READ NOVEL FREE 271. Punching Feet
Ike rushed toward the figure's feet. Storm Clad lashed him with hot water, superheated from the heat the figure gave off. Lightning crackled all around him. Green energy built up around his arm as he activated Shockwave Punch. At the same time, he used the newly optimized Hammer Sword and surged his mana toward his hands, activating both his new steel palms technique and the old Lightning Grasp, or at least, the piece of Storm Clad that corresponded to Lightning Grasp. The steel palm and Lightning Grasp synergized, aether flowing cleanly between them. Electricity built up on his palm. It hummed, power gathering in a thin layer over the metallicized surface of his palm. The power was volatile, ready to burst out at the least provocation, but stable enough to remain until he willed it to release.
Interesting! Two skills synergizing, without any conscious effort on his part. He'd never heard of that before, but then, he hadn't heard of a whole lot about how skills worked in general. He made a mental note to bring it up to someone more experienced with book learning, like Scar or Rufus, and closed the gap.
Sword energy and electricity lanced from his hands, slashing into the giant's foot. He aimed between its big toe and the next one, meaning to cause the figure the maximum amount of pain. He already knew his attack wouldn't injure it meaningfully, but if he could even distract it for a moment, they might have the chance they needed to get a foothold into attacking it in a way that mattered.
He put everything he had into the attack. Storm Clad. The brand new electricity palm attack, forged from two synergizing skills. His Hammer Sword technique and the shockwaves of his punch technique. Everything he had, all his skills, all his aether, poured into this attack.
It smashed through the monster's skin and split open its foot. The raw power of the Hammer Sword beat its foot apart all the way to the ankle, and the electricity tore through the surface of its foot, flaying the already burned flesh. A gout of fire lashed out from the wound, blasting Ike back. He rolled with the blow and landed on his feet, skidding back through the dirt. Ike wiped sweat and ash from his face. Cutting it incurred a backlash? There was no part of it that was easy to deal with. Even when they attacked, it automatically returned their attacks.
Even though he'd jumped away immediately when it attacked, he'd still taken severe damage from the fire backlash. His skin was blackened and cracked, and one of his arms refused to move anymore. Ike surged aether to his Body Reforging Art and healed off the damage as fast as he could, but the burns resisted healing. Burns always healed slowly, but this felt like something more. Ike frowned. It almost felt as though there were some kind of lingering energy soaked in the fire, lingering energy that clung to him and persisted in his burns, even as he healed them.
But for all that, Body Reforging Art was a formidable healing skill. His burns slowly healed—slowly, yes, but steadily.
Gotta remember to dodge those flames, Ike noted silently. If they would all take that long to heal, then he couldn't afford to soak the hits. In fact, best if he shared that knowledge with everyone else, too.
The smoke cleared. A gash rent its foot from toe to ankle. Ike's eyes lit up. He was exhausted, now, spent, but he could do this. If his attacks could do that much damage, then this wasn't hopeless. One little bit at a time, they'd take down this giant. So what if it was huge? He'd cut it down, all the same.
And then the giant laughed.
Ike glanced up, confused. Slowly, he looked down again.
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Molten flesh flowed out of the monster's foot. It bound the cut together, blackening into solid flesh once more. The figure lifted its foot. It waggled its toes, checking the sensation in them, then heaved back its foot and kicked.
"Ike!"
The world slowed. The foot rushed at him, fast even at the absolute limit of Ike's perception. He dove to the side, his feet glowing ferociously with lightning. The kick whooshed by, stirring his clothes as it passed.
Ike fell back, fading into the forest. He pinched his chin, thinking deeply. They had to attack it hard, with everything they had, and they had to tear it apart so fast that its regeneration didn't matter. Ideally, they'd all withdraw and hit it with one big attack, but if they did that, they risked it turning on Ike's castle and losing the trial for all of them.
On the other hand, he didn't care if it rampaged over here. The figure was still stuck in the trial, and any rampaging it did was locked in the trial realm, so it didn't matter if it wrecked shit in here. As long as someone stood in front of the monster, it would advance, and as long as it didn't advance toward his castle, it could go as far as it wanted. Ike didn't care.
Turning away from Ike, the figure marched on, heading toward the castle they pretended to defend.
"Mag!" Ike shouted.
"You survived? Didn't expect that," Mag said. He hovered low overhead, circling over Ike as he spoke.
"Yeah, yeah, thank you. Call everyone together in the ruins of Rufus' castle. I have a plan."
Mag tossed a salute and winged off.
Ike took a deep breath. He watched Mag go. I'm not sure this will work, but it's the best idea I have. With that, he raced off toward Rufus' castle, while the figure slowly stomped forward.