The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Oscar knew from an instant that this large Grovekeeper had incredible physical power, not just because of how it tore down the platforms but also how easily it flicked off Orden's hammer, which should have been heavier due to Orden's spell, and his bulwark which had a vast amount of Reis in its attack. But he had to fight here, or this monstrosity might try to tear down the mind shaft.

As the large hand that looked to be composed of gnarled branches and trunks slapped at him, Oscar felt the full brunt of its power; his arms and legs trembled, and some blood splurted out from several tears even though he had Edureisclad activated. In full motion, the large hand flung Oscar away, sending him spinning through the air.

Thanks to his quick use of 'Flowing Mountain', his body did not suffer too much damage as a good amount of Reis from the blow flowed to his feet. Oscar spun his body in the air and landed on the rocky wall with his feet. Cracks formed like spider webs as he burst out like a torpedo from the Reis exiting his feet.

'Silver Lance'

Oscar imitated the Drill Worm and spun in the air to increase his sharpness. On the ground, Orden followed up with his Meld Stage and threw the hammer at the large Grovekeeper to attack it twenty-fold, and the blow caused the large Grovekeeper to lurch slightly, enough for Oscar to come through. He felt slightly sick from the constant spinning, but he carried on.

"Pierce through!" Orden shouted.

The central hub of the mines trembled as a loud clang ran through the area like a shockwave. Oscar and Orden stared with eyes wide in disbelief at Oscar's silver lance, which was pinched by the large Grovekeeper's hand. The Grovekeeper was only around twice Orden's height, but to Oscar; he could not help but see a monster that stood about as tall as the Spire of Ascension.

'What the hell is this thing?' Oscar's heartbeat rang faster like death's footsteps, and he quickly canceled his silver lance and escaped with his movement spell. The Grovekeeper's hand had squeezed tight, reducing the section of the silver lance into a thin rod. 'If I didn't take my hand out in time, then I don't think I'd have an arm. How on earth is it this tough?'

As Oscar retreated, Orden came through and focused an incredible amount of Ein on his hammer, swinging down like a bolt of thunder, cracking the floor and releasing with a deafening sound.

"Oi, are you kidding me?" Orden laughed with an awkward look. His hammer, which caused Oscar to go beyond his limits, was blocked by the Grovekeeper, who manifested a shield of entangled branches and stone. A large dent could be seen where Orden's hammer had attacked, but it soon disappeared as the shield returned to normal.

"Gol-4, what the hell is this?" Oscar asked.

Before Gol-4, who was on the floor near the entrance to the mine shaft, could respond, the large Grovekeeper roared, and branches extended out from its arm to form the shape of a pickaxe. It gripped its pickaxe and raised its shield up high, treading with heavy steps toward Oscar and Orden.

"I cannot explain what it is, but I am a keen observer and can help you understand its weaknesses and quirks. Just keep fighting and find out more. Right now, I know for certain that it cannot run." Gol-4 explained. "It used the waves of its minions to tire you out; little wonder your attacks and speed are down and why its attacks and defense seem so powerful. Well, even without those factors, it's still quite powerful in its own right."

"Tired?" Orden spat out. "I'm not tired at all."

"You all exerted much to fight off the hundreds that rushed toward you. You may not feel it because of your strange perception of yourself, but you're both tired." Gol-4 refuted Orden's boast.

"But how is it different, and why is it so hard?" Oscar charged ahead to engage the Grovekeeper in melee and swung his bulwark with 'Shattering Wave'. In a shocking response, the Grovekeeper swung its shield. Their two shields clashed, sending off a storm of winds, but Oscar held on and exerted more power, sending him back a few steps rather than in the air. "Even with Shattering Wave, that shield is sturdy."

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"My eyes can see the wood that encompasses this creature is not ordinary. Its color is off and gives the Grovekeeper a grayish hue. If I had to guess, the plant combined with the stone and mutated into this creature." Gol-4 shouted out his hypothesis.

"Is that even possible?" Orden swung his hammer and faced the Grovekeeper's violent swings of its pickaxe. Wherever the pickaxe went, it decimated the area.

Meanwhile, Oscar faced its shield, and even his short-range Treble Lance did nothing to pierce through it. He cursed and had his deer anima circle to the back, but an armor of brambles prevented his anima's ambush. "This bastard is tough."

"Do not waste too much Ein and stamina," Gol-4 instructed. "This creature has a modicum of intelligence and is waiting for you two to run out. I suspect it will charge out to kill once the battle reaches a certain point."

"Well, that's idiotic!" Orden shouted as his hammer caught the pickaxe. His large body strained and struggled to hold the pickaxe at bay. "Wasted all of its comrades' lives just to kill the two of us." He deflected the pickaxe to the side and threw his hammer, but the Grovekeeper blocked it with its headbutt, staggering back slightly from the recoil.

Oscar took advantage of this and leaped from his deer anima's throw. He shot a Shattering Star into its mouth and slammed his bulwark onto its face, causing it to trip and fall on its back. His Shattering Star then exploded in the Grovekeeper's stomach, enlarging it, but could not burst out as the stomach receded in. "Even the inside is tough?"

Sweat flowed down his back, and his breathing grew heavier. Oscar fought off hundreds for a while and, thus, was about to run low. In front, the large Grovekeeper got up easily, a strange smile forming on its creepy wooden face made of branches and leaves.

"What's so funny?" Oscar panted.

"Oscar. This bastard is pretty strong, but I have a plan." Orden came to his side, throwing his hammer to deter the Grovekeeper.

"What plan?" Oscar cracked his shoulder with a painful expression. The earlier strike had dislocated it.

"The move you used to defeat me; use it now." Orden retrieved his hammer and turned to Oscar, towering over him, but his brown eyes contained respect and camaraderie. "I can tell that technique requires an external force. I can provide that. Once you use it, I'll follow up with a modified technique of my own."

"What would that be?" Oscar faced the slowly encroaching Grovekeeper with his bulwark to block.

"You'll see. But are you in?" Orden held out his hand.

With nothing else to lose, Oscar sighed and clasped his hand on Orden's. They shook and nodded before turning to the Grovekeeper. Oscar grunted and stepped forward. "Do it."

Orden's Ein released a large burst of power and concentrated into his hammer, which started to glow. He held his arms far back, almost stretching around his back and close to the front. With a final burst of Ein, he swung with all his might and struck Oscar's bulwark.

The terrifying force of Orden's hammer coursed through Oscar's bulwark and threatened to destroy him, but Oscar clenched his teeth and tightened his grip as his eyes went bloodshot. He focused the Reis into his body, the rampaging dragon that could tear him apart if he could not control it. As the Grovekeeper came close, Oscar followed the steps as before and unleashed the full power of a Reis wielder.

'Omnireus'

The blow encompassed the entire area in front of Oscar's fist as he slammed it into the Grovekeeper's shield. Despite the tough branches that mixed with the hard minerals of the underground, it crumbled apart, and the Omnireus continued to the Grovekeeper's body, breaking through many of the intertwined branches that fell down.

Following up on Oscar's strike, Orden raised his hammer and leaped into the air, somehow, with his hulking figure, and burned all of his Ein into it. His face grew fierce, and his teeth began to show as blood flowed from his orifices. He had never tried this before, but now was the time to go beyond.

'Twenty-Five Multiplier'

His limit had been only twenty, but in this battle, he had no choice but to surpass himself to survive. The hammer crashed into the Grovekeeper's chest and struck twenty-five times in an instant, sending seismic waves that echoed to the ground below. The Grovekeeper ruptured open as it collapsed, and its core flew forward by Oscar's feet.

Oscar staggered to all fours, vomiting a mix of blood and dinner. His vision doubled, quadrupled, octupled, and kept increasing, making his mind more disorientated. However, even within this crazed world, he spotted Orden, unable to move, about to fall into the chasm that formed in the wake of their fierce struggle.

Without much thought, Oscar leaped forward and grabbed Orden's arm, the sheer weight making him groan in pain from his arm about to be torn off.

"You?" Orden hung down from Oscar's hand, which kept a firm grip, and refused to let go of him. Blood flowed from Oscar's eyes, mouth, and nose from the backlash of Omnireus, and his vision continued to spiral out of control, but he tightened his grip. "Get the hell up."

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