Invincible
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#180
🕑 Added 2025-01-07 15:03:14 +0000 UTCOrca (4)
[Dream Elixir Duration Remaining: 29 seconds]
With the newly replenished energy, I directed 80% to my legs and 20% to my arms.
[Threat detected. Type: Lethal exhaustion level]
[1-second invincibility activated.]
[1-second invincibility cooldown: 60 seconds]
[Cooldown reset due to Dream Elixir effect.]
Every nerve in my body was alive, tingling with sensation.
Among them, the most distinct feeling was the warmth spreading to the very tips of my hair, as if my body had become a thermos.
Ah, so this is what it feels like to use all your energy in one go.
Bang!
I kicked off the ground and closed the gap with Ecok, who had hidden behind the wall of the sea.
The blade I had poised earlier struck the side of Ecok's cheek.
Thud!
My momentum didn’t stop there.
My body pierced through his enormous form and emerged out of his back.
No matter how massive a whale's body might be, at this moment, it felt like nothing more than a gigantic block of tofu.
“Gahhh!”
Ecok writhed in pain.
If only it had ended there, it would have been ideal.
Splash!
Having charged too forcefully, I ended up crashing into the wall of water and flailing helplessly.
With no solid ground to push off from, I was trapped.
Thankfully, Dorosian removed the water barrier, allowing me to plant my feet on the ground once again.
Thud.
Such overwhelming power is truly difficult to control.
‘Donatan, lower the intensity in my legs. If I break through again, I’ll end up stuck in the water.’
‘It’s hard to judge how much lower I should go.’
This time, I applied less strength to my legs than before.
By then, Ecok had already recovered.
Thinking himself safe underwater, he swam through the depths of the sea.
Bang!
The second leap was more successful.
Though my blade sank deep into the whale’s body, that was as far as it went.
No more exploring his innards this time.
I gripped the hilt firmly and clung to his body.
“Urgh!”
Ecok thrashed, trying to shake me off, but my left hand, which had been holding the blade, now gripped his flesh tightly.
His flailing was spirited, like freshly caught fish.
Well, let’s see if I can carve out a vital point.
Gripping the blade with my right hand, I began slicing into his flesh.
Infused with energy, my arms swiftly carved through Ecok’s body in rapid succession.
Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
Flesh peeled away like wood shavings, staining the seawater red.
Unable to withstand the extreme pain, Ecok opened his massive jaws wide before clamping them shut forcefully.
As he did, his body began to shrink.
It was about time for Dordone’s true form to reveal itself.
Each strike of my blade was deadly.
Even a blade infused with aura would usually struggle to pierce Dordone’s tough hide.
But now, it sliced through him as if he were made of paper.
***
‘What is this? When I attained this body, I was supposed to be invincible.’
Ecok was consumed by doubt.
There was no one in the world who could rival Dordone.
Even in the past, his defeats were at the hands of renowned monsters, and even then, it was always two against one.
And those battles left them barely victorious, with severe injuries.
“How dare a mere swordsman, not even a mage, do this!!”
Ecok roared, his mouth opening and closing as though to shout more.
Though Hersel’s voice couldn’t be heard underwater, he could guess from the movement of his lips that he was saying something like, “But I’m part of the Magic Division…”
For a moment, rage surged to the top of his head, but thanks to Dordone's influence, Ecok quickly regained his composure.
Then, he began analyzing.
‘This body is the nemesis of swordsmen.’
This was because it could freely manipulate the sea.
Without solid ground to push off from, swordsmen would be left floating helplessly in the water, unable to maintain their stance properly while swimming.
Ecok thought of a way to escape the current situation.
‘Dorosian. If I just kill that woman, he won’t be able to kill me.’
Even if he couldn’t win, retreat might still be an option.
First, he would kill everyone at Frost Heart, then delay the fight with the monster before him to another day.
Slash!
When nearly half of his torso had been sliced away, Ecok compressed all his remaining energy into the core that had been hidden deep within his body.
What had felt like gaseous energy turned into liquid.
Soon, it solidified to the point where it felt like a solid mass, and it began seeping out through the pores of his skin.
Having already abandoned his whale form and transitioned into a humanoid shape, Ecok entrusted his body to the black armor emerging from within.
Whoosh—
Meanwhile, the seawater was once again pushed away by Dorosian.
As black smoke began to waft into the air, Ecok turned his head.
Sizzle—
The smoke came from the armor.
Postponing his analysis, Ecok fixed his gaze on Hersel, who was thrusting his sword.
With improved dynamic vision, he could follow the movement of the sword.
‘Ah, now that I think about it, my overall abilities increase in this state.’
Of course, the drawback was the short duration and the immense fatigue that followed, but in the current situation, even exhausting everything might not be enough.
Ecok swung his arm in sync with the trajectory of the blade aimed at his neck.
Clang!
Metal shards scattered from the sword.
Ecok smirked, noticing his newfound strength.
‘I can see it. My body can react. And, I have enough power to destroy that sword!’
Ecok roared at Hersel.
“I’ll start by smashing that sword!”
“Smash it?”
Clink!
Hersel quickly sheathed his sword and narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
“In that case, I’ll face you with my fists.”
Ecok was bewildered by his words.
‘People call him strong and clever, but to me, he’s just a lunatic with monstrous strength.’
Despite his skills, he had entered the academy with no noticeable talent.
And to top it off, he was in the Magic Division.
Now, he was going so far as to fight barehanded like a barbarian.
Faced with his series of absurd actions, Ecok decided to stop thinking about him.
‘He’s incomprehensible. Trying to understand him only puts me at a disadvantage…’
Ecok channeled all his strength into his body and lunged at Hersel.
If he wanted to kill Dorosian, he would first need to deal with the man standing in front of him.
Ecok’s fist crashed into Hersel’s face.
Boom!
The deafening noise echoed, yet once again, Hersel didn’t even flinch, let alone step back.
Even so, Ecok grinned faintly.
‘I had a feeling this would happen.’
Quickly ducking, he grabbed Hersel’s ankle.
If striking didn’t work, he would just toss him.
But—
“What?”
Hersel’s body didn’t budge, as if his feet were rooted deep into the ground.
‘Isn’t it common sense that grabbing someone means you can lift them?’
Ecok looked up at Hersel, who loomed over him, casting a shadow.
Hersel was up to something strange again, biting his extended tongue with his teeth.
It was a bizarre gesture, and though his jaw seemed to be clenched with full force, strangely, no blood flowed.
Ecok decided once more to stop thinking.
This was because the foot he thought wouldn’t move had lifted off the ground and was now flying toward his head.
Crash!
The smell of dirt filled his nostrils, and his mouth filled with sand and fragments of broken rocks.
He was underground.
Deeply embedded, Ecok squinted against the light streaming in from above.
It wasn’t because the light was blinding.
It was because Hersel’s shadow was blocking it, as if to seal a coffin lid.
The moment Hersel landed, a relentless series of blows rained down.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The armor, which had even withstood the blade, began to crack under the blunt force.
Crack!
Even as he was struck, Ecok could do nothing.
‘There’s no way out of this…’
With each blow, he felt his resolve crumble.
Eventually, as his consciousness blurred, Hersel’s fist pierced his chest and struck the core, the greatest weakness of his spirit.
