Earth Dungeon 76.1

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Chapter 76.1. Kongou Nioh

Shizuku sent mana into her shimmering small sword, enveloping its blade with the Hazy Water Short Sword. Hazy Water Short Sword's blade could extend as much as she desired. With a speed that made it seem her body had split, she swung the rapidly elongating sword. The soldiers before her, unable to resist the strike, were cleaved apart without any chance of resistance.

"Huff."

Exhaling sharply, I continued to advance, mowing down enemies while accelerating.

"Fire! Fire!"

Soldiers, horrified by their comrades getting cut down one after another like butter, fired their automatic rifles while dropping to one knee.

[Magic Hard Shield]

I used magic bestowed by Sakimori-san. It could be called a magic martial art. It was layered on top of the barrier created by the power ring. The transparent barrier didn't hinder my vision or attacks, that was incredibly convenient.

I could now witness the performance of that barrier firsthand. With a mere "thump", it deflected all the rifle bullets.

"What? Switch to AP rounds!"

Realizing it was ineffective, a man who seemed to be the squad leader issued an order, and the soldiers expertly changed their magazines.

"I must commend you for your skillful actions."

She decided to stop running and began to slowly walk. She wanted to see if she could withstand bullets. AP rounds, which could easily penetrate steel plates and turn most monsters into chunks of flesh, were once again deflected by Shizuku's barrier, just like before.

"Grenade!"

One of the soldiers threw a grenade that rolled at Shizuku's feet and exploded. A loud boom and smoke erupted, enveloping her.

"You did it! Wait, why isn't anyone saying anything?"

However, amid the smoke and chaos, a sweet voice could be heard, causing their faces to contort in fear. Then, a young girl walked out of the smoke, unscathed and not even dusty.

"Lieutenant Colonel."

Seeing this, soldiers grimaced and sought help from their boss.

"The experiment was a success. This barrier can withstand automatic rifle attacks without issue."

The enigmatic masked girl smiled gracefully amidst the blood-stained smoke. Even though it was futile, they attempted to pull the trigger again, but Shizuku swung her sword without hesitation.

[Dim Water Flash]

Before the thinly extended Hazy Water Short Sword's slash, soldiers' bodies slid apart, splitting into 2 and spraying fresh blood as they fell to the ground.

"Huh?"

However, Shizuku furrowed her brows in puzzlement. There was something strange about the resistance she felt.

"Nnngh! [Kongou Nioh]!"

"Oh, you're the one with that skill."

I quickly understood the reason for the unusual resistance. Although I had slain all, only the commander remained standing, but his body was covered in golden armor. Mana surged, and its power rippled outward like waves. Then, the aura becomes a giant, and the commander gets engulfed in its light.

"You! Your weapon and armor! Aren't you one of the abandoned town's lot? What the hell are you, you damn bastard? Have we been manipulated?"

Koukaku's [Kongou Nioh] manifested a virtual body identical to Kongou Nioh statue. Its power and defense were proportionally powerful to the skill level. At skill level 4, Koukaku's version could manifest a Nioh capable of easily defeating even a tank. It was like creating a giant robot and controlling it from within.

Now, the giant standing around 8 meters tall had flesh, wore armor, and wielded a massive Nioh-like statue with a sword. Inside it, Koukaku had realized that the requested task was a trap.

That wasn't equipment typical of the abandoned town's inhabitants. The sword effortlessly sliced through soldiers like paper, deflected AP rounds, and had a mysterious barrier impervious to grenades. Those pieces of equipment were crafted by someone with a high-level crafting skill or dungeon-generated equipment.

"You're right. This is the end for the Suwa family. How does it feel to dance at someone's hand?"

Without missing a beat, Shizuku replied to the conversation, seemingly implying that she was an insider from the inner town.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't know who you are, but you can't stand up to my [Kongou Nioh]!"

"Onigami lineage tends to be strong against enemies but weakens when made allies, so I'm not particularly fond of them."

The commander enraged at Shizuku, who calmly thought creating them was also quite challenging.

"Quit your nonsense! [Kongou Great Sword]!"

The enemy, identical to a Nioh statue, enveloped his sword with a golden aura and swung it down swiftly.

[Accelerator]

Leaving an afterimage behind, Shizuku leaped away from the spot. The golden sword struck the ground, causing the asphalt to flip, debris to scatter, and Shizuku's barrier to resound with a loud clang as it deflected the attack.

"Speed, power, and defense. Finally, automatic regeneration."

She swung her sword, attempting to cut down the enemy, but her attack only tore a thin layer, which immediately healed.

"It's a splendid skill. Among those I've seen, it's certainly high-level."

"You seem quite knowledgeable about my skill, that's right!"

Swinging the large sword, Nioh launched a series of attacks. Shizuku dodged and evaded the strikes.

[Binding Cloth]

It grabbed her with a cloth adorning from it shoulder, and Nioh entangled her body. Wrapped up like a mummy, Shizuku was thrown.

With a whistling sound, she was sent flying and crashed into the wall of a building with a resounding thud.

The cloth unraveled, and Shizuku was freed, but her body was unharmed.

"It seems the barrier can still withstand getting thrown, but... perhaps it's reaching its limit."

Noticing that the barrier was close to breaking, Shizuku analyzed the situation with a composed expression.