensation of reaping life.
The feeling of struggling to escape from the Forest Shackles disappeared, and the light faded from the Earth Serpent’s eyes.
Thus, I had defeated the “Devouring Horizon” that had destroyed the ancient civilization a thousand years ago.
~Unreported Information Recording Area~
…
The Distant, Shining, White Jade Ring (?), Fue Toukouya’s Soul Accumulation Value (Level) has increased to 337.
The Distant, Shining, White Jade Ring (?), Fue Toukouya has acquired the Skill: Cursed Binding. Capture will be integrated.
…
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