Once everything was decided, Monady tested the waters by sending a clone of herself towards it.
No one knows the capabilities of the Exalted-level Statue after all. If it suddenly spews out Laser Beam from its eyes, it will be too unexpected that someone can die.
Watching her clone jumping and entering its range of attack, everyone had some expectation that something good would come out of it. Because of that, we all watched in bated breaths and became speechless at what actually happened.
"…"
The Exalted-level statue only needed a flick and the clone whisk out of existence!
"Uhm. It's a clone. It's an ant compared to it. Let's try again shall we?" Monady wryly smiled.
Following that, instead of one, everyone who picked the Phantasmic Doppelganger as the skill to pass on them through Energy Linkage went on and tested how the Exalted-level Statue will react.
Just like what it said in the skill description, not everyone will have the same effect. Some couldn't use it at all and some could only conjure one. Nonetheless, they still managed to pool six clones.
Unlike the first test where it ended in a blink, the six clones worked together and managed to let the statue move away for at least 3 steps away from his stash of stones.
Well, it only happened because all six tried to land a hit to it. If we go by the first plan of just luring it away, it will work with the clone. However, now that we became a bit greedy to try and take it down, it wouldn't be as easy as we thought it would be.
"Irja, please do the honor and shoot it." Monady teasingly said once everyone got into position.
"Don't turn this into something honorable. Move aside." Irja rolled her eyes
"Heh, why do I feel like you're in a perpetual bad mood? What exactly happened? Did you two fight?"
I'm here and I can clearly hear your conversation, you know? I also have no idea why she becomes that grumpy…
Wait. Is it about the way I had her take the medicinal pills? No. It's certainly about that.
"Why will we fight? I'm always like this." Irja's gaze landed on me first before answering. That look in her eyes confirmed it…
Haa. Right. That deserves an apology to her.
No one would truly like that if it was forced on them even if it was necessary. The first one was fine because she's unconscious but the second one was not.
"Not really, I still remember how your eyes flashed a hint of joy upon seeing him."
"Don't make things up!"
As an answer to another teasing from Monady, Irja whipped the rifle out and pointed it at her.
"Alright, alright. Calm down and point that to the statue, not to me. Ugh. Is it this bad to tease you?"
Thinking something might go wrong if she continued, Monady put her hands up in the air as she backed away from Irja.
Afterward, she got herself into the position where she would fire that item from Larnel.
As soon as Monady left, Irja slowly turned to me, her eyes fully captured my figure in it.
Before she could say something, like Monady, I put my hands up in the air. "I didn't hear anything… Also, I apologize for what I did back then. I never got the chance to do so."
At first, Irja knitted her brows before it relaxed to the point that she released a deep sigh.
When she turned her head back to the statue, I heard her muttering softly but loud enough for me to hear. "… Idiot. I don't need your apology."
-
-
After that little episode of teasing that ended up in me apologizing to Irja, everyone was already itching up to take the Exalted-level Statue.
When Monady gave her signal, Irja aimed the ice-blue rifle at the unaware statue. Being especially close to her, the threateningly biting cold the rifle released as soon as it fired seeped through my bones.
To counter it, I activated the Nullification Zone but even a small wisp of that excess energy released was enough to send me trembling in place.
Nonetheless, our focus was on the bullet which flew straight to the statue as it accurately hit its chest.
Just like what happened to Axter, at the point where the bullet hit, frost instantly spread wider, threatening to cover the whole statue's body.
The Exalted-level Statue tried to wiggle its body to shake off the ice. However, because its energy was contained inside its body and it didn't have the ability to control it to use for thawing the ice, it became something unstoppable.
In less than two minutes, the huge visage of the statue became completely covered by it as it froze in place.
From where I was, I could see how the statue continued to try and move to break itself out of it. But without the use of its own energy, it was useless as the effect of the bullet was still continuing.
Perhaps, it would only stop once he was fully encased in ice. However, as it wasn't a flesh and blood creature, freezing it like that wouldn't result in it dying.
That's why, upon seeing that, Monady jumped out from her position and carefully moved towards the statue.
Halfway there, she pulled out the item from Larnel. At first glance, it appeared to be a normal metal cube that was cold to the touch. However, contained in that metal cube was a compressed Level 3 Source Energy that was set to explode upon activation. It would burn everything in its immediate vicinity except the one who injected their energy to activate it.
That's what I learned from it when I asked to hold it in my hand. That Larnel, he's prepared to sacrifice the two with him for his own survival. His status in his world was definitely something.
Perhaps he's already living like a king in that Gigant World. Too bad for him, he entered the manor and met us.
"Stand back!" Monady shouted when she reached the foot of the Exalted-level Statue.
We didn't know if it could instantly destroy the statue but everyone was ready to jump in and finish it if it wasn't enough.
My Energy Linkage and every other buff were also opened strengthening all of them.
As soon as Monady injected her Energy in it, the metal cube shined brilliantly as it illuminated this dark space blinding us of what's really happening.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
BOOM!
Along with that deafening sound of the explosion, enormous wind turbulence ensued that almost lifted me from the ground.
When the light subsided, I instantly looked around. Being the one near me, Irja instantly entered my eyes. She was also trying to resist the blast of wind.
However, because of the blinding light, she failed to see a piece of debris flying in her direction. It squarely hit her legs.
Although that didn't hurt her, it was enough to destabilize her firmly planted foot. A few seconds after that, she was already about to be thrown back by the blast of wind that still hadn't stopped.
Upon seeing that, I activated the Short-Distance Teleportation of my Transformation, transferring my body behind her. I stopped thinking whether she would like it or not and just embraced her to hold her in place.
From around us, some of the others who failed to brace themselves were carried by the blast of wind and were thrown into the darkness, leaving the 100-meter range between us.
And right in the middle of that explosion. Monady could be seen dumbfoundedly staring at the wreckage of what's left of the Exalted-level Statue.
That blast successfully destroyed it leaving only a frozen foot. And around it, a pile of energy stones could be seen dropping from the sky.
We thoroughly underestimated that metal cube. If I'm not wrong, it was also something that could deal damage to a Rank 5 Transcendent… And seeing that dumbfounded Monady, she probably thought the same.
It's a waste yes, but in the end, she got the benefit of destroying the statue.
"… How is it that strong?" Irja who's currently being held in my arms muttered as she stared at the wreckage left behind.
"Because it was an item from a higher world. The concept of strong there is on a different level than us." I answered.
It was a misconception to think that it was only an item at the level of Rank 3 Transcendent…
He was sent to a Transcendent World. To ensure his safety he was given that item that could protect him even against a Rank 5 Transcendent. Unfortunately, he failed to use that and ultimately died against us.
"… Wait, why are you holding me again?"
Again, huh? This is only the 2nd time I hold her on my own initiative.
"It's a reflex. I saw you being carried by the wind. I had the means to stop that so I did."
Since she already noticed and the surroundings calmed down, I released her and stepped back.
I'm not new to this so perhaps I'm just rejecting the idea that I'm slowly becoming interested in her. Either way, there's a right time to confirm that.
Once we're out of this space.
After glaring at me for a few seconds, Irja didn't say anything else and just moved down to where Monady is.
Since the statue was already destroyed, I closed all my open skills as I followed after her.
The others who were carried by the wind have also started to come back and like us, they're all dumbfounded at the strength of that metal cube.
Now that we're finished here, the only thing left was to destroy the Red Core.
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