Transcendent Gene
Chapter 196: Legacy Guardian [2]

Chapter 196: Legacy Guardian [2]

Gio and Neriah didn’t wait for the beast to show them how strong it was. They learned enough from the original wave of energy that hit them.

It was big, but it couldn’t be judged like ordinary large beasts because the serpent’s head on its tail was functional. It may not have possessed its own consciousness, but its eyes turned to watch Gio as he ran, confirming that they were functional.

’It doesn’t have obvious blind spots because of that eye.’

But that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be any blind spots at all.

Whoosh!

Virtual energy took Gio forward and manifested as a massive sword in his hands. Its length was twice his height, and it had a boxy single-edged blade made for butchering.

With such a blade gripped strongly, he swung, cutting at the creature’s front leg.

Bang!

His energy came in contact with a thick layer of skin hidden below the lion’s fur.

’Is this what a griffin is?’

It had some similarities to the creature of legends. Griffins did exist in many varieties, but they usually weren’t so massive.

’Then again...’

OOOOOH!

The roar that came from the beast was more of a bellow than the cawing of a bird. Gio jumped back and lifted himself into the air as it swept its paw out dismissively to push him away.

’...it’s still a question whether this thing is a living beast or not.’

Its skin was as hard as metal and could’ve been metal. Gio didn’t know what kind of beast would calmly live in captivity so far below the ground until a challenger appeared. He didn’t even know many that could stay alive for such an indefinite period of time without sustenance.

None of the beasts he knew that possessed such abilities were griffins.

Still in the air, his eyes turned black. He observed the changes in the beast, looking for signs of life. Its muscles looked like they were moving in tandem below its skin. Its movements looked unbelievably natural, however...

’There’s no heartbeat.’

Instead of a heartbeat, there was a spot in the beast’s chest that was constantly glowing with a light of change. Rather than a heart, it looked more like the characteristics of a battery.

’Even if it isn’t living, it doesn’t become easier to face.’

Gio ran around its side as he continued to observe it.

The beast was staying mostly still.

Vooooom!

When its paw touched the ground, it released another wave of energy as if offering Gio and Neriah another warning. Luckily, they were both already in the air when the wave spread beneath them.

Bang!

Neriah shot herself forward and cut at its leg again. Unlike Gio, she didn’t leave its other front leg alone after a single attack.

She returned after being swept away and swung her dual swords at a single point. When she was forced to retreat into the air, she quickly swapped to a rifle and fired several shots that cut into the same small bit of skin.

She only needed to create a single sliver of a cut. Only when she approached one last time with swords and let her energy fly in a flurry did she get what she wanted.

[Infernal Heavens Sword]

She pulled her swords back and unleashed all her energy at once.

[Sword of Sorrow]

Shing!

A line of purple energy cut into the small splinter in the creature’s skin. No visible damage was done. In fact, the beast didn’t flinch in the slightest.

Neriah frowned.

’It isn’t living.’

She came to the same conclusion as Gio.

’It feels no pain.’

Neriah never blamed her weakness on Gio’s Sequence not because she was benevolent, but because she also had an incredibly versatile Sequence.

[Emperor of Blades] was a Sequence that provided her with a library of swordsmanship that she could use to her advantage. The only caveat was that she had to personally train every style to perfection if she wanted to use them.

The Sequence gave her knowledge, but her abilities could only be earned through effort.

The [Sword of Sorrow] was one of the most important techniques in her arsenal.

It caused no true physical damage, but it caused "pain" that was unavoidable regardless of one’s level.

Even if the pain was relatively meaningless for a creature like this griffin, it should’ve shown some reaction.

After all, that pain should’ve been the first negative sensation it felt in a long time.

Voooooom!

A third wave of energy passed by. It was their third warning from the beast.

Neriah looked over as she avoided it, spotting Gio, who immediately ushered her over.

It was odd.

Why didn’t the beast ever try to attack them, even as they ran around its body and met up near its tail?

"That was the third warning," Gio said.

"It’ll fight back after the next strike?"

"That’s what I think. It’s not human."

"Right. We won’t be able to use pain against it. If it’s a machine, we need to find a way to access its internals."

"It’ll probably be somewhere on the top of its body. Do you want to distract it or should I?"

Neriah looked up at the beast.

"You distract. I can find its weakness."

Gio nodded. He would have split it the same way. Neriah didn’t have any way to cause damage over a wide area. The point of a distraction was to ensure that the beast never turned its attention to the other side. Simply put, Neriah just wasn’t flashy enough to take the role.

"I don’t know how much time you’ll have. You also won’t be completely safe, but I’ll make sure it mainly focuses on me."

It was the best Gio could guarantee, and Neriah was already prepared to accept it.

"I’ll need a boost."

"When I drop you on its back, it’ll start."

The serpent tail had its eyes on them, but it was not to do a single thing until its opponents properly had a chance to strategize.

Neriah put her arm around Gio’s shoulder, and he did the same to keep her steady. In her other hand, she clutched a sword, prepared for the defining moment.

There wasn’t anything else they could do to plan.

So Gio didn’t waste any energy on hesitation.

Bang!

Blue flames hit the ground as he and Neriah went flying into the air. A virtual machine manifested on his back and maintained his momentum until they could see the beast’s back ten feet below them.

Neriah let go.

She controlled the angle of her fall to land square on the lion’s back.

Gio swung around, using his energy to propel himself closer to the eagle’s head.

And when Neriah landed...

OOOOOOOOH!

The force of her feet touching its back was all it took to set it off.

Whoosh!

The serpent tail instantly snapped at her, forcing her to move and almost stumble off its back. Gio caught the scene out of his peripheral as he yelled out to the beast.

"Hey!"

He enhanced his voice with Aether. As the eagle head turned towards him, he put his arms together and summoned his arsenal.

[Siege Armament]

A huge virtual cannon rose from his back.

[Beam]

Vooooooom!

A huge beam of light shot from that huge barrel, crossing the air in a second and slamming into the side of the eagle’s head, just under its eyes.

The jetpack on Gio’s back sputtered and died out as it ran out of energy. Quickly, Gio shifted the virtual blue force into his feet and threw himself through the air.

As he barrelled through the arena, he met eyes with the griffin. Its eyes were glassy and hollow, yet he could undoubtedly feel its gaze.

A fire lit up in his eyes.

Monsters and beasts, he’d had plenty of time to fight. The Monster Race was foreign to the Gehenna Complex, but some of their kin were indeed found within the Tower of Babel.

Mechanical creatures, however...

He’d had even fewer opportunities to fight the creations of humanity than he had to fight humans.

He was already looking forward to how this one would end.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.