Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Gulla’s Arm (2)

 

Kwagwagwagwang1

 

A third clash broke out in the cavernous cavern. Dozens of light beams crisscrossed the cavern, each aiming specifically at one man.

 

The man, his black coat billowing behind him, looked up before swinging the obsidian greatsword with his left hand.

 

Clang! Clang! Clang!

 

With a single swing, dozens of beams of light were deflected, piercing the surrounding area. Marks were left on the cavern’s ceiling, the thick wooden pillars holding up the ceiling, and the floor, which was indented.

 

[Chain of Memories]

 

The magic was invoked at a noticeable increase in speed, and the shadow appeared, its form solidified by the flashing light. The rippling shadow that had spread around the cavern took on physical shape and rushed to wrap around Russell’s limbs.

 

However, it was halted by an invisible, transparent barrier, preventing it from moving beyond a certain distance. Instead, it disintegrated and vanished, its magical vitality depleted.

 

“Hmm.”

 

Russell observed the event and looked at the forearm he was holding. The right thumb twitched, as if in response to his stare.

 

“. . . .”

 

The sight of an arm moving as if it had its own mind, apart from his body, was unpleasant, but he disregarded it carelessly.

 

In this bizarre environment, he had grown accustomed to even one arm moving on its own.

 

He didn’t yet know the whole scope of the situation, but it wasn’t a pressing concern. He’d make do with whatever he had.

 

What he now knew was that this forearm, which had been in the breath of Nemesto, had absorbed the dragonkin’s magical power. To be more specific, it absorbed the magical energy of the other souls occupying the dragonkin’s body.

 

“Damn it, what is this! You were so confident and now this!”

 

Rictus, who had replaced his severed right arm with an intricately crafted wooden arm, yelled. An elderly voice’s voice emerged from his mouth.

 

“It’s Gulla’s arm.”

 

“What kind of arm is that?”

 

“I never thought I’d see that abomination here. No, is it still alive since it’s moving?”

 

“Speak clearly!”

 

Rictus hissed, but the elderly voice appeared to have already slipped into deep meditation, losing control of his mouth. Even so, his hands moved independently, creating a new magic.

 

Wooooosh!

 

A wholly different force bared its fangs at Russell, accompanied by a reverberating sound.

 

As his eyes blazed, a tremendous bulk collided with Russell.

 

Clang!

 

It was a massive fist that struck him. The fist, fashioned from densely interlaced logs, branches, and roots, was a larger replica of Rictus’ wooden right hand. In terms of sheer size, it rivaled a giant.

 

Even the most powerful warriors would be overwhelmed by its sheer size and momentum. Strength and weight are two separate concepts.

 

Rictus dropped his jaw in disbelief as Russell vanished into the heavy dust.

 

“So easily?”

 

“You fool.”

 

The elderly voice, speaking through the lizard’s mouth, clicked his tongue. Rictus’ eyes narrowed as if to say something, but Russell emerged from the dust and walked forward.

 

His appearance was drastically different than previously. He was completely covered in black armor, from head to toe. His face was entirely hidden behind a visor, and his cyan eyes shined through the gaps, staring at Rictus.

 

“Since magic doesn’t work, it’s all about mass. How flexible.”

 

Recognizing Russell’s astonishing item, the old man sank his shoulders upon Rictus’ torso.

 

“Not only does he have Gulla’s arm, but he’s also wearing armor with a spatial conversion spell. How unfortunate to have such a man as an enemy. There’s no point in reliving that long-forgotten time.”

 

Rictus’ demeanor changed as he gently whispered in response to the elderly voice’s muttering.

 

“Don’t talk about dying. If you’re here, think about how to defeat that damned human!”

 

“Yes, yes. I don’t want to go back to sleep here either.”

 

Following their chat, Rictus’ expanded right arm produced a faint red light.

 

[Wood Spirit].

 

Then, from the wooden fist, slender branches began to grow rapidly, forming a shape.

 

In the flash of an eye, it had turned into a 5-meter-tall behemoth, extending its leg to crush Russell.

 

Clang!

 

Russell avoided the giant’s onslaught by merely stepping back, but the giant’s attack did not stop there.

 

The giant’s leg, which had been planted on the ground, crumbled, scattering hundreds of thousands of tree roots throughout the floor in an attempt to imprison Russell.

 

The transition from wooden fist to giant to jail, which would trap Russell, was flawless, with minimum loss of magical energy.

 

It was a superb use of magic that was far superior to Rictus’s.

 

[Enclose, Crush]

 

Tree roots and stems that sprouted from under Russell’s feet entwined around him, crushing his movements.

 

It did not end there. Roots and trunks began to sprout out of the ground, building a massive wooden pillar that swallowed Russell whole within a 10-meter radius.

 

The old man said, 

 

“Don’t say anything.”

 

“I didn’t even open my━”

 

Crack! Crack! Crack!

 

At that point, dozens of fissures developed in the core of the expanded tree, which fractured into clean-cut pieces and collapsed.

 

Russell emerged from within, undamaged. White smoke rose from the Nahilnir in his grasp.

 

The hardwood trunk ignited and exploded into flames as soon as it came into contact with the blade.

 

Russell had swung his sword so hard that the friction ignited Nahilnir’s blade.

 

Russell, who had been looking down at Rictus with puzzlement, lifted his left hand.

 

In his left palm, a magical energy composed of cold and sparks cracked and hardened into the shape of an elongated spear.

 

Rictus’ mouth dropped open in amazement as he recognized the freezing cold and damaging energy coming from Russell’s palm. The old man was taken aback by Rictus’s body and shouted.

 

“To combine two elements so perfectly! He’s much better than this lizard brain!”

 

“Shut up!”

 

Crackle! Crackle!

 

A blue lightning bolt flew out. Just before the devastating spear, which instantly froze and shattered its surroundings, pierced Rictus’ body, the old man possessing Rictus’ body created a hand seal and channeled his magical force.

 

[Wood Spirit Earth Wall].

 

Thud!

 

A massive wall of timbers came up directly in front of Rictus. At the same moment, the wooden trunks that had been supporting his body drew him back to brace for the impact.

 

Clang!

 

Russell’s ice and lightning spear struck the wooden wall, resulting in a thunderous boom and shockwave.

 

Russell pursued Rictus, who was withdrawing and wielding Nahilnir. As he swung with enormous vigor, Rictus arched his back to avoid the sword hit.

 

He curled his wooden right arm into a big blade with incredible flexibility for his massive bulk.

 

Russell and Rictus fought once more.

 

Clang! Clang! Clang!

 

The obsidian greatsword and the big, single-edged blade collided, sending innumerable sparkles and wood splinters flying.

 

It wasn’t just magic that used plants; it was a technique that involved trees absorbing magical energy and growing.

 

It was so strong that it wouldn’t shatter even when struck by Nahilnir’s blade, and it was so keen that it could cut through a single strand of hair.

 

Eight gigantic tree arms, each symbolizing a different cardinal direction, lashed out at Russell, transforming into whips that sliced through the air and divided the space in two.

 

Clang! Clang! Clang!

 

The black and crimson bolts of light collided and separated, causing shockwaves that traced lines, curves, and straight lines throughout the immense cavern.

 

They went so quickly that the pillars and floor cracked after they passed, sending debris flying.

 

Russell did not stop brandishing his greatsword. He drew on Gulla’s arm and his own magical force to create cold and electricity.

 

Despite the fact that it was a dry environment, he translated magical energy directly into ice, which then transitioned into electricity, and he pursued the lizard giant fiercely.

 

Even as they traded sword swings, tree roots and trunks twisted on the ground, becoming drills that pierced Russell’s feet, legs, and abdomen.

 

Half of that huge attack was absorbed by Gulla’s arm, which vibrated and absorbed magical energy, while the other half flew right toward him.

 

Thud! Thud! Thud!

 

However, even those failed to penetrate Russell’s armor, and the spear tips fractured. The elderly voice, who had once again proved that the armor he wore was extremely robust, exclaimed:

 

“Then try this!”

 

A magically charged hand gesture rushed into the vacuum.

 

In response to that motion, the tree roots and trunks that had sprouted grew thicker and larger, eventually forming a massive hammer.

 

It was so large that it occupied half of the cavern’s roof, and its magical force was squeezed. Russell gathered his magical energies with all of his power.

 

He couldn’t rely just on the strength of his armor to endure that weight. If he couldn’t successfully deflect it, the armor would still be intact, but the flesh within would be crushed.

 

Despite his extensive training, Russell was fully aware of his body’s limitations. His body, which had not yet given up on being human, was unable to sustain such force.

 

Wooooosh!

 

With the sound of an engine revving, the magical energy in his entire body surged rapidly, coursing into his system.

 

A colorless wave stretched from his feet in concentric circles, causing the ground to disintegrate.

 

Russell, gripping Nahilnir’s sword with both hands, channeled all of his magical force into the great sword.

 

What he envisioned was primarily a sharp point. He focused all of his attention on one location, as if what was approaching him was a mountain that he was going to pierce through.

 

The pain that had been blazing in his two eyes since the beginning flared up once more. He stared at the flying hammer, resisting the temptation to tear out his eyeballs and hurl them away.

 

He looked at the vast amount of magical energy. He examined its structure and the knots that held it together. The knots were the key.

 

Waves of magical energy continued to spread in concentric circles. Then, at one point, the ripple’s waves abruptly halted.

 

Shhhhhhhhhh. . . . . . .

 

Russell held a greatsword enveloped in pure white lightning. The chirping of thousands of birds, a hallmark of electricity, vanished.

 

A faint, high-pitched buzz reverberated through the air, like a massive snake threatening. However, the cold that touched it instantly froze, and it shattered into dozens of sharp bits, like if hit by lightning. This demonstrated that the cold and electricity were flowing in an infinite circle.

 

Nahilnir, which dispersed cold and energy in all directions, had become so white that its initial black color was no longer discernible.

 

Russell kicked off the ground and jumped into the air. At the same time, the giant hammer, which had been rising in volume and weight beyond its already massive dimensions, aimed at him and plummeted, its backside facing down.

 

A sharp-pointed hammer, not a flat surface, but a dodecahedron. If something explodes on the cavern floor, not just the ceiling but also the mountain above may fall.

 

The hammer fell.

 

There was no sound.

 

The hammer’s tip was crushed and impaled by the greatsword’s blade, which had concentrated on a single point. Hundreds of fissures erupted in a moment, and a dazzling bolt of light emerged through the openings.

 

The hammer did not burn but rather turned to black ash, consumed by the enormous fire that had erupted from within. The great sword slashed through the soot and ash in the air, piercing through the darkness.

 

Rictus, floating in the emptiness above the hammer, stared down with deeply unfocused eyes.

 

In this deep and dark beneath, the final onslaught of live wood, which had absorbed the mana and life from the concentrated earth veins, was disintegrating.

 

A white spiral of light froze the wood before shattering it and shooting up into the air.

 

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

 

Rumble, rumble, and rumble. . . . . . . 

 

Just above the canyon, a large, flat plateau began to vibrate as if caused by an earthquake.

 

Unnamed weeds, which had rainwater in their leaves, swayed in response to the earth’s trembling.

 

A ray of light flashed and appeared on the plateau, and with a bang, rocks and moist dirt shattered as the lizard giant’s torso was pierced by a greatsword, and the man holding the sword’s hilt rocketed up into the air.

 

The rainy night sky has cleared. Far to the east, a pale blue glow spread, signaling dawn.

 

As the stars in the night sky welcomed the dawn with their light from the past, two people obstructed it.

 

Swoosh!

 

The two that had been floating in the air plummeted to the ground. Rictus, now a solid ice statue, tumbled on the ground, as did Russell, who was unable to land properly.

 

“Haah. . . .”

 

The armor was removed, and his face was clearly revealed. He could feel sweat streaming down his brow and cheekbones. He took a big breath, and sweat dripped down his chin.

 

“Kahak!”

 

Rictus, who had shouted, took out the greatsword stuck in his stomach. His abdomen was already becoming blue from the ice that had been injected into the blade when it shattered the hammer, and the electricity was about to break it as well.

 

“All living things must die someday, but I didn’t want to follow that law. I relied on the living wood to postpone my death into the future. Is the scale of justice fair? To think that such an absurd man was waiting for me.”

 

“Shut up! I can’t die here!”

 

Rictus, who had expressed regret and screamed in the same breath, staggered to his feet.

 

Russell also straightened his back, putting strength in his legs. He may not be able to wield magic, but he still possesses physical strength.

 

The first thing that hit him was a firm fist. The fist of a monster nearly three meters tall fell from a higher elevation.

 

Russell inhaled deeply as he looked at that fist. The world got clearer, and his senses sharpened.

 

The lizard giant’s harsh breathing, the crushed weeds beneath his feet, the smell of rain, the sweat dripping down his face and torso, and the hammering of his heart.

 

The air he’d taken filled his lungs. Oxygen dissolved into his blood, which circulated throughout his body before gathering again. His consciousness expanded exponentially, and in a universe where time appeared to be slow, his right hand drew a distinct line.

 

Rictus’ body shook. His fist had impacted Russell’s face precisely on the left side. Russell’s fist had accurately struck the space between his abdomen and chest, near his navel.

 

Boom!

 

The air behind Rictus’ back finally broke forth, creating a hazy, radial shockwave. A ring-shaped wave formed beneath the earth where the two had been standing, and the grass bowed outward, scattering the rain in all directions.

 

The reptile’s distinctive long, yellow pupils flickered.

 

Rictus fell to his knees, reversing the height discrepancy. In front of him stood a man with purple eyes that pierced the darkness and looked down at the lizard giant.

 

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