Chapter 29

The metal block's hands interlocked tightly and swung down at Lamber.

Lamber immediately jumped back to avoid it.

The metal block smashed the floor where Lamber had just been standing.

Lamber was thrown back by the impact but quickly rotated his body to land gracefully.

(These seem to be a variant of a pair of golems. However, it's impressive that they can generate such power...)

The metal block's hands floated up again and leaped at Lamber.

"What's the matter? Lamber, one of the Four Demon Generals and a legendary traitor! For someone like you to be on the defensive is quite surprising!"

Dormillion said this with her unique, flat intonation, yet with a clear hint of excitement.

(If I continue like this, I can't recklessly switch to an offensive stance.)

Lamber lowered his greatsword and kept his distance.

Seeing this, Dormillion judged that Lamber had taken a defensive stance and intensified her attacks with the metal block's hands.

She separated the two hands, clapped them to crush Lamber between them, and extended her fingers to thrust at him, trying various techniques.

Lamber dodged each one, but he was in a precarious position, always at risk of being caught.

"Your agility is truly extraordinary. And your courage, too. An ordinary swordsman would stand frozen in fear at the sight of me, unable to move properly. Ah, I doubt I'll ever have such an enjoyable fight again. But how about this?"

The metal block's hands split, one digging into the floor and the other breaking through the ceiling, both closing in on Lamber.

He had to be aware not only of the hands but also of the debris falling from the ceiling and the unstable footing.

"Ha!"

Lamber raised his greatsword and swung at the hand breaking through the ceiling.

The hand extended its fingers and pinched Lamber's greatsword.

Lamber kicked off the ground and jumped back, using the momentum to pull his greatsword free from the fingers.

While losing his balance, he tried to put more distance between himself and the hand.

However, in this battle, losing his balance was a fatal opening.

"That's enough, Lamber. Since I started using 'both hands,' you haven't been able to swing your sword at me properly. ...Well, even if it hit, the slime armor would prevent any impact or cuts from affecting me. Even if I didn't have the armor and took a direct hit, it wouldn't do much damage. To be honest, you were too reckless."

The two hands approached Lamber mercilessly, his balance still off.

The right hand moved its fingers in a complex pattern, while the left hand, in a fist, waited for an opening.

Dormillion intended to use the right hand to pin Lamber and then deliver a heavy blow with the left hand, destroying his lower body.

Lamber moved slightly forward to escape the right hand and ended up approaching the left hand, which was waiting in a fist.

The left hand's straight punch was launched at Lamber.

"That's it..."

"I've been waiting for this moment."

Lamber instantly repositioned his feet, skillfully adjusted his stance on the scattered debris, and crouched down.

He slid the greatsword along the underside of the metal block's left hand, changing its trajectory and striking the right hand that was trying to grab him.

This was a counter technique called 'Heaven and Earth Reversal.'

The two hands collided and hit the wall, shaking the room.

Lamber immediately struck the back of the hands three times with his greatsword.

The surface of the upper hand shattered, and fragments flew.

Lamber had pretended to struggle to regain his balance, waiting for the hands to launch a linear attack.

"Amazing, amazing! That technique... it's evolved far beyond what Quijote used! Ha, but this level of damage is no problem..."

"No, this is the end. You pursued me too far."

"..."

Lamber's pretense of struggling to regain his balance was not just to time the 'Heaven and Earth Reversal.'

By feigning a disadvantage, he lured Dormillion into pursuing him, separating the troublesome metal block's hands from her body.

Moreover, Lamber's defensive stance with his lowered greatsword was a trap to make Dormillion adopt an offensive stance.

Dormillion, who would not normally distance herself from her metal block's hands during combat, had been deceived by Lamber's feigned disadvantage and pursued him too far, believing she could deliver a decisive blow.

"You were slow to react. At this distance, my sword will reach you before your hands can return."

"Did you plan this from the start? But such a sword won't pierce my slime armor."

"Then, let's see!"

Lamber stepped in front of Dormillion and unleashed a series of slashes at an incredible speed.

The superhuman sword technique delivered eight greatsword strikes in an instant, slicing and tearing through the slime body.

However, the black skull, which was Dormillion's main body, moved within the slime body, reducing the impact.

"Your sword skills were impressive, but they were useless against me. Now, I'll catch you for sure."

The injured metal block's hand had already self-repaired and was approaching Lamber's back.

Lamber confirmed the hand's position with a glance and plunged his greatsword into the floor.

He then thrust his arm deep into the slime body and hooked Dormillion's skull.

"Wh-what...?"

The eight slashes had created a temporary, less viscous path through the slime body.

Lamber followed the path of his sword cuts, trying to pull out Dormillion's black skull.

"Y-you can't do it! A simple reanimated undead like you can't break through this slime body!"

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Lamber's arm dragged out Dormillion's black skull and slammed it into the wall.

The slime body, now without its master, collapsed and mixed with the water on the floor.

"How... how is this possible!?"

Lamber quickly pulled out his greatsword from the floor and swiftly swung it at the vulnerable Dormillion.

Each strike was released with such precision that it seemed to be drawn into Dormillion.

With no place to run, Dormillion was forced to endure the countless sword strikes from Lamber.

Lamber's downward strike embedded Dormillion into the floor, and more greatsword strikes followed.

"Ugh... L-Lamber, s-stop... Actually, I know something good... How about you sheathe your sword and talk to me again?"

The weight of the greatsword, enhanced by the magic metal armor, finally created a thin crack in Dormillion's skull.

"What's wrong? You said you could withstand a hundred strikes. We haven't even reached half of that."

"L-Lamber!"

Dormillion's black skull began to mutate, and countless black protrusions emerged from its surface, transforming into numerous whips that attacked Lamber.

These whips, deployed instantly, were designed to catch the enemy off guard and reverse the tide of battle.

The two golem hands were the first shield to prevent attacks on the main body, the slime armor was the second shield to absorb and dampen impacts, and the robustness of the main body itself was the third shield.

The final shield, activated when the first three were broken, was the countless black tentacles that would strike the opponent at the fastest speed, making it impossible to avoid.

Even if the tentacles were dodged, they would continue to spread at full speed, covering a wide area, making it impossible to escape, especially in a confined space like this underground labyrinth.

Dormillion's claim of immortality was not just due to her ageless body but also because of these four layers of absolute defense.

Even if the first three shields were broken, the final defense would ensure the destruction of any external threat, securing her safety.

But that was only if the opponent was an ordinary warrior.

"This is the end!"

Lamber delivered a vertical strike.

Dormillion's extended tentacles were shattered by the blow, and a large vertical crack appeared in her skull.