89. Maneuvering
Reina’s clone could level up through [Eternal Golden Radiance]. It was pure, untainted light. As long as she didn’t transfer all of its power back to her main body, it could pass for the real Goddess of Light.
This way, she had the foundation to become humanity’s faith.
But now, her fierce battle with the Beast King was still ongoing.
[Chaotic Strike]
The Beast King stomped his feet into the ground, his entire body erupting with destructive fluctuations. If Reina had to make a comparison, it would be to a certain universe-destroying energy blast from a certain anime.
[Iron Bones]
“Hum—”
The Beast King’s muscles tensed, strengthening his physique.
Reina knew this was the Beast King’s usual tactic against dragons—after all, dragons could transform into giant dragons, and he could use his brute strength to fight them head-on and even throw them around.
Unfortunately for him, Reina couldn’t transform into a dragon.
She wasn’t a dragon at all!
Multicolored magic power, like an aura, erupted from the Beast King’s body.
The next second, he flew towards Reina at an invisible speed, using his signature lightning attack:
[Thunderclap Fist]
“Haa—”
This time, Reina didn’t try to block the attack directly, but intended to use her gravity shield to intercept it completely. At this critical moment, the gravity she had already gathered in her palm compressed into a rapidly spinning top.
The moment the spinning top hit the Beast King, it transformed into a streak of light, the purple light piercing through the Beast King’s chest, but causing no damage.
And as the two forces dissipated, the Beast King suddenly collapsed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
“Splurt—!”
It wasn’t his exterior that was injured, but his internal organs.
Reina had used this “hitting the internal organs through the exterior” move to instantly kill Donald last time.
She had given it a name: [Gravity Pierce].
It was extremely effective against beastmen with tough exteriors and strong physiques.
[Gravity Pierce] and [Gravity Reversal] were practically contradictory skills. As long as she didn’t make any fatal mistakes, these two skills alone were enough.
The Beast King’s eyes widened, shocked that Reina was completely unharmed. But he still stood up, as if he hadn’t been injured at all, stroking his chin and saying:
“Azure Scale, could your ability be [Devour]?”
“Dodging my attacks, stealing my power, and then becoming stronger…”
Reina remained silent. She didn’t have the leisure to chat during a battle, and the current situation didn’t allow her to relax in the slightest.
The Beast King was covered in wounds, but his combat power was still incredibly high. Every time Reina thought she could defeat him, she failed.
He was like an unkillable cockroach, practically a cheat character with infinite health in the game.
He didn’t seem to care about his injuries at all. He hadn’t gained any advantage in the fight so far, yet he was still incredibly confident.
A normal enemy, after failing several times, would be affected psychologically, their movements becoming sluggish, but the Beast King wasn’t affected at all.
“The ability to see through your opponent’s attacks, hehe, could it be the power of the Goddess of Light, [All-Seeing Eye]? Your precognitive abilities, your ability to gain resistance to the same move, your ability to gradually grow stronger…”
He was enjoying the [battle].
Victory, death, reputation, and his ambition were all irrelevant. Now, he just wanted to finish this fight beautifully. He didn’t even try to escape or retreat—with his speed, escaping from Reina wouldn’t be a problem.
If the battle continued, no matter how much he persevered, he should reach his limit soon, right?
From the beginning of the battle until now, every one of Reina’s attacks had aimed for vital points.
The Beast King of the past would have died in any of those exchanges.
But now, because of the difference in their attributes, he was still fighting.
When a demon’s level surpassed 95, their combat power, influenced by skills and stats, became incredibly strong.
And Reina estimated the Beast King’s combat power to be a staggering 118.
The same level as Calysia, but slightly weaker.
“[Descending Thunder Armor]!”
The Beast King roared, and a bolt of lightning struck from the sky. When the light faded, he was clad in silver-white armor.
How much magic power did he have left?
Reina focused, continuing the fight.
The Beast King’s ultimate skill, summoning thunder armor, doubled his attributes once again—
Truly simple and unpretentious power.
In the game, the Beast King, a “simple-minded, but strong” monster with no special mechanics and just raw stats, would often be toyed with and killed using various movement techniques and items.
She couldn’t relax for a moment.
—Reina couldn’t guarantee a flawless victory; she didn’t want to be injured if she could avoid it.
But just then, she suddenly noticed the wind around her ears distorting, as if her hearing had malfunctioned. The entire space became eerily quiet.
She quickly dodged, and as expected, Phantom Dragon, wielding a golden dagger, tried to stab her in the back, a silent, surprise attack!
If she hadn’t asked Calysia about Phantom Dragon’s moves, she would have probably been hit.
“Damn it, what are you doing?!”
Seeing Phantom Dragon approach, the Beast King appeared before him almost instantly.
“Aren’t you supposed to be stopping the Dragon King and Sophia? With your strength and treasures, it should be easy!”
Phantom Dragon’s voice was urgent:
“Your Majesty, the Dragon King’s power is beyond our imagination. None of us can defeat her.”
“My seal on her is only temporary.”
“As for this Azure Scale, please leave her to me, Your Majesty!”
“Is this your reason for interfering with my leisure?!”
The Beast King grabbed Phantom Dragon by the collar and roared.
“I saved you.”
Phantom Dragon shook his head.
“In this world, the only one who can defeat Azure Scale is me. She must die here today.”
“What did you say?!”
Hearing this, the Beast King completely lost it. He punched Phantom Dragon in the face, creating a large hole in his neck.
But considering that he was his subordinate, the Beast King restrained himself.
“Retreat immediately! Since the Dragon King insists on protecting Sophia, you should all retreat! The outcome of my fight with her hasn’t been decided yet!”
Phantom Dragon shook his head again.
The cloak on his body suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light, and the Beast King, clad in armor, was sent flying backward, rolling on the ground amidst the devastated ruins.
This was a true treasure of the Goddess of Light.
[Golden Word Seal]
Phantom Dragon didn’t give Reina any time to react. He summoned an inescapable seal with one hand. It was practically the highest level Goddess’s Treasure, incomparable to ordinary legendary items.
Reina was separated from the outside world by four indestructible, absolute defense golden barriers, trapped with Phantom Dragon.
Before the barrier fully formed, the Beast King’s furious roar and the Azure Scale Knights’ cries of rescue rang out simultaneously.
“Phantom Dragon, I’ll skin you alive! There’s no place for you among the beastmen any…”
“Sister Reina, watch out…”
“Quick! She…”
Then, the voices abruptly stopped. The golden barrier of the seal enclosed a space the size of a football field, trapping the two of them inside.
Reina tidied her hair, looked at Phantom Dragon descending from the sky, and smiled:
“Are you the legendary Phantom Dragon, once hailed as the strongest dragon, surpassing even the Dragon King?”
“…”
But Phantom Dragon didn’t answer.
Rather than seeing an enemy or a rival, Reina noticed that Phantom Dragon was pacing slowly, as if searching for an opportunity to attack.
Like maneuvering against a boss.
A while later, when their mutual probing reached a certain equilibrium, Phantom Dragon said seriously:
“Azure Scale, you are a far greater threat than I imagined. Now, I must kill you.”
