Chapter 69: Guardian (2)
VLxqII stared blankly at the guardian that had risen up imposingly.Ke5
XzJrBjThe guardian’s form resembled the typical golem that usually appears in fantasy stories.lAr4c
P8BIt had a figure very similar to a human’s, but its size was several times larger.jI5n
1tzAccording to StarlightPrincess’s explanation, it was an existence inhabited by a spirit.e1Os
Eu6‘Why did it suddenly appear…?’4wds
dMDKKuBut more than that, the real problem was that the guardian had appeared out of nowhere.hRtKoC
IW4No, rather than appearing, it felt as if it had awakened from a deep sleep.u9TwIre
Dxb4Just moments ago, it had been nothing more than a pile of rocks, but those stones began joining together as it rose.Sc3
JU4Kiiiiing—36q4sah
1U2reKoThe guardian made of orichalcum stared directly at me.8fQwA4
jLyIt had no eyes, but from the way it slightly tilted its head, it was obvious.XS2qx
dnja7G‘And that thing there…’9nAss
Q3r44oEI slowly stepped back while looking at the center of the guardian’s chest.krAMotB
PYNag7ZEmbedded in the middle of its chest was something especially blue.ZLk4BZ
1H8It looked like a sphere or something similar, but in any case, it stood out clearly.zFh7d2
gKYL4‘A core?’3sj
61tDI vaguely remembered it.1t7ATV
4dlWhen I defeated Mad Dog and encountered a guardian, SwordMaster mentioned that I had to aim for the core in its chest.PbpUtAV
t5osTo do that, I would first need to cut off its legs.coAY
3z1lC7NIts enormous size actually gave me a certain advantage.onHP
OxWVyy‘If it comes down to it, I could aim directly for that core…’WzP0j1R
xywEClack! Clack!ArwCRL
AGu9Bl…That would be ideal, but things are never that easy.2WoN1ko
0PiY9As if putting on armor, the guardian’s chest became covered with another layer of orichalcum.mtDIbVP
wsOyThanks to that, its body became much thicker than before.tea
6TrJAs if it were bulking up or something.2CohbP
PGAzI was already starting to feel dizzy just looking at it, but I managed to calm myself down.YLtxYWV
stO3ozR‘No. I can do this. I defeated the saber-toothed tiger too.’TKBw6ZJ
r5PhoThe guardian still didn’t seem to consider me an enemy.HMA8S
ixcGBut it was clearly preparing to attack at any moment.oAMRp
fjdJust from the way it completely covered the core it had previously left exposed, it was obvious it was on guard.ne6Sq
yTcbe“Kyuuu…”1Apdy
OSjSqWonmo’s fur also stood on end as he prepared himself.esIUVs1
UGG2hEnHe seemed to understand that this thing was dangerous.Krh
rwNWhen the giant chicks chased him before, he had been trembling in fear, but now he was acting like a true wild beast.8eE
Hv55IbMaybe he thought he could fight it because there was only one.3eV
GRO1nNuEven so, since I wanted to avoid fighting if possible, I slowly tried to retreat.lCFra0
poVNmGvAt that moment—EVh
ppkz3[Giiiiiiik—]ZJhw
y59Boom!msJdWsi
fNGbdWith a mechanical noise, the creature stepped forward.sqBspwq
tfQsgAt the same time, nearby pieces of orichalcum began attaching themselves to it as if pulled by a magnet.PpY
XqEXmIt seemed the core acted like a magnet and attracted the surrounding orichalcum.dfFHZ
IKQBoom! Boom! Boom!J5UX
0kAOnDmThe guardian made of orichalcum walked toward me with huge strides.jC2
rCnJust comparing sizes alone, it was far larger than the tiger, so I couldn’t help but tense up.J1wIX
L6OuHoI carefully observed each of its strange movements while controlling my breathing.8vJnuYp
jWdXOEAs my breathing stabilized, the mana inside my body also began flowing more smoothly.kjGPon
xOk[Gigigik—]J0IQo
xx21oHThe moment I circulated mana, the creature emitted a strange sound.1REtS
xpw2PThen it raised one of its massive legs and slammed it into the ground.sva
QtuBUKEBoom!MRp
M8hoThe impact made the earth tremble.r9b
HlWsBut what happened afterward horrified me.9Ybx
rsR7QpCrack!AN0n3
2KOThe ground rose into spikes and rushed toward me.5MeitS
9Bc7jTIt wasn’t especially fast, but I was so shocked that I froze for an instant.bM3Z
ySu“W-what the hell?!”aFD3
NYSXSiFI forced my stiff body to move and barely managed to dodge.oDE3z
usSThe spikes brushed past me by a hair’s breadth.CBuDbSa
N4SaD3The guardian had ranged attacks too?9qD
k4wteThis was completely different from the saber-toothed tiger.4By
masIt didn’t seem like this would be an easy fight.7nm8T3F
8CiP0o‘Either way, I have to get close.’t48DI
K3mAI tightened my grip on my sword and shield.y6uMD3
l4Q9hxFirst, I planned to follow the advice SwordMaster gave me.fjsbRGm
3FA10The main advantage and weakness of humanoid monsters was their upright posture.XGdKE
ddxneuIf I could cut off one of its legs, it would lose a huge amount of mobility.MUw
ILEAx“Kyuaaa!”vWT
6UH3seKWhile I was organizing my thoughts, Wonmo bravely charged forward.sKN
krLBut considering the difference in size, that wasn’t bravery—it was recklessness.6nV1bz
GZXYuVStartled, I reached out my hand, but Wonmo’s attack was faster.uPB
NKhThunk!l8VP2x3
EbyoBynAn adorable full-body slam.OxeR
oHZIt did absolutely nothing to the guardian.n7OEZ
i5MwSeeing that made my blood run cold, but the guardian’s reaction was strange.PzT
BMaYAxAAs if Wonmo didn’t even exist, it silently continued walking toward me.SYj
nKH‘Does it ignore the weak?’R1yIF
2sEY92mI wasn’t sure, but it didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking Wonmo.ybkP1
pAlzCM1Although each of its attacks was powerful, its movements were so slow that Wonmo also wasn’t in danger of being crushed.Vv8
K0GGrrrrrrk—AUX
8cnUVBThe guardian, advancing heavily, slowly began raising both of its arms.g64lnGv
TLrThe moment I saw that, I sensed danger and quickly moved to the right.szf
oVrzMGigigik—9oKK
BGRNsBut the creature’s movement as it followed me was strange.S7guAv
gk8PAIts waist twisted at a grotesque angle.9a0X3
Tj82JsBy the time it lowered its arms, it looked as though it had turned nearly one hundred eighty degrees.LKWX
84ls05Boooom!gdIH
BLXIts massive arms slammed into the ground.6uCbBk
cLZXQAnd at the same time, just like before, the ground rose into spikes to attack me.E53r
L97Its movements were slow, but once activated, the attack speed was extremely fast.l75d3Z9
MygUCI couldn’t let my guard down.ZlFUFwo
7VkBLN3‘Now!’1ONxa5
acuD1wLike I said before, its movements were slow.kc0
gaoZ4The instant just before it launched its attack was the opportunity I could exploit.aqI9
kPCDzJkWooooong—Pj2Bj
eQXeMana began rising like a mirage over the Heavenly Demon’s sword.vcDbHJ
dxBNhWith a single strike, I had to cut off the guardian’s leg.2Y0TnxJ
0VOeIf I succeeded, the guardian would lose its balance and become far easier to defeat.LRLF46
wVRKGrrrrrk—HLzI
sQHxThe sound of grinding stones pierced my ears.5GSa
aQmThe guardian was beginning to lift its heavy leg.nvNBt
3YPSN“Kyuuuu?!”PIxXeTZ
JOGAg8yWonmo, who had been attacking that leg this entire time, got startled and clung onto it.alGOB
7ZNFcuThe guardian still didn’t acknowledge his presence.GoVtt
BbogrEI decided to attack the other leg before it slammed down.sJG
1QR3Thanks to its slow movements, reaching the leg that remained planted on the ground wasn’t difficult.Kazx
tNq‘Up close, it’s way bigger.’C0W
YXjhMy head barely reached the guardian’s crotch.k6eC4
1bp8ANBut the larger it was, the more openings it had.sIBq
lslkf6I circulated the mana inside my body at an even faster speed.tqB7
RPRYibThe aura surrounding the Heavenly Demon’s sword became much more intense.0SUi
cs85Now all I had to do was cut the leg with this.KFe0
T9ivwkJust before the leg Wonmo was clinging to came crashing down, I swung my sword.mdaHmH
IPp9hTo transmit the force properly, just as I had read in the gallery, I executed an inward-to-outward slash.Ny7BPt
IMqD7Z‘Good. It worked—!’3gVgGoW
U79zDhSwoooosh!UyoW7
d2khJust as I was about to smile in satisfaction, something completely unexpected happened.656o
K5kuThe aura rising like a mirage was instantly absorbed by the guardian’s leg.h54zui
vVAO8Like water touching a sponge, it disappeared in an instant after being completely absorbed.pxF
RGGhj8Craaack!SIXwm
2PdTo make matters worse, not even the Heavenly Demon’s sword managed to cut through the guardian’s leg.8ro
SDS1cwIt got stuck halfway through.6KppJ
NAEwcUEven if the aura disappeared completely, it was still a divine sword capable of slicing through even solid wood like tofu.76L
ue3gC‘Right… orichalcum absorbs mana…’OcQjwyo
6wNqThere was no other explanation.NpMuFF
3lt2Xl0One of orichalcum’s characteristics was that it temporarily hardened after absorbing mana.P5pOzsX
5ywIeFSSince I thought that effect was only “temporary” and unrelated to me, I overlooked it.kqp
y1EoJfmI focused so much on strengthening my attack that I forgot one important detail.Mj5
1BRevNAnd that unexpected mistake turned into a crisis.0wX
3ezRBOOM!!8VR
CYHeThe guardian’s foot slammed heavily into the ground.mTT4tK
lJrl9xFThe moment I saw it, I immediately raised my shield to prepare for the next attack.0F40ESl
2Q6NAt the same time, I quickly retrieved the Heavenly Demon’s sword.7aNXlA
ps7VBoooom!KII4
4f8The ground around the guardian’s foot rose up alongside a massive shockwave.pEB
xTZeThank goodness I extended my shield toward the foot.wAmZa
AYUOtherwise, it would have been truly dangerous.tfqyvUg
jY5e“Khugh!”qjD2
4JCBut that didn’t mean I had blocked all the damage.siAGcQ
uK4DgThe force transmitted through the shield sent my body flying backward.XME0yUG
dE8Even in the middle of that, I lifted my neck to avoid smashing my head.8rJ
drWSwordMaster had explained it in a post.QBw
cmfEven if it was difficult to soften the fall, you had to keep your head raised no matter what.gpdgVJw
EfLRThat minimized secondary damage.ed83W
PkSThud!lYi8tHU
3fql7FJust before I hit the ground, I felt as if someone gently supported my head.pOA0k
1KSzSoon after, intense pain shot through my back, but at least my head was intact.UCESr
1Art8Mn“Uugh… thanks.”W2SDH7o
1sh“……”LTVq
1tIo35MThe one who held my head was none other than Sloth.2XvM
ykVAs always, he answered with his expressionless face.scN5eP
MvY5While catching my breath after slamming my back, I looked around.aQ5JMK
CEvRB‘Wonmo? Where’s Wonmo?’oVC
vY1I got up frantically searching for Wonmo.DpS
d1gThat attack had been incredibly strong.J9OP
e2yplI hoped he was okay.3vv
SYfp“Kyuuu! Kyukyu!”fuT6
cOW1bIt didn’t take long to find him.X3fduM
Au3UQI didn’t know when he climbed up there, but he was on top of the guardian’s head.Uykua
dw9hHe scratched it with adorable little claw swipes, but the guardian didn’t react at all.PPJZOm
gMfseIt seemed incapable of recognizing Wonmo’s existence.o3SX
TOaF8G‘What the hell…?’faXW
JaJkNo matter how weak he was, it was strange that it couldn’t notice something clinging to its head.Y8cc55p
sGYwDJust as I tilted my head in confusion, the guardian turned its body toward me.uXn9I
hD3xx0Grrrrrk—jPEk8Ww
BhdR9xThe guardian’s chest opened, exposing the bright blue core.pwmmuDl
FjrSfI wondered why it would reveal something as important as its heart.ynkUfG
veZAVfThen—HOHF
FXFfZWooooong—scT
vkahThe light of the core intensified even more.iVwH6
kmUREBThe instant I saw it, it felt as though all the blood in my body froze.Ill0
O6cI had to dodge it no matter what.tQU
FASOtherwise, I would die.Pe1b4
lD6UThe moment I hurriedly got up and threw myself to the side—mns
sI2Wooooong!Dkk
wOyOThe light of the core became even brighter than the Light magic floating in the air.fbxRbZq
V2OA7oAnd then—2hDt
e0u5Kuwaaaaaaah!hwtZc7m
cKKpoLIt fired a beam worthy of appearing in a manga.0Fc7eVP
qm9gIBoooooom!!tAWkO
TLIKYpThe beam barely grazed past me.hQyjiTm
YLOAnd the result was horrifying.Q7Q
4cO15The ground had been completely blown apart, as if a shell had exploded there.8G6d194
YWpNo matter how much orichalcum absorbed mana, it apparently couldn’t withstand destructive power on that level.9tKsYi
LJqVAf8“Haa… haa…”KCh5m
HPhBreathing heavily, I stared at the enormous crater.nF33
Z5MIxz9If that attack had hit me directly, there was no way I would have survived.01fa3
tipN8iJClack! Clack!Sstl
7GkTlThe guardian’s core covered itself again as if wearing armor.IV9h
mLWIt seemed unable to fire that attack recklessly.f4831L
GNBh04k‘Did it absorb my mana and then release it?’h5t
j75JHThat was the only logical hypothesis I could come up with.tbDBSv
0tGmnm7I let out a growl and stood up.pi6
t65It was the first time my mana usage had been restricted like this.Vu2Z17n
i7pAt least there was one piece of good news.RHgASZ
wG26It only absorbed mana released outside the body.AR1CHRg
a8sb‘That means I can still reinforce my body…’4W8qC
5aZiU7And on top of that, I still had the Heavenly Demon’s sword.4BYXbP
MloI still had chances.8DTDlwA
INJNPISIf I kept fighting calmly, sooner or later I would find a weakness.CNwtbuv
1DW8PQy“Sloth. Can you cut that?”fNd2
o5bMMT“……”iujgp
CmhIAt my question, Sloth shook his head.XX8E
DzwEven a creature capable of slicing through iron with his claws seemed unable to pierce orichalcum.6FvIA
Zf5KWell, considering the guardian’s thickness, even Sloth’s claws might get damaged.ILl
aUekiE[Giiiiiiik—]4vB
wPGXBBoom! Boom!L95Q0
DDDtThe creature once again approached me while emitting grotesque sounds.BIswy4
uL1MIt had no eyes, yet it still knew exactly where I was.oTktsj
ZP8And yet it still couldn’t notice Wonmo clinging to its head.R4T8
jA4zQUlRather than seeing me as a human, it felt more like it was “detecting” me through some kind of perception.Pf7F
gLhvz‘I’m still not sure.’KAnRKG
xvpcI needed to fight a little longer to confirm it.Fvrd
haTplZxI took a deep breath to calm myself.eY8
aqNzisThen the guardian slowly raised its arms.hM6JB4D
zO7dtThis was my opportunity, right before it launched the same attack as before.2XFQ
mXO2‘Without using aura… just with the Heavenly Demon’s sword…!’Mla6X0
nQonuI reached between its legs just before its arms came down.5jaVTf
9i6Q36eThen I unleashed a slash with all my strength from the inside outward.6ZJR
KK9AsMy target was the right leg.7bRL
GMXWt7Thanks to the mana acceleration, I could clearly feel every movement of my muscles.mvlP
gC8JVjSlash!TvY9B
I9kAnd the result was that one of the guardian’s legs was cut off.MDDklUE
NZywAs expected of the Heavenly Demon’s sword.KTj
GhTtOnce it lost a leg, the guardian’s balance completely collapsed.rYma
RUerFhBOOM!p3uXe
nI3K8U4The guardian fell forward the instant it lost the leg.pBzD
tf2Wonmo, who had been clinging to its head, became startled.erh2qab
x4veb8oBut it still wasn’t enough.l8H0T
ghbEuAs long as I didn’t destroy the core embedded in the center of its chest, the guardian wouldn’t stop moving.JW1uHWW
6muFortunately, it had fallen onto its knees, so climbing onto its back was easy.I38o
tq31Tap!9YR
HKgWI jumped hard and landed on its back.oHtGQIR
YTqxuVzI immediately reversed my grip on the sword and raised it high.rzMqk
ht1If I drove the sword into the core, everything would end.IeZfd
wcyxSince using aura might prevent it from penetrating, I accelerated only the mana inside my body.NH32W5
mAwfP“Haaaa!”ezqj
ByQZgcWith a powerful shout, I thrust the sword downward.PLKYYAv
bIkhIKFBoooom!!BDdGAqV
XyZTA rock that burst out from the guardian’s back struck directly into my abdomen.E4Epz
DbC‘…Huh?’YuhvF
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