Chapter 159: Light Sawman
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Swamp Thing is immortal.
As long as The Green exists, he can regenerate no matter how many times he is destroyed. He even managed to regenerate from destruction after the Anti-Monitor annihilated the entire Multiverse with a single blast.
Orin Vale, of course, understood this. Completely eliminating him was nearly impossible, but that didn't mean attacking him was pointless. The Specium warhead was powerful enough to destroy Swamp Thing's current physical form. Although he would regenerate in a matter of moments, the process was akin to a reboot, which might eliminate the effects of the mind control.
Just like what happens when your computer at an internet cafe crashes and you have to call the admin.
However, this move didn't seem very effective.
Countless roots coalesced amidst the destruction, and his shattered limbs regenerated rapidly. Strands of green branches bored into the core of his regenerating form. Leaves formed dense layers on his body, entwining with his deep green skin. Tree trunks seemed to form his bones, and roots climbed continuously through his body.
His body grew even larger. Trunks grew rapidly, green leaves spread across the top of his head, and dark green flames burned in his deep-set eyes.
A primal and powerful energy erupted from his body. In an instant, Swamp Thing had reformed into a body over twenty meters tall.
"Anyone who stands in my love's way... must die!"
Orin Vale leaped into the air, once again dodging a swipe from the massive arm. "Alright, it seems the reboot trick didn't work. Time for psychotherapy."
This approach would be a bit more troublesome. It involved using the Ultraman Race's innate talent for telepathy to directly charge into the mental world and face off against Poison Ivy. This was also the most conventional method for dealing with psychic opponents in the Ultra Series.
"Actually, based on the scan results from his recent regeneration, perhaps your 'reboot trick' was not entirely ineffective," Pal said.
"Oh? How so?"
As Orin Vale spoke, he continued to maintain his high-speed mode, dodging left and right between the intersecting attacks.
"The deep scan detected fluctuations of what appears to be abnormal mind control on Swamp Thing, but these fluctuations decreased significantly during his body's regeneration. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing's own brainwave activity showed a marked increase during the reconstruction."
"Understood. The harder I hit, the better the chance," Orin Vale realized.
It would be much easier to deal with the mental aspect after first crushing his body to pieces.
"Take control of the armor. I'm going to reboot his brain again... the physical kind."
"Yes, sir."
A brilliant light burst forth. The mobile armor rose into the sky, and a radiant glow descended to the ground, transforming into a giant's form. Twice the size of the giant-sized Swamp Thing, a sudden, heavy punch nearly blasted right through his opponent's body!
Swamp Thing staggered backward with a muffled thud, crashing through and crushing a large row of trees.
But he let out a furious roar, the green light in his eyes flaring even brighter. The branches of the trees crushed by his body, along with roots from underground, were rapidly absorbed into him. Swamp Thing's form swelled rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, he had grown tall again, reaching a height nearly equal to Orin Vale's.
"For my dear—Uwaah!"
Before he could finish shouting, a silver cannon punch had already smashed into his cheek, sending shattered roots and leaves flying everywhere.
Orin Vale drove his knee into his abdomen and smashed his elbow into his right shoulder. With every blow of immense strength, large amounts of splintered wood and leaves fell from Swamp Thing's body, and sap gushed out, splattering like fresh blood.
Orin Vale followed up with a three-punch combo to the chest, riddling Swamp Thing's body with pits and holes. The latter grunted, and the trunk on his chest suddenly bulged, attempting to wrap roots and vines around Orin Vale's wrist as the third punch landed. But Orin Vale immediately pulled back to create distance, and the coiling roots caught nothing but air.
Orin Vale extended his arms horizontally, then raised his right palm. Azure energy, accompanied by crackling electric arcs, gathered in his right palm and transformed into a spinning light wheel.
Eight-Split Light Wheel.
But this time, after the light wheel was formed, he didn't throw it. Instead, under the control of his telekinesis, it split into two. Two light wheels, one on the left and one on the right, circled on either side of his hands, connected in the middle by a chain formed of light.
Orin Vale shifted his hands, and powered by light energy, the two light wheels began to spin rapidly around the chain's axis in his grip.
Like a set of nunchaku, except the two ends weren't rods, but two Eight-Split Light Wheels that could slice through metal like mud!
Swamp Thing roared hoarsely, shooting a multitude of vines from his shoulders, chest, and abdomen. As agile as pythons, they split up and swept in from different directions.
But Orin Vale stood his ground calmly, unleashing the light wheel chain-blades in his hands. The spinning light wheels formed a barrier protecting his center, moving in an impenetrable dance. Any vine that was merely grazed by them was instantly severed into several pieces.
A certain Light Sawman famously said that it should be common sense that the Eight-Split Light Wheel is a melee weapon. And this move was Orin Vale's innovation, born from putting that philosophy into practice.
The fighting style he employed was the Land of Light's Nunchaku Style Combat, represented by Leo, but the weapon he wielded was a variant: nunchaku chain-blades made of two connected light wheels. Its melee power was evident from the visual effect of its slicing and dicing, but of course, the energy consumption rate required to stably maintain two dancing light wheels was also predictably immense.
Orin Vale advanced, cutting his way forward. With a few swift moves, he sliced through all the vines in one go, closed in on Swamp Thing, and unleashed a continuous two-bladed slash, cleanly severing both of his opponent's arms. He then fluidly transitioned into a spin, shifting his weight to his left leg. His right leg swung in a 360-degree arc, and a stylish spin kick once again blew Swamp Thing's entire head apart.
The headless, armless Swamp Thing staggered back, its huge body making the ground tremble violently with every step.
Orin Vale cut the energy, and the light wheel chain-blades vanished from his hands. He then opened his arms, pressed his palms together with fingers pointing forward, and a brilliant light shot out, enveloping Swamp Thing's entire body, holding him in place like a form-fitting force field.
Restraint Ray, a telekinesis-based skill once used by the Original Ultraman in his battle against Red King. Orin Vale wasn't originally very proficient with it, but after studying the mental enhancement effects of the Speed Force, its power had slightly increased, allowing him to temporarily lock down an opponent's movements, achieving a "stasis spell" effect.
That's right, just like what the Monkey King once did to the Seven Fairies.
Immediately after, he crossed his arms into a cross shape.
Specium Ray!
The signature light ray technique of the Ultraman Race, which maximizes the destructive effect of light energy. The destructive energy rapidly spread throughout Swamp Thing's entire body as the beam struck. The massive plant body exploded in a series of "Bang! Bang! Bang!" sounds from top to bottom, turning into a sky full of debris.
But of course, new plants began to break through from the underground, and the scattered fragments started to coalesce again, attempting to reform Swamp Thing's body.
But at that very moment, his suppressed mental activity flared up again, as if he were struggling to fight against the external mind control.
An opportunity.
Cutting off the Specium Ray, Orin Vale's whole body lit up. His form vanished, and he transformed into an orb of light.
He rushed into Swamp Thing's body along with the reforming plants!
*A day of three updates continues.*
(end of chapter)