Chapter 89: Cold and Heat
The rebound of miniaturization turned out to be gigantification.
My body grew even larger than before.
Of course, it wasn’t as dramatic a change as when I used miniaturization.
It was just a little bigger and a little heavier.
But since that “little” was based on the size of Komodo-Lania, the scale was different.
“Grrrr…”
I growled lowly, looking down at the Megatherium.
It was still huge.
My body had grown larger, but that didn’t mean its size had shrunk.
The Megatherium, seeing my appearance, expanded its body to its maximum size.
It was likely trying to show that it wouldn’t back down.
Just like how a frilled lizard flares its frill.
It was a laughable tactic.
Trying to appear larger was the survival strategy of the weak.
“Graaaargh!”
While it was inflating its body, the geckos moved swiftly.
Fortunately, it seemed there was no unfortunate incident of them losing their minds at the sight of me.
They took the gecko that was blocking the Megatherium and quickly retreated from the battlefield.
The Megatherium couldn’t stop them.
Its entire focus was on me.
My arms, legs, and tail.
It was paying close attention to my every move.
And it was also assessing my physical condition.
Swoosh.
The rain continued to pour, washing away the blood.
The cold and heat from the dragon blood blocked the rainwater, but I soon withdrew my internal energy, turning it back into ordinary blood.
It was advantageous for the blood to be washed away right now.
Although the miniaturization was lifted, and I was enjoying the effects of gigantification, the situation wasn’t looking good.
The wounds inflicted by it remained.
My head was still dizzy.
With my broken bones, it was hard to move my body.
I couldn’t move the way I did before.
I couldn’t even stand on two legs, so it would be difficult to perform martial arts infused with the intricacies of Soaring Dragon as I did earlier.
“Grrrr…”
But did that even matter?
The only reason I moved like that earlier was to compensate for my shrunken body.
Now, even a simple attack was as deadly as a special move.
“Graaaargh!”
I pressed down on the ground with my broken leg.
I forcefully compressed the broken bone with dragon scales to support it.
It was a crude emergency measure.
But it was enough to reach the beast.
Boom!
Thud!
“Graaaaargh!”
The Megatherium chose not to evade but to meet me head-on.
It stood on two legs, making its already gigantic size even larger.
Bang!
Crash!
Before I could even get close, it struck the ground with great force.
Rumble….
The earth shook.
But it had no effect on me in my current state.
The beast must have known that too.
Yet, it was still making such moves, perhaps as a kind of warning to me.
A warning that if I charged in, I would be struck by that attack.
A warning that I would be slaughtered by its greatly inflated body.
“Graaar!”
That’s why it was so laughable.
What predator warns its prey?
“Graaaaargh!”
I continued to charge towards it.
No, saying I was charging might not be accurate.
Who would think that my current movements were charging?
It was far too slow to be called a charge.
Yet I continued to move toward it.
The Megatherium didn’t avoid me.
It stood firm in its position, continuing to strike the ground as it threatened me.
Bang!
It seemed like random pounding, but it was like a bombardment.
To attack it, I would have to walk into that relentless bombardment.
In my current state, there was no way I could avoid that.
I had only one option.
To break through that attack and stick close to it.
[「Dragon’s Reverse Scale lv1」 is being used.]
With the remaining MP, one use would be the maximum.
[You temporarily acquire 「The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World」.]
Rumble.
A powerful force pressed down on the Megatherium.
Its strength was formidable enough to resist to some extent.
But to withstand the reverberating aura, it must have spread its strength thin.
Now was the time.
Crunch.
I forced power into my broken leg, approaching the beast as fast as possible.
Its claws came crashing down as if it had been waiting.
Though its movements were restricted, it wasn’t so limited that it couldn’t attack at this distance.
Should I say it was just reducing multiple hits into a single one?
In other words, I went in fully prepared to take one hit.
*Boom!*
The creature’s massive claws struck my shoulder directly.
*Crunch.*
*Crack.*
Its attack was strong enough to shatter my scales.
A typical Megatherium weighs around 4 tons.
This one was far from typical, so it had to be at least 5 tons.
With that kind of weight behind its attack, it was bound to be powerful.
However, I was more than capable of enduring such an attack now.
Since I had closed the distance by taking one hit, how could I not consider it a worthwhile trade?
Moreover, I had only allowed one hit.
What did that mean? It meant it was my turn now.
I immediately swung my right hand to counterattack.
*Crash!*
The Dragon Claw imbued with inner energy struck its shoulder.
I had aimed for its head, but it twisted its body, causing me to miss.
Even so, it was fine.
My claws, infused with inner energy, penetrated its thick hide.
*Rip.*
“Kweeeegh!”
The Dragon Claw was all about tearing.
I grabbed its flesh and ripped it apart.
“Kwaaaaah!”
The Megatherium let out a painful howl.
It had truly learned what it meant to experience the agony of torn flesh.
I unleashed the Dragon Claw once more.
This time, I aimed for its head.
It was impossible for the creature to completely dodge my claws, imbued with inner energy.
*Thunk.*
Knowing this, the creature changed its strategy.
It grabbed my wrist to block the attack.
At the same time, it prepared to strike me with its other hand.
*Whoosh.*
But there was no way I’d just stand by and watch.
*Thunk.*
We found ourselves in a situation where we each held the other’s wrist.
*Crack.*
This was a close-quarters battle where nothing but raw strength decided the outcome.
Given that it was a creature larger than an elephant, I couldn’t say I was stronger. My body wasn’t in perfect condition, either.
“Grrraaah!”
Its power surged.
It probably thought it had the upper hand in strength.
But hadn’t it forgotten something?
*Crack!*
That my teeth were sharper than yours.
“Kwaaah!”
I bit down hard on its shoulder.
The Megatherium, writhing in pain, loosened its grip.
*Crash!*
Not missing the opportunity, I struck with the Dragon Claw once again.
“Kwooowgh!”
The massive Megatherium staggered.
But this was just evening the score.
The injuries it inflicted on me when my body was smaller were that severe.
*Whoosh.*
*Boom!*
Once again, its hand came flying at me.
I blocked the attack with my shoulder.
*Crunch.*
My dragon scales were falling off.
In terms of raw power, it still had the upper hand in single strikes.
*Crash!*
*Rip!*
So, I simply had to strike more times when it attacked.
*Crash!*
The nature of the battle shifted from a contest of strength to a slugfest.
It reminded me of when I faced the Caiman.
A slugfest at close range, where no other techniques could be used.
Each blow was a lethal strike aimed at each other’s lives, yet neither of us chose to dodge.
*Crash!*
*Boom!*
Our blood splattered everywhere.
Even the constant rain couldn’t wash away the blood.
*Boom!*
The creature’s massive forepaw landed a solid hit on my chest.
A surge of immense pain washed over me, but I gritted my teeth.
Just a little more.
*Crash!*
*Boom!*
Once again, our attacks landed on each other.
Just a little more.
*Crash!*
*Bang!*
“Kweeeegh….”
“Grrraah….”
The stench of blood filled my nostrils.
With every hit I took, with every attack I made, something somewhere broke.
There was no place on my body left untouched by blood.
“Huff….”
The Megatherium seemed convinced of its victory.
It had more overall stamina, so if we kept exchanging blows like this, the Megatherium would inevitably win.
It knew that.
And I knew that too.
But knowing that, I wasn’t going to be so kind as to fight the way it wanted.
Yeah.
That’s enough.
*Crack.*
I grabbed its wrist once more.
The Megatherium did the same with its other hand.
It was probably silently rejoicing.
After all, we had entered a contest that favored the Megatherium.
Moreover, my condition had worsened.
Drenched in blood, there was no way I could exert more strength than before.
Yeah.
I was drenched in blood.
I summoned the inner energy from my dantian.
[Strong heat has imbued your blood.]
[Strong cold has imbued your blood.]
When I first showed this ability, I made a mistake.
I revealed my hand without knowing how to control it.
But the creature didn’t pay any attention to this ability.
The falling rain helped obscure its vision.
Thanks to that, I was able to hide this ability.
I couldn’t use the ability to its fullest because I was low on blood.
That’s why I initiated the slugfest.
To break down any wariness it had about my ability, to exhaust its stamina, and to gather more blood.
Now, I had gathered enough.
*Whoosh.*
It didn’t end with just cold and heat imbued in my blood.
The accumulated dragon blood transformed the cold and heat into a tangible form.
A paradoxical power where cold and heat mixed.
A cold flame engulfed my entire body.
“Kweeeeegh!”
The Megatherium screamed in agony.
The sudden appearance of blue flames.
Those flames were hot enough to burn its hide and cold enough to freeze its thoughts.
The Megatherium naturally released its grip on my wrist.
It must have been confused.
It wasn’t just the power of cold and heat.
The Snake Queen and the Bird King both showed a strange obsession with the existence of dragons.
It wasn’t limited to just the leaders.
All the creatures living in this jungle had some kind of interest in dragons.
Whether it was obsession, reverence, or fear.
“Kwaaaah!”
The Megatherium screamed in terror.
The cold flame burned and froze it simultaneously.
“Grrrr….”
Its movements clearly slowed down.
It was time to end this.
*Crack!*
I bit into the thick neck of the Megatherium.
Its hide was so thick that my teeth barely penetrated.
But I had been attacking its neck and shoulder area continuously.
Naturally, its durability had weakened.
*Crunch!*
My sharp teeth broke through its hide.
“Grrrrrr….”
The Megatherium, frothing at the mouth, thrashed its body in a final desperate struggle.
Obviously, my mouth was also filled with blood.
And that meant the dragon blood had entered its body.
*Whoosh.*
Cold and heat spewed from my mouth.
Like a dragon breathing fire.
It flailed its arms in a last-ditch attempt to resist, but it was too late.
*Whoosh.*
“Kweeeeegh!”
*Crack.*
It was over.
“Grr, grrr….”
The creature’s resistance gradually weakened.
I had no interest in torturing a dying opponent.
I would end it quickly.
*Crunch!*
I bit down with such force that my teeth almost broke.
*Crack!*
I heard the satisfying sound of its neck bone breaking.
*Thud.*
The massive creature collapsed to the ground.
The Megatherium didn’t move at all.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
That familiar notification.
Yes.
I had taken it down.
This Komodo-Lania had.
I stood triumphantly atop the Megatherium’s corpse and roared fiercely.
“Geggegeggegek!”