Chapter 182: Broken Armor and a Surprise Chest
That spot was one of the few places not covered by the creature's thick stone armor, protected only by a layer of what appeared to be tough, unfamiliar fabric.
The punch landed squarely on its target with a dull, percussive thud. To Wise, it felt as if his fist had slammed into a slab of impossibly tough, aged leather. The recoil sent a sharp, aching jolt through his knuckles.
The effect, however, was minimal. The Damned Vanguard's massive body only swayed slightly, taking a half-step back as if it had been given a gentle push.
No expression could be discerned on its rocky, impassive face, but its movements showed no delay. It reacted instantly, freeing its left hand and balling it into a fist. With a sharp whistle of displaced air, it swung mercilessly toward Wise, who had just landed and was caught in that vulnerable moment between one action and the next.
An alarm bell shrieked in Wise's mind. He threw himself backward, leaping away with every ounce of strength he could muster.
The giant stone fist grazed his nose, slamming into the spot where he had been standing a fraction of a second before.
The ground instantly caved in, forming a deep pit. Spiderweb-like cracks shot out in all directions, and flying debris stung his exposed skin. It was terrifyingly easy to imagine the consequences if that punch had landed squarely.
Wise broke out in a cold sweat, but his offensive didn't stop. Refusing to accept the stalemate, he once again sought an opportunity to get close.
Inch Punch! He tried to unleash his power over an impossibly short distance, striking at the Damned Vanguard's joints.
Iron Mountain Shoulder! He mobilized his entire body weight and the force of his momentum, slamming hard into the creature's side.
Yet, repeated attempts and a flurry of attacks led only to frustrating results. His fists and feet landed on the opponent's body, and besides producing a series of hollow thuds, they simply couldn't inflict any effective damage. The defensive power of that stone armor far exceeded his imagination. Even on the rare occasion he struck an unarmored section, the creature's inhuman physique completely ignored the impact.
The Damned Vanguard remained an unshakeable fortress, its own attacks still powerful, heavy, and brimming with lethal threat.
Wise's breathing gradually grew heavy, sweat soaking through his clothes. His stamina was draining at an alarming rate, spent on a cycle of futile attacks and desperate dodges. He was caught in a bitter struggle, having encountered what felt like an impossible wall. With his recently honed martial arts and his mortal body, he simply couldn't shake this creation born for war.
As the situation dragged on, Wise knew with grim certainty that relying solely on his current close-quarters combat skills and physical strength was a losing battle. Defeating this high-offense, high-defense Damned Vanguard was almost impossible.
'Forget it,'he thought, his mindset shifting rapidly.'This isn't some life-or-death arena match. There's no need to be so stubborn.' Wise was not a pedantic man.
Besides, his friends were all watching. His performance so far had been a bit… underwhelming. All bark and no bite. He couldn't afford to keep embarrassing himself.
His resolve set, Wise took a deep breath. The power originating from the Mera Mera no Mi began to surge within him.
He let his fists sink slightly. The next moment, scorching purple flames erupted from them, roaring to life with violent intensity.
The surrounding temperature abruptly skyrocketed. Even from a considerable distance, Stelle, March 7th, and Belle could clearly feel the searing energy radiating from the blaze.
"Oh? Is he getting serious now?" Stelle crossed her arms, her interest clearly piqued.
Belle, on the other hand, clenched her small fists, cheering for her brother. "Go, Wise! You can do it!"
Facing the Damned Vanguard's cleaving greatsword once more, Wise chose not to clash head-on. Instead, he used his agile footwork to skillfully sidestep the blow. While dodging, his fists, now wreathed in violet fire, rained down in a blistering storm, striking the Damned Vanguard's stone armor with precision.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
This time, the effect of his attacks was completely different.
Gone were the futile, dull thuds from before. The purple flames contained a terrifyingly high temperature. Every time a fist landed, it left a clear, charred impact crater on the Damned Vanguard's hard stone armor, the edges of the mark glowing with molten rock. One could even see slurry-like stone dripping down like lava.
The sizzling sound of burning was incessant. Wise's attacks were not random; he still maintained the principles and footwork of his martial arts, perfectly integrating the power of the flames into every strike. He focused his assault on the joint connections, the areas where the armor was thinner, and the places that had already developed cracks from his previous blows.
The Damned Vanguard seemed to finally register the threat, and its attacks grew even more violent. However, its heavy weapon and relatively sluggish movements only exposed more weaknesses in the face of Wise's agile, fiery offensive.
As one's strength waxed and the other's waned, the stone armor on the Damned Vanguard's body became visibly tattered and broken. Traces of melting covered its entire form, and its movements grew increasingly sluggish.
Finally, Wise found the perfect opportunity.
Fire-Weave lashed out again. This time, it wasn't to disarm the creature, but to act as burning shackles, wrapping tightly around the Damned Vanguard's vulnerable joints and neck, which had been exposed by the melting armor.
"ROAR!" The Damned Vanguard let out an angry and unwilling roar, struggling fiercely. But its strength had been greatly diminished by the scorching heat and the fiery restraints.
Wise's eyes sharpened. All his strength and the entirety of his flames converged onto his right fist. The purple fire burned so intensely it became an almost pure, blinding white.
He stomped his foot, his body shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. A heavy punch, holding absolutely nothing back, slammed fiercely into the Damned Vanguard's chest—right into the area that had been melted to its thinnest point.
"BOOM—!"
Accompanied by a deafening explosion and a spray of countless molten fragments, the Damned Vanguard's massive body finally succumbed. Its chest was completely pierced through.
Huge cracks instantly spread from the point of impact across its entire body. With a final, groaning roar, it collapsed, turning into a pile of burning, gradually dimming stone fragments on the ground.
The battle was over.
"Wow! He won!" Belle was the first to jump up and cheer.
"Nice job, Wise!" Stelle clapped enthusiastically.
"That last move was so cool!" March 7th praised with a bright smile.
Dan Heng and Zhongli also nodded slightly, showing their quiet approval.
Wise let out a long sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow. Although he had relied on his Devil Fruit ability to win the latter half of the fight, the physical and mental exertion was still considerable. Hearing his friends' encouragement, he smiled a little sheepishly. "Good thing I didn't mess up at the end..."
Just then, another anomaly occurred.
The stone fragments on the ground, which had lost all their energy fluctuations, suddenly began to float. As if pulled by invisible threads, they started to spin rapidly around a central point.
Wise was startled, his relaxed nerves instantly tensing up again. He thought the battle wasn't over, or that the Damned Vanguard had some kind of second phase.
Fortunately, the fragments did not re-coalesce into a monster.
They emitted a soft glow as they circled, eventually condensing into an ornate treasure chest with an ancient design and strange patterns etched into its surface. With a soft thud, it landed steadily on the ground in front of Wise.
"A treasure chest?!" Belle's eyes widened in surprise.
"So there are extra rewards for defeating specific monsters?" March 7th found the development novel and exciting.
Stelle stroked her chin, a thoughtful look on her face. "The event page didn't mention this! Is this a hidden mechanic?"
This magical scene left everyone feeling a little surprised and amused. Belle and Stelle immediately grew excited.
"Wise! Hurry and open it! Let's see what good stuff is inside!"
Wise had never encountered such a situation before. Filled with curiosity, he walked forward.
The moment his hand reached out and touched the treasure chest, without him even applying any force, the lid popped open a crack with a soft click. From within the gap, a gentle green light began to glow.
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