Chapter 199: Just Like Last Time! Or not?

In a gray world, a man could be seen relentlessly swinging a pickaxe with all his strength. He was grinning as he kept targetting some poor Iron Golems, obviously enjoying himself. 

"Oh yeah, this is it! This feeling is the best, just like that!" 

TING!

TING! 

TING!

Josh had already found sawing golems to be fun, but what he was doing now was even better! Every time the purple glowing tip of the tool collided with the golems, their iron skin would cave in with chunks flying everywhere. 

It almost seemed like the tool had an explosive property. It even worked on the iron floor and would have put a cubic green exploding creature to shame! Somehow, it seemed even stronger than a D-Ranked weapon: how awesome was that?!

He was already done with the minions not long after, and it was time for the Boss. The whole Floor shook as it rose. Anyone would have described the situation as awe-inspiring, frightening, and perhaps even epic. 

"Yeah, whatever. We get it. You have an intro cinematic. Do you do that every goddamn time you wake up? You'll remain alone all your life if that's the case!" 

He couldn't help but picture how extremely inconvenient such a power would be. Sneakily gets up in the middle of the night to make a sandwich: wakes the entire neighborhood. Oh, and god forbid any kind of nap ever! 

Josh couldn't help but chuckle, picturing a friendless and depressed iron monster blaming the world for giving him such a passive ability. Perhaps it would even lose sleep over it, and its sign would be an Iron E for exhausted. A golem could get mentally exhausted, right? 

"Souls…do…die…CRUSH!" It bellowed once again. 

It reminded Josh of these characters in video games that only had a few iconic lines. Then again, this was understandable since fans wouldn't care that much either way. 

"Nightmare, I summon you!" Josh cried out. 

That is when spawned the poor horse. It instantly noticed the 50 meters tall monster. It then looked at the creature, then at Josh. Its gaze seemed to convey clearly: "Yeah, me defeating that big guy ain't happening."

In its eyes, Josh could perceive annoyance, desperation, and even resignation. Why was its master only ever summoning it against foes that were way stronger than it?

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I just need you to run around and attract its attention. That's the only thing you have to do." Josh reassured it. 

Nightmare began galloping while the Iron Golem began slapping. Each of its attacks made the area shake. Josh waited until the creature targeted him and reenacted his limb-climbing move from earlier. 

A few seconds later, the monster was already using its spike attacks. In its giant form, it was able to emit shockwaves from its extremities or have them cover its entire skin. Josh acted as if he was struggling against the spikes while waiting for an opportunity. 

Nightmare kept running with the eagerness of a newly single lumberjack on Timber while Josh kept track of the situation. Not yet, not yet….showtime! The giant slapped the horse, barely missing it. 

Its giant arms were now at different heights. The left one was still touching the ground at that very moment. Meanwhile, the right one was in mid-air with Josh holding on for dear life like a stowaway heading for a land of opportunities. 

That is when Josh acted! He brought his arms backward, summoned the rat, and threw it will all the strength he could muster. It was similar to the first time he had done it, but there was a key difference. 

The creature unconsciously used the nearest arm to block. The wind from the quick movement ruffled Josh's hair as he ascended. He stood proud while smiling, all until the giant brought him right in front of the sapphires. 

Then the rest was obvious: 

TING!

TING!

TING!

The creature had caused its own doom as it crumbled instantly. This time, Josh was ready for what was to come. It was time to motherfucking surf! He grabbed the rat and prepared himself to ride the wave. 

"All souls…die….ANNIHILATE!"

Josh couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He remembered a quote from the legendary surfer Buzzy Trent: "A big wave is like a beautiful woman, exciting to look at and thrilling to ride." Oh, this one would be thrilling indeed! (Also  potentially deadly)

Then it came. The wave was huge and tumultuous. This time, all the danger he felt was converted to excitement. Oh, he did get his Dimensional Belt ready just in case. But, this was only in last resort as every use came with a cooldown (about two weeks). 

He brightly smiled as he felt himself being catapulted in the air by the metallic wave. Crazily enough, the view was stunning. The entire universe had turned into one of metal at this moment. 

Josh was getting thrown all over the place helplessly. He was at the mercy of this world of metal. It desired the iron that his blood contained and wouldn't stop until it got it. He was bound to succumb, for he was nothing more than a weak man of flesh and blood. 

Was he going crazy? Perhaps. Was the thrill getting to his head? Perhaps. But, right at that instant, Josh couldn't help but cackle as he shouted madly. Even he wasn't sure if he was yelling at the Boss or at no one in particular. 

"Oh great spirit of metal, are you trying to crush the weak me? Hahaha! Good luck with that. This weak being is going to screw you over!… Oh? Is that killing intent that I'm sensing? Do you perhaps dislike me talking back?"

The gigantic needles onslaught only intensified. He was akin to a popcorn kernel bouncing around while microwaved, and it was endless! The Boss was sentient and didn't like the disrespect. 

The thorns on the spikes even began growing at an incredible rate, trying to create an inescapable nest. But, Josh was avoiding their grasp while getting grazed non-stop in exchange. Even as he was bleeding, he had a huge smile on his face. 

"Hehe. I may bleed, fall, or even fail—probably many times at that. But so fucking what? I'll survive, heal and be back for some more! Go on, do your fucking best. I'm waiting!" He was akin to a madman screaming at a natural disaster, but he didn't care. 

That's when all the metallic spikes suddenly retracted back into the ground. Something was wrong! There was still supposed to be a while to go before it ended. The silence was overwhelming. 

Josh slowly kneeled on the sturdy floor, trying to figure out what was happening. He was expecting a needle reappearing anytime to try and take him by surprise, but that didn't happen. Still, he knew it wasn't over, for the system hadn't appeared yet. 

There were a few more minutes of silence before he felt some killing intent in the distance. It was time for round two! What would change this time around? Had the Iron Giant been thinking about how to defeat him all this time? 

It wouldn't matter, for whatever was coming, he would adapt. Was Josh overconfident? Perhaps. He grabbed the rat solidly and waited for this new challenge to begin. 

That is when it finally revealed itself to him. On the horizon, there was a new wave, but this one was worlds apart! The previous one looked almost akin to a metallic tsunami…this one literally was one! 

The wave was as tall as the Iron Giant had been. It eclipsed the sky, the ground, and it was so vast that he couldn't see any beginning nor end to it. At that moment, he realized his foolishness. He would conquer it? What a joke! At least the current him was incapable of it. He knew that for sure.

How could a tiny human-like him go against such a thing? Would it require a miracle or maybe a god-like skill? 

He could already hear the unbelievably loud clanging sound made by the disaster. In a minute, it would be upon him. He knew it was time to leave! He picked up the Dimensional Belt but then stopped right before activating it.

Leaving right now felt so damn wrong, but why? There was no shame in retreating against an enemy that was impossible to defeat. He knew that very well but still felt extremely reluctant to leave like that. 

That is when Josh decided on a course of action. He sighed in relief, for he knew what he truly desired. He could be defeated, but he wouldn't admit defeat. That is why he straightened his back and began taunting the Iron Giant once more...

Creator's Thought

One can be defeated but not admit defeat. I always appreciated such a saying. Well, it does get easily misunderstood by dumabasses. One can admit defeat verbally as long as the spirit remains strong. One should always strive to do better and improve oneself: that is the true meaning of it.