Chapter 196: The State of the Battlefield
"I'll go first!" Stelle shouted, her voice ringing not with fear, but with a evident, almost giddy excitement.
She kicked off the ground, her body launching forward like an arrow loosed from its string, charging head-on into the fray. The Flame Lance in her grip trailed a dazzling tail of fire, a straightforward yet devastatingly powerful [Flame Lance Charge] aimed directly at Nikador.
The colossal creature let out a disdainful growl, casually sweeping its massive spear downward in an attempt to crush the insignificant little bug before it.
The lance and the spear collided with a deafening explosion that shook the very air.
To Phainon's and Mydei's astonishment, Stelle's seemingly simple strike actually managed to knock Nikador's impossibly heavy spear slightly off course.
A fleeting opportunity.
Without a single word exchanged, the battle-hardened Phainon and Mydei moved as one, their connection forged in the heat of combat. They erupted with power from either side of the titan.
Phainon raised his greatsword high, its blade wreathed in potent energy as he brought it down in a mighty [Cleaving Strike] aimed squarely at Nikador's chest.
Simultaneously, Mydei closed the distance like a phantom, his fists imbued with the force to shatter mountains. He slammed them heavily into Nikador's abdomen.
Bang! Thud!
Both attacks landed at nearly the same instant, causing Nikador's massive body to stumble violently.
Stelle had already recovered her stance, using the brief window after her initial charge to unleash a second [Flame Lance Charge]. She struck Nikador's back like a fiery meteor, the impact nearly seamless with the others.
Reeling from the successive heavy blows, even the Mad King Nikador could not maintain its footing. Its colossal body finally lost its equilibrium, tipping forward. It was forced to slam its spear into the ground just to halt its staggering retreat.
It was a perfect combination. The trio hadn't even given Nikador a chance to launch a single effective attack.
"Heh," Phainon let out a sharp sigh, a rare smile gracing his lips. "It seems our previous teamwork wasn't for nothing. We work quite well together."
Stelle, hearing this, was about to offer a smug reply when Mydei's voice, still incredibly solemn, washed over them like a bucket of ice water. "Don't relax! It won't be that simple. The battle has just begun! Be careful! Nikador's true form is about to appear!"
As if to confirm his words, Nikador, still kneeling on one knee with its spear propping it up, let out a guttural roar—a sound mixed with both pain and unbridled fury.
Its back abruptly split open, and a torrent of golden, ichor-like blood gushed forth.
Immediately after, before the shocked gazes of the three warriors, a slightly smaller, dark-golden figure began to struggle out from the back of the massive outer shell. Like a cicada shedding its skin, the upper body of the [One-Armed Nikador] revealed itself—its physique more refined, yet missing its entire right arm.
Its lower body remained connected to the giant stone form, creating a bizarre and terrifying silhouette. It radiated an aura of conflict and destruction far purer and more frenzied than before.
"Roar—!!!"
The One-Armed Nikador roared to the heavens, and powerful energy fluctuations swept outwards from it like a tempest. Its aura began to climb wildly, rising steadily until it instantly surpassed the pressure it had displayed during its invasion of Okhema. This was the terrifying strength of the "Conflict Titan," the [Spear of Retribution], truly unleashed.
Phase Two. This was the Mad King Nikador's true combat stance.
Yet, facing this suffocating pressure, the three in the arena felt no fear. Instead, their blood felt as if it had been set alight, the long-lost thrill of a true battle fully ignited within them.
"Now that's more like it!" Stelle grinned, the flames wreathing her lance burning even more fiercely.
Phainon tightened his grip on his greatsword, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
Mydei settled back into his boxing stance, his fighting spirit boiling over.
The atmosphere of the battlefield had, at last, become truly scorching.
While Stelle's crew and Nikador were locked in their fierce struggle, the battles in the other three locations across Hanging Edge City simultaneously escalated to a fever pitch.
In the quarry, the combination of Lumine and Paimon displayed astonishing cooperation.
Although [Paimon's Astral Guardian] still appeared "petite" next to the massive Nikador, the pure power it contained was in no way inferior. Its massive fists swung, clashing directly with Nikador's energy spear and producing deafening metallic reverberations. Shockwaves rolled out, sending shattered rocks flying in every direction.
Lumine, meanwhile, moved like the sharpest of skirmishers, darting around the Astral Guardian. She flexibly switched between the five elemental powers of Anemo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, and Hydro, seizing every opening to launch an attack.
Anemo blades sliced at its joints. Geo constructs hindered its movement. Electro arcs interfered with its energy flow. Dendro cores exploded against its armor. Hydro blades corroded its stone body. Her attacks might not have inflicted decisive damage on their own, but they greatly restricted Nikador's actions, creating countless opportunities for the Astral Guardian to strike.
More crucially, Lumine constantly kept an eye on the safety of Paimon's main body.
Whenever Nikador condensed that dangerous energy spear for a long-range throw or a devastating sweep, Lumine would instantly flash in front of Paimon and raise her palm.
"Devour!"
The energy spear, capable of piercing metal and stone, would vanish the moment it touched the space an inch from Lumine's palm. It was swallowed completely by an invisible vortex, disappearing into her [Spirit Dimension] like a stone dropped into the sea, without causing the slightest ripple.
This provided Paimon with an immense sense of security, allowing her to hide safely behind the lines and focus entirely on controlling her astral projection.
Thanks to Lumine's rich experience fighting various giant monsters and even Archons, their coordination—one person and one astral projection—became increasingly fluid. They steadily suppressed the Nikador in the quarry, finally forcing it into its second phase, where it spurted golden blood from its back and revealed its true form.
On the other side of the city, in the Hall of Conflict, the battle was also progressing smoothly.
Dan Heng's strength was obvious. His Cloud-Piercer spear moved like a dragon emerging from the sea, its offensive power incredibly sharp. Each thrust and slash left deep gouges in Nikador's stone armor.
March 7th's performance was equally surprising. Her Zanpakutō, [Sode no Shirayuki], exuded a biting cold with every movement. Each swing unleashed a highly threatening wave of icy sword energy.
These attacks were not only powerful, but the accompanying extreme cold also effectively slowed Nikador's movements. It even made the stone of its armor brittle from the low temperature, a fact that earned a subtle, approving nod from Dan Heng.
Under their combined efforts, the Nikador in the main hall was also quickly forced into its second phase.
However, the situation in the Old Barracks area seemed somewhat more difficult.
Although Zhongli had taken precautions before Nikador's stone statue fully revived—raising a hand to summon several towering [Stone Stele] that formed a simple yet powerful suppression array, greatly restricting the creature's range of movement and power output—his companions were struggling.
Wise and Ling severely lacked experience in direct combat against such a massive and terrifyingly powerful enemy.
Wise attempted to use the close-combat techniques he had honed just yesterday, fighting with his Fire-Woven gloves and martial arts.
However, Nikador's attack speed far exceeded his expectations. In one miscalculated dodge, he was violently grazed by the sweeping spear.
An irresistible, immense force slammed into him. Wise was sent flying backward as if launched from a catapult, crashing heavily onto the distant ground with a sickening thud.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]