AI Model: gemini-3.0-flash
Chapter 43: Victory in Battle!
After several exchanges, Roland keenly observed how the two enemies were coordinating with each other.
First, regarding Rize Kamishiro, the primary target; she didn't seem to initiate attacks while in her slumbering state, but she possessed an incredibly exaggerated total health pool.
It was only because Roland was wielding "angelica," which specialized in dealing with Ghouls; if he had continued fighting with his previous nichirin blade, the damage dealt might not have even exceeded her health regeneration.
Furthermore, whenever Rize Kamishiro was injured, red mist would gush from the wounds. The more wounds there were or the deeper they were, the faster the red mist would emerge.
As long as this red mist was absorbed by Furuta Nimura, not only would his injuries be healed and recovered, but his overall strength would also receive a comprehensive boost.
Whether it was injury recovery or strength enhancement, it was completed almost the instant the red mist was absorbed; it was extremely fast and impossible to stop.
As for Furuta Nimura, although Roland crushed him in terms of combat technique, under the empowerment of that red mist, he was a complete mad dog.
He didn't care in the slightest how severely he was injured by Roland's blade, only knowing to launch relentless, frenzied attacks. Even if his limbs were broken or his Rinkaku was severed, he would still pounce, attempting to bite with his teeth.
"A healer-tank plus a mad dog—even a god would take a detour! Designer of the Wheel of Reincarnation Paradise! Look at the BOSS you designed! How am I supposed to play this? Tell me, how?!"
Roland cursed as he clashed blades with Furuta Nimura, then spun and jumped into a back-kick that landed squarely on the other's chest, putting some distance between himself and this disgusting thing.
He had executed the opponent three times in a row, but each time, after absorbing the red mist, the man fully recovered in less than half a minute.
This was just one Furuta Nimura, and he was already this troublesome!
Roland didn't even dare to imagine how torturous the battle would be if more Ghouls were placed here and given the same red mist empowerment.
Stepping back into Zanshin and recovering a few stacks of his Breathing Technique, Roland stepped forward with an elbow strike, a palm thrust, and a shoulder bash!
The three-hit combo of the Senpou Temple - Praying Strikes landed squarely on Furuta Nimura's chest, forcibly pushing him to the edge of the high platform, where the red mist was thinner.
There's no other way; I can only try to see if an environmental kill can take out this mad dog!
Roland raised his leg, entering a charged state, then delivered a high kick right into Furuta Nimura's face.
This blow should have sent the latter flying off the platform, but Furuta Nimura stubbornly pinned his own left foot with the longsword in his hand, forcibly anchoring his body just as it was about to be launched.
"Hehehe! It's useless! Under her blessing, it's impossible for you to defeat me!"
The hilt of the long blade in his hand slammed into Furuta Nimura's right collarbone, causing the opponent's attempt to draw his sword and counter-attack to pause. Roland flipped his wrist to hold the blade in a reverse grip, carving through the flesh of the man's thigh with a horizontal slash and knocking his jaw askew with an uppercut.
Furuta Nimura's body began to fall backward again, yet he still tried to struggle in his death throes. The Rinkaku behind him reached out, attempting to wrap around Roland and drag him down into the fall.
The latter reacted in time, using the [Reverse Dismounted Hawk Water Wheel] to retreat to a safe position. Orlando spread his Ukaku, firing a barrage of feathers that completely knocked Furuta Nimura down.
Was the battle over just like that?
Of course, it wasn't that simple!
"Pops, watch your back!!"
Orlando crossed his Ukaku, barely parrying the incoming Rinkaku. Roland rolled forward to dissipate the impact force, and after stabilizing himself, he twisted his body in a crouched position and swung his blade.
A cold light flashed. The Rinkaku that had ambushed him was like a twisted, skinned snake, but it was severed at its vital point by this single strike.
A humanoid creature assembled from deformed chunks of flesh appeared behind Roland, grinning as it spoke:
"I said it! Under her blessing, it's impossible for you to defeat me!"
red mist enveloped him. Blood vessels and veins immediately sprouted, followed by skin, flesh, and hair, and finally, that layer of biological armor. Soon, Furuta Nimura's figure stood before Roland once again.
At this moment, the Furuta Nimura standing before Roland was no different from the fellow who had just fallen off the edge of the platform.
If there was any difference at all, it was likely only that the cross-shaped longsword was no longer in his hand.
However, things were a bit different from what Furuta Nimura had expected. Instead of looking solemn or even terrified by his 'resurrection,' Roland laughed as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.
"An existence similar to a Symbiote? No, that's giving him too much credit. His current state should already be part of Rize Kamishiro—at most, he's an aggregate of rc cells!"
Roland saw through the opponent's true form and instantly understood what was going on.
"No wonder even when Orlando drained the rc cells from his body earlier, his recovery ability didn't seem to weaken. So it turns out that red mist doesn't provide you with a healing effect, but rather repairs and refills!"
Roland laughed inwardly. If Furuta Nimura had chosen to keep tangling with him, he might not have discovered this so quickly.
But the opponent just had to show off his so-called 'Princess's Blessing,' semi-cooperating in a drama where he was knocked down, smashed to pieces, and then resurrected to return to the platform and continue guarding the 'Princess.'
Unexpectedly, it backfired. Roland saw through the illusion of 'immortality' at a glance and found a way to deal with them.
Roland clashed with Furuta Nimura again, his expression suddenly becoming much more relaxed. After several rounds, the latter was once again forced into a 'stance collapse,' kneeling on the ground.
This time, however, Roland didn't choose to execute him. Instead, he activated the final trump card he had hidden until now.
Transparent World!
In the blink of an eye, the world in Roland's eyes became drastically different.
The flow of air, the diffusion of the red mist, and the flow of all the rc cells that made up the individual 'Furuta Nimura'—all these things were laid bare before his eyes.
Switching to a low stance, he swung his blade several times in a flash, precisely severing several key nodes of the rc cell flow within Furuta Nimura's body.
"It's useless! No matter how many times you kill me, I will be reborn from her embrace!"
Furuta Nimura still hadn't grasped the situation and continued to clamor.
For him, as long as he absorbed a bit of the red mist, he could reconnect those nodes, so he naturally didn't take Roland's few strikes seriously.
Roland ignored the barking of the dying man. He used his long blade to rip open the man's chest and abdomen, then converted all his remaining Breathing Technique stacks into Frost Qi stored in his lungs and exhaled it in one breath.
In the initial cultivation stages of the [Frost Sky Breathing Technique], there was only a one-word difference between chilled air and Frost Qi, but their effects were worlds apart.
No matter the amount of the former, exhaling it could at most slow down an enemy's movements, but the latter could freeze the opponent solid once enough had accumulated!
Looking at the red ice crystals that had formed before him, Roland knew that he had won this battle!