While in Yharnam, Goki was frequently beaten and sent flying by monsters.
Just those Brick Bros in the city district, wielding large bricks, once sent Goki flying over ten meters with a single brick when he was a new Hunter, much further than in the game.
However, being sent flying by a wild monster that had gone mad and lost its human form was clearly not as enjoyable as being thrown by a beautiful young girl with white hair, red eyes, a cute appearance, and an explosively good figure.
Goki felt he was starting to enjoy the sensation of being tossed around by Skadi.
But this time, he didn't linger on the subtle fragrance of the beautiful woman; instead, he focused his mind, watching the approaching Flame Giant, and pulled up his tattered, scorched cape, which was flapping in the wind.
[Scorched Hunter Set]
Hunter attire crafted at the workshop.
The beastly plague that once plagued Old Yharnam concluded with the town's fiery cleansing.
The dampness of this cloak makes it highly fire-resistant; those who wear this exclusive attire hunted down the plague victims who survived the raging flames.
This set of attire was a Hunter's uniform Goki found on the corpse of a Senior Hunter in the burnt-down Old Yharnam, and it had always been stored in the storeroom of his Hunter's Dream.
The entire uniform had been specially treated for fire protection and was constantly damp, making it extremely fire-resistant. Yet, despite this, the cape and edges still bore scorched marks from prolonged hunting.
Using the blood echoes obtained from slaying mercenaries in the recent battle, Goki retrieved this old outfit from the Hunter's Dream—it was perfectly suited for this situation.
"Mon3tr—pleasure working with you! Don't worry about radiating me; I'm not afraid of these things!"
Watching the black crystalline giant beast beside him, extending four sharp pincers capable of easily tearing through metal armor, pounce towards the giant, Goki gave her a thumbs-up.
After more than a week together, Goki had figured out that Mon3tr, as Kal'tsit's true form, possessed its own consciousness. Not only was its combat power explosive, but it also had an intelligence comparable to a child's, constantly learning about this world with the curiosity of a newborn.
Kal'tsit never revealed Mon3tr's origin but would occasionally let her out for a walk. Goki and Skadi both got along well with Mon3tr.
"Gah—"
Mon3tr clearly paused for a moment, then nodded, as if understanding Goki's words.
A few seconds passed in an instant. Goki held his breath, feeling the aura emanating from the most intense part of the oncoming heatwave.
Within Goki's body, the Hunter's blood began to flow rapidly. Whether it was the blood of the Hunter, the Seaborn, or… the Great One, all began to surge with excitement.
They sensed their prey.
And Goki had come to steal the giant's flame.
After all… "My flamethrower and fire paper need better fuel."
And so, Goki and Mon3tr plunged directly into the core of the Balrog.
From the truck nearby, Kal'tsit's usually calm expression showed a hint of emotion as she watched Goki fly towards the Balrog, her mouth involuntarily half-open.
"Nonsense—this madman, I hope he knows what he's doing."
Ever since meeting this fellow, Kal'tsit, who had always believed herself to be numb to all things, had been shocked by Goki's outrageous actions again and again.
No, it was more like… frightened.
Watching the Balrog's halted steps, and Skadi, who had pulled out her greatsword, stomped a large pit in the ground, and shot off into the distance, Kal'tsit sighed again.
Lately, she felt she was sighing more often.
Was it because she was getting old?
No, absolutely not.
"Mon3tr, follow my command, initiate Melt Cycle—"
With a snap of Kal'tsit's fingers, Mon3tr, which had entered the Balrog's body, began to emit an unusual glow.
At the same time, Goki precisely entered the hollow shell almost entirely composed of flames.
The protection of the Scorched Hunter Set could only resist a portion of the flames. Under the intense heat, Goki's skin instantly began to char and crack, then continuously cycled through peeling and regeneration in a process of recovery and burning.
If he were an ordinary Ashina ninja, he would have already been fully inflamed and given up on the spot.
But fortunately, Goki was a Hunter from Yharnam. Although he feared chronic and acute toxins, and was prone to entering a frenzy simply by being roared at a couple of times by monsters.
However, even if the people of Yharnam poked him in the face with torches, or if Laurence's flaming claws scratched him, he was still an incombustible object of Boruto-level resilience!
Floating in the high-temperature plasma, Goki was like the Great Sage in the Pill Furnace, his vision instantly destroyed.
But even without eyes to perceive beauty, Goki possessed a heart that could—in the midst of darkness, he saw a unique existence.
It was a wisp of flame, unlike the surrounding fire; it was tiny and quiet, yet the power it contained was utterly beyond what other flames could achieve.
Goki had lost his sight and couldn't see ordinary flames, but this tiny wisp of fire, he saw with exceptional clarity.
[Just like the First Flame… well, not on the same level, far from it.]
That was the core of this Balrog.
Thinking this, Goki endured the pain of being incinerated by the flames and, without hesitation, seized the fiercely burning wisp of fire with his hand.
Almost instantly, greedy and ecstatic thoughts exploded in the void. A narrow path, that ancient existence, like a ravenous wolf spotting fresh meat, cast its gaze directly upon him.
It was a burning giant, who spread its broken, burning wings in the flames and dust, looking down upon the beings of the north.
It felt hunger; it sensed this tempting delicacy.
It wanted to cross that ancient high wall, punish those tiny beings who dared to offend it a thousand years ago, burn the lush Rainforest to ashes, and melt the yellow sand into fragile glass.
But towards this tempting creature before him, it felt a hint of confusion.
[You are not the Sea… Strange, you have hunted a part of it, and even possess other powers, very good.]
A resonant voice echoed in Goki's mind,
[Why align with Mortals? You could be so much more exalted. Your power is unique. Join forces with me, and we can devour the entire…]
However, Goki's reply was equally concise.
[Who the hell are you—I'm just borrowing your fire, stop rambling.]
Goki possessed extensive knowledge of gods and experience dealing with them.
He knew that the fierce and majestic presence in his mind was, without a doubt, a god of Terra.
However, Goki held no reverence for any deity.
Of course, if it were like Nian, a beautiful goddess with fair skin, long legs, and a touch of human warmth, or like Xi, an Immortal Qi-filled, otherworldly immortal sister… that would be another story, another story altogether, specific problems require specific analysis!
But in any case, if a god is killed, it will die.
Currently, this Flame Giant, which would self-destruct if left alone, could only be considered a weak kin. Goki was merely taking advantage of the materials within its body.
As for the god hidden in the Burning Wind Scorched Earth, Goki was very interested.
He seemed to detect a part of his own 'flavor' in it.
[You are one of those thieves, how interesting. I may not be able to finish you off now, but it won't be long.]
Whether he could win or not was another matter, but tough talk was still necessary.
In Goki's view, the power of this Balrog Lord also seemed extremely weak, just like the Sea God that Skadi had chopped up with a single sword—it wasn't as powerful as he claimed.
Clearly, the brave pioneers had inflicted considerable damage upon him.
[…Enough, blasphemer! I will burn both you and the Sea to ashes!]
After a brief silence, the giant erupted in an angry roar, its last vestiges of sanity completely gone.
[Hunt! Burn! Incinerate! Start with the smallest, and finally devour you!]
[That's it? So, am I hanging up?]
Feeling Mon3tr trembling to its limit beneath him, Goki shrugged, snatching away the burning wisp of fire.
The next second, the Balrog Giant, already on the verge of collapse, instantly began to disintegrate.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz—Boom!
And at the same time, accompanied by a deafening roar, a dazzling, bright green light shone from the Flame Giant's chest, illuminating the night sky with exceptional brilliance.
"Tsk—hide!"
Feeling the burst of Originium energy, Gavial hugged Angela tightly in her arms.
However, the expected explosion did not occur.
The surging flames, having lost their core, rapidly depleted the Originium energy in the air, disappearing without a trace.
Whoosh—thud.
The next second, a charred, smoking, humanoid object, whose exposed skin had entirely vanished, revealing black-and-red muscle—a truly miserable sight—splashed onto the ground with a thud.
"Ah, I didn't catch him—are you alright, Goki!"
A few meters away, Skadi, who had just severed the Balrog's legs with a single strike and extended her hands, intending to give Goki a cool princess carry, was still a step too late, anxiously looking at Goki lying on the ground.
"Ha, I'm burning up… I'm fine!"
A few seconds later, Goki, lying on the ground, gave a big thumbs-up to the sky, then fiercely jabbed the syringe in his hand into his thigh.
At the same time, he looked at a hot little bottle in his other hand.
Inside the bottle, a flickering wisp of flame floated quietly in the air.
"Phew, my goodness, you two, can someone explain what's going on—what the hell was that thing!"
With a light flick, Gavial tossed aside the scorching hot jeep shield, her face a picture of disbelief, and walked over to Goki, who was rapidly regenerating.
"Dude, you… are too fierce!"
Now, Gavial no longer believed that the guy in front of her was some bounty hunter.
"Wait, Angela, what's wrong with you?"
However, immediately after, Gavial suddenly noticed that Angela, in her arms, had her eyes tightly shut, her body burning hot, like a small furnace.
"Cough cough, so hot, it feels like fire is burning in my head, but, it's okay, it's okay, I know how to treat it—"
The small body suddenly erupted with immense strength. Angela broke free from Gavial's arms and, guided by an instinctive call, knelt beside Goki.
Angela felt a terrifying presence glance at her before disappearing, but that single glance filled her with burning pain.
"Hey, hey, you—"
Gavial watched helplessly as Angela directly picked up Goki's dirty, ash-stained needle, still embedded in his vein, drew another tube of blood from his body, and handed it to Gavial.
"Inject it into me, Sister Gavial, please."
She craved her big brother's blood, a craving that was almost greedy.
"I don't understand you guys… this is truly bad luck. Alright, alright, and that Balrog too, I have to go back home to check. I'm going to start IV pushes."
With a heavy sigh, Gavial rolled her eyes, resignedly picked up the seemingly germ-infested syringe, and injected the dirty blood into herself.
"This is truly the worst and most dangerous job of my life."
Watching Angela slowly regain her composure, Gavial felt that her path in medicine still had a long way to go.
Gavial's words were not entirely accurate.
In reality, her next mission would be the most thrilling, exciting, and memorable adventure of her life.
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