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"Damnâ¦! This small fist⦠how heavyâ¦!" Charlotte grunted.
"Impressive! As expected!" Inglis praised, exhilarated by the challenge.
Charlotte's skill was remarkable, far surpassing that of the Hyrule Menaces Inglis had encountered before. She couldn't help but wonderâif Charlotte was indeed Liselotteâs mother, could the aptitude for becoming a Hyrule Menace be hereditary?
Liselotte was said to possess an extremely high aptitude. If Charlotte also had an exceptional natural affinity, it could explain her extraordinary power. And if that were the case, Liselotte might one day attain a level of strength comparable to Charlotte's, should she undergo the same transformation.
The clash between Inglis and Charlotte left them evenly matched, and both warriors landed gracefully on the ground. However, the faceless giant took advantage of the brief opening and slipped past Inglis. It grabbed the tail of one of the mechanical dragons and slammed it into the earth with overwhelming force.
BOOOOM!
The ground trembled violently from the impact, shaking everyone nearby.
"Oh no! The mechanical dragon!" Rafinha gasped.
Just then, a massive black blade came crashing down onto the giant's outstretched arm.
"Take this!" It was Leone's black greatswordâan Artifact. She had enlarged it and aimed a precise blow at the giant's arm, hoping to sever it.
"Leone! Nice one!"
"Good job!" Rafinha cheered.
"But⦠I can't cut through!" Leone gritted her teeth as her black blade sank into the giant's arm, but not deep enough to sever it entirely. The trapped mechanical dragon thrashed on the ground, struggling to free itself.
"! Thatâs itâ¦! This should work!" Rafinha exclaimed, pulling back the bowstring of her Flowing Radiance with determination.
"Leone! Donât pull the sword backâjust push it in deeper!"
The arrow Rafinha released glowed with a soft, pale blue lightâimbued with the miracle of healing.
The arrow struck Leone's black greatsword, and the healing energy spread along the blade. Empowered by the Gift of healing, the sword bit deeper into the giant's arm than before.
"Damn it! A Healing Gift!" Maxwell growled, clicking his tongue in frustration.
"Healing powers affect the undead, donât they!? This thing should be vulnerable too!" Rafinha exclaimed triumphantly.
"Good memory, Raniâ¦! Well done!" Inglis called out encouragingly as she parried Charlotteâs halberd. Rafinhaâs growth was evident with each passing moment.
"Now we can cut through!" Leone declared, redoubling her effort.
"Iâll help as well! Hyaaahhh!"
Liselotte descended swiftly, her white wingsâgranted by her Giftâflaring behind her. She swung her halberd down with force, striking in tandem with Leoneâs greatsword. Their combined strength severed the faceless giantâs arm cleanly.
âââWe did itâ¦!âââ
Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte cheered together, their voices filled with relief and triumph.
The freed mechanical dragon flapped its wings, lifting off into the skyâonly for disaster to strike in the next instant. A golden flash streaked toward the dragonâs neck.
With an explosive shockwave, the dragonâs head was severed clean from its body. The headless dragon plummeted to the ground, landing with a thunderous crash, lifeless and still.
"Nooo!"
"Hehehe, too bad⦠It was false hope, wasnât it?"
The one smiling was Tiffany, clad in golden armor. Unlike most Hyrule Menaces, who transform into weapons such as swords or spears, Tiffanyâs weaponized form took the shape of armorâgranting her a humanoid body rather than becoming a weapon herself.
Arles, once part of the Venefique army and now a knight academy instructor, was known as a Shield Celestial Princess, acting as living defensive equipment. Similarly, Tiffanyâs golden armor amplified her physical abilitiesâheightening her defense, speed, and strength, much like Inglisâ Ether Armor or dragon ice armor.
With her enhanced abilities and the armorâs durability, she had decapitated the dragon with a single devastating kick.
While exchanging rapid blows with Charlotte, Inglis kept a sharp eye on Tiffanyâs movements, ready to intervene if necessary.
Since Rafinha had chosen the path of a knight, Inglis knew she couldnât shield her from battle. But watching Rafinha face top-tier opponentsâlike a sigil knight or Hyrule Menaceâstill weighed on Inglisâ heart. She couldnât help but worry.
"Then again, even if its arm is cut off⦠it just regrows," Inglis muttered.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The faceless giant brought its severed wrist to the stump, and as if nothing had happened, the limb reattached seamlessly.
"Itâs back!"
"Even though we cut it off!"
"Itâs not workingâ¦!?"
Although Maxwell controlled it, the giant was essentially made of magical fluid. Cutting or stabbing it wouldnât deliver a decisive blow.
To destroy it entirely would require overwhelming powerâsuch as an Ether Strike or the Dragon God Vufailbaneâs breath.
Rafinhaâs miracle arrows, powerful though they were, might not be enough with just one shot. Perhaps dozensâor even hundredsâwould be necessary to bring it down.
"Well, thanks to all of you, we bought enough time! They only managed to take down one!"
As the battle raged on, the remaining mechanical dragons took advantage of the opportunity, flying into the giant hole created by the faceless giant. Six mechanical dragons were still intact, and the last one prepared to dive into the hole.
"Take care of things here! Iâm going to help evacuate the residents!" With that, Vilma leaped from the edge of the hole, landing on the shoulder of the final mechanical dragon.
"Rani, you and the others go too! Iâll hold things down here!" Inglis called out.
"Got itâ¦! Iâm counting on you, Glis!"
"Hold on to me, both of you!" Liselotte instructed as she grabbed Rafinha and Leone.
"Yesâ¦!"
With that, Liselotte followed Vilma, carrying Rafinha and Leone. Inglis smiled inwardlyânow she could fight without worrying about her friends.
This was the best outcome. It allowed her to enjoy sparring with Charlotte, Tiffany, Maxwell, and the faceless giant while keeping Rafinha out of danger.
"Tiffany, follow them," Charlotte ordered.
Tiffanyâs expression twisted into clear displeasureâobviously unhappy about receiving instructions from Charlotte.
"Now, now, Miss Tiffany. Why not get along with your team and face me together?" Inglis smiled gracefully, her words smooth and playful as she tried to soothe Tiffany.
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