章 23: Earth Fissure
The massive rock just leveled up, and without a core, there's no easy way to take it down except for some good old-fashioned physical assault. As I said earlier, there are two ways to take down the Gate Guardian. The first one is the core-crushing method, which I already attempted, but it didn't do the trick. In all my encounters with Gate Guardians in the past, none of them survived without their core intact.
Could this be some new twist I wasn't aware of? Nah, probably not. Maybe this Gate Guardian is just a one-of-a-kind deal. I treated it like all the others, and now it's revealing its PHASE 2, just like a regular boss fight.
Now that the first approach is a dead end, the only option left is the second one: treating the Gate Guardian like any other monster. Find its weaknesses, chip away at its HP until it's zilch, and then finish it off.
I had a hunch something was off, and this might be the reason why.
The carriage is still quite a distance from the battlefield, but that just means it's the perfect time to give this rock a pounding.
"[Berserk]!"
It's a bit of a risky move, going full-on [Berserk], but right now, I need that extra attack boost. Yeah, it drops my defense a notch, but who cares if I can dodge every hit and hit back harder?
With [Berserk] active, I swapped my trusty Versatile Weapon form into the Magic Sword form. I charged straight at the big guy, and the Gate Guardian. Well, they grabbed a handful of dirt, balled it up, and chucked it my way.
No flinching on my end. I kept running, sword in hand, and when that dirt ball got too close for comfort, I unleashed my Swordsman skill, [Triple Slash]. Lucky for me, even with a Magic Sword, [Triple Slash] still does the trick.
That dirt ball split into three pieces before crumbling to bits. As for me, I kept on sprinting until I was right by that massive rock.
"[Breathless Running]! [Silent Sprint]!"
To save on stamina, I activated two movement buffs I needed to take the fight to the enemy.
Using [Silent Sprint], I slipped past the Gate Guardian undetected, closing in on its massive form.
The cooldown on [Triple Slash] reset, and as I positioned myself beneath the boss's towering leg, I unleashed the skill once more, this time targeting its limb.
KABOOM!
My skill only managed to leave a minor crack in the beast's foot. Both of my movement skills had also run their course, leaving me in a precarious situation. But I had chosen this position intentionally, and I headed straight for the damaged foot of the Gate Guardian.
"[Ice Prison]!"
Now, [Ice Prison] had a dual purpose. It could be used as a straightforward ice projectile, much like a basic fireball, freezing whatever it touched. But the real magic happened when it hit the ground, where it spread out, making it perfect for ensnaring enemies. With its short cooldown, I was ready to fire it again. I aimed the [Ice Prison] projectile at the crack in the Gate Guardian's foot, and upon impact, the ice rapidly enveloped the entire appendage, thanks to the existing damage.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
With the Gate Guardian's attention now fixated on its frozen leg, I seized the opportunity and simultaneously triggered my two skills.
"[Flaming Sword]! [Lightning Sword]!
Combining these two elements isn't something most Magic Knights even consider, but for someone like me who's mastered this technique, it's high time to put on a little show.
As I face the ice encasing the Gate Guardian's feet, I bring down my sword and trigger another skill that just finished its cooldown.
"[Triple Slash]!"
But this isn't your ordinary [Triple Slash]. Thanks to the elemental magic within my blade, things get a bit wild when those slashes meet the ice. There's a powerful explosion, and when you toss one active skill into the mix with another element already in play, well, you can pretty much guess the result.
BOOOOOOOM!
The ground rumbles as the Gate Guardian's left foot crumbles from the force of my attack. It forces the rock giant to kneel on its remaining leg, and thanks to the blast on the other side, that one's teetering on the brink too.
This gives me the upper hand in keeping the Gate Guardian immobilized. I glance around its struggling form, and there's a sizable crack near its chest now, one I can see right through. An opportunity I can't afford to miss.
Scaling the colossal creature's body, I made sure the Gate Guardian remained fixated on me, diverting its attention away from the distant carriage. I silently thanked my past self for my prior experience in scaling this behemoth, which allowed me to identify the optimal handholds and avoid potential pitfalls.
After painstakingly maneuvering around its stony surface, I finally reached its chest. Now, all that remained was the daring descent, grasping for dear life near the chest's crevice, and executing my decisive strike. Risky as it was, there was no completing this mission without taking this bold gamble.
"HUP!"
Releasing my grip, I plummeted towards the chest and desperately sought purchase near the crevice. Unfortunately, my initial attempt failed, and I slid past, missing my mark entirely. But I hadn't run out of options just yet. Adapting my Versatile Weapon into a Hook and Chain configuration, I flung the hook, praying it would latch onto the crevice.
THUNK!
The hook firmly secured its hold, allowing me to rappel directly onto the chest. Clutching the crevice firmly, the Gate Guardian's most vulnerable point lay before me. Transforming my Versatile Weapon one final time into a Magic Sword, I thrust the blade into the crevice of the Gate Guardian's chest, activating a skill that had proven victorious in countless past battles.
"[Earth Fissure]!"
As I cast the spell, the sword vibrated intensely, causing my hands to go numb. I felt my grip loosen slightly, but I refused to let go, determined to see it through. After a few heart-pounding seconds, the Gate Guardian shuddered and exploded into fragments, obliterating the massive stone monstrosity in its entirety.
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