After Gi Za evolved into a shaman, we ran for the ogre lord who was howling mad.
“Can we win?” He asked.
“Leave it to me,” I said back.
Using the [Skill] <<One-Eyed Snake’s Evil Eye>> I searched for the ogre lord’s weakness. I don’t know if it’s because of the four treasures or because of my newly learned <<Defiant Soul>>, but the ogre lord’s howls no longer canceled my spells.
The ogre lord’s weakness lay at the soles of its feet.
No wonder we couldn’t scratch it.
Now that we know, we’ll have to find a way to topple it. But it won’t be easy. That giant axe has a long reach, getting past it will take a lot of effort.
It’s a pity I’ve lost my great sword. If I still had it with me, receiving a blow from that axe might’ve been possible.
“The soles of its feet are its weakness. We’ll have to topple it over, then attack. What do you think?”
“I think we’re gonna have to send him off with a bang.” Gi Za smiled fearlessly. How reliable, but then the ogre lord’s axe came swinging.
“Earth, tremble for me!Grand Slam”
The earth trembled, toppling us as cracks extended from where the giant axe struck.
“Sky, tremble for meRu Grand Slam!”
Then the air trembled, and a ball of wind shot forth.
“I’ll take that as a challenge.” Gi Za smiled fearlessly as he stood back up and chanted a spell. “O exalted one, hear my callKryz. O God of Wind, let thy strength manifest unto this world, a spearCastor Lance! ”
That last chant was longer than usual, but he spoke the words quickly.
A large amount of ether gathered in Gi Za’s right hand, condensing into a spear of wind. Gi Za used that spear to meet the ogre lord’s ball of wind head on.
A cyclone erupted as the two forces clashed, and clouds of dust whirled as small stones shot from time to time. Narrowing my eyes, I pushed onward toward the ogre lord.
“You little!!” The ogre lord was visibly irritated.
“Now, who told you I was done?” Using the whirling wind, Gi Za chanted another spell. “Rise sickle-neckStorm.”
The whirling wind turned at Gi Za’s command, toward the ogre lord. Clouds of dust rose with it, and they moved as one. I walked under the cover of their veil, unseen by all.
When the ogre lord swept the wind away with its axe, I was right at its chest.
The ether I’d taken from Verid coursed through my right arm, but the ogre lord noticed me, and it bellowed out a howl, scattering the ether I’d gathered.
“GouuRURUuuAA!”
As I thought, point blank is too close. LIke this I can’t use my ether.
In that case…
—I’ll just have to burn my ether from within!
I still remember Gi Za’s words, but there’s no other choice. I have to gamble it.
Inner control isn’t easy, I know that.
To bolster strength with ether, for example, one would have to infuse the ether into his muscles, carefully directing the flow, making sure it doesn’t go out of control.
One step wrong, and it wouldn’t end simply with the spell fizzling out like it does with a fire ball. The affected part would get ripped apart, and in my case, that would mean my right arm would become useless again.
But there’s no other choice. Nothing else can move this hulking creature. Not to mention I don’t even have my great sword with me.
So I let the ether flow into my right arm. Carefully, making sure not a drop leaks out. And I have to do so with resolve. If I hesitate for even a moment, that axe will come swinging at me.
“Gu…”
A little ether leaked out, and I felt some of the veins underneath my flesh burst. But I gritted on, and I slammed my fist against the ogre lord’s flank.
It felt like hitting a tire as the ogre lord’s flank sank.
“GU, GoaAAa!” The ogre lord let out a cry from the pain.
Of course, that wasn’t actually enough to wound it. At most, it would just push it back.
“Eat this!” Again, I infused ether into my right fist, and I slammed it against the gore.
My shoddy ether control made the blood burst out of my right arm. The ogre lord squirmed in pain, but the bloodied one was me.
“Damn you!”
The ogre seethed in rage as it swung its axe down toward me. <<Defiant Soul>> burned in full fervor, bringing my strength and defense to the limits.
I can’t retreat. If I falter here, the ogre lord won’t let me near it again.
I looked up the descending axe.
Ether coursed into my fist as it brimmed with power.
I’ll have to meet it head on!
In that same moment, <<Ruler’s Wisdom II>> activated, increasing both the damage I dealt and received.
I don’t know how it’ll interact with my skill that enhances defense, but if I don’t use this now, I’ll just get crushed by that axe.
“GURUuaaAA!”
As I activated my skill, I controlled the ether within. My body screamed abuse, as vessels and veins burst one after another, bloodying me.
But in that sea of blood, black flames began to crawl beneath my skin.
One of the effects of <<Defiant Soul>>.
The power to steal power from the god one represents.
The ether I’d taken from Verid crept into my body, burning my wounds. The ether within my arm was dense. It felt like it could burst at any moment, but I desperately kept in under wraps.
Then when the axe finally descended, I met it with my fist.
The sound of something getting crushed resounded.
My arm was dead again, but in exchange, the giant axe was no more.
“GouRUAA!?” The ogre lord looked on wide-eyed, unable to believe what had just transpired.
But I wasn’t kind enough to wait for it to regain its senses. I immediately set off for its head.
“—Goa!?”
At the same time, Gi Za struck the ogre lord with his wind spear, toppling the ogre lord onto its back.
And I slammed my fists burning with ether onto the sole of its foot, to vanquish it once and for all.
It seemed so strong, and yet, here it was now, on its back, blood spurting out of its mouth as a blow to its feet rendered it incapacitated.
“D-Damn… you…”
The ogre lord gazed at me with that muddied eye of it. My right arm was no more, but it’s a small price to pay for victory.
And just like that, the ogre lord breathed its last.
“We won,” Gi Za said.
I nodded. “Gather the living, and we’ll go knock on that door.”
Gi Za nodded, and he went off to check every goblin one by one.
Meanwhile, I looked up the door leading to the Lord of Decay.
◇◆◇
“Verid? Explain yourself.” The goddess of the underworld’s golden gaze was cold as frost.
“It seems the demonic children of chaosGoblins have won.” The one-eyed snake said as he looked through the evil mirror.
“Did I not instruct you not to lend your strength?” The goddess asked.
“Master, you know me your faithful servant. I have not gone against your word nor sought to plot around it.” Verid shook his head.
“Hmm… It’s fine if that’s the case.”
The goblins had won. The brilliance of the king’s soul had returned, and with it, took victory by the reins.
It was the result she’d wanted in the first place, but for some reason, the goddess still seemed troubled.
“How much did he take?”
“A tenth, Master.”
A tenth, only a tenth. But that was the tenth of one of the four snakes that once challenged the world. The power behind that mere tenth was nothing to scoff at.
“…Interesting.” A bewitching smile rose on the underworld goddess’ lips. “I’ve been treating it a pet all this time, but… I’ve changed my mind. I’ll grant him my blessings earnestly.”
“As you command.”
At the goddess’ behest, the snake left the realm. And the snake thought to himself.
Right now that goblin cannot control that power. But, he’ll have to in the future. Otherwise, there won’t be any point in receiving that power in the first place.
He would support him for as long as his master ordered him to. So it would be troubling if he couldn’t meet expectations.
“Grow stronger, little brother.” Verid muttered despite knowing it would reach none.
◇◆◇◆
Level has risen.
72 → 89
◇◆◇◆
