Episode 95: King’s Power
The surface of the sphere undulates, shaking violently.
Around the protruding arm, the ‘Liquid Metal’ begins to swirl, eventually converging into a human shape.
Its size rivals that of the Chimera.
At first glance, it resembles Yuma clad in “Metal Armor,” only much larger. However, its arms and legs are thicker, and the armor on its shoulders and chest is bulkier.
Many ominous horns grow from the helmet, and ferocious fangs peek out from the steel jaws.
A grotesque monster that can hardly be called human.
More than anything, Kanzaki and Aisha, watching from afar, felt it.
The primal “fear” that living beings would harbor in the face of that giant.
“Hahaha… amazing, look Kotaro! My hands won’t stop shaking!”
Aisha shows her trembling hands to Kanzaki, but Kanzaki is also shaking all over.
“Hey, what’s going on? Did the temperature inside the cave suddenly drop?!”
An oppressive feeling as if being crushed.
An indescribable impatience.
It was something that the two had never felt before, something that could be called ‘awe.’
And the Chimera in this place as well…
◇◇◇
The giant clad in Iron Armor slightly opens its jaws and exhales white vapor.
It slightly raises and lowers its shoulders, bulging with muscle and armor, and glares at the enemy before it.
The Chimera, wielding its massive pincers, takes a step back, then another. It wasn’t just the humans who felt fear.
The Chimera’s instincts as a monster were rejecting the idea of fighting the giant before it.
However, it also understood that it could not avoid the battle.
Both were strong, destined to reign at the top. Two such beings could not exist in the same place.
Just as the Chimera stopped retreating and tried to move forward, the Iron Giant raised its dangling arm and opened its jaws wide.
“GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
An ear-splitting roar.
The shockwave spread throughout the cave, blowing away all the haze and scattering it like clouds.
The president and Aisha covered their ears and grimaced. The next moment, the Iron Giant kicked off the ground and dashed forward.
The Chimera couldn’t react to the sheer speed.
As the giant raised its left arm, it swung its fist down towards the Chimera in the form of a crab.
It pierced through the thick shell, crushing the crab’s carapace.
Dark liquid splattered around. The crab somehow managed to raise its pincers to counter, but the Iron Giant grabbed the pincers firmly, pinned the crab’s body with its foot, and forcibly tore the pincers off.
After a glance at the writhing crab, the giant threw the pincers away and kicked the crab’s torso in front of it with all its might.
The crab spun halfway around and crashed into the cave wall.
The giant leaped towards the crab, which was buried under the collapsing rocks and flailing its eight legs. With each step, the ground shook and a rumble echoed.
Reaching close to the crab, it stepped forward with its left foot and swung down its right fist.
The Megaton-class punch easily shattered the opponent’s thick shell. The crab’s entire body shattered like an eggshell from the force of the impact.
But the change happened quickly.
The shattered crab’s body melted and turned into liquid. The large pincers that had been torn off also melted, turning into a black puddle.
Soon, all the liquid began to writhe and gather in one place.
The Liquid Metal quickly took shape, transforming into a giant cobra.
It opened its large mouth and attacked the giant. It bit into its arm, writhing its body and trying to tear it off.
However, the Iron Giant showed no signs of faltering.
It raised the arm that had been bitten, slamming the cobra into the ground with its entire body.
The earth cracked, and the cobra couldn’t help but open its mouth. The giant grabbed the snake’s upper and lower jaws. It pulled both jaws in opposite directions, putting force into it.
The cobra flailed its tail, trying to escape, but the giant showed no sign of letting go.
The jaws creaked and groaned, reaching their limit.
“GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
With the giant’s roar, the cobra’s upper and lower jaws were torn apart mercilessly. The giant threw away the cobra’s lower jaw and slammed the upper jaw, with most of the body still attached, into the ground.
It stomped down with its full weight on the cobra’s head, which had stiffened its body.
The giant crushed the cobra’s head, causing the entire cave to shake, and pebbles to fall from the walls and ceiling.
The cobra, its head crushed, convulsed and gradually stopped moving.
◇◇◇
Kanzaki and Aisha, who had been hiding in the shadow of a stone pillar watching the battle, were dumbfounded by Yuma’s overwhelming fighting prowess.
“Is that… really Yuma? It’s overwhelmingly strong!!”
Kanzaki raised his voice in surprise, suppressing his trembling hands. Aisha also nodded, holding her breath.
“Yes, but in that state, there’s a possibility he’s lost his Ego.”
“What!? He’s already defeated the Chimera! Is he just going to go on a rampage without understanding anything?”
“No… the Chimera probably won’t die from that much. It will probably change its form again to match the giant.”
“What!? It won’t die even after that!”
“Yes… but Yuma-kun not having an Ego might actually be a plus in the fight.”
“W-What do you mean? A plus!?”
Kanzaki looked at Aisha with a bewildered expression.
“People inevitably put unconscious limits on their bodies. But if their consciousness is gone and their instincts are running wild, adrenaline will be excessively released.”
“So, in other words—”
“That giant can completely remove the muscle limiter. In a battle of strength, it will far surpass the Chimera.”
Kanzaki gulped and shifted his gaze to the battlefield.
The Iron Giant was staring at the crushed enemy, exhaling white vapor.