Chapter 57

After reapplying Shadow Augment on my legs, I leaped at one of the Anties General and bit one of its legs off. “KREEEEEE!!” Along with that screech, the ant set its murderous eyes on me and tried to strike me down. But as of announcing that he hasn’t lost yet, the Tronobo chose that moment to tackle the ant. This, of course, caused the ant to be pushed back, giving me another opportunity to strike.

“RAAAAHHHH!!” While screaming out that battle cry, I sprung towards the ant and smashed my claws on its face. But probably because of its hard-looking shell, I felt some slight resistance in my claws when it made its contact. Too hard, huh? I thought while landing on the ground.

But despite how hard that shell was, my claws still managed to inflict some damage on that ant. In particular, the ant’s left eye was crushed along with the shallow cuts on the left side of its face.

“KRAAAAHHH!!” Taking advantage of that blind spot, the Tronobo rushed into the ant while making sure that he was positioned on the left side of the monster. Though of course, the Anties General wasn’t fighting us alone. And as if trying to remind us of that fact, another ant jumped in front of the Tronobo to block its attack.

*BANG!!*

A dull sound rang as the second Anties General block the Tronobo’s punch using four of its limbs. “KREEEEE!!” Then while screeching out like that, the other ant leaped above its comrades in order to strike the Tronobo in the head. But in that same instant, the Pronobo appeared and kicked that ant on its side sending it flying into the distance. Seeing that, the second ant tried to back away from the Tronobo but I wasn’t about to let that happen.

Don’t forget about me!! With that thought in mind, I charged towards the escaping ant and hacked away into the joint of its backmost leg breaking it in the process. Because of that, the ant’s movements had slowed down, and it also lost its balance. Noticing that, I activated Accelerate whilst midair to propel myself back. And in just a blink of an eye, I was back in front of the falling ant and was about to swing my claws towards its neck.

*Clang*

As that sound reverberated inside my ears, I watched the ant stop my claws using its snippers. What?! I asked with eyes wide open. In the very next instant, I felt a mighty pull, and I was thrown into the ground.

Because of the impact from that, I was forced to spit all the oxygen inside my lungs. “Guh!!” But knowing that a follow up attack was coming, I didn’t even have time to recover nor think about my next move. And so, trusting up my instinct, I activated an effect of Accelerate while still lying down.

*Fwooossh!!* That sound echoed as I propel myself away. A split second after that, two of the ant’s legs smashed into that spot where I was lying down before. Thank goodness it worked. I thought while standing up in haste.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…”

Truth to be told, that was the first time I used that effect in such a way. After all, there wasn’t any situation up to now where I needed to use that move like that. That was why, in all honesty, I never really thought that it could work like that. In short, it was nothing but a desperate gamble on my part.

So, I can use it like that huh? I concluded with relief. Anyway, I need to wrap this up, fast. I thought while glancing at the fight of the Gigarillon. And from what I could see, the guy was in a worse condition than before. At this rate, that guy will get himself killed and we will follow after that.

While I was trying to recover and come up with a solution, I noticed a notification displayed in front of me.

[Level up]

[Level up]

[Level up]

[Level up]

[Shadow Manipulation has ranked up.]

Hmm?! Four times! Seriously?! I gasped. From the looks of it, it seemed like I was too focused on battle that I didn’t even notice that I leveled up. But more than that… I just got this skill and now it has already ranked up…? Though I guess that makes sense considering I am indeed using it a little bit too much ever since.

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[Shadow Manipulation:

The ability to dominate and utilize the shadow of the dead.

- Shadow Collection (42/100): Absorb and stack the shadows of any living thing that you kill. Additionally, the quality may vary depending on the source.

- Shadow Release: Weaponize or unleash the stacked-up shadow in the form of an attack.

- Available Releases: Shadow Augment (Cost: 2), Shadow Bullet (Cost: 1)]

Shadow Bullet, huh? I wondered. Well, I can definitely make use of a new technique in this situation. I jested while looking at the Anties General.

In order to align my body with my mind, I closed my eyes then started to breath in a slow and tranquil fashion. Alright, let’s see what you can do. With that flash of thought, I opened my eyes in a snap and charged straight into the ant.

Probably noticing my presence, the ant tried to move away but was stopped by the Tronobo. Taking advantage of that slight opening, I fired a shot of Shadow Bullet into the ant’s chest. Because of that, the ant was pushed back, and the Tronobo used the opportunity to land a punch.

But even after taking some hits from those attacks, the Anties General still didn’t fall to the ground. What a tough guy! But how about this!! Accompanied by a thunderous roar, I launched a barrage of Shadow Bullets towards the ant.

“RAAAAAHHHHH!!”

While I was showering that ant with a hail of Shadow Bullets, I didn’t fail to notice those cracks that have started to appear in the shell every time a Shadow Bullet hits. It’s working! By the time that I stopped that attack, the Anties General’s shell was already covered in cracks and there were even some parts where some green liquid was oozing out.

“Kreee…” With that pathetic screech, the Anties General staggered on its feet. And without wasting any seconds, the Tronobo appeared punching the lights out of the ant-type monster. Then to make sure that the ant was really dead, I rushed towards its falling body and decapitated the monster.

As both its body and head finally hit the ground, a placid thud was heard and the ant fell into an everlasting slumber. One down!

When that was done, I charged straight into the other ant and shot five Shadow Bullets in its defenseless back. Then before the ant could even see my figure, I activated Stealth and moved on its blind spot. And as I had expected, the ant looked back and tried to find the source of the attack, but because of the Pronobo’s relentless assault, the last Anties General didn’t have any time to search for my location. On top of that, the Tronobo also appeared.

“KRAH!!”

Though a little late and covered in blood, the Tronobo leaped towards the ant to deliver a full-powered punch. But probably due those wounds all over its body, it was clear that its attack wasn’t as powerful as before. Not only that, even the Pronobo was showing signs of extreme exhaustion so its movements were slow and dull.

These two are near their limit.

To be perfectly honest, the condition of the two apes was so bad that I wouldn’t even be surprised if they fell on their spot. And from what I could tell, their burning desire to not be a burden to their leader was the only reason why they were still able to fight. Though of course, even that willpower wouldn’t be able to stop their bodies from falling apart.

I can respect that. But for now, you guys need to act as my decoy. While it might sound a little cruel to ask the exhausted monsters to do that, I would still help the Gigarillon after this so I needed to preserve my strength as much as I could. And since those two understand that fact, they were more than willing to act as my bait even if I didn’t ask.

Well, looks like they were doing just fine.

While I was running around waiting for an opportunity to strike, the Pronobo and Tronobo were trying to get the attention of the ant. But because the ant’s speed was greater than those two combined, the two apes were both having a hard time. Come on guys, you need to corner him and pin his movements down! I cheered.

Since using Accelerate drained a lot of stamina, I decided to save its use for later, and that was also true for Shadow Augment since I only have about twenty-five shadows left in my stack. Because of these reasons, I couldn’t maneuver in battle very well while my base speed was just not enough to keep up against that ant. After all, these ants for some reason seemed to have the skill Haste as well. The proof of that was that dead ant’s unusual speed when it caught my claws using its snippers earlier.

A little bit more… I thought while creeping behind the ant. A second later, the Tronobo used the last bit of his strength to smash the ground causing a mini earthquake in their immediate vicinity. Because of this, the Anties General stumbled on its feet and the Pronobo used that opportunity to trip the monster down.

Perfect!!

Seeing that, I didn’t waste another second and leaped on the monster’s back. Using my claws, I pinned the struggling ant to the ground and fired five consecutive Shadow Bullet at point blank range. And in order to make sure of the kill, I focused all that shot at the back of the monster’s head.

Die!!

Multiple splattering sounds echoed in my ears while my face was being showered with some green liquid droplets. And by the time that I was finished, my face was already soaked in green whilst the head of the ant had been crushed beyond recognition.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…” While trying to calm my rough breathing, I gazed into the distance to where the Gigarillon was fighting. Looks like he managed to survive. I jested. Well, it’s about time to end this farce.