Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 99: Mecha God

Episode 99: Mecha God

What descended was a single mechanized deity.

Its grandeur exuded a presence that was in a different league from the ‘Colossus.’

It was an aberration of a different type than the Sovereign Beasts I had fought before.

On its head was a cross-shaped slit resembling a helmet’s visor. Within it, two red lights floated, glaring at me like eyes.

<──Activating Flame Phoenix Wing – Burning Wing, Mana Weapon: Feather Laser──>

“(This is bad.)”

The crimson wings that had seemed to have fulfilled their purpose upon landing.

From them, numerous laser beams were fired.

They flew into the sky but soon curved and targeted me with an arc.

I moved slightly, but the aim was quickly corrected.

“(It has tracking capabilities. But if that’s the case…)”

Just before the beams hit, I used [Battle Dance] to dodge the rain of beams with a leaping step.

The beams were drawn towards the ground and dissipated upon impact.

The spots hit by the beams were red and melted.

The beams from earlier had an impact that felt like being deflected, but no heat. The heat, like the tracking, must be a power of the crimson wings.

<──Activating Swift White Tiger Storm Driver, Mana Blaster: Gale Sprint──>

“(What!?!)”

As I avoided the beams and refocused on the Mecha God, it was closing in on me rapidly.

Despite keeping an eye on the beams from above, I hadn’t neglected caution against the Mecha God. Just moments ago, it hadn’t moved from where it landed… 

──Clang.

I wasn’t fast enough to defend.

The pure white legs unleashed a barrage of kicks. The feet had sharp claws. At this speed, even a Sovereign Beast wouldn’t escape without serious injury.

“(I’m unharmed, though!)”

Attempting to entangle the kicking leg with my forest chain, the Mecha God swiftly reacted and leaped into the air.

It seemed I couldn’t match its reaction speed.

“([Compact Shoot]!)”

Distracted by the sudden combination, I lost the timing for firing the two explosive arrows.

The Mecha God deftly avoided them while airborne.

The source of the |Mana| was from its wings and legs.

These two parts seemed to not only be used for attacks but also for movement assistance.

“(So, the remaining two parts are…)”

The right arm was a black turtle-shell shield.

The left arm had blue dragon decorations.

The shield aside, I had no idea what effects the dragon decoration had.

It was something like a weapon. If I could analyze it with [Intensified Warfare], it might reveal its effects. But there’s not enough time in combat, and it’s distracting.

“(Besides, it seems I’ll be able to see its performance without doing that.)”

<──Activating Azure Dragon Spear – Cataract Buster, Mana Weapon: Giga Dragon Stream──>

The convergence of |Mana| into the dragon arm began when the Mecha God kicked at me.

From the tip of the dragon decoration, which replaced the hand, dazzling light leaked out.

“(Well, it’s expected to be a major attack. [Shoot]!)”

I took a test shot, but it didn’t even graze.

It wasn’t just the reaction speed. Even in the air, its mobility was infuriatingly high.

Moreover, it continuously fired beams while charging and evading with its dragon arm.

When I deliberately took a hit, the power was slightly lower than the normal attacks of the Sovereign Beasts.

However, being bombarded with so many of them would normally lead to being overwhelmed.

“(Here it comes.)”

The Mecha God, having avoided the explosive arrows, was now directly above me. The |Mana| increase in the dragon arm stopped.

The |Mana| concentration was beyond what could be described as abnormal.

“([Replicant Form], [Block]!)”

At the right moment, I mimicked the forest shield and activated the defensive [Weapon Skill].

Immediately after, to prove the correctness of my judgment, a massive stream of water erupted from the dragon’s mouth as seen through my [Clairvoyance].

It frothed in mid-air, spreading out in a radial pattern. And in the next moment, I was engulfed.

While it was similar to the ant spear’s acid liquid laser in being a torrent of liquid, the scale was absolutely off the charts.

By the time it reached the ground, it formed a water column with a radius of over ten meters. Considering it could adjust the shooting angle to match my movements, it was doubtful whether I could escape its range by running.

“(And the power is far beyond anything I’ve faced before…!)”

Desperately, I braced with the forest shield and held my ground. It occurred to me how different this was from the previous time I had used [Impact].

Now I was on the bottom, struggling not to be driven into the ground. Even with[On the Edge of the Ring], the ground’s subsidence was progressing.

The power of the waterfall was nothing short of overwhelming.

In addition to the excessive water flow, particles of crystallized |Mana| mixed into the stream. These particles were rapidly damaging the forest shield.

The trees on the surface of the shield vanished within the first second, and now the shell part was enduring the particle-infused torrent.

Even the shell that was supposed to be protected by the [Block] was gradually being worn down. It seemed only a matter of time before the mimicry would dissolve.

“(…But it seems like it’s not ignoring |Toughness|.)”

I carefully exposed the edge of my body to the waterfall, but I only felt an incredibly strong impact without any pain. The |Mana| particles didn’t seem to cause me any damage.

This should be fine.

“([Replicant Form], Release)”

I released the mimicry before it became unsustainable.

There was the pressure of the waterfall, but my body remained completely unharmed.

“(Alright, I’ll counterattack while the waterfall hides my movements. Huh…!)”

I began changing my body shape. I wasn’t using [Replicant Form] but utilizing the Slime’s inherent abilities.

I elongated my body parallel to the flow of the water, stretching it thin and long.

With the reduced area exposed to the waterfall, the pressure decreased.

Soon, my shape resembled a pair of chopsticks standing upright.

Though I had become incredibly elongated, I was still a few meters short of reaching the Mecha God.

I couldn’t stretch my body any further, and attempting a leap would only result in being pushed back by the water pressure.

“(If it weren’t for [Countercurrent]…)”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skill Details

[Countercurrent]

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Reduces air and water resistance when moving against currents.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the [Countercurrent] skill I acquired while moving in the river, I could lessen the pressure from the water.

Though I couldn’t avoid the effects of |Mana| particles, I had plans for that too.

“([Replicant Form])”

I mimicked a round shield from the “Earth Splitter” at the tip of the chopstick. Since I was about to part ways with Fisu, I had planned to give it as a farewell gift.

Though it had a powerful effect of forcibly dispersing |Mana| that touched the front, it was too small for me to use effectively due to its human size… but right now, it was just right.

It minimized water resistance and reduced particle resistance.

“([Jump]!)”

With the best possible stance, I pushed off the ground.

The Mecha God, which should have high sensory capabilities, couldn’t detect my approach due to the overwhelming |Mana| emitted by the waterfall and the [Concealment] effect.

Using [Clairvoyance] to check the opponent’s position, I performed an [Aerial Jump].

With this extra jump, I finally reached the Mecha God.

“([Strangle]!)”

I shot a part of my body out of the waterfall and wrapped it around the dragon arm.

In an instant, the Mecha God’s posture tilted sharply.

Originally, it had been using the wings on its back to counteract the recoil of the waterfall and maintain altitude.

The addition of my body weight—especially with the pressure from the waterfall—caused the balance to collapse in one breath.

The Mecha God hurriedly stopped the water flow, but I was already moving to the next attack.

“([Impact], [Frenzied Charge], [Aerial Jump]…)”

I jumped straight down to further disrupt the Mecha God’s posture,

“([Powerful Throw]!)”

And then threw!

The [Powerful Throw], which consumes a certain percentage of stamina, was much more intense than a mere [Throw]. This should be enough to—

“(—Whoa, seriously?!)”

The Mecha God quickly corrected its aerial position and landed on its feet.

There might have been counter-thrusts from the wings. But even so, achieving a successful landing from such a fall was impressive.

I questioned whether throwing was reckless but answered myself that it was the best move.

Being unharmed was a result of luck. At that point, significant damage was anticipated. Even if only the arms were restrained, they should have been separated like before the fusion.

“([Aerial Jump], [Charge Swing]!)”

Even while thinking, my body moved automatically.

I descended vertically while mimicking the forest hammer.

However, the Mecha God used its foot thrusters to swiftly evade.

Determined not to let it escape into the sky, I prepared my bow and arrows for the [Thousand Blade Genesis].

The Mecha God only took a few steps back and did not attempt to fly away.

It seemed intent on continuing close combat.

“(Even if it couldn’t be killed with such a big move, it should normally retreat.)”

The fact that it didn’t meant there was probably a reason.

<──Calculating the enemy’s |Status| from battle records. The enemy is estimated to have abnormal durability──>

Two reasons came to mind immediately.

Either there was a compelling reason it couldn’t leave this place,

<──We will counter with rock-breaking armor. Activating Azure Dragon – Spear Cataract Buster Form Change, Mana Weapon: Tail Drill──>

Or, it had a means to penetrate |Toughness|.

The Mecha God’s left arm—the dragon decoration—turned upside down.

A conical tail appeared in place of the hand and began spinning rapidly.

It seemed like it intended to engage in close combat with that.

“(Fine then, I’ll turn you into scrap!)”