Chapter 187 - Lightning Strikes
Rhode immediately dodged the Core Guardian’s attack by tipping his toes and jumping backward. The enormous golem’s punch brushed past him and smashed into the ground, creating a massive crater. The aftermath wasn’t pretty. It was as though the earth sank down a few inches and the flying debris managed to graze Rhode’s body and face, causing a slight pain on his skin.
However, Rhode didn’t bother about such minor matters. As he retreated, he gripped his sword firmly and slashed downwards in a single motion. When he confirmed that the golem was successfully staggered, he used this chance to roll backward before extending his left hand.
“———!!”
Accompanied by a crisp cry, a flurry of whirlwinds erupted beside Rhode. The Spirit Bird appeared behind him, spread its wings and stared at the enemy. Rhode unhesitatingly rushed forward with his sword with the Spirit Bird following closely behind him.
It was as though the golem ignored the existence of the Spirit Bird, it continued to rumble forward and punch out once more. The Spirit Bird darted forward without the intention to dodge and met the Core Guardian face to face. It was kind of surprising though; one would imagine that such a body with a large surface area would be clumsy and slow. The Core Guardian’s movement was almost absurd for its size.
If any logical person saw the Spirit Bird charge head first towards that massive incoming fist, they would shake their heads. But reality was always unpredictable, and the punch simply phased through its body. Following that, a sudden massive electrical explosion occurred at the point of impact.
“Bam!!”
A deafening, thunderous roar echoed throughout the small room which numbed Rhode and Anne’s ears. The Core Guardian tumbled a few steps back; its hard, metal body glinted with the color of lightning and sparks began emitting out from beneath its exterior shell. When the Spirit phased through the Core Guardian’s body, it delivered an intense shockwave which paralyzed its foe momentarily.
But of course, the Core Guardian wouldn’t fall just like this.
After discovering that its attack failed, the Core Guardian immediately withdrew its fist and rejoined it to its body. And at that moment, the Spirit Bird whipped up a whirlwind again and clashed with the Core Guardian.
Meanwhile, Anne wasn’t having an easy time either. While she received Rhode’s recommendation, she knew that she still lacked experience about golems. Since the start, Anne was able to defeat Guardian Golems, but she slowly grew weary. Moreover, Rhode’s battle was ever-changing, and she couldn’t keep up with their movements. And sometimes, his battle would block her field of vision, which caused her to miss the enemy who was rolling out of the pipeline. But when she finally noticed their presence, the Guardian Golems already began to attack.
“Heyah!!”
Anne screamed and swung her shield downwards at the enemy. The sharp, metal edge of the shield pierced through the Guardian Golem’s outer shell. These Guardian Golems didn’t have the opportunity to display their skills before being thoroughly smashed to pieces. Suddenly, she felt a blast of wind at her rear.
Anne realized what was happening without looking. Since the beginning, these Guardian Golems had only appeared one at the time, so she had an easy time dealing with them alone. But now, the spawning rate was unpredictable. Sometimes they would appear in twos or even threes, and in some extreme cases, they wouldn’t appear at all.
She didn’t choose to dodge. Instead, she released the grip on the back of her shield and slipped around it nimbly like a cat, switching from the back to the front. A split second later, the Guardian Golem’s sharp blades landed on the golden shield, causing a screeching sound. Anne gripped her shield with both hands, waiting for the Guardian Golems to move into her attacking range. Once she confirmed her targets, she swung her shield upwards, smashing the golems into the air. Before they could regain their stability, the heavy shield once again landed on them from the skies.
“Boom!!!”
Metallic bits scattered everywhere. The once aggressive Guardian Golems were now broken into pieces under the golden shield, posing no threat.
“Hu…”
Anne finally caught her breath and lifted her head towards Rhode’s direction.
Over there, Rhode’s battle with the Core Guardian finally reached its climax.