episode_0091

“Damn it! Do you have no learning ability? Do you not understand what we are saying?”

“Try to struggle when possible. You will soon be clutching my leg and begging for mercy.”

Two voices rang out in a city center as the evening drew to a close.

At the same time, the surrounding atmosphere convulses and freezes.

It does not specifically mean the manifestation of a specific physical phenomenon itself.

The manifestation of a phenomenon that cannot exist in the common sense of ordinary people, and whose identity can only be understood by those who have the ability to sense the mana in the air.

“Then let’s get started properly.”

He held the great sword with one hand and grabbed the air with his free hand.

It was a simple movement that seemed to extend a hand toward the sky, but strangely enough, the fingertips did not simply cut through the air.

Rather, my hand goes through the air, sinks all the way to the wrist, and disappears.

“Well, something!”

The head of the Circle of Circulating Truth and Light, The One, screams at the strange appearance.

The old man in front of him also cannot use magic, but he is one of those who knows the mysteries of this world and practices them himself.

However, even the old man was taken aback by the sudden incident and ended up uttering a questionable voice.

And my hand went through the air.

He was groping for something inside it.

There are numerous objects that exist there.

Numerous treasures that Elm Northmund had collected since he was a member of Grandis, and which had always made him ranked high in Grandis, lay dormant.

Artifacts including swords, staffs, wands, jewels, gold and silver treasures, and various accessories… .

I brought out one thing among them and quietly opened my mouth without even giving the other person time to understand it.

“Let’s kill each other, let’s have a fierce war. I hope it lasts as long as I shouted out loud.”

The old man frowned deeply at the outrageous and arrogant words that overturned his expectations.

*

As if an earthquake had occurred, the pavement on the floor was broken and cracked in various directions without direction, and the signboard of the old building was broken and rolling on the ground.

From its initial purpose of being built, the city was built as a fortress to block enemy invasions and draw them into street battles.

These buildings were made by pouring very thick cement and concrete without any attention to aesthetics.

In the past, most of the block-like buildings that were made by pouring in cement, a characteristic of socialist countries, were destroyed, so they looked more like Brutalism-style buildings.

And between those buildings, boom! A loud bang rang out.

A huge explosion, suspected to be an anti-tank mine, explodes from where I, Elm, and the other person were standing, and a black explosion obscures our vision.

Since this city was already a ruined ghost town, there was no other external reaction, but if not, there would have been a real uproar.

Many citizens were caught up in this fight and lost their lives, and screams of grief were everywhere.

Quaaaang! A huge explosion sounds once again, and the rusty exterior cafeteria of the empty bakery shatters and disappears.

At the same time, a white flash comes down diagonally along with a crackling sound.

The old man, who exploded at the sight of a shining meteor with a bright tail hitting him, pauses for a moment, twists his body, and touches his chest with the sword.

Slam!

Once again, a metallic sound rang out from the old man’s body, and his body began to move quickly.

How can a metallic sound be produced in the human body? However, it was also true that something seemed to be related to the old man’s movements.

Immediately, an electric current ran through the old man’s body, and with a sound as if the engine of a supercar were exploding, the old man took a powerful step towards this direction.

As if reacting to the old man’s kick, a black air current rushes towards me like a tsunami hitting the beach.

“Hmm.”

When I saw that, I let out an exclamation and at the same time leaned forward and began to apply magical energy to my arms.

Soon, that magic power becomes a huge fire, building a large wall, and burning away the dark mana that came with the old man’s kicks.

click!

Another sword strike passes through the old man’s body, and the sound of metal scraping echoes once again.

The old man, who still felt that my attack was harmless, laughed out loud.

“Hehehehe, Northmund. Isn’t it too weak for shouting with such vigor? This person, who had high expectations, is actually embarrassed.”

“Enjoy it while you can. Foolish guy.”

I once again launched a double row of swords. The old man, who had been laughing leisurely, kicked the ground loudly this time.

No, the expression is too gentle to say that he kicked the ground. The old man, who seemed to have risen dozens of meters in a single leap, slowly sits back down and stands with a relaxed expression.

Achieving a rise that was too excessive to be considered a human leap, the old man stood on the rooftop of a collapsing ten-story apartment building in the distance and snapped his fingers in this direction.

As if in response to that finger, an explosion occurred again here.

Seeing the explosion, I also moved my feet quickly and leapt toward him, as if responding to his reaction.

“Professor!”

Paaang! With an explosive dash, the red dragon’s body flew through the air like a cannonball and landed on the roof of the building where the old man was standing.

Yun Shia, who saw that, urgently called to me, but the cry only cut through the air.

Now my whole mind was only focused on the old man in front of me.

Immediately, as he swung the great sword in his hand with its unedged side, the space where the old man was standing was dented, and various miscellaneous items flew into the air along with the explosion.

“I’m bored! How long are you going to keep doing this boring thing? Why even though you know the attack won’t work!”

The old man frowned strongly and shot towards us.

He expresses his dissatisfaction strongly, whether it is because the attacks are boring or because he is dissatisfied that I keep using the same methods.

“I guess I thought what would happen to this body if I used a blunt weapon instead of a blade, but it was of no use at all! The power of this body is immortal, so no attack will work on this body! Haven’t you realized that until now, Northmund!”

There was no answer to the old man’s torn cries.

Instead of answering, the space froze once again. The mana in the air began to freeze in response to my will, instantly freezing the space where the old man was standing.

The thick ice wall created by the condensation of moisture in the atmosphere begins to rush towards the head of the ring bridge, like Tania Grayson’s barrier.

“Huh, are you going to play with this body now? Red lizard!”

When The One points both hands forward, a sphere of black mana shoots forward like a bullet.

The black mana spheres that hit the huge wall of ice leave huge scars on the ice wall with each attack, just like bullets flying through bulletproof glass.

Eventually, the ice barrier could not withstand any longer and broke apart with a loud crash, rolling onto the roof of the apartment covered in white frost.

“Are you thinking that this body can’t kill you? This body is immortal! Therefore, it has infinite vitality!”

“… .”

“But your magical power is limited! Although you have the body of a dragon that surpasses that of a human, your durability is not infinite! If this continues, you will be at a disadvantage, Northmund!”

Instead of responding to the old man’s voice, I click my tongue and strongly pull my feet on the frozen floor.

It was a frozen floor, but I, Elm, was the one who caused the abnormal phenomenon.

Therefore, the frozen mana on the floor melts on its own in response to my movements.

As a result, the soles of my feet step on the ice without any restrictions of slipperiness, and I swing the sword in my hand powerfully once again.

Once again, the sword sliced through the old man’s body and then Kaaang! I hear a voice saying:

At the same time, the old man’s body quickly moves forward as if sliding and grabs my shoulder.

“!”

“You’re caught, lizard!”

A pressure that was beyond the strength of the old man’s grip was gripping the scales of my shoulder, which made me feel uncomfortable and I frowned slightly at the old man.

“If you can dodge all my attacks like that, just attack me with an attack that you can’t avoid!”

A fireball formed behind my back and hit the old man directly, but the old man didn’t care and started injecting dark mana with both arms placed on my shoulders.

My rugged feet with sharp claws kicked the old man, but the only sound I could hear was the crunching of metal rubbing against the metal.

“Die Northmund! This will end your life!”

The old man shouted as he collected dark mana in his hands.

The dark mana that arose from my fingertips was now covering my upper body.

Although it is a dragonian body with strong anti-magic power, I sighed lightly as the foreign energy gradually penetrated through my skin.

“School, I’m a professor!!”

Yoon Sia, who must have followed me before I knew it, shouted as she saw the current situation.

The screaming came from the opposite direction of the rooftop door, perhaps because it had climbed up the wall instead of using the building’s stairs.

“… Don’t worry.”

“Hahahaha, that guts is truly amazing, Northmund. Is it innate? It’s so ridiculous!”

It may be you who is carrying out the fatal attack, but if you look at the current situation, you may see that the situation itself has been reversed.

Therefore, in that situation, the old man in front of me, who is attacking this very body, looks very unpleasant.

why. Why are you being so arrogant in a disadvantageous situation? Why do you keep looking down on yourself?

In just a few seconds, you’ll be dead! Why would it turn into a beast, leaving behind only its unique scaly skin?

It was as if I could hear the old man’s feelings.

“Stop it.”

“… What?”

The old man’s eyes widen at the sudden sound of my firm voice.

“What are you doing now?”

“Foolish guy. Is the leader of the loop bridge decided by drawing lots? It’s only because I’m this stupid.”

The One’s face hardened as my words of criticism rang out at him. Rather, he seemed confused, as if he did not understand the situation itself.

“Huh, if you’re bluffing… .”

“… .”

Wow!

There was no answer and the old man’s face turned sideways.

“Uh, huh?”

At this moment, the old man who had been so energetic just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.

There was only an old man who was dumbfounded because he could not understand the reality that was just happening.

Even though it was my palm that hit the old man in the face, he seemed not to have realized it and was only looking up at my face.

The sight that caught his eye was a large, murderous dragon with red horns. That’s just it.

“Didn’t you know that this body kept giving you opportunities?”

“Opportunity?”

The old man let out a dumbfounded sound as he touched his red, swollen cheek that seemed as if it would burst from a single blow.

“If you were trying to be even a little bit equal to me, Elm, you should have attacked as much as possible from the beginning.”

“What does that mean? I have been in this battle ever since… .”

“… He seems like such a brave guy that he can’t even understand what I’m saying.”

I muttered that expressionlessly.

The fear emanating from my body caused the old man to take a step back without realizing it, but he tripped over his own feet and fell.

Before The One’s body falls to the ground and lands on the ground, he punches again! A sound was heard, and at the same time, a bang sound was heard.

“Ugh! I don’t know why you’re doing this, but it’s probably just a bluff.”

Whoa!

Once again, the fist explodes towards him.

The old man desperately tried to avoid me, but I couldn’t escape because my feet were pressing down on his body, so he just received the punch with his bare body.

“If you wanted to beat me, you should have rejected offers such as joining our allies and dealt with me from the beginning.”

“What, what?”

“Thanks to you, I had the opportunity to cross swords with you a few times and was able to recognize your weakness as well.”

The old man turned his eyes and looked back. But since there is nowhere to run, the face just turns earthy.

If he were to run backwards as he was lying on the ground, where would he go?

“Your ability is probably the sum of the abilities of the conductors of the Ring Bridge, isn’t it?”

“Ugh, ugh.”

The old man did not respond and groaned. Of course, that alone was a sufficient answer.

This is a conclusion reached after observing the old man’s style while fighting. It seems like they tried to use a different attack method than the conductors as much as possible to hide this fact, but they are still beginners.

There was no way to avoid my sharp eyes, which had been trained through long battles.

A wave-style black magic attack similar to Conductor Frey’s attack seen in Los Angeles, and an excessively twisting physical ability similar to that of Conductor Chimera.

It even has a mechanical explosion ability similar to Bright’s ability, which we only saw briefly.

Of course, he also tried to hide this fact as much as possible by manipulating the electric current by using his hand in Poomsae, and replacing Frey’s mace attack with a kick, trying to fool the eye to some extent.

But that’s just it.

And lastly, most importantly.

“Heh, heh heh heh. But what difference does that make? This body is immortal! No matter how much you do, I won’t die!”

“Well. Do you really think so?”

I grinned wickedly at him.

“Your ability is not immortal.”

“… Huh, I said something. No need to skip over that.”

“Conductor Aloy.”

“… !”

When a name that should not be mentioned appears, the old man’s face hardens.

Looking at him, I held a necklace I had previously taken out of my inventory on my finger, twirled it lightly as if playing a joke, and opened my mouth to him.

“If you really wanted to imitate immortality, you should have kept him hidden. Ha, that was the reason you chose this place as your battlefield. Hehehe.”

I twirled the necklace in my finger, held it in front of his eyes, and let out a cool sigh.

Immediately afterwards, a beeping sound rang out from the necklace.

“This necklace is an artifact with the ability of a metal detector. You still have Aloy’s abilities.”

“Uh, how. He never let it be exposed to the outside world.”

“Did you think something like that would not spread at all in this day and age? Then you should have done a good job of cracking down on it. It’s been a long time since anyone who said he was a collector or something started talking about it.”

I observed the old man’s face while spitting out the name of the whistleblower who came to the organization.

The moment he heard the name Collector, The One looked extremely burdened and was extremely surprised, but he also had some doubts about this.

Maybe he was the old man’s most trusted confidant or something?

“What? Nose, collector! That can’t possibly be true.”

“It’s a denial of reality. Stupid guy,”

“Well, like that… Shit! Impale, you ungrateful bastard has betrayed this body! They said the Collector had already been subdued! I dare you to be like the father who raised me since I was young!”

“Hmm.”

Listening to the old man’s words, I felt like he really didn’t know. It probably seemed like a power struggle within the ring bridge or something like that.

Anyway, the important thing is that what the informant said was really right.

Conductor Alloy.

As its name, meaning metal alloy, suggests, it was a conductor with abilities related to metal.

According to the story of a person called the Collector, it is said that he has the ability to transfer all damage he receives to the metal located around him.

When I looked at the old man’s movements with that story in mind, I noticed that he had a tendency to intentionally move only to places where metal was present.

Basically, a heavily fortified fortress city was selected as the battlefield, a huge explosion sent all the metal from the underground container above the ground, and the bullets and shell casings prepared by Bright were used as sacrifices.

Also, the place where I was fighting and running away was towards cafeterias with iron chairs and huge buildings with steel structures inside.

That alone has already gathered enough evidence.

And another weakness of Aloy.

“It is said that Aloy can nullify the damage itself by transferring it to surrounding metal.”

“Keuuuu Impale Innoom… .”

“Unfortunately, you still feel the pain of the attack itself, right? It is an ability that is not all-powerful.”

“Huh, huh.”

That’s why they continued to change the attack method and test the old man’s reaction.

Although they were simple sword strikes that seemed meaningless, there was a deep reason behind them.

I didn’t want to miss the small fluttering around the old man’s eyes every time I cut into his body.

In particular, when the great sword in his hand was swung in a blunt manner in a very painful manner, the old man in front of him desperately tried to avoid the attack.

“Now, then what should we do with you?”

“Kuuu!”

As I gradually applied more force to the foot that had trampled on the old man, the air began to escape from the old man’s lungs, making a sound like a balloon being squeezed.

After all, this old man is a beginner. I have no experience in combat.

If he were this old man, he would have gotten up and run away, shaking off my leg that had trampled on him. With his ability, it was more than possible.

He wouldn’t have simply frozen in overwhelming fear, denied reality, and blamed someone who wasn’t there.

“I told you so. You will be holding my leg and begging for mercy.”

“Please, Lord Northmund, have mercy!”

“I refuse.”

I brushed aside the old man’s words, raised the foot that was stepping on the old man’s stomach, and hit him hard.

“Kkueeek!”

Immediately after the bridge was struck down, the sound of an old man slitting a pig echoed through the roof of the building.