Chapter 960 The Beastmen's Leader
The beastmen remain relentless in their attacks. Even when Mizuchi appeared as a massive hulking beast, a sight they had only beheld today, they did not waver and continued their relentless assault.
While their attention is fixed on attacking Mizuchi, I am unfazed by his being targeted. His formidable defense allows him to absorb their blows like a sponge, rendering their attacks inconsequential. Furthermore, his passive health recovery, triggered every time he's struck, virtually nullifies the damage.
And besides, Mizuchi seemed to have quite the appetite today. Now that I had unleashed him, I was willing to let him indulge in as much as he desired this time.
As I watched the unstoppable force that Mizuchi had become, bulldozing through all of the enemies and their siege equipment in one powerful sweep, the beastmen started to panic.
"Go, Mizuchi! Crush them all!"
I wasn't afraid of Mizuchi destroying all of the beastmen in the process. Since they wished to fight in an overwhelming manner, it was only fair for us to respond in kind.
It took some time and extensive destruction for the beastmen to come to terms with their dire situation.
"F*ck, I'd rather meet my end at the hands of a weapon than be devoured or crushed by a monstrosity like that!"
"Ah, damn it all! I never agreed to any of this! F*CK!"
The desperate cries of numerous beastmen reverberated throughout the area.
"Mizuchi, if you encounter an adversary you believe is beyond your capabilities, do not hesitate to retreat. Otherwise, proceed with your mission of annihilation without second thoughts."
Mizuchi let out an elated roar before I dismounted from his back. As much as I wanted to observe the destruction from above, I also desired to be an active participant in the chaos, rather than merely an onlooker.
Mila, who had been on the frontline with the others, was completely taken aback.
"What is that beast?! It's so massive that we could easily be crushed if we don't get out of its path!" Mila couldn't believe her eyes.
"It's one of my two pets. I recently tamed it, but its size prevented me from unleashing it until now. With this vast battlefield, I've decided to give it a test run."
Renatta, who is nearby, just gave her grandmother a thumbs up. "Don't worry about it, grandma. This is totally normal."
As the number of beastmen starts to dwindle, a sense of heaviness pervades the area. It's not the same as the pressure I've encountered with bosses and on many occasions, but it's somewhat reminiscent of the intense bloodlust exuded by others.
Mizuchi continued its attacks, but as soon as the intense feeling of pressure appeared, Mizuchi stiffened and retreated. That only means one thing; even if Mizuchi is strong, he is not confident in dealing with the enemy before him. I can see him retreating. Since Mizuchi seemed to be retreating fast, I snapped my fingers and opened up my Summon's Area. Seeing the massive portal, Mizuchi dived in and disappeared, leaving the bloody mess he made.
"He returned?" Pandora was surprised.
"I issued a command that if he felt unable to defeat something or someone in his path of destruction, he needed to retreat. Seeing him retreat just now indicates that someone is causing this to happen," I explained as I gripped my Versatile Weapon and transformed it into a double-hand gun.
"An enemy that even something as fearsome as that beast fears? We're in a tough situation, aren't we?" Mila frowned as he punched a beastman, rendering him unconscious.
"Then all we can do is defend and fight until the very end."
In comparison to earlier, the number of beastmen has significantly decreased, with most of them either killed or retreating from the battle, thanks in large part to Mizuchi. Even the siege weapons have been destroyed, so our main concern now is the remaining beastmen themselves.
Seeing how Mizuchi retreated, only one guy remains a big threat.
"Guys, I will deal with the leader himself. Take down everyone else who is still trying to breach the ice that Izmir made. We are almost done."
As I uttered those words, I unfurled my wings and flew directly toward the leader. Just as I had observed when I first saw him, he appeared as tired as ever, waiting for results. I wasted no time. Even though he sat nonchalantly on his throne constructed of bones, I showed no hesitation and began firing at him with my handgun.
BANG BANG BANG!
But as quickly as I fired mana bullets at him, he deftly deflected all of them with his axe.
PENG! PENG! PENG!
Seeing that guns were ineffective against him, I transformed my weapon into a Magic Sword, and we engaged in a fierce weapon clash.
PENG!
He effortlessly blocked the Versatile Weapon with a single hand while maintaining his seated position on the throne.
"A human wearing a beast mask... Interesting."
With a swift swing, he sent me hurtling through the air. It wasn't entirely unexpected, and I managed to brace myself as he smirked, his wolf-like visage bearing striking resemblances to my own. The only notable difference was the color of his fur, which was a deep gray, contrasting with the pristine white fur on my mask.
"You are undeniably strong, and I commend your courage in attacking me without any backup."
As soon as he finished speaking, five beastmen suddenly materialized from all directions, their weapons poised to strike in my direction. With a swift motion, I transformed my Versatile Weapon into a katana and managed to block three of their attacks, while the other two were thwarted when I deflected the initial three strikes and swiftly countered, dispatching the remaining two. After dealing with the pair, I turned my attention back to the adversaries I had initially clashed with, disarming them before ultimately defeating them.
"Interesting. I've never encountered a human with your level of agility and skill. It seems you're about to sate my appetite tonight," he grinned, then snapped his fingers. Suddenly, two identical figures, brandishing axes like his, manifested before me. They appeared nearly indistinguishable from him.
"[Doppelganger]," I muttered as I assumed my battle stance and observed the movements of the two.
"It doesn't matter much whether you know what I just did or not. Let's see if you're truly worth my time."
The two beasts, who looked exactly like him, launched their attack. Despite wielding axes, they moved with surprising speed, behaving like berserkers. It was as if I were facing an assassin, nimble on their feet but armed with heavy weapons similar to his.
The two adversaries wasted no time and launched into an aggressive assault, bombarding me with a relentless flurry of axe swings. Each strike carried formidable strength and posed a significant threat. As I engaged in these clashes with their weapons, my hands trembled as if attempting to equalize the opposing force.
Amidst the intense combat and after successfully parrying numerous strikes, I seized a momentary opening. Swiftly, I ducked and executed a low swing aimed at severing their knees, a decisive move to incapacitate them. To my surprise, the attack didn't cleanly sever their limbs; instead, it inflicted a deep, grievous wound on their legs. My blade, despite my best efforts, failed to entirely sever the limbs.
"I see. It appears that this [Doppelganger] closely resembles your body's defense mechanism."
"Scared now?" he grinned.
"Ha, why should I be?"
PENG!
Realizing their increased resilience, I swiftly adapted my approach. Capitalizing on their slower leg wound recovery, I drew the Pain Delivery device and shot both of their legs. This led to the amputation of the doppelgangers' legs as I promptly severed them with my katana following the gunshot, intensifying the damage inflicted on that area. A rapid calculation enabled me to determine the optimal depth of the cuts, making the task surprisingly manageable.
Without hesitation, as they tumbled to the ground following the severance of their legs, I took aim for the kill. Swiftly, I unleashed one of my instant-kill techniques: [Decapitation].
SWISH!
The moment their heads were sent flying, they disintegrated into thin air, vanishing as though they were mere wisps of smoke.
I spat on the ground and cast a disdainful glare toward the beastman leader seated upon the imposing throne.
"What, is that it? Are you mocking me for thinking that I can't win against such a pathetic copy of yours?"
It appears this statement provoked him. The skill [Doppelganger] creates an identical copy of you on a 1-to-1 basis, essentially making a replicated version of yourself. So, when I effortlessly defeated two of his copies that were virtually indistinguishable from him, it was clear he didn't appreciate it one bit.
PENG!
Suddenly, he materialized right in front of me, dual-wielding axes, and launched an unrelenting assault, forcing me to swiftly begin parrying his attacks.
PENG!
His attack is stronger than the clones and I can tell that he is indeed not joking that he is capable of defeating me if I let my guard down for a second.
"Oh, if you believe my clones are pitiful, let's see how you fare against the genuine article this time."
He brought his face perilously close to mine and seemed to trigger something, as his eyes ignited in a crimson hue, and his power surged as if amplified.
"I understand. Give it your all then."
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