Boom—!!!
A heavy, powerful uppercut slammed squarely into the Stone Troll Emperor’s jaw, sending black-and-red crystal fragments scattering like fireworks.
The sudden, massive impact actually lifted the Stone Troll Emperor’s enormous body off the ground, sending it flying backward. Even the crystal on its chest flickered erratically for a moment.
“Sorry... I’m late...” Stark’s voice echoed from the chest cavity of the mech. “I took the liberty of modifying a Mining Engineering Prototype from the city. It took quite a bit of time.”
Starlight and Maela looked closely and saw a giant of steel, nearly equal in size to the Stone Troll Emperor, standing before them.
Its metallic body was covered in marks of modification and welding. Stark was positioned within the framework of the giant’s chest, controlling its movements.
“Stark... you...!” Maela gasped, her eyes wide as she looked at the young dwarf leaning halfway out of the giant’s semi-open chest cavity.
She never would have imagined that the nerd she usually called a bit of a coward would be the one to save their lives in such a situation.
“Time is short! We can talk later! Let’s deal with this guy first!” Stark roared, maneuvering the giant into a fighting stance.
“Attack it from three sides!”
Stark slammed the control lever forward. The giant’s metal joints roared as it lunged ahead, throwing a fist at the Stone Troll Emperor, who had just managed to stand.
Bang!
More crystal dust sprayed into the air as the Stone Troll Emperor, barely recovered, lost its balance once again.
“Crystal Fang Blast!” Maela’s voice rang out from behind.
Waving her short staff, she conjured several crystal spikes shaped like fangs in mid-air. Like a phantom beast appearing out of nowhere, they bit down hard on the Stone Troll Emperor’s left arm.
In the next second, these crystal fangs exploded in sequence under Maela’s command.
Although Maela was not as physically strong as the Stone Troll Emperor, using a similar power at this moment proved highly effective.
The exploding crystal fangs instantly tore through the crystalline carapace on the Stone Troll Emperor’s left arm, leaving a hideous wound.
Starlight seized the opportunity. Enduring the sharp pain in his waist, he hurled a sphere of Shadow of Annihilation toward the monster's wound.
Unlike the Power of Destruction, which was a refined blend of multiple elements, the Ultimate Power of dark elements could not be freely shaped into more optimal forms for attack.
However, with his Power of Destruction being neutralized, this strike was the strongest attack Starlight could currently muster.
Sss—
The Shadow of Annihilation, filled with intense corrosive power, landed on the Stone Troll Emperor’s unprotected shoulder and immediately sank into its flesh.
The Stone Troll Emperor let out a pained roar and swung a claw back in a wide arc. Starlight scrambled back, narrowly dodging the strike.
“Insects... die!”
With a sudden burst of strength, the Stone Troll Emperor’s muscles bulged, pushing back the giant Stark was controlling by a full step.
The spell Starlight had left on its shoulder did not corrode the bone and flesh away as he had expected. Instead, it was forcibly pushed out by a layer of crystals growing from within, leaving only a scar the size of a washbasin on its shoulder.
“It’s regenerating! Don’t give it the chance!”
Stark maneuvered the metal giant into a sliding step, firing a specialized alloy chain from its forearm that wrapped directly around the Stone Troll Emperor’s legs.
The gears inside the giant began to spin frantically, pulling with full force to trip the monster to the ground.
Maela took the opportunity to leap high off the giant’s body, tossing a crystal shimmering with dangerous light directly into the Stone Troll Emperor’s gaping maw.
“Taste this, you monster!”
Boom!
The close-range magical explosion sent Maela flying back, but the effect was remarkable.
Nearly half of the Stone Troll Emperor’s face was torn open by the exploding crystals, revealing the writhing purple-black flesh beneath.
With its mouth heavily damaged, the wounded monster could no longer produce a full roar, only a raspy whimper from deep in its throat. However, its eyes, burning with fury, were fixed on Maela with a gaze so poisonous it almost felt tangible.
But before they could celebrate, they saw its mangled mouth beginning to recover at an incredible speed.
While his two dwarf companions were attacking, Starlight had not been idle. He used the brief stun caused by the explosion to circle behind the Stone Troll Emperor.
A spear condensed from the Power of Destruction appeared in his palm once more. He aimed it at the weak point on the Stone Troll Emperor’s neck and threw it with all his might.
Hum!
That same hum from before echoed. Under the flicker of rose-red light, the Spear of Destruction froze in mid-air and eerily vanished.
“Damn it! What kind of logic is this?!” Starlight cursed. He didn't linger and quickly moved out of the Stone Troll Emperor’s reach.
In the moment he retreated, he happened to notice that one of the four crimson crystals embedded in the Stone Troll Emperor’s chest had gone dark.
“Noah, did you see that? Can you analyze what trick it’s using? And what’s the deal with that crystal on its chest going out?”
“...”
To Starlight’s surprise, the usually sharp Noah hesitated for a long time.
He was certain Noah wasn't asleep; it felt more like he was stumped by some problem.
Finally, Noah’s voice spoke slowly, his tone filled with unprecedented confusion: “I’m... not sure. I feel like... my perception and power are being suppressed by something here.”
“But the power in that guy... feels familiar...”
Starlight quickly followed up, “Familiar? What do you mean?”
“The energy ripples on the Stone Troll Emperor...” Noah’s voice grew heavier. “I feel like I’ve sensed them somewhere before, but... I can’t quite place it.”
Faced with Noah’s hesitation, Starlight didn't dwell on it. Their current situation didn't allow for deep reflection; solving the immediate crisis was the priority.
Beyond the pressure of the Stone Troll Emperor’s immense strength, the sky above Cinder City was also on the verge of collapsing.
Thinking of this, he looked up and shouted toward the giant attacking the Stone Troll Emperor, “Stark! You have to find a way to stop for a moment! Activating the Repair Mechanism might require your help!”
“What? How do you expect me to stop in this situation!” Stark replied without looking back.
In just that short time, the horrific wounds on the Stone Troll Emperor had already mostly healed. It let out a roar and tangled with the metal giant Stark was controlling once more.
Although this war machine, hastily modified from a mining prototype, had initially caught the Stone Troll Emperor off guard, it was ultimately just a temporary assembly.
The gears at the metal giant’s joints were now groaning under the strain, and the exposed transmission system was throwing off dangerous sparks.
Furthermore, because the giant’s main frame wasn't fully covered in armor, part of the cockpit where Stark sat was exposed. Once the Stone Troll Emperor regained its senses, it immediately targeted this weakness.
Sure enough, in just two exchanges, Stark fell completely into a disadvantage.
Sharp crystal clusters grazed the edge of the cockpit several times. The most dangerous one nearly caught Stark’s temple, leaving a bloody gash on his cheek.
“Cough, cough...!”
Stark, who was already lacking in strength, was shaken so violently that his organs felt like they were turning over. The control panel in front of him began to blur into double vision.
Sweat mixed with blood blurred his sight, but he still gripped the control levers tightly, trying to steady the steel body that was on the verge of disintegrating.
The metal giant staggered back, each step plowing deep furrows into the ground. Stark grit his teeth and forced a roar from his throat, once again maneuvering the giant to swing a metal fist at the Stone Troll Emperor’s face.
Bang—!
Debris flew as the strike landed squarely on its target. But before Stark could breathe a sigh of relief, he saw the Stone Troll Emperor grinning hideously as it used its crystal-covered arm to pin the giant’s wrist.
Rate on N.U.
