202 True Strength
>BOOOOOOMMMM!!!<
The earth shattered as I thrust my body into the air with all my strength.
>BAM!<
I was met with the abrupt resistance of the invisible force field in what would have been an empty space… except it wasn’t an empty space!
“Oh, no, you don’t!” I yelled.
In response to my voice, a sharp sound pierced my ear and I felt the very air vibrate. I didn’t need anyone to tell me what was happening.
“It’s coming!” A whisper subconsciously leaked out as I pinpointed the location of an invisible attack coming toward me.
By sending the changes in the atmosphere, it was possible to tell when and where an assault was coming from even if one couldn’t see. Using my heightened perception and my previous fighting experience with the opponent I was up against, It was easy for me to tell the direction its swing was coming from.
>SWOOOOOSHHH!!!<
An invisible strike caused the very ground to tear apart as it horizontally got shredded off. Once again, the area of devastating was where I previously stood.
An invisible attack had made to kill me, or damage me severely at the very least, but my keen senses made me successfully evade it.
I didn’t waste any time as I saw the grazed ground. It was my chance, after all!
Once an opponent swung their weapon, it took them a while to get it ready to attack again. Plus, considering I was already faster than the one who swung the weapon, it gave me a massive boost—a window of opportunity that couldn’t be missed, even if I couldn’t visibly detect the monster.
My legs broke the unstable ground again as I soared into the sky.
I was headed toward an empty space, or what looked like it at unremarkable speed. I was pushing myself past the limit of what I was used to, and I could definitely feel the strain in my muscles. It wasn’t beyond bearable though.
Still, it would be at this moment that some invisible barrier would block me and send me crashing into the ground. Judging based on the current speed I was in, it wouldn’t be surprising if I just hit the invisible shield and ‘SPLAT!’
I wasn’t about to let that happen, though!
My [Subspace] could literally take in anything, even if it wasn’t physical or visible. That included the very shield that annoyingly prevented me from reaching my true target.
Having been struck already by the force field, I was able to estimate its radius and how long it would take me to reach it at my current pace. My eyes went to work and I consumed everything in my path, taking them into [Subspace], air and all!
The only thing that was left would be the only thing I couldn’t transport without having physical contact—a living being— also known as… the Hobgoblin Chief!
“I haven’t forgotten… CLENCH YOUR TEETH!”
<Muscularity>, as well as my other activate Skills became strengthened by my Mana usage and intensified at a rapid rate. While I couldn’t see the enemy, I could feel the shift in the atmosphere as the invisible foe was most likely flustered by what I had just done.
It did t take me very long to reach what I suspected to be its head.
‘Currently, its staff isn’t able to attack since he’s under recoil. I’ve gotten rid of the barrier, and it’s not fast enough to activate another Skill… if it has any. This hit is as good as mine!’
>BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!<
My blow met flesh as my entire body jolted in response to the impact caused by my beyond all put attack.
The Hobgoblin Chief instantly lost its invisibility the moment I struck and its greenish body came into light. As I suspected… my blow was planted right on its cheek.
“Guarkkkkk!!!” Teeth flew out of the Demon’s mouth as it made pained groans.
‘It didn’t take my advice, uh?’ I grinned as I watched the monsters flail and bounce away from me.
Unlike before, when it only stumbled back a few times, the beast struggled to maintain a proper stance, and due to its failure at this, the Hobgoblin Chief was sent crashing to the ground.
I was still falling from my position in midair when I witnessed its magnificent fall.
Usually, I would celebrate and sneer at the monster. However, there wasn’t enough time for that. I had to strike while the iron was still hot.
Quickly generating a large desk to serve as a platform for me, I planted my feet into it and pushed further away from my descending state, and lunged straight for the fallen Chief.
The desk broke apart like crackers, unable to handle the pressure.
>WHOOOOOOOSHHHH<
The air hissed as I charged like a speeding bullet for my target, all locked on!
My eyes fell on the creature’s Status Window and I couldn’t resist the urge to crack a smile after seeing what I saw.
[System Information]
– Name: Hobgoblin Chief
– Level: 100
– Race: Demon (Lesser) – Grade: 2
– Age: 200 Days
[Stats]
– HP: 27,510/30,000
– MP: 731/5,000
– Strength: 17,000 (-)
– Agility: 8,000 (-)
– Vitality: 15,000 (-)
– Intelligence: 1,500 (-)
[Status Condition]
<Shock>
Demon is stunned by a sudden action and all stats have been reduced for a certain amount of time (5 Seconds Left)
[End Of Information]
A Status Condition had affected the monster thanks to my sudden blow that shook its mental faculties. By giving a solid hit to its head, I was certain the monster’s brain—if it had any—would be shaken as a result of the impact, causing it to momentarily lose motor functions.
In essence, this was the perfect time to strike!
Other than the fact that its Stats were currently locked due to the effect of <Shock>, there was one other thing that gave me greater joy.
Finally…. after all this time, the monster was taking damage. Assured by this, the result of our fight became even clearer to me.
‘CHECKMATE!’