Chapter 432: - Through Broken Bones

Chapter 432

432 - Through Broken Bones

I messed up. I let the slime get close to me while its stats are overwhelmingly higher than mine. What makes it worse is that in a close-quarters fight, the battle can be decided in an instant. I can't take the path of fighting while slowly chipping away at its MP. In the first place, because of the stat difference, I can't win a direct fight.

No, it coming to this was inevitable. In the first place, I don't have enough long-range skills to fight an opponent that's equal or stronger than me at a distance. All my ranged attacks are wholly blocked by that shell shield, so my only way of dealing damage is at close-range. If I can't endure this, then it means this fight was lost the moment it started.

The slime raises its three swords high. As I look up to focus my gaze on them, the owl in its chest cries.

"PooooOOOOh!"

A bright red sphere of flames appears in front of the owl's beak, immediately shooting towards me. It's the [Fire Sphere] skill! I hold my left wing in front to block. A pillar of fire rises from the surface of my wing.

As the left half of my vision becomes blocked by my wing, the slime swings the sword in its right hand into my blind spot. I raise my left foreleg to block, and manage to catch it with my forefoot. The blade sinks into the flesh between my claws as I break it to pieces.

The two other blades swing down towards me. I raise my right foreleg in preparation to block them, but stop myself. Unobstructed, the swords stab deep into the base of my throat.

My consciousness recedes. Immediately, my partner's [High Rest] reaches me.

『Why didn't you block!?』

...With just two hands, blocking everything is impossible. The next attack is still coming. My objective shouldn't be to avoid everything. I should choose which attacks to receive.

"PooooOOO..."

Its eyes rotating round and round, a black light gathers in front of the owl's beak. It's [High Slow]. If I'm hit by that now, it'll be the end there and then.

It's as I predicted. I'm glad I kept my right foreleg ready. Just before it can release the magic, I punch my free right foreleg towards the owl.

The only advantage of someone like me is my toughness. So then I have no choice but to push through, even if I have to break my bones and cut my flesh.

"It's useless."

The slime sticks out its tongue. My right foreleg is stopped by the hard shell shield. No matter what sacrifices I make, I can't get even one hit to land. This is bad. That stupid owl's [High Slow] is coming!

"GuuOOOOOOOh!"

I pour more strength into my right leg, trying with all my might to push past the shield.

"Ttoto!"

The slime's body sinks down. From the recoil of my blow, my body flies backwards. The black light of the owl's [High Slow] flies past me.

"You're annoyingly tenacious! Even though I keep telling you you're going to die soon!"

From the slime's three swords, three [Shockwaves] fly. The first two graze past my head. They were to prevent me from escaping upwards. The last was aimed directly below into my path as I was drawn to the floor by the first. I lift my forelegs as I fall to avoid it. A huge crack opens up in the floor where it hits.

"PooOOOOh! PoooOOOOh! PooOOOOOOh!"

Three spheres of fire fly towards me, burning curved trails through the air. I dig my claws into the rift in the floor created by the [Shockwave] just now and forcefully lift it up. The floor peels, becoming a shield. The spheres of flames collide with the raised floor, exploding into pillars of flame.

N-nice, fine play, me... This special metal floor is quite useful defensively.

"You...!"

The slime crawls across the ground with its scorpion lower body, coming around my shield.

"[Gravity]!"

From the slime, a black light expands. As it touches me, I'm pressed down by an immense weight, and my posture lowers to the ground. It's heavy, I can't move... But, compared to the first time, the range and power feels a lot weaker. It's still plenty to tie me down, so the fact that I'm in a pinch is unchanged though...

"Guu..."

Groaning, I try to provoke with [Telepathy].

...What's wrong? It's a lot weaker than your first [Gravity]. It feels like you're holding back. You say you're going to kill me with plenty of leeway, but aren't you secretly panicked over how much MP you're using?

The slime's human body frowns, glaring at me.

"This is the end. God-sama is saying it too. You're boring, so hurry up and die!"

...I had hoped to learn something, but it was an empty response. I had hoped to find out how much MP it wanted to have left after this battle, or whether recovery with that [Life Mana] thing was possible, but there's nothing I can take from that response.

The slime's swords swoop down on the stationary me. From the left, two of the three swords swing down towards me.

My partner stretches out and catches both swords in her mouth. Her broken teeth fall, and blue blood dribbles out of her mouth. Great! Two of the swords are stopped! This is huge!

"Cheh!"

"GaaAAA..."

My partner moans from deep in her throat. Her eyes shine red. It's [Ruler's Demon Eye].

But the slime should have complete immunity? Even if it doesn't count as a status condition, I don't think it'll be able to go through against an opponent with such strong magic. Though it would be great if it could even give us a slight gap...

"Ah? A-a-aaah!"

The slime drops the sword from its raised hand and presses its hand against its head... I-it was effective? It glares at me between gaps in its fingers.

"PogoooOOOOO!"

The owl screams. Spheres of fire, water, earth, and wind appear in front of its beak in quick succession and fly towards me.

H-hey! Is that okay!? It's letting that owl use magic skills without reservation! Damn it, with this many shots, I have no choice but to evade.

Each of them possess high power. This is no time to push forwards. For a recovery-type monster, using MP is the same as shaving away at HP. There's no need to force through an actual attack.

I kick off the ground with my rear legs, leaping backwards while raising my upper body high. My partner pulls the slime's two swords away in her mouth, but the moment they separate they lose their colour and revert to slime and crumble away.

『Geh, peh!』

She spits slime from her mouth.