Chapter 97. Stone Snake (2)
Kwooouuung!
An explosive sound that shook even the indoor air raged, followed by the echoing roar of rocks surging violently.
Stone spikes, piercing the space in all directions fiercely, charged around Enoch as he sprinted.
Faust, wrapped in mana light as if about to explode all over his body, raised his mana.
Whoosh!
The controlled corpse lowered two fingers. Two square pillars of rock surged from the ceiling and plunged down.
Kururururu!!
Rock pillars descended towards Enoch. Under the assault of overwhelming mass, Enoch threw his body to the side.
Immediately, the spot where he had been standing was pierced by the rock pillars, collapsing the floor and splitting the surrounding ground in half.
Immediately after evading, Enoch greatly rotated his body sideways and landed, dragging his shoes long behind him on the floor.
And then, he immediately kicked off the ground with great force.
[Explosive Sword]
Kwooouuung!
With a roar, Enoch's figure shot forward like a bullet. He closed the distance to the enemy in the blink of an eye.
But as if unwilling to be caught by the same trick, Faust immediately swung his arm in the darkness.
Chaaaak!
The stone floor beneath Faust's feet shattered, and he rapidly put distance between them, sliding backward like on skates.
Simultaneously, a barrage of rocks charged at Enoch. Enoch immediately rolled sideways and took cover behind a pillar.
Enoch's eyes narrowed for a moment, leaning against the wall.
An elemental mage close to Tier 10.
He was a very skilled mage, having specialized in rock-related elemental combat magic in life.
Now, that deceased body was beginning to unleash magic even more powerful than it had in life.
Faust brought his hands together in front of his eyes.
A dazzling circular magic circle unfolded before him.
Enoch's eyes widened slightly as he charged forward. Magic possessing powerful might among Tier 13 combat magic.
[Column Order]
Immediately, the stone wall, pillars, and ceiling shook violently.
He instinctively felt that the entire massive abandoned building had transformed into a huge trap that could fall on Enoch at any moment.
Enoch gripped his sword and charged towards Faust.
And the next moment.
Rock pillars surged up from the ceiling, floor, and all directions, indiscriminately charging at Enoch in succession.
Shuwooooosh!!
Enoch hastily turned his head back and slid. Just as a pillar seemed to pass by his eyes, which were looking up,
He twisted his body to the side and flowed past the rocks flying from the side towards his back, narrowly evading.
The space was filled like a three-dimensional maze with rock pillars fired from all directions. Dust and fragments of rock erupting from all sides vibrated.
Following behind, a pillar aimed at Enoch surged forward.
Enoch immediately perceived the attack behind him by its presence, leaped into the air, and kicked off the tip of the pillar with his foot.
Taah!
In an instant, breaking through the gray dust that spread like a mist in the darkness, Enoch dashed forward.
"Heh heh heh heh, as expected!!"
Faust, who was using the power of the undead body to his heart's content, wildly swinging his arms, shouted with a demonic expression.
"You don't deploy a single defensive magic! Does that thing that doesn't even look like magic gear possess some special power?"
"Maybe."
Enoch's dark blue eyes shone. He had already closed in, holding the two-handed sword diagonally behind his waist.
"Is your attack worth that?"
"..."
The moment Faust's mouth twisted greatly at Enoch's indifferent tone from the shadow of his hood,
Enoch's sword pierced the air and surged, piercing his collarbone. Then he charged forward and slammed him against the wall.
Kwooong— A loud roar echoed, and the interior shook violently. The corpse of Faust twisted its mouth in pain.
"Kuheuugh!"
With the sword impaled in the enemy's collarbone, fixing him to the wall.
"As expected."
Staring directly into Faust's rotting, empty eye sockets, who was screaming in pain, Enoch gave him back the words he had used earlier with a blank expression.
"It seems the main body and the proxy share the same sense of pain."
"Heh heh, yes. That's right! It's no longer surprising!"
He twisted his face into a smile, staring at Enoch head-on for a moment, then widely spread his arms.
"To know so much about forbidden Black Magic!!"
Immediately, a dazzling halo of light burst from his arms which touched the wall, and an extremely strong attraction occurred,
Immediately, parts of the wall were torn off and gathered, forming the shape of a gauntlet, which was swung towards Enoch.
Buwoooooong!
Enoch immediately kicked the enemy in the chest and retrieved his sword. At the same time, he soared high backward, rotated, and landed.
"Heh heh heh! That reaction speed that truly seems to surpass human limits, that dynamic vision!!"
The corpse screamed at Enoch, pointing its finger.
"Do you have a hunch? That sword. Did you get the power by chance from something like a relic left by ancient mages?"
Ignoring his wild guess, Enoch gripped his sword expressionlessly and swung it once to shake off the blood.
Perhaps he was mistaking the sword for a powerful mage's artifact found in ancient ruins or something similar.
Indeed, just considering the word 'relic', it might not be entirely wrong.
But he had completely missed the crucial point.
Meanwhile, Faust said in a sarcastic tone.
"Such luck in obtaining a piece of junk like that is meaningless against overwhelming combat experience!"
He immediately stomped the ground hard with one foot and spread his arms wide.
"It seems I have the superior combat sense in magic battles!!"
Kururururu.
Around his body, massive rocks were torn apart and quickly began to attach themselves.
Not just rock gauntlets, but full body armor. The magic that boasted extreme defense wrapped around his body.
[Petra: Full Plate Armor]
Simultaneously, Enoch, who had immediately approached the enemy, gripped his two-handed sword and swung a strike at the rock armor.
Kaaang!
But the next moment, what returned was the blade deflected along with sparks flying from the surface of the rock.
Through the crack in the rock armor that was just covering his mouth like a helmet, the enemy's teeth were visible, sneering.
"Heh, as expected, it's impossible to pierce this defense with a mere sword!! Because it's Tier 11 top-tier magic!!"
He immediately kicked out towards Enoch, who was in close proximity. The unleashed physical abilities surged.
Simultaneous with a kick from the armored foot at close range, Enoch deflected it with his sword and defended.
But with the impact on his arm, Enoch's entire body was violently thrown back.
Tuuuuurrrng!!
Immediately, the metal railing was greatly bent, and a tearing pain shot through Enoch's back.
Enoch, who had forcefully exhaled the breath from his lungs, immediately rolled sideways.
A moment later, a roaring sound that tore his eardrums erupted as a rock spear shattered the metal railing.
Immediately, gripping his sword diagonally, he initiated a charge towards the side of the abandoned building shrouded in darkness.
Passing by the pillars of the abandoned building lined up in the darkness, Enoch accelerated his thoughts while aiming for the opponent's blind spot.
'Elemental magic of the rock type has its core in overwhelming the opponent with overwhelming mass and destructive power.'
It was also a sect where numerous sturdy and stable combat magic spells, boasting extreme defense, were concentrated.
Especially the [Petra] series of modern magic was a defensive magic that temporarily altered even the structural composition of the caster.
And that sturdiness, which surpassed even special alloys, could also be converted into physical attack power, making it a magic that held a strong advantage, especially in 1-on-1 close combat.
But it didn't end there.
"Are you turning tail and running because it seems you can't handle it!!"
Tuwoooooong!!
An instant rock projectile grazed Enoch, who was running, and shattered several pillars in one blow.
He was a mage who not only engaged in close-quarters combat, relying on defense, but also covered long distances with multi-casting.
He shouted with a twisted smile.
"As expected, you're no match for my combat sense!"
But Enoch immediately charged forward without even turning his head, and grabbed a fragment that was flying in the air.
And then, he immediately turned and threw it to the side.
The fragment, flying through the darkness, hit the opposite wall, creating a loud noise that reached Faust's ears.
"Is that where you are!!"
Instantly, Faust ambitiously stretched out his hand in that direction, and began a rock bombardment with the fragment Enoch had thrown.
But the next moment, Enoch approached, bursting through the darkness with a dark blue explosion.
It was then that Faust turned his head and faced Enoch's feet, which were right in front of his face.
"Wha—?!"
In that brief moment, Enoch looked down at him and said quietly.
"You're no match for my combat sense."
[Explosive Sword]
On his chest armor, a drop kick containing the full force of Explosive Sword struck a single point and exploded.
"Kuheohhhhhk!!"
He flew backward, armor and all, but immediately dug one arm into the ground and braked his body.
And then, he laughed confidently.
"Haha, as long as you can't pierce this armor with a sword, you can't do anything!!"
Enoch suddenly realized his arm was trembling slightly.
He thought about trying [Fire Wheel] on the armor, but immediately a negative answer came from within.
Even the powerful Fire Wheel would have a hard time landing a decisive blow if blocked by that rock armor.
Going for hand-to-hand combat would also put him at a disadvantage. He needed a means to inflict a critical hit.
And the same seemed to be true for Faust.
He leaned his head forward and glared at me through the gap in his armor, his eyes glowing.
"...Well, I guess that's the same for both of us."
As if resolved to something. He put a twisted smile on his lips and raised one arm to the sky.
"Then I suppose I need a way to finish you off?"
From within his hand raised to the sky, a dazzling light erupted, enough to push back the darkness of the abandoned building.
Instantly, the surrounding stone walls all exploded and were ripped apart. As if automatically assembling, they gathered at a single point, emitting an intense light,
A massive rock snake appeared in the air indoors.
Kururururu!!
A stone unique magic, coiling like a gigantic rock dragon, dominating the sky submerged in darkness.
Beneath the magical stone snake, which took the form of a huge serpent.
Faust, spreading his arms wide, shouted loudly.
"Let's see how long you can maintain that composure!!"
With the faint white moonlight at his back in the midnight darkness. The black rock snake floating in a circular shape.
Kururururu.
The snake made of black rock absorbed the stone fragments slowly rising into the air, enveloped in the shadows, into its body.
And then it soared into the air behind Faust, coiling in the sky, like a lurking dragon.
An incarnation of mass emitting overwhelming pressure.
A unique magic that had reached the pinnacle of an elemental mage close to Tier 10, embodying the essence of rock-element combat magic.
"..."
Enoch paused for a moment, seeing that.
As if his influence had grown, Faust grinned hideously, his mouth torn, and shouted.
"Haha!! Incomplete, but a unique magic that the owner of this body, who was Tier 11, manifested after countless efforts!!"
He roared with a look of madness.
"I'll just make good use of it for freeee!!"
In an instant, Faust, who had manifested dazzling mana in his hand, sharply pointed a finger forward.
Kururururu—
The inorganic dragon (龍) coiling in the air immediately surged and responded to Faust's will.
It charged straight towards Enoch, tearing through the darkness.
Faust shouted loudly with a twisted laugh.
"Let's see you withstand that with that thin sword!!"
Tear, tear, tear!!
The roaring of the snake, which was clearly inaudible, was emitted as frictional sounds of rocks as it surged. Enoch calmly gripped his sword diagonally and leaped backward.
First, he created distance.
But the snake immediately shattered the ground where Enoch had been and twisted, then pursued Enoch, who had retreated.
Kwooouuung! Kwooouuung!
It charged forward, completely shattering all surrounding exterior walls and objects with its massive rock body.
Magic of the type that automatically tracked targets.
If he tried to block that overwhelming mass attack head-on, his entire body, sword and all, would be crushed by the mass.
If that were the case, there was only one way to counter that overwhelming mass attack.
Enoch immediately turned his sword towards the rock snake.
[Reverse Flow]
A flowing sword strike sent the rock snake flying sideways from Enoch's side. But Faust shouted.
"Heh heh heh heh, do you think you've escaped with that!!"
The rock snake, which had been deflected sideways by Enoch's sword, instantly shattered a wall, cut through a pillar, and made a U-turn.
It then shot towards Enoch.
That was when he realized the anomaly.
'It's getting bigger and faster?'
The rock snake, like a dragon about to grow into a true dragon, was absorbing surrounding rock fragments and growing even larger while accelerating.
Taah!
Again, Enoch spun his sword and unleashed [Reverse Flow], causing the rock snake to deflect past him, but that was all.
Again, the massive black snake began to surge towards Enoch at an even faster speed, shattering the floor and ceiling in the darkness.
"Hahahaha!! Struggle and deflect as much as you want! It will pursue you until you die!"
Faust's laughter, certain of victory.
A combat method where he defended his body with the strongest armor that couldn't be pierced by a sword, and constantly drove the enemy to death with an overwhelming unique magic.
Surely, the mage himself, who was close to Tier 10, must have approached an incredible level in life.
How Faust understood that and used it so perfectly was questionable, but that wasn't what was important to Enoch right now.
─Kaaang!
When the rock snake he had deflected earlier returned for the second time. His foot on the ground slipped greatly.
Enoch quickly checked it with his dark blue eyes. The snake was upon him again.
He forcibly unleashed [Reverse Flow] again before he could even regain his stance, deflecting the rock snake.
"..."
But this time, sparks flew from the blade, and one of his arms, which was wielding the sword, was greatly thrown back, losing grip on the hilt, unable to withstand the rock's mass.
The deflected rock snake absorbed surrounding stone material again, growing larger and accelerating.
The infinite snake, which only strengthened and returned the more it was deflected, pursued Enoch again.
'At this rate, I'm at a disadvantage.'
He needed a way to break through the situation.
Even if he approached the enemy while evading the rock snake, Faust's rock armor would block him.
Regrettably, there seemed to be no valid strike among the sword forms he had inherited so far.
Should he draw him onto the building and make him fall from a high floor? But the enemy wouldn't fall for such an obvious trick.
Furthermore, since it was a corpse, he wouldn't be able to deal effective damage with a fall unless he crushed its head.
If that was the case, he had to remove the armor first.
How?
Instantly, Enoch's dark blue eyes confirmed the rock snake pursuing him through the darkness.
A single idea was dawning on him.
The [Reverse Flow] he kept using wasn't just about countering the opponent's attack.
The Sword Saint wearing knight's armor earlier.
The true owner of this sword technique, called the Sword Saint of the Waves, didn't just use [Reverse Flow] to deflect attacks.
The memory of that inheritance flashed through his mind.
He had unleashed Fire Wheel to attack the knight, but instead, he had been damaged by that power.
'Certainly, my Fire Wheel's damage had returned.'
The essence of Reverse Flow was one.
It wasn't about taking the opponent's attack with the sword, but simply deflecting it sideways without receiving any damage.
If that were the case, it was possible to 'control' the opponent's power itself according to his will.
If he could apply that...
The moment he was certain, Enoch leaped forward.
He aimed his sword and charged in a straight line through the air towards Faust, who was standing upright in armor.
"Heh heh heh, a mere sword is useless!!"
In that extremely brief moment, the rock snake was closing in on his back, tearing through the air.
Faust let out a triumphant laugh.
The rock armor boasted the strongest defense of Tier 11. Its hardness was already further enhanced by his unique magic.
A mere sword could never pierce it.
So, if he could once again shrug off the attack from the swordsman with the hood pulled low before him with his armor, then the rock snake chasing from behind would completely swallow the enemy immediately after.
Just as Faust thought that.
His expression suddenly twisted.
Whirl—
The swordsman, who had charged forward, scattering the hem of his black robe, turned his sword around in a wide arc in the air.
The trajectory of Enoch's dark blue sword, resembling a current of water, rotated greatly in the darkness.
It instantly emitted an intense light in the darkness.
Woowooowoong—
[Reverse Flow]
Enoch rotated his sword fully to the side, beginning to deflect the rock snake surging from behind with his blade once again.
However, this time was different from before.
The flow of the blade grazing past Enoch's dark blue eyes began a precise manipulation, according to his will.
A low groan escaped his lips in an instant.
"Tsk—"
It wasn't even a frontal defense. Despite just deflecting it sideways, a massive load was placed on his arm.
A strange grinding sound echoed from his shoulder.
The sword grazing the rock snake's scales shook violently, emitting intense sparks, as if about to lose control.
In that moment, he realized it intuitively as he wielded the sword.
—If he made a mistake, he would die.
[Reverse Flow], which had painstakingly received the overwhelming immense mass. In this very moment, if even a small opening was created while wielding the sword?
Immediately, the rock snake would turn its maw and completely swallow Enoch with its massive body.
He cut off his thoughts with the coldness of the sword he gripped. Enoch clenched the hilt as if to break it and wielded the sword with all his might.
If he was simply to not die here,
He had to achieve his ideal with the sword he held.
He had to step over death and achieve growth to the next stage.
His teeth ground together for a moment, as if about to shatter.
He had to do it. He couldn't lose here.
The ideal he had to achieve with the sword now wasn't just deflecting the enemy's formidable magic. It was 'using' that overwhelming magical power against them.
Piiing—
In an instant, Enoch narrowed his eyes and calmly moved his sword, precisely adjusting the blade wielding [Reverse Flow].
The sharp point of the sword's flow, unfolding like flowing water, was directed towards Faust before him.
"—Wha, what?"
And when Faust, who was a beat late in realizing Enoch's maneuver that surpassed common sense, let out a blank voice at what was happening before his eyes.
"This isn't needed by me."
Enoch opened his mouth as if whispering from the front.
"I'll give it back."
"You bastaaard—!"
In an instant, the path of the rock snake, which had transformed into a mass that couldn't possibly be blocked, followed the sword technique created by the sword's principle, drawing a large semicircle as it flowed past—
Taah!
The rock snake, which had been accelerating and engulfing everything in all directions, was caught in Enoch's sword trajectory and shot back towards its master.
And, in the blink of an eye, it grazed half of Faust's upper body, eating and blowing it away completely.
Paaaaak!
"Ku, Kuheohhhk...!!"
His rock armor, which had been deployed across his entire body, was even shattered. Amidst the flying blood and rock fragments in all directions.
Through the crack in his shattered rock helmet, Faust's empty eye sockets filled with shock.
The overwhelming speed and mass of the rock snake, which had been continuously strengthened as Enoch deflected it.
Receiving the snake's strike, accumulated from all that, the upper half of the spellcaster's own body was completely torn off and erased, and he was thrown backward, slamming into the wall.
And with the faint white moonlight at his back.
Enoch, clutching his two-handed greatsword, immediately surged towards the enemy.
Through the fragments of the shattered rock armor, the dark blue sword strike delivered a fatal thrust in a straight line,
Puooook!
Immediately piercing below the enemy's neck.