Chapter 74: The Steel Monkey, Vali
「Yuuma, ready for battle.」
「Yes!」
Yuuma installed the white tube into the metal instrument attached to pickel and invoked his 『Metallization』 again.
After his body turned into metal, he used 『Liquid Metal Transformation』 to coat the pickel, and turned its form into that of hammer.
「OK, I’m ready.」
The president was observing the situation around them from the shade of the rock.
One of the Vali was loitering nearby. And another one behind the rock.
Since there were so many Valis on top of the cliff, the president who wanted to bait those two Valis out of their crowd picked up a pebble around him and threw it at the pointy rock near him.
――Clank.
The small sound resounded as the pebble hit the ground. The two Valis who heard the sound went toward the rock while surveying the surrounding area. Yuuma and the president exchanged glances and nodded at each other.
The next moment, the president went out from the rock and ran toward the two Valis.
「OVER HERE, LOSERS!!」
The Valis finally noticed the president, and ran all four toward him.
Seeing that, the president came to a stop, readied his hexagonal staff.
「YUUMA, DO IT!」
Yuuma also jumped out of his hiding place and invoked the bloody ore’s ability.
Yuuma’s hand gripped on the grip of the pickel and swung it toward the Vali, crimson streaks ran on the surface of his body, shining dimly in the dim dungeon.
「UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!」
Yuuma put his entire weight on as he swung down his pickel.
The Vali couldn’t react in time for Yuuma’s surprise attack.
――TAKE THIS!
The tip of his pickel hit Vali, and exploded. The sound of an explosion resounded inside the cave.
The shockwave from the explosion sent Yuuma’s body flying to the opposite direction, but he managed to land on his feet and then looked at the Vali who took the explosion head on.
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It was a direct attack right on its head. Yuuma was convinced of his victory but then, when the smoke cleared up, the said Vali was still alive, albeit losing its left arm.
They looked angrily at Yuuma.
「Did I miss it!?」
It seems the Vali reacted fast enough to block the pickel with their left arm.
The Vali raised a warcry and rushed at Yuuma with an enraged look on their face. The other Vali who noticed the commotion ran down from the rock.
――Dammit! I have no other choice but to fight them now!! I won’t make it in time to install the explosive. I guess the only option left is fighting with pickel coated with 『Liquid Metal』.
Yuuma raised his pickel that had already turned into a hammer and swung it down toward the one-armed Vali. But――
「Eh!?」
The Vali caught the handle of his pickel and Yuuma couldn’t take it back.
At that very moment, he recalled that bloody ore originally came from Vali. Meaning that he wouldn’t be able to defeat Vali in the contest of strength.
When Vali pulled his pickel with all their strength, Yuuma’s body got dragged in, and even floated in the air for a moment.
And just like that, he got knocked to the ground.
「… GAH!」
That attack was by no mean painful for the current Yuuma but, the 『Liquid Metal』 coating on the pickel ended up came off.
When Yuuma’s hand let go of his pickel, the Vali then threw the pickel that they managed to snatch from Yuuma.
Yuuma stood up on his feet again and raised his face.
One-armed Vali on the front, and another Vali rushing toward him from the side.
Yuuma, who lost his weapon, Pickel ended up standing dumbfoundedly, having completely no idea about what to do now. That moment, the president shouted from behind the one-armed Vali.
「DON’T FALTER, YUUMA! Just do the usual synchronization movement. Beating the crap of them is piece of cake!!」
Yuuma snapped out of his daze in that instant. Synchronization movement was the basis of a martial art that was beaten into him so thoroughly by the president but the only one he could use was “Straight Thrust”.
He had no idea how to properly utilize that move at this moment but he decided to follow his instinct.
The Vali had already arrived before him. Yuuma opened his leg at shoulder length, raising his left hand forward, pulling his clenched right fist on his waist as he lowered his stance.
He adjusted his breath, opened his eyes and took a step forward.
From leg to waist, from waist to shoulder, from shoulder to arm. His power transmitted like a series of perfectly interlocking gearboxes.
When his body and mind were in a complete synchronization state, the crimson lines on his skin glowed even brighter than before.
Even the president who stood in a separate place noticed that strange phenomenon.
「What the… Hell is that?」
The Vali tried to catch Yuuma’s punch with his right hand but Yuuma warded it with his left arm and clenched his right fist even stronger than before.
――Straight thrust. It was a basic form of punch that I drilled into me again and again.[TN: Straight Thrust–Cool Version]
The rotated fist landed straight on the defenceless face of Vali.
Crack――
The sound of cracked metal resounded in the area. The punched Vali got sent flying with its head bent back in an unnatural direction.
It landed heavily on the ground and rolled once before stopping.
「W-We did it…!」
The happiness only stayed for a moment, the other Vali had already rushed from the side. But Yuuma didn’t lose his cool, he warded off the Vali’s hand with his stretched right arm, and took a stance with his left arm this time.
「Here it come!」
Yuuma’s “Straight Thrust” clashed with Vali’s punch head on.
The clash of their fist created a shockwave which was followed by a thunderous sound. Since both had metal fist, they should be equal in power but――
「GUGYAAAAAAAAAA!」
The one who got its fist smashed was the Vali. Yuuma was just standing on his original stance, pulling back his fist.
That Vali fell to the ground, holding on to their right arm as if they were writhing in pain. Yuuma did it, he defeated Vali with his own strength.
That moment, the red lines on Yuuma’s skin vanished so quickly.
「Eh? W-what’s happening here?… Three minutes has yet to pass!?」
As if not caring about Yuuma’s question, the Valis on top of the cliff jumped down in succession.
“I ran out of power.” Just when Yuuma worried about this matter, the president rushed at him.
「YUUMA! RETREAT!!」
「Y-Yes!」
Yuuma and the president are looking around to find an escape route.
But, they had already been surrounded by Valis.
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Metal Slime: Kaede(Who will get more screentime)