Chapter 117 Facing Myself
This scene.
It was so familiar.
Beasts gathered like a swarm of ants.
And there was me, along with Nephila Jurassica, facing them.
“Ghegek.”
Dealing with ants was our specialty.
I stood up on my two feet, firmly planting them on the ground.
[“You have used 「Dragon’s Reverse Scale lv1」.]
My body, fully recovered.
That meant I could unleash all the skills I hadn’t been able to use until now.
But I couldn’t afford to waste them recklessly.
I had to use them as efficiently as possible if I wanted to take down the Beihj Bird.
[“You have temporarily acquired the ability 「The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World」.]
First, I had to hunt some ants.
Kududududuk.
The overwhelming energy that erupted from my dantian crushed the bodies of my enemies.
Kwaggagak.
Boom!
The weaker enemies, perhaps overwhelmed just by the pressure, seemed to judge that it was dangerous, and their bodies exploded.
Since my body was fully recovered, I didn’t need to maintain that state.
Were they trying to exhaust me again?
Or was it that, for some reason, they couldn’t prevent their bodies from bursting?
The Beihj Bird merely watched me from afar, just like before.
The only difference was that before, it had been its choice, but now, it had no other option.
With everyone under my control, I took a step forward.
Kwoong.
Ssshhhhh!
The energy from the Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step mixed with the force of The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World.
Like a dragon slicing through the earth, a massive fissure appeared.
Crackkk.
The ground split into dozens of cracks.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Hooo.
Boom!
A tremendous surge of energy erupted from the cracks in the ground.
“Kieeeek!”
“Kkeeek!”
Boom!
The enemies within the range of the fissures were helplessly torn apart.
Boom!
Terror Birds, Saber Tigers, Megatheriums.
Without exception, all their bodies were equally shattered.
Trying to keep me from gaining experience had turned out to be a mistake.
Had they not done that, I wouldn’t have been able to annihilate them all with this attack.
Boom!
Boom!
The ant swarm was completely wiped out.
“Grrrr…”
The Beihj Bird glared at me with shocked eyes.
It didn’t seem to want to believe that all of its subordinates had been completely wiped out.
“Grrrr…”
It let out a low growl.
Now, things were even.
I made eye contact with Nephila Jurassica, who floated in the air as always.
Nephila Jurassica smiled broadly, as always.
Though it was only a projection, just having it beside me was helpful.
Pa-bat!
After activating Sprint, I charged toward the beast at high speed.
The Beihj Bird, disoriented by the absence of its underlings to distract me, quickly assumed a combat stance.
It might use cowardly tactics for a spiritual beast, but its strength was far from weak.
It was the one that had pushed me to the brink of death.
It must have sent its subordinates to exhaust me and ensure victory.
When there was only one of them, they were easy prey for me, but with two heads, their intelligence must have doubled.
Booooong.
The Beihj Bird fluttered its steel crest wildly and took to the air.
Attacking the Beihj Bird in the sky, while I remained on the ground, wasn’t going to be easy.
But no matter how much of a Beihj Bird it was, at its core, it was still just two Dimetrodons.
There was no way it could fly like that for long.
The Beihj Bird had to make a choice.
If it came down to the ground, it would be vulnerable to my attack, and flying in that way for long would put a strain on its body.
Thus, there was only one option for it.
To strike first.
Swaeeeeek!
With a sound that tore through the air, the Beihj Bird came flying at me.
Its steel crest turned into a sharp blade.
I had seen it three times already.
And with my body now fully recovered.
I wouldn’t fall for it again.
Kudududuk.
I put all my strength into my hind legs.
The plan was to dodge its attack and then drive my Nine Yin White Bone Claws into its head.
Swaaaaaaaak!
It was coming.
That blade.
Ssshhhhh!
The Beihj Bird’s wings didn’t touch me.
To be precise, the Beihj Bird, sensing my killing intent, had changed its direction.
Thud!
As a result, it crashed into a massive tree from the rebound.
However, it quickly regained its composure and re-entered a defensive stance.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised.
Even though my body had recovered, I had been helpless against its aerial attacks before.
It was natural to assume that I wouldn’t be able to counter its attacks.
Even if it thought I could, retreating from a previously overwhelming opponent was not an easy choice to make.
The enemies I had faced so far would have charged at me without a second thought.
But this creature was sharp enough to take a small loss to prevent a bigger one.
If it had come straight at me, its head would have been crushed by my Nine Yin White Bone Claws.
“Grrrrr!”
So, what choice would the Beihj Bird make?
While I could deal some serious damage to it, its overall combat power was likely superior.
But given that all of its underlings had been slaughtered, it wouldn’t think it could defeat me without suffering any injuries.
Boooong.
The Beihj Bird soared back into the sky once again.
Sssaeek!
Was it charging at me again?
No, that couldn’t be it.
Hoooo.
Hoooo.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The Beihj Bird was flying at an incredible speed.
From the start, its speed had been overwhelming, difficult even to follow with my eyes.
The only reason I could respond to its attacks was because I had learned from getting hit when it swooped at me.
Sasasasasak!
The Beihj Bird left afterimages as it flew.
Using only speed against me was too dangerous, so it had switched strategies.
A strategy where I wouldn’t even know where the attack was coming from, making it impossible to counter.
Its attack power must have decreased due to the added unnecessary movement.
However, even that could have dealt me a fatal blow.
I could see six Dimetrodons.
In other words, the Beihj Bird appeared as three separate figures.
I had no way of knowing which one was the real one.
Since they were afterimages, not clones, my Wild Eyes were useless.
Swaaaaaaaak!
I could only trust one thing.
A translucent finger pointed to one of the three afterimages.
Sssshk!
Splat!
Blood oozed from my dragon scales.
The Beihj Bird was no different.
“Kkeeeek!”
I struck its head with my Dragon Claws.
Though I couldn’t put all my strength into the hit because of the afterimages, the result wasn’t too bad.
One hit taken, and one hit dealt.
“Grrrr!”
The Beihj Bird screeched in pain as it ascended into the air again.
Sssssshk!
This time, its speed increased even more.
At that rate, it would strain its own body.
But that was better than getting hit by me.
Now there were five afterimages.
It had become much harder than before.
Even if I attacked, I’d likely miss.
And with its increased attack power, taking a hit could be dangerous.
Still, I wasn’t going to run away.
I focused on the target Nephila pointed out.
Crunch.
It was the moment I tensed my forelegs.
Sssssshk!
In an instant, a web was cast.
It wasn’t enough to completely restrain a spiritual beast like the Beihj Bird, but it succeeded in flustering it.
“Krrrr!”
As I charged toward it, I made eye contact with Nephila.
It shouldn’t have had a solid form, so how did it manage that?
No, the Snake Queen had shown something similar before.
When she turned the Cockatrice to stone, she was also an illusion, not real.
I didn’t know why, but Nephila seemed to be in a similar state to the Snake Queen at that time.
…But does it really matter why?
What mattered was that the web momentarily slowed the Beihj Bird down.
[“You have used 「Dragon’s Reverse Scale lv1」.]
[“You have temporarily acquired 「Nine Yin White Bone Claws」.]
One of the most powerful close-combat techniques I could use.
Sssshk!
I slashed at its head with my five fingers.
Crunch!
To my disappointment, its head didn’t explode as I had hoped.
“Grrrr!”
It managed to block my attack.
To be precise, it crossed its two steel crests to stop my wrist.
Its reflexes were certainly exceptional.
If it hadn’t blocked, its head would have exploded, and even though it used its crest to block, the crest would have broken.
It had blocked my wrist, not my fingers, using the wider part of its crest.
Thunk!
“Kkeeeek!”
That didn’t mean it escaped unscathed.
A large hole formed in its right shoulder.
It was a bit disappointing, but still not a bad result.
Sssshk!
The Beihj Bird immediately swung its two crests wildly.
Tat-tat!
I quickly retreated, dodging its counterattack.
The situation was starting to look favorable for me.
Although its speed was incredibly fast, it wasn’t enough to kill me in a single strike.
The moment its attack reached me, its speed would inevitably slow down.
As a result, we could exchange blows in a back-and-forth manner.
Now that I had wounded it, the Beihj Bird’s speed and strength would gradually decrease.
If things continued like this, I could definitely win.
Plus, I had Nephila’s help.
“Grrr…”
As I let out a low growl and prepared for the next attack—
“Kkeeeeee!”
The Beihj Bird let out a loud screech.
Thunk!
As it flapped its two crests, a powerful storm erupted.
Whooooosh!
Its energy suddenly surged.
I had experienced this before.
When I fought the Dilophosaurus, it had burned its innate energy to gain overwhelming power.
The Beihj Bird was doing the same.
“Kkraaaah!”
Swaaaaaaaak!
I quickly ducked.
Crunch.
Splat!
I hadn’t completely dodged the attack.
Blood poured from my shoulder.
“Grrrr!”
With the immense power it had gained by sacrificing its future, it had become absurdly fast.
It was so fast now that I didn’t even dare think of counterattacking.
Its steel crests had grown even harder.
The situation had taken a sudden turn for the worse.
Swaaaaak!
The Beihj Bird charged at me like a mad beast, and I had no choice but to rely on my instincts, focusing solely on dodging.
Relying purely on instinct meant that I was gradually accumulating injuries.
Drip, drip.
Despite my level-up, my body was wearing down rapidly.
Swaaaak!
Crack!
There was only one way to win.
I had to endure until it burned through all of its innate energy.
I kept dodging.
I needed to buy more time.
Thunk!
“Gah…”
I coughed up dark red blood again.
I barely avoided a fatal blow, but it was getting harder.
“Grrrr!”
The Beihj Bird gave me no time to rest, attacking relentlessly.
Sssshk!
A deep wound formed on my right hind leg.
Limping, I kept running.
Swaaaak!
Once again, I leapt to dodge.
But with the growing number of wounds and the blood I had lost, my legs naturally weakened.
As a result, I ended up crashing straight into the ground.
“Kraaaar!”
The Beihj Bird flew toward me.
If I took a direct hit, it would be fatal.
Given my current state, I was low on stamina.
And with my body as it was, there was no way I could dodge that attack.
[Your level has increased.]
If only my physical condition had held up.
Before the Beihj Bird could sense something was wrong, a change occurred.
Ssssh!
Nephila’s web was strung between the trees.
How many times had I taken hits while secretly setting that up?
The moment the Beihj Bird began burning its innate energy, I gave up on fighting it head-on.
To be precise, I gave up fighting it in its strongest domain.
There was no way I could beat something faster than me in a battle of speed.
I knew Nephila’s web wouldn’t be highly effective.
But layered webs were enough to throw the Beihj Bird into confusion.
On top of that, I had recovered with the experience points our diligent homemaker had saved up.
The Beihj Bird must have felt unjust.
It couldn’t have known when I had come up with such a plan.
Even though Nephila and I didn’t talk, we understood each other without words.
We’ve had a bond since I was a Gecko Lizard; we could understand each other just by looking.
Crash!
I quickly charged toward the Beihj Bird.
What resulted was a close-range one-on-one battle.
Of course, I was now outclassed even at close range.
The Beihj Bird was using its innate energy.
[A strong fiery energy imbues your blood.]
[A strong icy energy imbues your blood.]
Whooosh.
Cold fire.
A contradictory energy engulfed my entire body.
“Grrrr!”
The Beihj Bird, its skin in contact with mine, let out a painful groan.
But it still moved immediately, swinging its crest.
Crack!
The blow tore off a part of my dragon scales.
Blood flowed from the exposed area once again.
Whoooosh!
“Grrrgh!”
Clang!
As I pressured it with increasingly intense cold and fire, I struck its head with my Dragon Claws.
Crack!
Clang!
Crush!
Clang!
It was as if we had made an agreement, taking turns hitting each other.
Each time I took a hit, the fiery and icy energy grew more intense.
But still, the Beihj Bird showed no signs of collapsing.
“Grrrr… grrhh…”
The Beihj Bird wouldn’t doubt its victory.
It had turned into a slugfest, but it was still ahead.
It was natural, given that it was using its innate energy.
[Your level has increased.]
I could use that too.
Not innate energy, but the pure experience points saved up by our shrine maiden, the diligent homemaker.
“Grrr…?”
The Beihj Bird looked at me with disbelief.
Seeing a lizard that had been on the verge of death come back to life again and again, it now wore an expression of fear.
Clang!
Crack!
[Your level has increased.]
The Beihj Bird’s face grew paler, as if it had seen a ghost.
“Grrrr, grrrrr…”
Clang!
Crunch!
Whooosh…
“Kaaaa, grrrrrr!”
[Your level has increased.]
Thud.
Crunch!
Crack.
Clang!
“Kuh, ku…”
The Beihj Bird’s attacks weakened noticeably.
Given that its stamina was rapidly depleting, this was no surprise.
Meanwhile, my attacks kept growing stronger.
Not only was I constantly recovering, but my level was rising, making me progressively stronger.
[Your level has increased.]
Thud.
The Beihj Bird’s attacks could no longer even be called attacks.
It was no exaggeration to say they were just meaningless gestures now.
It seemed to have lost its senses completely, with one of its heads no longer even using its steel crest.
It was time to finish things.
At that moment—
“Kraaa, kraaarak!”
One of the heads let out a terrified scream, and the Beihj Bird’s fusion fell apart.
Was this a new tactic?
There might have been a hidden card, so I stepped back cautiously.
“Grrrr!”
The Dimetrodon with the severed arm swung its tail.
But it wasn’t aiming at me; it was aimed at the other Dimetrodon.
“Grr? Grrrr!”
It had abandoned its partner in a bid for survival.
But both were already wounded.
The escaping Dimetrodon had its tail grabbed.
By the very Dimetrodon it had pushed.
“Grrrr!”
“Kraaarak!”
The Beihj Bird, once locked in a tight embrace, now fought each other viciously, blood spraying everywhere.
[“You have used 「Dragon’s Reverse Scale lv1」.]
Watching this, even though they were my enemies, I felt strange.
[“You have temporarily acquired 「Nine Yin White Bone Claws」.]
Crackkkk!
I slammed the ground with enough force to shatter the earth.
“Grrr…”
“Grrrr…”
Even as their breaths grew fainter, they continued to fight bitterly.
Blaming each other until the end.
…What’s the point of blaming each other?
After all, they were facing me.
I could somewhat understand, though.
If I had to deal with an endlessly reviving Komodo-Lania, I’d want to blame someone too.
Nephila and I exchanged glances.
Her expression said it all.
‘I used up all the experience points we had saved.’
…If those Beihj Birds had just kept fighting without blaming each other, who knows what might have happened.
Since they didn’t, I suppose it was a peaceful death for them.
“Gegegek!”
Standing over their bodies, I let out a mighty roar.
Since I had defeated a formidable enemy, surely a reward was waiting for me.
First, the Cores from these creatures, and—
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
…….
An overwhelming flood of level-up messages!