Chapter 1674: In Tandem

Chapter 1674: In Tandem

A Great Beast...

Killing a Great Beast could pose no trouble at all, or all the trouble in the world. Beings of that Rank were more than mere creatures - each of them possessed a mythical power, reality itself coming undone under the pressure of their existence.

When Nephis had been a Master, a single Great abomination was like a cataclysm...

Now, Nephis was a cataclysm herself.

Igniting the flames of her soul, she shone with pure radiance and met the eerie golem with the full strength of a Transcendent Titan. Pain washed over her, bringing the world into focus. Everything was stark and clear in the world of pain, ready to surrender to her will.

Except for the Lord of Shadows.

The black blade of her sword met the diamond mace of the Nightmare Creature, deflecting it and dissipating its force. An impact that would have produced a devastating shockwave was suffocated, its destructive potential disappearing without a trace.

The golem was fast - faster than Nephis. But she knew its movement well. They were lacking insight and intent, almost entirely without refinement. Because of that, the creature wasted precious moments, while she wasted none.

A split second later, the tip of her blade burrowed into the red moss, aiming to destroy one of the golem's shoulder joints.

The sword the Lord of Shadows had given her was supposed to be equal to a Transcendent weapon and a potent one, at that. Cutting the flesh of a Great abomination would have been hard, but not impossible. Still, Nephis did not hope to break the golem's stone carapace, and aimed at a weak point, instead.

She already knew that the creature would not be able to avoid her strike.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com

That was Neph's power. She could not predict the future, like Cassie could, and did not possess an Aspect Ability that would allow her to read the enemy's mind. However, she knew the laws of combat - knew them intimately, instinctually, and comprehensively. From the philosophy of combat to how the atoms interacted with each other to form a steel blade, she knew it all.

So, she did not have to see the future. Knowing the laws of combat, she could simply tell what movements her enemy could perform, was most likely to perform, and would perform in any given situation.

That was the easiest part of being a master at combat. The hard part... was actually dictating the situation to make the enemy move how she wanted them to move.

Of course, to achieve that, she had to know the enemy as well.

The shoulder Joint of the eerle golem had turned out to be far more durable than she had anticipated. Her blade bypassed the stone carapace, but the desiccated flesh beneath was Just as tough. Her sword bit into it and failed to cut deep, leaving only an insignificant scratch.

Nephis frowned, knowing that she was now open to the creature's retaliation.

Soon, the ancient stone cracked even more, and then exploded in a rain of shards. The golem staggered, and toppled to the ground.

The Spell whispered into her ear, its voice mocking and insidious:

[You have slain a Great Beast, Asura of Condemnation],

[Your soul shines brighter.]

Nephis breathed heavily and dismissed her helmet, loose strands of hair sticking to her fair face. She studied the collapsed golem warily, knowing that this was just the beginning of a dreadful battle.

The Lord of Shadows had said that there were a lot of these abominations in the ruins, after all.

Her guide, meanwhile, walked closer to the stone creature, stared at it for a bit, and then gave it a kick.

Then, he said, a hint of somber emotion in his usually cold voice:

...It's an MWP."

Nephis was surprised. She lingered for a moment, then raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

He pointed to the dead golem with the tip of his odachi:

"This creature, it's an MWP. Mobile war platform. Well... I guess it's more of a powered armor suit. Mundane soldiers used them in Antarctica."

The Lord of Shadows remained silent for a while, then sighed.

"The mummified corpse inside was an Awakened warrior, and this golem is the power suit he wore. Of course, it was powered by sorcery, not technology,"

His voice slowly returned to the usual indifferent nonchalance:

"They were defenders of this city, I guess.”