Iron Maiden PT2
In an instant, my eyes shot open.
How long was I out? Where is the enemy? Was that Torleif?
A crescendo of thoughts wrapped around my shell-shocked mind.
My heart was beating so hard I could feel my pulse throughout my body. Small spurts of blood squirted out my wounded shoulder with each thump.
I couldn’t tell which way was up or down as I desperately tried to clamber to my feet. Even more adrenaline was rushing through my veins. Despite this, my body was hurting everywhere.
My shield had been completely obliterated. With only a tiny scrap of metal being left on my arm. I could feel all the bones under it had been shattered. I couldn’t summon any strength into my right hand. If it weren’t for the shield—now demoted to scrap, my forearm would likely be dangling like a wet noodle right now.
Eventually, I regained my grounding as the ringing and heartbeat subsided in my ears. I could hear the clashing of metal in the background.
Torleif had been fighting against that lady while I was unconscious.
From what I could tell, they’d been fighting for not too long now.
And Torleif was winning. Her gauntlets had a few visible holes and dents, leaking an iridescent light blue liquid.
Her movements have dulled. And contrary to my fight, she was now dripping with sweat—looking visibly tired.
“Damn it…”
I bite my lip.
*Creak*
***
(Yoon POV)
*Thud*
The Norgian warrior I was fighting fell to his back unconscious. Pieces of his tattered shield lay around his unconscious body.
“Ha… Ha…”
He gave me a real run for my money, that’s what…
I had to waste a bullet… The materials for the bullets are, unfortunately, damn hard to acquire… I wanted this to be my last resort.
“Erling!”
I turned my head toward the source. A vast hulking man was running full sprint toward me. Each step shook the earth. In each hand, he wields a great axe.
Immediately, I get into a defensive stance.
*Tsssss*
The armored flaps on my back raised as steam jets came out.
[System temperature stable]
The man swung his great axe with incredible speed. I instinctively dodged by leaping back. However, the wind pressure of his swing sucked my foot into the arc of his axe, causing me to start spiraling.
*Crack*
His knee plants straight into my gut, and I feel the clear protective underlayer shatter from the force. His leg straightens—with me still on his knee, I get sent flying upward.
With me in freefall and his knee removed, I could finally take in a breath and think.
“Incredible…”
I’ve never fought anyone with such an overwhelming difference in power before… Same with that other guy, he may not have been as strong, but his swings had quite a lot of force.
Finally, my momentum had reached its peak. My velocity slows, and gravity regains control. His figure flashes and distorts for a brief moment before disappearing. A crater was left in his place.
“Wher—”
I unconsciously looked up in my panic.
He’s directly above me!
He primed his two great axes as he fell toward me.
Just as he looses his great axe, I cross my arms, taking the complete impact. It felt like the weight of the world crashed down upon me. Not even a millisecond passes as I find myself colliding with the ground. My eyes roll into the back of my head.
The world slows as my vision is shrouded with dust.
[Pilot unconscious, injecting stimulant]
My eyes spring open as air—and dust fills my lungs. Like I was resuscitated. Through a small gap in the dust’s veil, my eyes unwillingly locked onto the man who was now only a few meters away from striking me again.
Roll out from under him, carrying my momentum and launching myself back to my feet.
My suit just saved my life. I would’ve been a goner…
He doesn’t give me time to breathe as he goes in again. So aggressive! I duck under his sideway slashing, uppercutting the blade away. I point my gauntlet at his heart. Inside the gauntlet, I squeeze the trigger.
Banglum Bullets. If given the proper stimulus, they generate an extreme amount of heat. They also develop an excessive amount of gas. This creates a powerful projectile that goes faster than the speed of sound and can burn through even Mythril.
*Slam!*
Before I could pull the trigger and activate the bullet, the Goliath man’s elbow struck the top of my gauntlet. Causing me to shoot the ground instead.
What!?
Was he watching my previous fight?!
I leap backward and out of the man’s reach.
His elbow had concaved my left gauntlet. Destroying the sensitive mechanical parts that lay inside. The Goliath man paused. He was swinging his great axes like a samurai, swinging the blood off their katana.
“N-name?”
The pronunciation was sloppy and unsure. But I could understand. Can they speak Hasian?
“Suen.”
“Mine… Torleif”
He drops his right axe. Before slowly lifting his finger toward me.
Shit, is he going to use a blessing?
Subconsciously, I leap back and guard.
“You… Kind… You… Die…”
“What?”
He reaches for his great axe. The stalemate ends as his figure approaches me in one rapid motion.
***
(Erling POV)
Should I help Torleif? No… It seems like he’s winning.
The girl is helpless against Torleif. Even as she dodges the incredible wind pressure from Toreleifs, it knocks her unbalanced. Not even Norgia’s strongest winds could amount.
Suddenly, the girl, likely realizing this dance of dodging and weaving won’t get her anywhere, parries Torleif, landing a solid punch to his gut.
Her fist was buried deep inside. But like a trampoline, it bounces back out as Torleif flexes his abs.
“Hmpf!”
Torleif doesn’t even budge. Instead, he drops his axes and wraps his muscular arms around the woman. Who looks dainty compared to Torleif.
*Crack Crack Crack*
Her armor cracks and pops as the pieces bend and fly off like popcorn. She’ll be squished like a ketchup bottle if she doesn’t get out soon.
*Tsss*
A pipe pops, and blistering hot steam gets sprayed in Torleif’s face, obscuring it. He drops the girl, who leaps backward, parts from her armor falling off her all the while.
“AGHHH!”
Torleif screams in pain—something very few have heard. This was my first time hearing him.
His wild pain induced swing sent the girl flying. It wasn’t a fast strike by any means. But for some reason, she didn’t dodge—
Oh shit, she’s Flying towards me!
Still too injured to dodge, I catch her with my chest.
“Ghhk…”
My mouth and nostrils are filled with the foulness of my blood as It involuntarily spurts out between my clenched teeth. The momentum forces me to dig my feet into the earth as I use everything to stop myself from going over the edge.
*Clack*
…
…
…
*Splash*
I barely managed to stop… The girl in my arms was now unconscious. Fresh red blood dripped down her forehead.
“Should we capture her as a prisoner of war—”
“—AGGHHHHH!!!”
Without warning, Torleif began barreling toward me.
*Thud Thud Thud*
“T-Torleif?! Oi, she’s knocked out cold…!”
“UAAAHHHHH”
‘W-wait wait wait wait, stop!”
“UUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH”
Perhaps it was because of the pain. Or maybe he just could see me and couldn’t hear me over his battle cry. But next thing I knew—
I was soaring through the air.
Just like that—
I
Fell
To
The
Raging
River
Below
hmmm