Chapter 1084

Fran split off from the others and descended in front of the magicite golems with Urushi.

『Urushi, make sure you avoid erasing them with spells like Bottomless Shadow.』

「Woof!」

「Master, let’s go.」

『Yeah! Time for my full course meal!』

Though the approximately three-meter tall magicite golems were incapable of speaking, they had obviously recognized us. All of them changed their movement patterns.

The ones marching at the front of their lines pressed forward, armed with steel weapons.

Unlike our previous encounter with the golems, my appraisal could now identify their abilities. Their stats were all-around decent aside from their defenses, which were off the charts. In addition, they cloaked themselves in barriers to enhance their natural toughness.

Each one had a completely different set of skills, probably due to differences in which monster the magic stone came from. The golem in front had Fire Magic, Sword Mastery, Presence Sense, while one behind it had Fist Mastery, Blink, Jumping.

None of the golems had any artistic or knowledge-type skills. Everything unrelated to combat probably already got dumped in the trash.

「Here they come!」

『Take them down!』

Fran slashed down at the one in the front.

「First, a test!」

『Dorya!』

The magicite golem utilized its Sword Mastery in an attempt to block the slash. Such smooth moments made it hard to believe it was really a golem. It conducted mana to the sword too, probably better than most adventurers can.

Meanwhile, I also sensed a mana surge from the golem, a sign that it was preparing a spell. The golem in front of us was like a high-level magic swordsman.

Block Fran’s slash and counter her with fire magic, right? That was probably the plan.

As if that’s happening.

「Hah!」

『Bon appetit!』

Fran cleaved straight through the steel sword as if it didn’t exist in the first place.

Such a pitiful weapon isn’t capable of stopping me anymore. These golems likely weren’t designed with the ability to measure their opponent’s abilities or mana levels. Anyone with an actual brain and eyes should have recognized the extraordinary amount of mana cloaking my blade.

Fran’s slash tore straight through the magicite golem’s barrier and armor, before delivering a huge cut.

Unlike before, this golem did not have a reflective barrier. It did have several wards layered to resist various attributes, but everything was pointless in front of my Divine Energy Manipulation and Evil Conquest.

『Aw yeah, that’s 150 magic stone points! Easy pickings!』

「Master, you look happy.」

『Of course, since they’re just a feast waiting to be eaten!』

That said, I noticed a few things bothering me. These golems gave less points than the ones we fought before. If I recall correctly, I got 300 points from the golems we absorbed during the Bulbora incident.

The other issue was some kind of black haze forming around us.

（This is…?）

『Fran, make sure you keep your barrier up at all times. This is a curse, and it’s got evil energy mixed in.』

It seems a vicious curse had been implanted in the magicite golem. Even if someone managed to destroy it, they then have to deal with the curse striking back at them. A two-step approach to ensure their enemies die, no doubt.

The evil energy infused throughout the curse kept whittling away at our barriers, while also contaminating the nearby earth and staining it black.

Was this curse hidden inside every single golem? If so, we might be in danger if we take in too much.

Remembering back to our experience with the demon slayer knife, I attempted an anti-curse spell with the divine attribute. This ended up being super effective.

Bathed in white light, the black haze of the curse emitted a high-pitched screeching sound before vanishing completely. I could no longer sense evil energy, and the blackened ground regained its original earthy color.

It seems we’ve succeeded in completely dispelling the curse.

『Yes! Now we’ve got the perfect countermeasure for curses! Let’s pick up the pace!』

「Nn!」

After a vigorous nod, Fran leapt into the army of magicite golems. Ah, now I see what makes these golems so formidable.

The incredibly durable vanguard golems moved to surrounded Fran, all constantly firing spells of various attributes. Despite not caring at all about hitting their fellow golems, each was tough enough to shrug off this level of friendly fire.

Meanwhile, I sensed an even greater surge of mana coming from the magicite golems in the rear. They were chanting more powerful magic.

This strategy must be designed so they can defeat opponents more powerful than them.

But they picked the wrong guys to mess with.

Fran cut down the golems one after another, as I blocked all of their spells. Even the high-level magic from the golems in the rear was easily nullified by a combination of barriers and teleportation.

After we had consumed about 20 of the magicite golems, they changed their movement patterns again. All of them rushed in at the same time without any consideration for defense.

However, they stood no chance against Fran in close combat, so I just kept on absorbing them. Our ability to make they vanish completely after absorption might have been unintentionally beneficial too.

The simultaneous rush strategy should have had the advantage of sealing Fran’s movements with the accumulated pile of large golem bodies. Then, they could force Fran into a corner.

But all of those bodies had simply disappeared, so they never managed to surround Fran completely. The supposed advantages had been completely lost. Rather, they may have even made things easier for her by rushing in unprotected.

After taking down another few golems, the ones remaining started to distance themselves from Fran, perhaps attempting to bypass her and continue their objective. Were they programmed to avoid threats capable of causing heavy casualties or something?

But why would I let my dinner escape?

「Grrrrr!」

That’s where Urushi comes in. He slammed the golems with his huge paws, sending them flying back our way. Then Fran swung at all the golems coming in, as if she was a major league baseball player.

「Urushi, keep them coming!」

「Woof woof!」

Finally, when Fran and Urushi had eliminated nearly 100 magicite golems…

《The effect of Self-Evolution has been activated. Gained 100 self-evolution points.》