Return of the Fallen Volume 6 Chapter 54
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch54
With boulders stretching 15 feet up and higher, along with hundreds of spears and lances raining down all at once, Kazuki hid within Groud’s enormous attack.
His body vanished as he accelerated forward like a bolt of lightning. Kazuki appeared before Groud within the blink of an eye and with a powerful thrust, he pushed the staff in his hand forward right toward Groud’s exposed head.
Groud knew this attack was coming and had been prepared. As soon as the staff in Kazuki’s hands came rushing forward, Groud had already raised his barrier of wind to defend himself. A large grin on his face, Groud blocked Kazuki or so he thought.
Right as Groud’s barrier was about to throw Kazuki’s attack backward, a heavy pressure came crashing down upon him and he felt his barrier of wind-torn apart. When he felt this energy tear his wind apart, he knew right away what it was.
(“This is Aura!”)
The split second he thought this, the staff in Kazuki’s hand broke through. With Kazuki’s strength and the dense material this stone staff was made from, it could easily crush Groud’s skull.
*BAM!*
The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. Just before Kazuki’s blow struck Groud, Groud’s crown glowed brightly, and a helmet made from that same stone appeared on his head and protected him. Groud didn’t waste time and wait for Kazuki’s reaction to this move and instead grabbed the staff touching his helmet and changed its shape instantly.
The stone staff transformed into something flexible like rope and snaked around Kauzki’s wrist. As soon as it completed a full circle around it went from flexible back to its hard material. Kazuki instantly realized what this meant and tried to pull the staff away from Groud’s grip but it was already too late. Groud had already shaped the other end he was still holding to a cuff that clamped down around his own wrist at the same time it clamped around Kazuki’s.
“You think cuffing us together was smart!? With us stuck together it will simply make this fight end quicker!”
Kazuki grabbed the staff and exerted some strength. Flexing his hips and using his back, he lifted Groud’s large frame into the air and flipped him behind him, slamming him into the ground. Groud took the brunt of the force but the smile on his face never left him. His eyes and crown continued to glow and with it, the hard spinning ground beneath him started to become like mud, and he sunk down within it.
(No! He’s trying to pull me under and get me stuck. If I’m immobile, things could get dangerous.)
Kazuki sent out his aura and covered Groud with it completely. All of the hair on groud’s body flattened from the pressure and his nerves began to shake as an unprecedented fear washed over him. This caused his magic to become unstable and the two’s sinking slowed drastically. Kazuki then put both of his feet on the inside of Groud’s elbow and wrapped both his arms around Groud’s forearm with a bear hug. Circulating his ki throughout his body and using everything he had within him, Kazuki acted like he was doing a leg press and he began to push himself away from Groud.
Groud’s eyes went bloodshot as he felt tiny muscle tears within his arm. He knew Kazuki was strong after exchanging some blows but he never expected him to be so strong as to actually be able to rip a limb away from him. If he waited any longer, then that’s exactly what would happen.
Groud shifted his weight and curled Kazuki like a dumbbell. Using his other hand he grabbed Kazuki’s body and tried to pull Kazuki into his chest like an embrace. In this way, there was a slight tug of war. The two tried to take control of the other with sheer force and Kazuki held the slight advantage but Groud was not going to give up with just this. He then used both of his large feet like hands and grabbed Kazuki’s entire body. Using all of his limbs, he began to drag Kazuki into his embrace.
Kazuki then opened his mouth and bit down onto one of Groud’s fingers. With his enhanced body, he was capable of tearing flesh from the goat-headed monster. This ape before him was nowhere near the toughness nor strength of that monster so when Kazuki’s teeth dug into Groud’s finger, it was almost too easy.
Blood sprayed everywhere as Groud’s finger was bit completely through, bone and all.
His finger fell onto the ground with a small thud but it caught everyone’s attention.
Groud resisted the urge to release a cry in front of his people and instead grew even angrier and at the same time fearful. Looking at Kazuki’s face, Kazuki appeared demonic at the moment as he licked his lips, reveling in Groud’s blood.
Kazuki opened his mouth once more in an attempt to sever another finger but Groud wouldn’t let that happen. Readjusting his grip, his large hand covered Kazuki’s entire head and made Kazuki’s mouth slam shut. Kazuki tried to forcefully open his mouth but his jaw strength couldn’t overcome Groud’s grip. Once more the two were in a stalemate.
With no progress, Kazuki changed his tactic once more. He used a sliver of ki like a tendril. Sending it outside of his body, he wrapped it around Groud’s crown and tried to pull it off of Groud’s large ass head.
The crown began to squirm as Kazuki started to barely move it but it wasn’t enough. He needed to use more ki to lift it. If he did that though he would have to borrow more of his ki, the very same ki that was currently pumping through his body giving him the strength to resist Groud’s own.
A dilemma appeared before him.
(Do I use more of my ki to try and steal Groud’s crown or do continue this stalemate. If my ki isn’t enough to lift Groud’s crown then my body weakens for an instant and he pulls me in but if I do remove his crown and he can’t use magic, then the part of his body already in the ground will become stuck and I’ll be from of it. He’ll practically be defenseless at that point and then I can proceed to whoop his big monkey ass. The question is do I risk it. Maybe I circumvent all of it and let the devouring power awaken inside of me.)
As soon as he thought about that last part he threw it away. Allowing the devouring technique to take his body was the last resort. When it was a matter of life and death, only then would he be desperate enough to try it. Right now though, even though the situation wasn’t the best, he still had no fear of dying.
(I can’t use the eating power just yet. Instead, I still have a move left to play.)
Kazuki withdrew his aura and Groud found his magic stable once more. The two began to sink in the ground once more. He thought he had won. Looking at Kazuki’s eyes though he felt a chill run up his spine.
(“What are you trying to do!?”)
Kazuki’s eyes had turned crimson red at this moment. At the same time, purplish-black blood just started to spill from his pores and was about to drip down onto Groud. Just before it could though…
“BAM”
One of the apes the one who had tried to capture Kazuki had just appeared behind him and hit him in the back with his staff. This caused Kazuki to lose concentration for a split second but that was all Groud needed to pull Kazuki into the ground.
Once inside the ground, it was over. Groud manipulated the tough stone to wrap entirely around Kazuki’s body until he was completely encased in the stone.
The very next moment, Kazuki felt a pull and he was once again above the surface, now though his whole body was trapped in a large block of stone. The only part uncovered was his head.
Groud and the other ape who helped stood next to Kazuki’s trapped self. All of the other apes saw this and all at once began to roar and beat their chest in cheer. This was Groud’s moment of victory but there was no smile on his face.
*BANG!*
Raising a foot up, he stomped hard on the ground, silencing everyone. The very next moment he opened his mouth and roared.
(“FOOLS!”)
…
Silence reigned supreme as every ape fell quiet on the spot.
With their full attention on him, Groud grabbed the ape who helped him by the arms and in one rough motion he tore the ape’s arms off. The ape that had helped wasn’t prepared for such a thing and didn’t even think to defend himself nor fight back. As blood sprayed everywhere, Groud then beat the ape repeatedly with his own arms. It only took a few seconds for Groud to kill him in this way.
After the ape was clearly dead, Groud kicked the body into the distance and threw the arms afterward.
*THUMP THUMP THUMP*
Beating his chest like a war drum he roared.
*ROAAAWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRR!*
A heavy air filled the outskirts of the city and no one dared move nor make a single sound.
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