GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
The distorted scream of metal echoed through the abandoned warehouse, signaling the start of the battle.
The iron beast began by demonstrating its destructive power for him to witness. Its hydraulic muscles tensed, lifting the vehicle wreckage above its head before hurling it at Owen as if it were a mere pebble! The mass of steel that was once a vehicle was now a meteor of rust and death, tearing through the air. The whistling wind pierced the eardrums like the screams of a hundred souls.
WHOOSH!
Owen, already prepared, shot sideways, dodging just in time. The vehicle wreckage flew past where he had been standing a split second before, crashing violently into the warehouse wall behind him.
KRA-BOOOOOOM!
A deafening sound of twisting and tearing metal erupted. The warehouse wall caved in, creating a massive dent. Metal debris scattered everywhere like shrapnel, a clear demonstration of the enemy's raw destructive power.
And before the dust from the explosion could even settle, the iron beast moved again...
Thump... Thump… Thump...
The echoing sound of the hydraulic pistons was the rhythm of a heavy, merciless killing machine. Every step it took toward him made the concrete floor beneath Owen's feet tremble violently.
It was a cold and relentless advance... and when it entered attack range, it began to swing the sharp metal "claw" from its other arm in a brutal, horizontal sweep!
Owen saw the crude movement clearly. He quickly dropped low, letting the sharp claws slash through the air just inches above his head. He could feel the heavy air pressure and hear the screech of metal on metal, sparking brightly. If he had been a split second slower, his body would have been torn in two.
'What the hell is this destructive power!' Owen thought as he pushed himself back to a steady stance.
Vwoosh... Fwip!
The iron beast continued its relentless assault on Owen. Its same clawed arm was raised high, pointing to the sky, the joints creaking as if straining against their limits, before it slammed straight down where Owen stood!
Owen shot sideways to dodge out of the attack's radius.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The warehouse floor caved into a deep pit instantly! The violent tremor made Owen, who had just lunged away, stumble and almost fall. Dust and concrete fragments from the explosion still hung in the air, blurring his vision.
A few seconds later… the ringing in Owen's ears slowly faded, replaced by a horrifying scraping sound, the sound of heavy metal dragging against broken concrete.
Owen quickly pushed himself back to a steady stance, his eyes fixed on the center of the newly formed pit... and in the moment the iron beast was struggling to "pull" its arm from the crater… Owen began to see "something" hidden beneath the frantic assault.
It was an "opening."
Not just any opening... but a flaw as clear as if it had 'Attack me' written on it.
Its movements were violent and deadly, true, but every motion seemed like a pre-programmed machine. It had a "fixed rhythm"... a clear "delay" between one attack and the next.
'Its attacks are powerful... but too slow and predictable.'
The thought flashed through his head. Owen realized instantly that this was its only weakness. Trading blows head-on with this level of destructive power was suicide. Therefore, he had to use his "speed" to seize these "openings" and turn them into his advantage.
With that, Owen decided to test the strength of the enemy's armor, along with another important goal... he had to "land a hit" to begin accumulating heat for his gauntlets.
Owen waited for the moment the iron beast slammed its claw into the ground again, and in the second it was slowly pulling its arm back... he quickly circulated his mana, using the 'reinforcement' technique on his right arm and both legs!
Owen dropped low and kicked off the ground with the force of an arrow loosed from a bow, the concrete under his feet cracking into a spiderweb! He closed the distance in an instant, his right arm pulled back, twisting his waist to send power to his shoulder, before his fist exploded into the iron beast's body with full force!
"Hyaaaa!"
BANGGG!! CLANGGGGG!
The sound of metal on metal was deafening. An invisible shockwave erupted from the point of impact, making the air tremble, but the result was disappointing... On the thick, alien metal armor, only a faint "black scorch mark" appeared. It had done almost no damage. The massive recoil shot back, making Owen's entire right arm go numb.
But at the same time, he felt it! A faint "warmth" formed on the gauntlet for the first time, and a small system window appeared in the corner of his eye.
[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 50/6000 units]
Owen's eyes widened. 'Damn it! A full-power punch with B-Rank mana only gets 50 units! Does that mean... I have to punch it a hundred more times to fully charge it!?'
It seemed his attack was no different from a mosquito bite to the iron beast, but it was enough to annoy it. It roared furiously, all its red eyes snapping to him with rage, before it began to attack with a mad frenzy!
This time, it wasn't a single attack, but a coordination between both its arms! The clamp arm tried to grab and crush him, while the claw arm slashed to cut off his escape.
Owen had to use all his concentration to dodge. He became like a dancer, dancing on the razor's edge of death. Each attack was violent and heavy, but the more he dodged, the clearer he saw its "pattern"... Every movement was still heavy and clumsy. It was the only opening he had... speed and agility.
A clear battle plan formed in his head... 'Not a fight to destroy... but a fight to 'accumulate power'!'
He got into his fighting stance again, but this time his eyes held no recklessness. They were filled with a cold and focused concentration. He looked past the thick armor, focusing on the exposed joints and cables on the iron beast's body... The real fight... one that required speed, endurance, and intelligence... had only just begun!
The iron beast responded to Owen's changed stance with an even more furious roar. The storm of coordinated attacks it had just begun grew even more frantic and violent! It was a closing circle of death, aiming to crush the prey that dared to oppose it.
But amidst the frantic assault, Owen was no longer just dodging to survive... he began to "dance" with its attacks.
With cold eyes and unwavering focus, he saw the fixed "pattern" clearly and used his speed to move with the "rhythm" of the killing machine. When the clamp arm shot out, he smoothly dodged like flowing water. When the claw arm slashed past, he ducked low, letting it pass. Every movement was smooth and efficient.
And as the claw arm slashed violently through the air again with a whistle, Owen didn't retreat but used that moment to shoot into the "opening" that had appeared! He used his left fist, reinforced with glowing mana, to punch the "hydraulic joint" at its shoulder, quickly and precisely!
CRACK!
A sound like a small thunderclap rang out. Thick, black hydraulic fluid sprayed from the crack. Although it didn't cause serious damage, it made the arm's movement stutter for a moment. And most importantly...
[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 100/6000 units]
GRRRRRR...!
The iron beast roared with pain and fury. It no longer saw Owen as just an annoying "insect," but as a "threat" that needed to be eliminated. Its attacks grew more violent and frantic. It began to destroy everything in its path. Concrete pillars were smashed to pieces. Vehicle wreckage was thrown around like toys. Metal fragments and concrete chunks flew everywhere, becoming obstacles to Owen's movement.
But that played right into his hands! Owen used his intelligence to fight. He ran up the crumbling walls as if weightless, leaped over the wreckage in his path, and used the broken pillars for cover and as launch points. He had impressively created a playground of death amidst the ruins.
Every time the iron beast missed and left an opening, Owen would rush in for a counterattack. Each punch aimed at a different weak point... an exposed cable, a moving joint, or a slightly revealed circuit board.
BANG! BANG! CRACK!
[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 350/6000 units]
[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 600/6000 units]
[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 900/6000 units]
As the energy level rose, the "Gauntlets of the Sun God" began to change visibly... From a faint warmth, they now glowed a steady orange-red. The ancient patterns on the gauntlets appeared as glowing lines, and a faint white smoke began to rise from his knuckles with every punch. It was a sign that the destructive energy was slowly being awakened.
After being hit with countless hit-and-run attacks... the iron beast's distorted AI began to "adapt."
It suddenly stopped its scattered attacks, making Owen raise an eyebrow in suspicion. He could clearly feel an abnormal change in the atmosphere.
The armor plates all over the iron beast's body vibrated violently before sliding open, revealing a blue "energy core" hidden within, which was pulsing madly like a second heart! A high-frequency energy hum pierced the ears. All its red eyes narrowed at once before flaring up again, many times brighter than before!
Owen's instincts screamed a warning of the highest danger!
The iron beast slammed both its arms into the steel floor like anchors!
KRRRANG! BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The blue energy core in its chest exploded with a bright light! An immense amount of static electricity erupted from the floor like a fountain of lightning! Countless blue pillars of electricity shot up around it, creating a "dome of a lightning storm" that roared thunderously!
Blue sparks shot across the dome like a thousand serpents, forcing Owen to leap back instantly to escape the danger zone. He landed dozens of meters away, and when he steadied himself, his hair was standing slightly on end from the intense static in the air. He looked at the scene before him in shock... The iron beast now stood calmly in the center of its own lightning storm.
At the same time, he glanced at his own gauntlets, which were glowing a continuous orange-red. The heat radiating from them was so intense it slightly distorted the air around them.
[[Fist of the Rising Sun] Heat Accumulated: 2500/6000 units]
'Damn it!' Owen swore internally. 'It learned my attack pattern... so it turned itself into a fortress instead!'
The enemy had changed from a stationary target waiting to be attacked into a formidable fortress he couldn't approach. The fight had escalated to a much more dangerous level... and now... it was Owen's turn to adapt!
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