Chapter 140: Ardius Fortress Siege Battle – Rampage

Chapter 140: Ardius Fortress Siege Battle – Rampage

The golden-armored soldier proved increasingly responsive the more I provoked him, which made it easy to draw his attention. However, evading the beams of light was unexpectedly hard. Since he was an amateur, he swung his sword with chaotic trajectories, disregarding proper angles and sword techniques. This often led to blades approaching from directions that would normally be considered impossible.

Disregarding proper angles would render the sword surprisingly ineffective, and movements contrary to logic tended to lack sharpness. If the opponent had been an average-sized human, I would have easily countered and subdued him.

However, my opponent was a descendant of the gods. The blade of light created through spiritual arts paid no heed to proper angles, and movements contrary to logic were transformed into unexpected actions through his overwhelming physical capabilities. It might have been easier when I was deflecting the bullets of light. I almost wish I could revert to that battle style even at this point.

[Take this! Don’t run away!]

[Try to hit me, you clueless fool.]

[I won’t forgive you! I absolutely won’t!]

Nevertheless, for the sake of buying time, I had to keep provoking him. My feeble attempts at taunts, which had previously earned me Asumi’s appalled stares, continued to provoke the golden-armored soldier, enraging him further as he relentlessly chased me.

However, no matter how much he attacked, I evaded all his strikes. It seemed that his frustration was getting the best of him. The swinging light sword became even more wild, its movements growing broader, and the sword’s path becoming simpler. As a result, evading became easier than before, further fueling his anger.

As I continued to dodge, he grew increasingly enraged, and his attacks became more haphazard. As he fell into a self-perpetuating cycle of his own making, I found myself becoming more at ease. If I could maintain this rhythm, there was no doubt I could successfully keep him occupied.

Yet, no matter how angry and narrowed his vision was, there was a chance he might switch from fixating on me to pursuing the others if I attempted to flee. While I understood that my attacks were ineffective, I decided to counterattack to keep his focus on me.

“Shhh!”

[Gah?! Do you think that kind of attack will work?]

While evading, I struck the enemy’s golden helmet with the tip of my tail. It would have been a decisive blow capable of crushing a normal armored soldier, helmet and all. Unfortunately, my opponent was anything but normal. The sturdy helmet and the uniquely designed mask, different from the helmets of other armored soldiers, showed no signs of bending under my tail’s assault.

Of course, the poisonous stinger didn’t manage to penetrate his armor or mask. However, when his helmet and mask were struck, his vision appeared to blur. Despite angrily shouting that it had no effect, he shook his head slightly to readjust the position of his helmet.

Ah, I see. So this is one way to annoy him. After learning of this newfound tactic, I activated my spiritual arts and conjured a sand arm. I firmly grabbed onto his ankles, which were stained by the swirling sand.

[Whoa!?]

“If only you’d just die from this...”

[Aaargh!]

Being held by the ankles caused him to lose balance and pitch forward in midair. Seizing the opportunity, I leaped and landed on his back. Then I drove my twin swords through the gaps on either side of his armor, and I thrust my poisonous stinger through the openings in his helmet and armor, aiming for his neck.

I knew I was already beginning to heal, so the wounds would likely mend as I continued to fight. However, it was more crucial to remain cautious of the golden-armored soldier. In the same posture in which he had thrown me, he repeatedly opened and clenched his hand while twisting his neck. It seemed he didn’t understand how the mechanisms had been activated.

I understood that he had lost his rationality, but I never imagined that his intelligence would plummet to animal-like levels. It was pitiable to see a descendant of gods, adorned in such impressive and beautiful armor, reduced to this state. Yet he remained an enemy, still intent on taking my life. There was no room for sympathy.

[Grrrrraaaahhhh!!!]

“As fast as ever... but evasion is possible.”

With a beastly roar, the golden-armored soldier charged forward. His speed was incredibly fast, yet his movements were too linear, making them predictable. He charged straight ahead to slam down his massive fist. Knowing this, all I had to do was observe when he would launch its attack. I attempted to strike with the blades of my twin swords, but they merely produced sparks, serving no real purpose.

The golden-armored soldier, whose fist was evaded by me and cut through the air upon impact, had leaned too far forward and ended up toppling over. He came crashing down with great force, engulfed in a billow of dust...and this played out to my advantage.

[Gaoooooo!]

“Oh no... Gah!”

The golden-armored soldier had transformed into a beast and charged at me, driven by the impulse of intensified attacks. Between me and him, a natural smokescreen of dust enveloped us and obstructed my field of view.

He moved unusually swiftly, but his initial movements were discernible, and that’s what made evasion possible. Nevertheless, what would happen if my field of view remained obstructed? There was only one answer.

“Gobo... Not good; it’s a pretty deep wound.”

With his fingertips swung open in a scratching motion, my side was deeply gouged. Even though my flank was protected by my exoskeleton, it was torn as though it were paper. If his hand had remained clenched into a fist instead of swinging open, a significant hole would have been punched through me.

This might be better than having a fist-sized hole, but it didn’t change the fact that it was a serious injury. This wound had reached my internal organs, and the blood that had surged up from my abdomen was overflowing from my mouth. If I wasn’t able to block my sense of pain, I might not have been able to make a single move.

Spitting out blood that naturally welled up in my mouth, I calmly focused my fighting spirit on my abdomen, sealing the wound as I did so. This should prevent my internal organs from protruding through the wound. However, I had lost a considerable amount of blood. My body lacked strength, and it felt like my twin swords could slip through my fingertips. Even the view reflected in my compound eyes was blurred and hard to discern. I was in a dire situation.

“I won’t... die. I won’t meet my end in a place like this.”

Nevertheless, no matter how injured I was, I had the ultimate goal of “surviving for a hundred years”. I couldn’t die without fulfilling that mission. I intensified my fighting spirit and spiritual power while tensing my abdominal muscles and consciously gripping my twin swords tightly.

[Gargrooo... ooo!?]

“...Could the timing be any better?”

Just as the golden-armored soldier lunged forward again to charge at me, something long and thin came hurtling at high speed from the empty space behind me, striking him squarely in the face. The mask that protected his face was sturdy, and it only showed a slight dent, but the impact caused the golden-armored soldier to once again topple dramatically.

The airborne object that collided with the mask spun in the air before impaling itself on the ground. It was a massive poleaxe, unadorned and robust in its dull color, devoid of unnecessary embellishments.