Chapter 73: Attack the Weak Point (3)
The long sword was pointed forward with great force. More mana was added to the sword through his grip. It wasn’t ordinary mana that spurted out through the manaheart. This time it was much more explosive and destructive.
The three circles spun around his heart at an incredible speed. They staggered as the rotation power maxed out. One circle wrapped around the heart. The other two collided, creating a fierce blast.
The explosive power raced along his blood vessels. Afterward, it rushed through his body, passed his shoulders, and ran along his arms. Then it jumped into the sword’s handle through the end of his fingers. The blade amplified the mana once more. At last, it burst out. It burst out toward the weak spot of the Gigatitan, the area between carapaces eleven and twelve.
The mana blast flew toward its point of weakness. At that moment, Javier’s blue eyes glimmered.
It’s a success.
The twenty-year-old silver-haired knight was confident. The mana blast could not be any more of a success. Javier’s blasting power was delivered perfectly. The hitting spot and angle could not be any more precise. He hit right at the location Lloyd had told him to capitalize. The explosion took place at last.
A destructive power swirled in between the Gigatitan’s carapace. It slashed and tore everything that was within the blast range, including the carapace. It dug right in.
The monster screeched, writhing its huge body in agony. The explosive power of the blast drove into the Gigatitan’s carapace. It became torn up. It rushed further in. It torpedoed towards the monster’s critical point. Then it stopped. It was just two inches short of cracking the shell. That was how much thickness was left. The penetrating power dissipated.
Javier’s eyes widened in disbelief. At the same time, a repulsive power worked from his shoulder, which was the consequence of failing to drive into the shell perfectly.
The influence of the explosive power rushed back to him from the small opening he had dug with his mana blast.
Javier’s sword bounced off. His body jerked violently, and the right shoulder, which gripped the sword, opened wide. The same thing happened to the leg on the other side. His left hand that was grabbing the appendicular of the Gigatitan relaxed by reflex. His hand fell loose, and his body started to fall from the sky. No, he was thrown into the ground because of the repulsive power.
Shoot…
Javier clenched his teeth. He would be hitting the ground soon. That was when it hit him why his blast had failed, why the weak spot of the Gigatitan couldn’t be penetrated. He understood why he lacked the power to blast the said part.
Every condition was perfect. The targeted area and angle were precise. But I lacked one thing. Strength. I must have grown tired without realizing it.
Javier’s suspicions were right. In the first place, Lloyd had run the mana blast simulation with the greatest amount of energy Javier could harness. So, the condition to penetrate the monster’s weak spot would be to use the mana blast with all the power he had.
That was the key to crushing its weakness. He failed to make it happen, and the reason was simple.
I didn’t know my stamina was this bad.
He had been dealing with the Gigatitan for over twenty minutes all by himself, running around without a second of break. He sprinted, turned, leaped, and wielded his sword. Countless rocks hit him, the series of shockwaves making his stomach churn too many times to count.
He fought alone, again and again, enduring the painful agony and damage. As such, it was natural that the fight would take a toll on him.
But that can’t be an excuse.
Javier tightened the grip of his sword. He couldn’t give up after failing once.
Master Lloyd had trusted me.
Lloyd had taught Javier the weak spot. That wasn’t all. His young master was risking himself and keeping the Gigatitan distracted from him so that he could attack its weak spot. So, he had to return the trust he was given. He wanted to.
So, just once more!
Javier turned his body in the air right before he hit the ground. His two feet landed safely on the ground, crushing the earth beneath them. Then he leaped high.
His body shot up in between the crumbling rocks. There was an intense light emitting from his eyes, which were fixed only at one point. The weak spot he had failed to penetrate by two inches.
Just one more thrust!
Javier would be able to penetrate the shell accurately. Then, he would finally pierce the monster’s heart which was protected by a shell.
One more time!
Just then, a giant forearm swept over Javier. Javier, who immediately noticed the danger, wielded his sword, but it was too late. His sword and its forearm clashed, creating several fierce sparks. His sword was pushed away and his body was sent flying down. The onrush of force proved to be indomitable, and it was extremely overpowering.
Javier was catapulted into the air even when he was just brushed by the mighty blow of the Gigatitan’s forearm. With his consciousness lost, Javier plummeted to the ground like a kite with a cut string. His limp body passed by the coastal rocks and took a nosedive into the shore.
Lloyd let out a shriek as he saw what had happened.
Is he dead?
His heart sank. He had worked so hard to keep him alive. He risked so much danger he couldn’t afford.
He can’t die like that!
His heart raced. It felt like the blood in his body was cooling down. But the situation was growing worse.
The Gigatitan roared after knocking Javier out with its forearm. It moved on, unobstructed. It moved toward the sandy beach where Javier was plunged into. This only meant one thing.
That monster is definitely trying to kill him.
Though he had failed, he almost succeeded in piercing its weak spot with one blow and had he succeeded in his ruthless second attempt, Javier would have made it.
For that reason… It currently considers Javier as its greatest threat. That’s why it’s trying to get rid of him.
Lloyd didn’t know how badly injured Javier was. He wasn’t even sure if he was still breathing. But if he was alive… The monster intended to ensure that he was dead.
No. I must stop him.
Lloyd gulped dryly and then hurriedly tapped Ppodong’s back.
“Ppodong! Run! You can do it!”
“Ppo-do-dong!”
Ppodong must have been thinking the same as he watched the same scene. He ran at full speed when he was urged by Lloyd. The cart rattled more violently as Ppodong zoomed toward the head of the Gigatitan. Lloyd was creating a ruckus in the open area, but the monster didn’t even turn around.
Dammit!
It looked like it had grown out of the mermaid statue. It looked like killing Javier should come first before dealing with the mermaid. In other words, the attention that was originally focused on the statue had completely shifted to Javier.
What should I do?
Lloyd racked his brain. He could only come up with one conclusion.
“Ppodong! We need to save Javier first! Here we go!”
“Ppodong!”
“Then I’ll cut this rope now, okay?!”
“Ppo-do-dong!”
Lloyd lifted his shovel and wielded it. The rope that connected the cart to Ppodong fluctuated when Lloyd hit it with his shovel. He brandished it several more times.
“Come on! Rip now! Argh!”
After several strikes, the rope began to tear. At last, it was fully torn. The cart loaded with the mermaid statue was left behind when the rope tore. This made Ppodong’s movement lighter and faster.
“Let’s go! We should be faster than the Gigatitan!”
“Ppo-do-do-dong!”
Ppodong’s speed increased now that the load was off. He ran faster than the Gigatitan. He jumped over rocks, got down the cliffs like a gust of wind, and cut across the beach. Javier was lying limp on the beach, his body swaying by the waves. Lloyd rushed on his way. Hanging beside Ppodong’s side, Lloyd stretched out his hand and grabbed Javier’s sleeves.
“Got him!”
He then gave a strong pull and got Javier lying on Ppodong’s back. Javier was still unconscious. First, Lloyd checked if he was breathing.
“He’s alive…!”
“Ppodong!”
Thankfully, Javier was breathing. But it didn’t look like he fractured something. This was a great miracle, given the impact he had received. Or maybe it’s the work of his power.
He must have distributed the impact of the forearm with his sword when it struck him. He’s alive because he avoided the full blow. What a guy, really.
He was still unconscious, but Lloyd felt relieved. Since he wasn’t injured very much, he could only get some rest.
It’s going to be hard just for a few days, but he’ll be alright since he has the triple circle!
It was the same case when he fought against the wild ants. His recuperation was fast. So it’d probably be the same thing today.
“So, let’s get out of here. Ppodong! Run!”
Lloyd thought that he had done his part. Javier was now lying unconscious, so Lloyd no longer wanted to deal with that skyscraper-sized monster.
I have stalled for over thirty minutes already. The city must have had enough time to fight against the giant lobster. Now, I just have to run and hide until things calm down a bit.
Lloyd would simply need to nurse Javier from time to time, and he’d get what he owed from the count after this disaster was kept in check. Then, they would return to the Frontera barony. Thinking such, Lloyd tapped Ppodong’s back.
“Let’s get out of the beach, Ppodong. Go into the woods!”
That seemed like a smart choice because of the thick woods that would hide their bodies.
However…
“Ppo-do-dong. Ppodong…!” Ppodong panted, letting out strange noises.
Lloyd’s heart sank.
“Ppodong?”
“Ppo-do-dong?”
“Wait, are you exhausted?”
“Ppo-do-dong…”
He did notice that Ppodong had slowed down a while ago. The sand seemed to be the cause behind the slow down, but now, Lloyd noticed that Ppodong’s breathing had gotten harsher.
He’s tired.
It was obvious why. Ppodong had been sprinting while he carried the huge cart and the mermaid statue. Just a while ago, he gave all of his strength to get to Javier before the Gigatitan could. Ppodong was a summoning partner, and yet, it was obvious that he would get tired as he was an animal as well. Making things worse, the Gigatitan wasn’t slowing down as it came in his direction!
Dammit!
Lloyd gritted his teeth.
I just had to run. That was it.
However, running away was impossible now. Ppodong’s breathing was growing raspy with every moment. His speed was slowing down, and Lloyd could feel it. On the other hand, the Gigatitan was striding across the land as it closed in on them in its mantis shrimp gait, without any sense of fatigue.
At this rate, we’ll be caught in a few minutes.
At most, he had five minutes. A feeling of dread began to flood his heart. Lloyd quickly racked his head.
What should I do?
He ran through all the scenarios that he could think of.
Make Bangul giant and get on her back. Use the volcanic blast skill to compromise the vision and run. Make Hamang drink seawater and run toward the sea.
Lloyd came up with various potential plans, but he shook his head at all of them.
No. It’s going to fail.
Bangul was only fast when she used the volcanic blast. Her slithering speed was slow because of her short and chubby physique. Even if she could move on the water like a banana boat, she’d be slower than the Gigatitan.
It was the same for Hamang.
I don’t have any way to escape. I can’t get out of this situation. The monster will catch up to us if I don’t give up Javier.
A pessimistic thought intruded his mind. Lloyd’s gaze traveled to Javier, who was still unconscious.
Should I leave him?
He pondered for a second. At this very moment, what the Gigatitan wanted was Javier. So abandoning him would allow Lloyd to get out of this place safely. He was sure about that. But he shook his head.
Then Javier will die. I can’t let that happen.
Javier was set to become a sword master and protect him. So, losing Javier in a place like this would be a serious loss for him.
I mean, abandoning him is the right choice for my safety at this moment… No. I can’t be shortsighted. My gut is telling me that it’s a terrible choice.
He didn’t want to miss out in the future by making a myopic judgment at the moment. When he thought that way, there was only one method left.
The most doable plan looks like exchanging roles.
Lloyd, who had captured their attention, and Javier, who targeted the vulnerabilities, found it was the moment to swap roles.
Shoot! This is why I told him we should hide instead of fighting!
Lloyd clenched his teeth. Overcome with annoyance, Lloyd slapped Javier’s cheek just once. He opened the system window to equip himself with the weapon needed to fight against the Gigatitan.
Right now, I stand zero chance of winning. The only way for me to leave damage on it is to hit the same hole Javier had almost bored with his mana blast.
The only way for him to leave a precise attack on the Gigatitan was the mana blast.
I need at least three circles to use the blast.
Two circles for the collision. One circle to protect the heart from the impact. So, Lloyd decided to make the triple circles.
Let’s give it a try. I have enough RP.
Determined, Lloyd selected the skill menu window. The Asrahan Core Technique, the skill he had created in the dark ant cave that plunged him into despair… The time had finally come to upgrade it into a triple circle.