Chapter 436 Chapter437-Beastification
?The technique Greg employed wasn't rooted in energy manipulation but an unconventional application of sculpting, as explained by Howard.
He began experimenting with this method, using mana for precise sculpting to form a thin, yet durable shell, then transforming mana within into highly condensed and unstable light and heat, releasing it in a directed burst.
When the dosage was right, light and heat too could become deadly weapons.
The impact of Greg's attack might not have been massive, but its effect on Soma was undeniably significant.
The intense flash of light, exploding at a moment when Soma's attention and senses were sharply focused, left nothing in his vision but blinding white.
Unable to see anything momentarily disrupted Soma's combat capabilities significantly.
Though this wasn't a complex Blinding Spell, Greg felt that in some scenarios, this simple burst of light was even more effective.
In the fierce throes of battle, a mere second could be the thin line between life and death.
Greg nimbly used the blade as leverage to dodge the attack.
Under normal circumstances, if Soma's vision hadn't been impaired, Greg would have had no chance to evade, as Soma would never provide an opportunity to counter.
But now, Soma too was thrown into disarray.
As the warhammer flew from his grasp, Greg landed swiftly, his stout legs stamping down with such force that even the ground beneath him dented slightly.
With his body following through his punch, Greg's entire strength concentrated into his right fist.
This moment felt eerily similar to a scenario from their previous encounter, with no hesitation, Greg's fist met Soma's slightly bent form. The most uptodate novels are published on n0velbj)n((.))co/m
A muted, deep thud resonated, akin to a punch hitting an old punching bag.
The force of the punch penetrated, then exploded within, creating a shockwave that swept everything in its path.
Before Soma's body could be flung away, a gush of blood surged to his throat.
The remaining force exploded as Soma's body twisted and flew backward, finally vomiting the blood that had reached his mouth, crashing into the ruins of an abandoned cottage.
"That night, seven years ago, was just like this one," Greg stated, lifting his Crusher and advancing step by step into the ruins, "The fires blazed just as fiercely as they do tonight. You, it was you! If not for you, Mongkato and Tatali wouldn't have died!"
"You killed them."
Greg found Soma amidst the rubble.
Lying among the debris, Soma looked up at the sky, touching the blood at his mouth's corner.
"Yes, I killed them," he suddenly laughed.
"I remember the way that woman begged for mercy in front of me!"
"Today, you too will die here! Just like those fools!"
Suddenly rolling over, Soma pushed himself up with his hands and feet, lunging towards Greg with bare hands.
His eyes were blood-red, half from the punch just received, but the other half from his current frenzied state.
Soma's breathing turned beast-like, heavy and ragged, his muscles swelled, and his mana shifted from a light grey to a dark grey mingled with black mist.
Though unarmed, his mutated, elongated fingers were like ten daggers.
Greg hastily raised his Crusher in defense, but Soma's speed had increased by more than a third compared to before.
Pouring oil on a raging volcano, after all, is a rather uninteresting endeavor.
Now, both combatants were without their weapons and had no opportunity to retrieve them.
Soma was confident in his clawed hands and close-combat abilities, while Greg, being a magus gifted in sculpting, could create weapons with mana even when unarmed.
Clasping his fists, Greg steadied his stance, grinned, and said, "Is that all you've got to say? Has your brain devolved after beastification? Such things no longer matter to me."
"You only have one life; it's a pity you can't die a hundred times."
"Ha ha ha ha! A hundred times? A hundred times?" Soma burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke, shaking his head after finally catching his breath.
"That line should be mine to say to you!"
Before his words even faded, Soma's massive form vanished from the spot, his sharp claws whistling through the air as they aimed for Greg's head.
A direct hit would mean not even a stone could escape unscathed.
However, due to Greg's height, Soma's attack posture was awkward.
Without a weapon in hand, he had to bend down to strike Greg, making his center of gravity unstable during the assault.
Greg spotted this flaw.
Without enough experience fighting dwarfs, one wouldn't know this.
When facing a dwarf, never bend down.
Though Greg lacked beastification and was at a disadvantage, his movements didn't require the broad range that Soma's did.
Ducking under Soma's attack, he used his legs to power a backward leap, putting distance between them.
The height difference troubled Soma, but it equally affected him.
With his hands spread, mana burst forth from his palms, forming a Crusher entirely made of mana.
While not as sturdy as its physical counterpart, it served well as a weapon.
The moment the Crusher materialized, Greg, holding it with one hand, swept it across in a horizontal strike.
Not aiming high, but just sweeping across the chest.
The head of the hammer whooshed through the air, and Soma, who lunged forward like a specter, momentarily paused, then shifted direction and continued his assault without losing speed.
The two clashed once again in combat.
Even though Greg wielded a weapon, Soma, with his superior mana capacity and flux, did not yield, pressing Greg hard and effectively containing him.
Although a victor had not yet emerged, Soma undoubtedly had the upper hand.
Greg struggled to maintain his defense.
It wasn't that he lacked opportunities to counterattack, but he chose not to.
Counterattacking now was futile; even if he momentarily regained the initiative, he struggled to match Soma's speed, risking a return to the current predicament, or worse.
He decided to wait, aiming to wear Soma down in a battle of attrition.
Beastification consumes mana, and not insignificantly.
Even a level 3 magus could sustain beastification for no more than fifteen minutes.
If Soma couldn't breach his defenses within that time, the one to perish would be Soma.
A magus without mana is more helpless than a tiger without its claws and teeth.