Chapter 71: Kaek Death Beam
What would Baek Yeonyeong have done?
If I had begged for my life, she would have just ignored me.
Her assistance was not given unconditionally to those in need.
However, the person in front of me wasn’t concerned with their own safety.
There was someone in danger of dying because of them.
To save that person, they kneeled down and begged.
This man was the one who had fled upon seeing me, the Crocodile King Lizard.
My appearance now was even more menacing than it had been then; certainly not any less.
Yet, despite that, he suppressed his fear and made a wish for someone else.
Even though he thought of me as a mere beast, capable of devouring him.
I don’t know what his story is.
He might be a villain.
But that judgment can wait.
I can judge him after I save the one who’s turned to stone.
“Grrrr…”
I didn’t know if defeating the Cockatrice would lift the petrification, but I had to try.
The distance between us grew shorter.
I had often wondered what the true form of Gogadorisu was.
It wasn’t much different from what the Snake Queen had described, but it wasn’t exactly the same either.
I had imagined it to be about the size of a chicken, but the only trace of a chicken was its crowing sound.
I had thought the Cockatrice was closer to a bird, but seeing it now, it definitely seemed more like a snake.
There was even a snake coiled around its tail, and its head looked like a snake with a beak.
What could be the difference between me and this creature?
I could see its level, so it shouldn’t be as vast as the difference between the Snake Queen and the King of Birds.
If that’s the case, I can win.
“Grrrr…”
I let out a low growl, trying to intimidate it.
There was only one reason why I had revealed myself.
The power of petrification couldn’t be used consecutively.
Even if it could, it wouldn’t be able to exert enough force to affect someone like me who had resistance.
If I wasted time, it would recover.
I had to attack quickly.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The Cockatrice had another weapon besides petrification.
That was its poison.
It could spew a poison as potent as its petrification ability.
But I had already withstood the venom of a Dilophosaurus.
It would be hard for the poison to cause me any serious harm.
Since it was a creature that handled poison, my own venom wouldn’t have much of an effect on it either.
Our poisons would have no effect on each other.
The only thing that could harm us was a direct physical confrontation.
The Cockatrice was larger than a terror bird.
In terms of sheer size, I was at a disadvantage.
In a regular physical fight, I would likely lose.
Of course, if that were all, I wouldn’t have a reason to face it.
“Grrrr…”
But I had one weapon it didn’t possess.
That was information.
There was a gap in our knowledge.
I knew what cards it held, and what I could block.
If I exploited that, the fight would become easier.
“Keeeeek!”
The Cockatrice started to spew a cloud of poison.
It was a good move.
By blocking my approach, it intended to deal damage from a distance.
If I spent too much time here, it would soon follow up with its petrifying beam.
Of course, it was a good move—if it had been facing an ordinary lizard.
Tap!
I stepped on the leaves and leaped at it with the profound technique of the Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step.
The concentration of the poison mist was thick.
It hadn’t expected me to pierce through it, and flapped its wings in panic.
This was the gap in our knowledge.
I knew it would use poison, but it didn’t anticipate that I would be immune to it.
[“Using ‘Dragon’s Reverse Scale Lv1’.”]
[“Temporarily acquiring ‘The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World’.”]
Kugooooo.
A heavy internal energy pressured the Cockatrice.
Power that could uproot mountains and aura that covered the world.
The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World wasn’t just about overwhelming an opponent with sheer force.
Crack.
The internal energy converged into a single point.
Thuuuuud!
The forepaw, empowered by the profound technique of Dragon Claws, struck the Cockatrice’s head.
Its head twisted halfway around.
There was no way it could remain conscious.
Slaaash!
I fiercely slashed at its wing joint with my other paw.
“Kieeeek!”
The Cockatrice let out a scream of agony.
It would be ideal to finish it off now, but this situation wouldn’t last.
The consecutive strikes I landed had taken advantage of my superior information.
Before it could recover, one more attack!
Claaang!
The other wing blocked my Dragon Claws.
Having been blocked, I immediately retreated.
It wasn’t wise to continue the close-quarters battle.
“Kieeeek!”
The creature went berserk.
Even though its thick neck had taken a direct hit from my Dragon Claws, it hadn’t broken and remained firm.
Its defense was better than I had expected.
“Kiralalalak!”
It seemed to have a lot of stamina too.
It charged at me with ferocious momentum.
Judging by the way its feet trembled, it was clear it intended to stab me with those sharp claws.
If I got hit by those claws, no matter how tough my scales were, they’d shatter.
I had to counter his kick with another kick.
**Kwaaaang!**
The ground shook the moment I took a step forward.
The internal energy concentrated in my leg traveled through the earth, rapidly surging towards the Cockatrice.
**Boom!**
“Kkeeeek!”
The Cockatrice’s stance collapsed.
Now was my chance.
I swiftly closed the distance and was about to use the Dragon Claws technique.
“Kkigigik.”
One of the Cockatrice’s eyes began to glow.
It had a sinister smile on its face.
The petrifying gaze.
I didn’t know if it had just recharged, or if it had been hiding its power all along.
What mattered was that in my current state, I would be fully exposed to that gaze.
Had it been pretending to be enraged and charging recklessly just to set this up?
Pretty smart for a birdbrain.
It saved its trump card until the very end.
A good move.
But if it was going to save it, it should have saved it a bit longer.
I activated Sprint.
I held off on using this skill until now to catch it off guard.
Of course, just Sprinting alone wouldn’t be enough to dodge that gaze.
I used the leg technique I learned from Baek Yeonyeong, the High Dragon Kick.
Though it was a leg technique, High Dragon Kick wasn’t limited to just the legs.
The Phantom Dragon Illusion was a footwork technique imbued with the subtleties of illusion.
Mixing feints and killing moves to keep the opponent from predicting my actions.
**Swoosh!**
With the amplified speed from Phantom Dragon Illusion, I managed to get behind the Cockatrice in an instant.
Its eyes were staring into empty space.
**Kwaaaang!**
The internal energy-imbued Dragon Claws mercilessly struck its head.
“Kkeeeek!”
**Crack.**
I heard the sound of its neck bone fracturing.
But its extraordinary muscles forced the damaged bones to keep functioning.
Now I couldn’t afford to create any distance.
I had to stay as close as possible and suppress its gaze.
I grabbed its neck tightly with my left hand.
“Krrrrak!”
The Cockatrice thrashed wildly.
Though “thrashed” was an understatement—the massive creature’s wild movements were inflicting small injuries on me as I held on.
**Crunch!**
Its sharp claws and talons dug into my flesh.
Blood began to flow.
But the damage it sustained was even greater.
**Snap!**
I bit down on its neck.
**Grind.**
I bit so hard that my teeth almost shattered.
Its neck was so thick that my teeth barely sank in, but its body was no longer in a normal state. If I kept accumulating damage, even that thick neck would eventually break.
I could inflict even greater damage if I used the Nine Yin White Bone Claws through Dragon’s Reverse Scale, but in this position, it was impossible. The movement was too large, and I could get hit by its petrifying gaze.
“Kkeeeeeeek!”
The Cockatrice let out a horrifying scream.
It was so terrible that my ears started to bleed.
The fact that it was only now revealing this attack meant that it was reaching its limit.
“Grrrrrr….”
Victory was in sight.
If I maintained this state and drained its stamina, I’d soon be able to snap its neck.
**Crack!**
Suddenly, a sharp pain engulfed me, clouding my consciousness.
The source of the pain was my right ankle.
And the attacker was another head of the Cockatrice.
It originally had two heads.
The snake head on its tail wasn’t just for decoration.
**Boom!**
The Cockatrice seized the opportunity when my grip weakened, successfully escaping from my grasp.
“Kkeeeek!”
The Cockatrice, enraged, charged at me.
Of course, its petrifying gaze accompanied the charge.
There was no way I could dodge it with my injured leg.
**Crunch, crackle!**
My body began to turn to stone.
“Kokkokkokoook!”
The Cockatrice opened its large mouth wide, rushing at me as if to repay all the humiliation it had suffered.
…
Did it really think I hadn’t considered its second head?
[“Using ‘Dragon’s Reverse Scale Lv1’.”]
**Crack.**
The stone encasing my skin crumbled into dust.
The reason I believed I could win was due to the gap in our knowledge.
I knew I could resist its petrification.
At least, I could resist something as feeble as this uncharged attack, even if I couldn’t withstand its full-power petrifying gaze.
[“Temporarily acquiring ‘Nine Yin White Bone Claws’.”]
The Cockatrice seemed to realize something was wrong and tried to change its direction.
But it was too late.
**Kwaaaang!**
My five claws smashed its head.
“Krrrrk…”
It wasn’t dead yet.
If it were, I would have leveled up right away.
But it was definitely near death.
I needed to finish it off before it had a chance to recover.
Its head was already pulp.
The fact that it was still alive was likely due to the snake head on its tail.
If I destroyed that, this battle would be over.
I raised my hand to strike down the snake head.
“Kkeeeeeeeeeek!”
An enormous roar filled the air, and suddenly, my body couldn’t move.
**Crack.**
My body gradually started turning to stone.
This attack was on a completely different level than the previous petrifying gazes.
How, in that condition, could it unleash such an attack?
My question was soon answered.
“Kokkokkokkokoook!”
From the midst of the pulp that used to be its head, another head emerged.
A red comb. Pure white feathers.
It was unmistakably the head of a rooster.
…I was completely outplayed.
It wasn’t the snake head, but a fully developed bird head.
It was probably a new ability granted by the King of Birds.
Even the Snake Queen didn’t know about this.
It was terrifying.
I thought I’d seen all its cards, but it had one more.
…Who would have thought the Cockatrice had three heads?
The newly emerged head had never used the petrifying gaze before.
Which meant that the petrifying attack it just used was at full power.
My body continued to harden.
But this wasn’t the end.
Think.
Think of a way to break out of this situation without the use of my arms and legs.
[“Using ‘Dragon’s Reverse Scale Lv1’.”]
Dragon’s Reverse Scale, the technique that allows me to replicate skills and martial arts I haven’t fully mastered.
Remember.
Remember a technique that can be used without arms and legs.
Yes, that one was still left.
The technique used by the King of Birds.
Even just brushing against it left me on the brink of death.
The Destruction Beam.
[Insufficient comprehension.]
What?
A message I had never seen before.
I had succeeded so many times before that I never imagined Dragon’s Reverse Scale could fail.
The King of Birds’ Destruction Beam was beyond my ability to replicate.
Of course, how could I replicate something after seeing it just once, without even understanding its principles?
The Cockatrice was closing in on me.
Its head had changed, but its body remained the same, so it was still slow.
But slow as it was, it would be enough to kill me, paralyzed as I was.
Was this how it was going to end?
Would I turn to stone and be smashed by that monstrous bird?
…
No.
[“Using ‘Dragon’s Reverse Scale Lv1’.”]
I couldn’t replicate the King of Birds’ Destruction Beam.
But what about the technique used by the Snake Queen and Bolphyton?
I opened my mouth wide.
I tried to mimic the posture I had seen countless times before.
Shikshik, who chirped as it shot a beam at the Snake Queen.
The Snake Queen, who fired a Destruction Beam to train me.
I recalled their movements.
[The Snake Queen smiles at you.]
[“Temporarily acquiring ‘Destruction Beam Lv1’.”]
Right.
This is how it’s done.
I must end it with this one shot.
There won’t be a second chance.
If I miss or fail to finish it off, I’ll be the one to die.
[Your divinity rises sharply.]
In the corner of my vision, I saw the man from before.
He was still kneeling, praying to me instead of fleeing.
[Your divinity reacts with ‘Destruction Beam Lv1’.]
[“Temporarily acquiring ‘Kaek Death Beam Lv1’.”]
…What a name.
**Ssssss.**
I gathered all the internal energy I could muster.
Powerful internal energy surged up from deep within my dantian.
All my strength concentrated at one point.
There was only one thing left for me to do.
To unleash this overwhelming power.
As naturally as breathing out.
Kaek Death Beam.