C355 - Ozdock (2)
[?Grrraah!]
Ozdock roared as it pounded the ground with both hands.
The impact not only caused the ground to crack, and rocks to scatter like toasted beans, but it also triggered an earthquake.
The shockwave sent Mary's body flying.
Then, Ozdock extended its fist toward Mary as she floated in the air.
Crunch!
The enormous fist tore through the air, emitting an eerie crunching sound.
If Mary had taken a direct hit, even her blessed Runcandel body would have been gravely injured.
However, just like Barton had done before, Mary released sword aura into the air, quickly altering her position.
Furthermore, the moment Ozdock's fist struck the air, she managed to wrap her sword, Venom, around its arm.
Swimp, swimp!
Mary coiled Venom, spiraling Ozdock's arm.
Although sparks flew due to the friction between Venom and Ozdock's arm, she still couldn't land an effective blow.
Ironically, before Mary could even touch the ground, she was countered. When Ozdock's tail extended along with its fist, Mary had to raise her arm to block the attack.
Swoosh!
Mary exhaled as she staggered backward. The horrible mark on the ground followed the direction she had retreated.
"It's much better than I expected."
However, instead of discouraging Mary, it only ignited her fighting spirit even more.
In fact, she felt a bit disappointed.
'If it weren't for the younger one and Lord Murakan, I might have enjoyed a more exciting fight.'
That was the source of Mary's disappointment.
As outmatched as she might be against Ozdock, what was at stake wasn't "life or death."
She trusted her younger brother behind her, and the same applied to Murakan behind them.
No matter how strong Ozdock might be, as long as they were there, Mary believed their odds of winning were close to 100%.
'I have to read the flow before my sister gets tired.'
Jin hadn't initiated any attacks yet.
He was reading Mary's 'flow.'
It involved attacking from a different angle, in a different way, at the same time.
Even for a duo that had perfected their teamwork, successfully performing such a feat was not easy.
For a while, Jin simply watched without doing anything, and Mary showed no resentment. She had sensed what her younger brother was calculating.
As the exchange of attacks between Mary and Ozdock continued several more times, Jin slowly accumulated mana in the palms of his hands, as if his calculations were coming to an end.
'The brat is truly extraordinary. Did he manage to read his sister's attack flow during that brief opening?'
Of course, Murakan also secretly admired Jin's plan.
And on the battlefield, there was another man who shared similar thoughts with Murakan.
'Jojo, Jin Runcandel. This is interesting. They didn't praise him for nothing.'
He completely concealed his presence, hiding to the side of the battlefield and observing the group from earlier.
And no one had noticed his presence.
With a sly smile, the man continued to watch the battle's development.
Crack!
The blue flames of the Flame Sovereign ignited.
Then, the ruler of the Flame World extended its long neck through a dimensional gate, roaring as Ozdock shuddered and turned its head.
"Where is this damn monster looking in front of me!"
Seizing the opportunity, Mary leaped upwards and thrust her sword into Ozdock's jaw.
Until now, she hadn't found any openings, so it's the first time she's attacked the face.
Bam! The blade of the Venom Chain Sword was stopped by the teeth, unable to enter the creature's throat. But a wicked smile crept onto Mary's lips.
"Oh, do you have a weak tooth?"
Ozdock trembled.
One of the teeth that the blade touched was clearly wobbling unstably, transmitting a sensation through the sword blade.
A weak tooth: that was Ozdock's first weakness. Additionally, the creature seemed to shudder quite painfully when its tooth was struck, as if it were uncomfortable.
"Younger one!"
In response to Mary's call, Jin nodded as if he understood. He immediately signaled Tess to use her breath on Ozdock's jaw while simultaneously weaving new offensive magic in his hands.
A seven-star flame orb and an eight-star hellwind.
The bloated mass of flames and wind grew to the point of seeming ready to burst. When released, Ozdock took its first steps backward.
Blocking magic wasn't a difficult task, but Ozdock instinctively realized. The two humans in front of it had found two ways to harm it.
Teeth and physical strike combined with magical assault.
A thousand years ago, when Ozdock had first turned into a monster, humans took quite a while to discover this weakness.
Back then, Ozdock was several times stronger than it was now, and there weren't many individuals capable of engaging in close combat and searching for its weakness.
[Grrooaaar!]
Ozdock roared as it raised its fist.
However, Tess's flames penetrated between its fists and headed for its jaw, drawing all of Ozdock's attention to the flames.
The clever Mary aimed for its ankle.
If she had been her younger brother, she probably would have known that striking a different point rather than focusing on the teeth would be more advantageous.
That thought hit the mark.
The two spells Jin had prepared flew toward Ozdock's right ankle. They were perfectly aligned with Mary's charge toward that point.
The moment both attacks struck the ankle, there was not even a second of discrepancy.
Thud, crack!
"Well, you managed to hit it in one go! Good job, my little one."
The sticky, characteristic blood of demonic creatures spurted from Ozdock's ankle. The spewed blood covered Mary's hair and armor, but she smiled with a sense of satisfaction.
On the other hand, Ozdock intended to rip off the blue flames from its face and regenerate its ankle.
So it let out an unpleasant scream that surpassed the blue flame ruler's, attempting to delay the attacks of both even a little.
But the Runcandels weren't the type to back down just because of a scream.
"Now is the time to take the blows until you fall, Ozdock!"
Mary shouted as she put a new aura on Venom. After being pounded by Ozdock's fist and tail on the ground dozens of times in just a few minutes, the moment of counterattack was going to be exhilarating.
Jin prepared successive offensive magic spells.
As things stood, they could probably achieve victory without resorting to techniques like the Decimating Flame Orb Of The Dark Sky.
"Hahaha!"
Mary felt like a "Magic Swordsman."
Whenever she attacked, Jin's offensive magic assisted her like two mounts that fit perfectly.
Even if she awakened to another level as a martial artist, she began to wonder if she could perform even better and more efficient attacks with Jin's magical attack assistance.
"Now I understand why Lord Murakan said that the ancient Magic Swordsmen of Runcandel were the most powerful of their time."
However, they had the advantage.
Ozdock's gigantic body was now nearly completely bloodied, and its movements had significantly slowed.
Its fingers had been severed, and some of its teeth had melted from Tess's flames.
However, as time passed, Mary and Jin's attacks grew stronger.
In particular, Mary's endurance was recovering as she no longer had to dodge or block Ozdock's attacks like before.
"My sister is a monster too. After taking such a beating earlier, she's getting fiercer."
If only considering pure endurance, even calling her the second best after Luna among the flagbearers was far from inadequate.
[Gwaaak...]
Thud!
Ozdock knelt with a low groan.
Amid Tess's sharp roar as she soared through the sky, it seemed that just a bit more attack would end the battle.
However, Jin and Mary thought differently.
He doesn't seem like the type to be defeated so easily.
Was it enough to end this demonic creature that had only been provoked once? It had weakened more than enough, but this was the same gold-devouring monster that had terrorized the world a thousand years ago.
But there was no need to cautiously await its demise.
Slash it, tear it apart, cleave it, shatter it—whatever it took to finish it.
Jin and Mary's gazes focused on the center of Ozdock's chest.
It was where its Inner Core (Naedan) resided. Despite its whole body being reddened, only the center of its chest, where the inner core was located, emitted a faint golden light.
Attack the inner core.
They didn't need to voice this thought; the siblings understood each other.
Even though Ozdock was surrounded, it had constantly protected its inner core.
It might even be a trap.
Attack the inner core, and when the elder sister gets close, it might unveil a new attack.
It was a plausible development.
However, Mary had also considered these possibilities. Even if Ozdock used its inner core as bait for a surprise attack, she trusted that she could avoid a mortal wound.
Jin didn't offer separate advice since he had read Mary's thoughts.
Instead, he prepared the right magic to synchronize perfectly with her until the end.
"From one to ten, every move you make pleases me, younger brother. Here's a very considerate gift for you."
Mary's lips curled upward.
Then, while firmly gripping the slackened Chain Sword, her eyes gleamed.
A bright gleam shone from the blade that had suddenly been enveloped in aura, dazzling as if it could make one's eyes itch.
A thrusting stance.
A secret technique.
Unlike decisive killing moves, this was another category of Runcandel's special moves.
The thrust Mary was about to execute was one of the seven secret techniques of the Runcandel clan.
Jin had never seen this technique, but he realized it wasn't an ordinary thrust.
"Last time, he taught me the transformed version of the Volcano. Is he trying to surprise me again?"
There was no time to deduce which technique it was.
The rhythm, which had been natural until now, suddenly accelerated.
Before Mary's motion could complete, Jin had to prepare his magic at the same speed as her.
"It seems the Lord cared for the Seventh Flagbearer. Judging by the stance, it seems he taught her personally."
The man watching them became interested.
"Moreover, she is undoubtedly new to the Twelfth Flagbearer, yet she's already following his lead and providing support..."
It was a good decision to come and see for himself.
While the man organized his thoughts,
Swaack!
Mary extended the Chain Sword in a straight line.
The Fifth Secret Technique of the Runcandel Clan:
Light Speed Thrust. (Push At The Speed Of Light.)
That was the name of the unfolded sword technique.
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