Black Summoner – Chapter 444

The pressure emanating from Gerard forced Zildra to step back, then another step. It was completely unexpected that two of the latest state-of-the-art machines, capable of matching Gerard, were instantly annihilated. He still had plenty of backup units in his workshop. However, they were slightly too weak to face the current Gerard. He couldn’t envision a victory, no matter how many he threw at him. It was a losing gamble to keep relying on Golems to win.

“My method of killing…? Kuhuhu, my method of killing, you say? How amusing you speak. This body belongs to Jin Dalba, son of Dan Dalba. I know you and Dan were acquainted, don’t you? And you would point your sword at Dan’s son’s body?”

Deciding on a new approach, Zildra instantly changed his tactics. Strength was not the only thing in this world. He knew that psychological manipulation, leading to self-destruction, or a consuming illness could turn the tide. Those filled with compassion found it hard to harm good people and were lenient with those close to them. Zildra, having lived for an eternity, was particularly adept at and reliant on such methods.

*Thump.*

“Nuuu!”

“Don’t underestimate me. Once I served as a knight, I was already prepared to dedicate my life to my country. Dan, and Jin too.”

Before he knew it, one of his arms, holding a bayonet, was sliced off. Gerard showed no hesitation, his eyes glowing red from behind his helmet.

“I see! Then I, too, can strike without a heavy heart!”

Without a second look at his severed arm, Zildra retreated with all his might. In that instant, from the floor where he had been standing just moments ago and his current position, four arm-shaped Golem units emerged. These robot arms, appearing to surround him, were equipped with gun barrels and light cutters, and they moved with incredible speed.

However, they were merely time-buying tools, mere experimental equipment from his workshop. Their performance was drastically inferior to Cyanrayne and the others from before. With a single swing of Gerard’s demonic sword, they were all bisected.

“Futile struggle!”

Gerard pursued Zildra. The distance between them closed in an instant, and the sword was mere inches from reaching him. Gerard raised his demonic sword as Zildra plunged a syringe into the base of his severed arm.

“—!”

Gerard frowned at the translucent tool, unfamiliar in this world, but he did not stop. However, the syringe was already empty, and he could see the remnants of a strange liquid dripping from its tip.

“It’s not futile. Look…!”

His skin burst with an unpleasant sound, and a grotesque form began to take shape. Suddenly, the severed end of Zildra’s arm swelled. It was an unsightly shape, like lumpy balloons, unfitting for Jin’s rather handsome face, and it continued to grow as cells multiplied.

The arm, resembling a lump of fat, was swung towards Gerard.

“Hmph!”

Gerard bisected the oncoming arm with his demonic sword from the tip of his fist, again and again—The arm was easily cut in half by the demonic sword’s sharpness, but it continued to regenerate from the base, one after another. In no time, the fist he had first cut was returning to him. As if the arm possessed a will of its own, it advanced towards Gerard, regenerating its severed surface. Gerard cut it down, but he was surrounded by an unending stream of regenerating arms, and it seemed like it would never end.

“I’m relieved to know this body is prepared. Then I shall toy with you to my heart’s content. And in the end, I shall take your body.”

Zildra’s Eternal Return was effective on monsters that met its conditions, a fact verified in the past. Gerard, being humanoid and intelligent, was a perfect body for Zildra. All that was needed was for a part of this mutated arm to touch Gerard’s head, and the condition for activating his ability would be met. At that point, this body, burning its life force with its forced regeneration, would no longer be necessary. Among all the bodies he had usurped, Gerard’s was of the highest caliber. Only the dying Elf and the Slime remained; suppressing them with his remaining forces would be child’s play. Obtaining the perfect body, and further freeing the Elf from her curse, along with acquiring excellent genes. His tasks only increased. Even if the latest Golems were destroyed, it would be amply compensated. Zildra twisted Jin’s face and laughed from the bottom of his heart.

“Now, shall we end this?!”

With the arms regenerating at maximum speed, the workshop was soon swarming with them. Zildra gave the order, and they all converged on Gerard. Arms, layered in multiple folds, surged from all directions—up, down, left, right, front, and back. He intended to end it with this attack, draining all of Jin’s life force.

“Is this… is this all you’ve got, Zildra? I must say, I’m a little disappointed.”

Gerard’s shield, the great battleship Black Mirror Shield, transformed, revealing a mirror that reflected the grotesque arms. He chose a defensive technique that reflected all physical attacks. Enhanced by his Unique Skill “Self Transcendence,” this ability extended not only to the shield but to Gerard’s entire body. Coincidentally, this power was originally equipped by Tyrant Mira, a Golem created by Zildra.

*Thump!*

The moment they seemed to constrict Gerard, the grotesque arms scattered throughout the workshop burst outwards. Some arms collided with the walls, turning into masses of flesh, while others were incinerated by Efil’s flames. In any case, they were all annihilated.

“Wha, guuuh!?”

“I’ll take those arms.”

Gerard, who had vanished from Zildra’s vision like a ghost, reappeared behind him and plunged his demonic sword into Zildra’s right shoulder. He severed the mutated arm and, with the Dainsleif’s ability, began to drain its power. His drug-fueled strength, his magic power, everything.

“Guh, haaa…! Idiot!”

To prevent the demonic sword from being pulled out, Zildra used the residual power of the drug to strengthen his muscles, fixing the sword in place. Zildra then thrust out his remaining arm. Perhaps a remnant of his aspiration to the martial arts, his punch possessed a speed that rivaled that of a master. His fist aimed for Gerard’s helmet, which was close by, and he mentally exclaimed, “Gotcha!”

However, his fist passed through Gerard’s helmet, striking empty air. Zildra’s jaw dropped. Gerard was there. He was supposed to be there. Yet, his hand never touched the helmet.

“Wh-why…!”

“Pitiful.”

Gerard and Kelvin’s allies had been informed of Zildra’s abilities by Ange and Bel. Therefore, preparing countermeasures in advance was only natural. Moreover, Zildra was an enemy Gerard despised, an enemy of his family and country. He had meticulously prepared for this moment.

He had newly acquired the Skill “Etherealization.” The opposite of “Materialization,” this skill allowed him to make his already intangible full-body armor non-physical. While greatly affected by holy magic and the like, this state was completely impervious to physical influence. Gerard could freely adjust the on and off state of this ability to evade thrusts from a master like Zildra. If anything, he could have dodged the previous omnidirectional attack using this skill.

“If you desire my helmet that much, then here, I shall give it to you. Now, the poison you scattered is also filling the helmet. I shall return it to you together. Don’t hesitate. It’s become a little more powerful with my strength, as if you mistakenly equipped it. Even if you’re the only one taking the special antidote, it should still be effective.”

“N-No—!”

Gerard lifted his own head, his helmet, and forcibly placed it on Zildra. Zildra clawed at his head with his left hand. However, his hand did not touch the helmet, and the poison that had annihilated Alcal entered his body.