Chapter 83: Golem 3 Koro? Bah

Chapter 83: Golem 3 Koro? Bah

Karena area itu sudah fully surveyed, Leo kembali fokus ke golem yang sedang approach. Masing-masing langkah beratnya kick up debu, tanah trembling di setiap thud.

"Hm... barrier shell turtle itu mungkin jadi problem."

Tersenyum perlahan curl di bibirnya. "But..."

Dia instructed Shyra melalui link mereka untuk watch surroundings buat ambush. Meanwhile, dia rolled shoulders dan prepared himself.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

"Time to test skill baru."

Dia commanded Niri untuk begin charge Solar Beam di max output. Tugas dia simple—warn dia satu heartbeat sebelum fire. Task dia adalah buy time. Target: center of golem chest, di mana three cores pulse di rhythm triangular like batu heart ceberah.

With everything in place, dia take satu step forward dan—vanished.

A blink later, dia was in air, fist pull back, aim langsung ke head golem yang round, seven-meter-high.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

BOOM!

Golem it didn't even twitch sebelum headnya explode jadi fragments, spray shards batu across clearing. Leo seize one chunk of shattered skull still attached to hardened frame, using it as leverage to flip himself backwards. Mid-air, dia snap legnya down like hammer.

Heelnya slam ke back golem.

BAM!

Spiderweb cracks shot across surface, crawl over body di line jagged. Golem try to respond, swing both arms backwards untuk squash dia. But unlike creature living, dia ignore ant biologi—armnya twist unnatural, joints bend like hinge loose bukan limbs proper.

Blurred strike datang alarmingly fast, like slab batu try flatten dia.

Even Leo stiffen in surprise. Dia momentarily forget—ini bukan beast. Ini construct yang care not tentang biologi creature living.

Dia brace himself, muscle tighten—especially shoulder blades dan deltoids. Frame yang vitality-enhanced feel like carved from boulder.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

Arm golem crash into him.

THUNG!

Deu billow. When cloud clear, result opposite dari apa everyone expect.

Not instead Leo crushed, hand golem have partially cave inward, leave groove deep shape exactly like bodynya—almost like construct try incase him instead crush.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

Even Leo himself was shock yang dia unscathed. Dia believe yang dia surely take some damage, course not completely crushed. It was then dia notice color blue faint, barrier pattern scale covering bodynya like second skin.

"The armor!" Dia recall yang dia wearing high blue-tier armor given by Brant, able to block attack dari enemy 3-star. Dia quietly thank Brant dan refocus.

Widen stance, dia force batu apart. As soon as dia gain room enough untuk move arm, dia lift them dan push outward, make hand move apart with sheer force alone.

The moment armnya reach distance certain apart, dia couldn't help but grin—pupil slightly contract. Right then, dia look every bit like battle maniac. Anyone watch would think dia enjoy raw physical combat more than magic—maybe even prefer it.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

In one single-frame motion, dia pull arm back—dan then slam both fist outward at arm golem.

BOOM! BOOM!

Both arm detonate in burst massive rock, force rip up to shoulder joint. Leo hop back, admire result.

What stand before him no longer golem—more like box batu wobble with leg.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

Dia briefly consider take out leg too, but then—

All three cores pulse at once.

Bright dan synced, as if alive.

The broken pieces snap back into place. Earth element surge, layer onto frame, make it grow—taller, bulkier, silhouette monstrous ten-meter form in seconds.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

Leo can only watch.

In five seconds, golem fully reconstruct itself.

"So this is what Dale mean ketika dia say mereka find themselves in condition disastrous almost instantly," Leo mutter.

Even dia had to admit—being caught mid-fight saat power spike sudden would've been dangerous. Dia feel twinge respect untuk adaptive nature golem.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

Dia glance back.

A swirling orb of aura white—already over meter wide—float above arm extended Niri, grow bit by bit as she continue charge Solar Beam. She belum done.

But Leo fail to notice five pair eyes locked on him from behind mound rubble.

Dale dan teamnya.

They had arrived sometime before shockwave alpha wolf reveal position Leo. They'd intended to help, thinking dia mungkin under attack—only to freeze ketika mereka witness wolves retreat frantically.

Then they see form baru Shyra dan Niri.

Dan finally... Leo casually bodying golem batu yang clearly leagues stronger than one they had faced.

Expression mereka say everything: Aghast dan dumbfounded, hint fear even.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

---

From start fight until now, barely thirty second pass. Leo estimate another thirty would enough untuk fully charge Solar Beam. Looking at body golem yang newly reinforced, dia shrug dan brush debu off shoulder.

"Let's go."

Dia lunge forward again—this time cast [Vine Estranglement]. Even if there no vitality untuk vines drain, sheer restriction is what dia need most. Dia still belum taste new strength golem firsthand, dan testing it reckless would stupid.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

It was during this now yang golem name shift, word Puppet appear before rock golem.

Ignoring that, dia use skill—vines burst from ground, coil tight around limbs. Move golem slow drastically. Combined with frame massive, it become almost stationary. Leo also immediately notice how different vines feel—denser, tougher dan heavier. Dia can feel dia now form two large vines at once, dan dia do just that.

Two trunk-thick vines erupt upward, each bind one leg golem. Previously, vines smaller were snap within moments under strain; these one hold creature in place with single lock. Downside, however, obvious: with these active, dia can't create any additional vines—not even small one. Dan mana consumption monstrous.

Mana:

10567 / 15552 → 10362 / 15552 → 10151 / 15552 → 9940 / 15552.

Average around 210 mana per second!

Use opportunity, dia slide between gap in defense golem dan release flurry punch, crack it at several place—carefully avoid chest lest dia ended up damage core dan suffer rebound.

It was at that moment dia receive intent clear dari Niri.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​⁠

"Master, move aside!"