Chapter 355
Episode 109. Ozdok (2)
[GROOOAAARR!]
Ozdok let out a thunderous roar, slamming both fists into the ground. The earth cracked beneath him, rocks flew like roasted beans, and a tremor shook the battlefield. The shockwave lifted Mary’s body into the air.
Without hesitation, Ozdok swung his massive fist toward Mary, who was suspended midair.
PAANG!
The colossal fist tore through the air with a sharp, ominous crack. Had it connected, even a blessed body like Runkandel’s wouldn’t have survived the impact.
But Mary, like Barton before her, scattered sword energy midair and shifted her position in an instant.
At the very moment Ozdok’s fist sliced through the empty space, she wrapped a venomous serpent around his arm.
Kiiik-kkk!
The coiling snake was yanked taut, carving a spiral groove along Ozdok’s arm.
Sparks flew from the friction as his arm hardened rapidly, but it seemed the attack still hadn’t landed a decisive blow.
Before Mary could retract the serpent, she was forced to raise her arm to block a retaliatory strike. The tail swung out alongside the fist, and she had no choice but to shield herself.
Huff!
Mary exhaled sharply and stepped back, leaving a jagged scar etched into the ground where she had retreated.
“That’s better than I expected.”
But rather than discouraging her, the blow only fueled Mary’s fighting spirit.
In fact, she felt a twinge of regret.
If only the youngest and Murakan were here, this fight could be a lot more thrilling.
Mary’s hesitation wasn’t because she feared Ozdok.
No matter how strong the monster was, she trusted her youngest sibling behind her—and Murakan beyond that.
With them on her side, Mary was certain their chances of victory were absolute.
I have to read the flow before my sister tires.
Jin had yet to launch any attacks.
He was carefully observing Mary’s rhythm.
Attacking the same spot simultaneously but from different distances and angles—that was a feat even well-coordinated duos struggled to pull off.
Mary didn’t get frustrated as Jin silently watched. She had already caught on to what her younger brother was calculating.
After several more exchanges between Mary and Ozdok, Jin finally gathered his magic, signaling his plan was ready.
That kid’s impressive. He read my sister’s attack pattern in such a short time.
Murakan, too, was quietly admiring Jin’s strategy.
And somewhere on the battlefield, a man with similar thoughts to Murakan’s watched from the shadows.
Oh? Jin Runkandel. Interesting. No wonder he’s so highly praised.
Concealing his presence completely, the man observed the group, unnoticed by anyone.
A sly smile crept across his face as he continued to watch the fight unfold.
Hwaruk!
A fierce blue flame burst forth.
The fire king stretched his long neck through a dimensional portal and roared, causing Ozdok to flinch and turn his head.
“You monster! How dare you show your face before me!”
Seizing the moment, Mary leapt forward and thrust the serpent into Ozdok’s maw.
Until now, she hadn’t found an opening to attack his face.
Bang!
The serpent’s blade was stopped by his teeth, unable to penetrate his throat, but a wicked smile spread across Mary’s lips.
“Oh? Your teeth are a bit weak, aren’t they?”
One of Ozdok’s fangs wobbled precariously, the sensation traveling up the sword’s edge.
Soft teeth—that was Ozdok’s first weakness.
He even trembled in pain after being struck.
“Youngest!”
At Mary’s call, Jin nodded sharply.
He summoned Tess, who blew a fiery breath into Ozdok’s mouth, while Jin’s hands formed new attack spells.
A 7-star flame orb and an 8-star infernal wind surged forth—massive, swelling balls of fire and wind that forced Ozdok to stagger backward for the first time.
Blocking magic wasn’t difficult for him, but instinctively, he realized these two humans had found two ways to hurt him.
Simultaneous strikes—physical and magical—targeting his teeth and body.
A thousand years ago, when Ozdok first became an internal energy monster, humans took a long time to discover this weakness.
Back then, Ozdok was many times stronger, and few dared to engage him in close combat or reconnaissance.
GROOOAAARR!
Ozdok bellowed and swung his fists wildly.
But Tess’s flames slipped between his fists and headed straight for his mouth, capturing all his attention.
Cleverly, Mary aimed for his ankle.
She knew the youngest would realize it was more advantageous to strike a new target rather than focus solely on his teeth.
Her intuition was right.
Jin’s two spells flew toward Ozdok’s right ankle, perfectly timed with Mary’s charge.
Their attacks landed simultaneously, without a fraction of a second’s error.
Shreek, KRAAAASH!
“Wow, hitting that on the first try! Our youngest is something else.”
Black monster blood sprayed from Ozdok’s ankle like a fountain, soaking Mary’s hair and armor, but she smiled with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Ozdok tore the blue flame off his face and busied himself regenerating his ankle.
He tried to slow their assault with a grating, ear-piercing howl, but Runkandels like Mary and Jin weren’t the type to back down from mere noise.
“Now it’s time to get hit until you die, Ozdok!”
Mary infused the serpent with a new aura and shouted.
After being slammed into the ground dozens of times by Ozdok’s fists and tail in just minutes, the thrill of counterattacking was undeniable.
Jin readied another series of attack spells.
At this rate, they wouldn’t even need to unleash secret techniques like Flash Cannon, Reverse Sky, or Annihilation Flame Orb to claim victory soon.
“Ha ha ha!”
Mary felt like a true magic swordsman.
Every time she struck, Jin’s magic perfectly complemented her attacks, as if two puzzle pieces fitting together.
She could feel her swordplay becoming infinitely more diverse.
Even if she reached a new level as a warrior, she doubted she could execute more effective attacks than Jin’s magical support.
Now I understand why Murakan said the old Runkandel magic swordsmen were so formidable.
Victory was within reach.
Ozdok’s massive body was nearly drenched in blood, his movements sluggish.
He’d lost fingers, and a couple of fangs had melted away from Tess’s flames.
Yet Mary and Jin’s attacks only grew fiercer with time.
In fact, Mary was recovering stamina faster now than when she was just dodging and blocking.
My sister really is a monster. After taking such a beating earlier, she’s still going strong.
Her pure stamina rivaled even Luna’s among the knights.
GROOOAAARR…
Thud!
Ozdok dropped to one knee, groaning low.
Against the sharp roar of Tess slicing through the sky, it felt like just a little more pressure would end the fight.
But Jin and Mary thought otherwise.
This isn’t a foe that’ll fall so easily.
Was this golden beast, who had once terrorized the world a millennium ago, really finished after just one slip?
Still, there was no need to hesitate.
They would cut, tear, slice, and smash until they found the answer.
Their eyes locked onto the center of Ozdok’s chest.
The spot where his internal core lay.
Though his entire body was pitch black, a soft golden glow radiated from the core embedded in his chest.
They would strike the core.
No words were needed—the siblings shared the same thought.
Ozdok had protected his core fiercely, even while on the defensive.
It might be a trap.
If he uses the core as bait, and my sister moves in, he could unleash a new attack.
That was a real possibility.
But Mary had prepared for that too.
Even if Ozdok tried to ambush them using the core as a lure, she was confident she could avoid fatal damage.
Jin sensed Mary’s resolve and offered no advice.
Instead, he prepared the perfect magic to synchronize with her until the very end.
From start to finish, I’m impressed, little brother. You deserve a gift.
Mary’s lips curled into a smile.
She tightened her loosely held chained sword into a firm, straight blade, her eyes blazing.
The blade, now saturated with aura, radiated a dazzling brilliance.
A stance for a thrust.
A secret technique.
A different kind of ultimate skill, distinct from their finishing moves—the signature technique of the Runkandel magic swordsmen.
The thrust Mary was about to unleash was one of the seven secret techniques of Runcandel.
Jin had never seen this technique before, but he could tell immediately it wasn’t an ordinary stab.
“Last time she showed me a volcanic transformation, and now she’s trying to surprise me again.”
There was no time to guess what kind of skill it was.
The rhythm they had naturally kept until now suddenly accelerated.
Before Mary’s movement finished, Jin had to prepare his magic at the exact same speed.
“It seems my lord truly treasured the seven secret techniques. Judging by her stance, it looks like he personally taught her.”
The man watching them gleamed with interest in his eyes.
“Besides, the twelfth secret technique is definitely something I’ve never seen before, yet she’s already thinking of supporting the flow…”
I’m glad I came in person.
Just as the man gathered his thoughts—
Ssshhk!
Mary’s blade shot forward like a striking serpent.
Runcandel’s Fifth Secret Technique:
The Light-Speed Thrust.
That was the name of the sword skill she had just unleashed.