A roar erupted from the twisted knight's steel-jawed face.
It sounded nothing like a machine anymore.
It sounded… alive.
THOOM!
The ground cracked as it charged, moving like a beast off its chain. The corrupted spear-blade scraped against the stone, igniting trails of sparks in its wake.
> "Tch—!"
I barely raised my chipped sword in time to block the first strike.
The force rattled through my bones. My heels dug trenches into the dungeon floor as I was pushed back, shoulder slamming against a pillar.
> "Damn it… It's way faster now!"
The monster's attack speed had doubled, maybe more.
It moved with no wasted motion, no delay between attacks—like a berserker who had memorized every sword technique and injected it straight into instinct.
CLANG! SLASH! WHOOSH!
I dodged left, ducked under a horizontal swipe, then launched a Blue Phoenix Fire Blast toward its side.
> FWOOSH!!
Blue flames engulfed its frame, flickering with purifying fire meant to eat through dark mana.
But—
No scream. No stagger. Nothing.
It just walked through the fire, parts of its armor glowing red-hot but already regenerating with icy vapor hissing around its shoulders.
> "What the hell?! You're not even phased?"
It dashed forward again, and I raised my sword—only to feel a sharp CRACK!
> "No—!"
The blade cracked from hilt to edge, chipped badly at the tip.
One more heavy blow—and it might shatter.
> "It's not just your strength," I muttered to myself, circling the golem as it dragged its monstrous weapon across the ground. "You've evolved your body. Your spear. Your magic circuits. That mouth… devouring other golems to grow stronger… like a parasite wearing armor."
> "This isn't a knight anymore—it's a cursed chimera."
Another spear thrust. I side-stepped—barely.
I tried to retaliate, slashing low at its knee joint with what little edge my sword had left. The steel sparked, dug in—
But the armor didn't crack.
My sword did.
> KRSSHH—!
A chunk of the blade fell off.
> "Damn…!"
I leapt back, panting, sweat running down my temple as the heat of Phoenix Veil crackled around me. The flames no longer comforted me—they felt like a warning now.
> "My sword's nearly dead… My fire can't stop it… And it's not slowing down."
I stared at the monster, watching as it slowly stalked forward, mechanical limbs creaking like ancient doors. That corrupted core in its chest pulsed with stolen magic, glowing purple and red, surrounded by ghostly blue mist.
> "If I don't think of something fast..."
> "I'm dead."
The moment my sword shattered, time blurred.
The adamantite mutant golem swung its twin-edged spear with predatory hunger—
A bladed arc screeched through the air, aimed right at my neck.
> "No time—!"
I threw out my good arm and ignited—
> "FIRE BLAST!!"
A vortex of fire detonated between us just in time—
The shockwave knocked me back, but the spear still skimmed close—
BOOM!!
I flew across the chamber, crashing into the stone ground with a crunch. My right hand, which cast the fire blast, felt like it had exploded from within.
> "Ghhh—!"
My fingers were numb. My palm blistered and torn from recoil.
The pain screamed through my nerves. I bit my tongue to stay conscious.
Blood dripped steadily from my hand as I crouched, gasping.
That monster…
Its body rippled with unstable mana. Steam hissed off its joints.
And it wasn't slowing down.
I gritted my teeth and slammed my back to a broken column, hiding just long enough to think.
> "There's gotta be a way. It's fast, heavy, durable—but not perfect."
I stared at the mutant golem. Its size didn't match its speed anymore.
That wasn't natural.
> "...If it still needs speed, then it must rely on mechanical joints. Something has to give under all that pressure."
I narrowed my gaze to its arms and legs—
And that's when I saw it.
Each time it accelerated, there was a click in its elbow. A faint spark. A delayed vibration before the next swing.
> "...There it is."
Its joint mechanics couldn't fully keep up with its evolved speed.
They were adamantite, yes, but no metal—no matter how strong—can bend endlessly under friction and weight.
> "You're fast… but your speed is your own poison."
I staggered up, left hand burning with mana. My sword was gone.
But fire… my fire still answered.
> "Let's test it—FIREBALL!!"
A volley of flaming orbs burst from my palm.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
They collided against its frame—smoke obscured its sight—
I aimed at its elbows, its knee sockets, its joints.
The golem raised its spear, trying to deflect, but I wasn't done.
Mana surged through my chest. I drew breath and focused all my will into my palm—
> "BLUE PHOENIX ARROW — PIERCING FLAME!!"
A high-pressure, arrow-shaped bolt of concentrated blue fire formed at
SWISH—THOOM!!
It howled through the air and struck—
KA-CHING—!!!
The bolt smashed into the golem's right elbow—
And for the first time—
It staggered.
Sparks flew.
Its arm twitched.
The golem roared in distorted fury, trying to re-stabilize, but the blue flames spread from the impact point—corroding even adamantite.
> "You're tough," I growled. "But I just need one weak link."
I didn't wait. With trembling legs, I began running again, flames flickering from my heels.
The battle wasn't over.
But now…
> "You're bleeding… just like anything else."
Smoke still hissed from the golem's elbow where my last arrow had struck.
Its arm jittered and flexed, sparks flying erratically. But the monster wasn't done—not by a long shot.
> "Now's the chance… I have to push it—!"
My body screamed in protest. My hand was shaking.
But I forced myself upright. Blood ran down my burned arm like dripping ink.
I pressed my palm to the ground—
> "FIRE STREAM—SCATTER SHOT!"
Several small orbs of fire burst from my hand, exploding across the earth around the golem's feet.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions created a thick smoke cover, engulfing the battlefield.
I sprinted to the side, boots crunching over rubble, using the smog as a curtain.
> "Can't let it see. Can't let it breathe."
The golem roared inside the fog—
A warped, mechanical howl that echoed across the hall.
Then—
CLANG! CRASH! WHOOSH!!
It began swinging its spear wildly in all directions, tearing through stone pillars and shattering walls in blind rage. Sparks flew. The smoke churned, but it couldn't find me.
> "Perfect."
I raised my left hand again, biting down my pain. Mana surged to my palm.
> "Blue Flame Arrow—Second Shot."
I jumped to the side and launched the arrow in a high arc—
It whistled through the smoke like a falling star—
THOOM!!
It struck true—
Right at the golem's left leg—just behind the knee joint.
BOOM!
Flames surged upward from the impact, wrapping around its thigh.
The golem let out a screeching howl, its balance starting to fail.
> "One leg down. Time for the next."
I didn't wait. My legs were sore, lungs burning—but I ran again. My feet traced a wide circle around it, constantly moving, constantly firing.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Another hail of fireballs rained like mortars, keeping it disoriented.
It spun, thrashed, but the damage was taking hold.
Its mask began to split open again—
That monstrous, gaping mouth revealing grinding teeth of obsidian—
But I was already preparing the next shot.
> "This one ends your run—Blue Flame Arrow—Strike!!"
I leapt over a pile of rubble, taking aim in midair.
My flame arrow shot like lightning—
WHHHHRRRRBOOM!!!
Direct hit.
Right leg—shattered.
The blue flame burst out of the joint like a geyser.
The adamantite twisted and buckled under the corrosion. Its knees gave out—
THOOM!!
It crashed to the ground on one side, the spear scraping the floor with a hideous shriek.
> "I've grounded you…" I whispered, landing on one knee. "...Now I'll bury you."
The mutant golem roared once more, struggling to lift its body.
But its movement… was no longer fluid.
The adamantite mutant golem roared, a metallic, echoing scream that tore through the crumbled chamber. Its legs—battered, cracked, and mangled—could barely keep it standing. The mask on its twisted face had begun to fall apart, exposing the inner whirling cores—shrieking with broken mana.
But even with its body ruined…
It refused to die.
CLANG.
It planted the tip of its spear into the ground, forcing itself upward, sparks bursting from its joints.
> "No way—how is it still—?!"
With a dying howl, the monster pulled its spear back—
And lunged straight toward me.
Its body was falling apart. It had no balance. No mobility.
But that last desperate charge—
It was all or nothing.
The spear blade shrieked through the air, aiming straight for my heart.
Time slowed.
I tried to dodge—but my knees buckled. My broken sword was long gone. My body was sluggish. My vision doubled. My hand, still scorched and bloody, instinctively raised in front of me.
> "No weapon… No time… Move—MOVE!"
And then—
Something awakened.
Not rage.
Not panic.
Not the Phoenix Veil I knew.
But something deeper.
My fire… turned cold for a moment—then roared back to life.
But this time—
It burned purple.
> FWOOOOOOOOSH!!
My palm exploded with purplish fire.
Not orange.
Not blue.
Something else entirely.
It wasn't like flame—it was like a void that consumed everything in its heat.
The blast erupted from my hand—point-blank—
Straight into the golem's face.
The mutated knight didn't even have time to scream.
The entire hallway behind it turned white with heat.
The floor cracked and the ceiling buckled.
The very air distorted into ripples.
And the adamantite golem—
Turned to ash.
A silhouette of its twisted body crumbled into dust, and the wind from the shockwave blew the ashes away like snow.
Silence.
Then—my body collapsed to the ground.
My hand… still glowing faintly with purple fire.
> "…Dammit..... I didn't mean to used it?" I whispered through bloodied lips, staring at my burned palm.
The wound start healing healing like slowly.
The Phoenix Veil flickered weakly around my body—but this new fire…
It was emergency attack just in case last second.
It was supposed to be knock back but i don't think that powerful enough to destroy it.
>The goddess," i mean you already powerful enough to easily handle something like that. I think you enjoy to much...." giggles.
>"I just want to know how limit my human power still had in this point but all i can say you train me really give me safety guide. I guess thanks for you." slowly walk to the door and open it....
End of chapter 23