Eight days had passed since we started heading out, it was the 4th of August now. It had been a relatively easy journey so far, the monsters were barely even a problem, I could take them out without even fully paying attention. I spent about a couple of hours at night each day to train Fuo, which was just some basic sparring.
It was definitely effective though, she'd showed increasing signs of improvement bit by bit with each sparring session we had. We had a slight delay when we used Store on the horses while taking a break...since things remain in a stagnant state while in that spell, the horses got no rest, and we had to stay put for a few hours longer than expected. But that aside, it had been pretty smooth sailing. We were pretty close to the Goldlands now, and not far from the location of the Giant King.
Hey, Lazarus, which way is the target?
"Twenty klicks straight left from here."
Yeah, the more digital entertainment he watches from my past memories, the more the way he speaks changes. It hasn't been anything drastic yet, so I don't think he's actually realized it, and I'm not going to point it out, since, well...it's pretty funny.
Anyway, to my left, huh...I turned and looked to my left, to see a tall rocky cliff. I walked over and tapped on it...it's thick, but thin enough that I can manipulate it with my Earth Magic and create an opening big enough for us to walk through. It was safer than blasting through it, I guess.
"Ready, Fuo? Well, not that you have to come along, so you can stay outside if you want," I remarked.
"No, I'm coming with you. I'll fight any monsters we run into!" She replied defiantly.
"But we won't, this is Giant territory, they won't fit inside these caverns, so we aren't gonna run into any in here. Fine, you can come, but don't slow me down."
"Grr, stop treating me like a burden!" She retorted indignantly.
I then created an opening in the wall and walked in with Fuo behind me. It was really narrow inside, looks like this might be a long, narrow-winding labyrinth. Twenty kilometers, huh? This could take a while...
...
About four hours later, we were finally just one wall away from the Giant King. There was so many walls I had to use my Earth Magic on that I'd used up a whole third of my Mana.
"He's just fifty meters ahead now, we've found him," Confirmed Lazarus affirmatively.
Alright, then, time to bring this hunt to an end.
"It's just in here. Let's go," I remarked, entering Vampire Mode and placing my hand on the rocky wall.
"Wait...aren't you...tired at all...," Panted Fuo, wiping away a bead of sweat.
"Nah, I'm fine. But if you're feeling too fatigued, you can stay out here. I mean, I am the one who's going to be doing the fighting, so you really don't have to come in with me."
"No, I'll come too," She grumbled in reply, before walking over as I made one final opening in the wall using my Earth Magic.
Woah, what's this...so far, this place had been an absolute maze with a really low ceiling, we bumped our heads multiple times as a result...but as I walked through the opening I'd just created, I found myself in a wide space with a high ceiling. And at the back of the space was a humanoid creature with red skin.
He was about seven feet tall, not too much taller than a human, with white fur on his arms, a third eye on his forehead, and spider legs growing out of his back. He must be the Giant King. Let's see, he ruled over Giants, Abominable Snowmen, Giant Poison Frogs, Cyclops, Lesser Cyclops, Giant Spiders and Giant Worms...I'd encountered all those monster types except for the last two.
"I was wondering what was headed my way...what's a Vampire doing here?" He inquired curiously, standing up.
Huh, the Goblin King also thought that I was a Vampire. Guess they can't sense anything when they look at me like the Vampires could. And my Vampire Mode does make me look like, well, a Vampire.
"Yeah, hi, I'm not a Vampire. Well, it doesn't matter who I am, this is all that you need to know...I'm here to kill you. My name's Kuro, and I'll be the last thing that you ever see."
"I am the Giant King, Titan. I shall respond to your challenge...and kill you instead."
Titan, huh...then I guess that makes this Attack on Tita-...ahem, a-anyway, this is probably going to be more of a challenge that the last one, if nothing else, he definitely seems smarter than the Goblin King. Hm, I probably shouldn't use any powerful blasts against him, it could collapse this entire place if I'm not careful.
Well, then, let's get started now, shall we? I fired a lightning bolt at him and then shot towards him at top speed, he swiftly responded by evading my lightning and firing out his tongue at me, coated in venom, I evaded it and then quickly flew up as he spew a stream of venom at me, which melted the ground as I dodged it.
Not bad, he can keep up with me, it must be his eyes...Cyclops have excellent eyesight, he might have those same eyes. And that tongue and corrosive venom...it's the abilities of the Giant Poison Frogs. I swooped down towards him while extending my claws, he responded by opening his mouth and blasting out...a web?
I swiftly used Teleport to get away, re-appearing behind him. He quickly spun around and swung his fist back and across at me, I narrowly evaded by ducking under it, before pointing my palm up and firing Repulsion up at his forearm, knocking it up and away. I then used Teleport to get some distance away from him.
When he swung his fist back, I could feel the sheer force behind it...even in Vampire Mode, that could have torn my head clean off my shoulders if it had made good enough contact. He's definitely strong, strong enough to keep up with me in this form. His arm was perfectly fine even after taking a blast of Repulsion at close range.
"Hm, you're pretty fast, whatever you are. But you will still die by my hand," He remarked, before rapidly sprinting towards me with the spider legs on his back.
He neared me and balled his fists together, before swinging them straight down towards me, I swiftly got away using Teleport, as he stopped his attack before his hands could hit the ground...I see, I was right to not use any blasts, he was being careful not to collapse this place too.
I think I'm starting to enjoy this...I'll fight him a bit more as I am, and then I'll shift up to Vampire God Mode and finish him off. I zipped towards him again, evading as he spewed venom and nets made of web at me. I then used Teleport as I closed in on him, his gaze immediately shifting around, but I reappeared just inches ahead of the same spot I vanished in, a look of alarm in his eyes as I closed in and drove my claws towards his chest.
Before I could pierce through though, one of his spider legs swung down towards my right arm, slashing it off from below the elbow and then rapidly shooting out webs from his fingertips and mouth, as I narrowly avoided getting ensnared by using Teleport to dart off to the left.
"Now you are finished!" He declared, bolting towards me.
I pretended to be slumped in pain, clutching my right elbow while staying down on one knee and keeping the wound out of his sight, while I put my Healing Factor to work...
The instant he closed in and began to drive his right fist down at me with a triumphant look on his face, I spun around and evaded his punch before closing in and piercing the middle of his chest, as he let out a gasp of pain and coughed out blood. Perfect, it worked...
"Wh-what the-...!" He began, before freezing as I met his gaze and used Stagnate to paralyze him.
"You look surprised...what, you've never seen someone regrow their bones in the shape of a sword before?" I inquired with a smirk.
That's right, I used my Healing Factor to shape my regenerating right forearm's bones into a sharp, curved sword, as well as to increase the density of the bone, while keeping my flesh, muscles and skin from growing back.
"I did say that I'd be the last thing you ever see...it's time for you to die," I remarked, piercing the claws on my left hand into his shoulder and consuming his life force.
I broke off my bone sword forearm and regrew my right forearm normally, as the Giant King's body slumped lifelessly and I let it fall to the ground. That takes care of that. Now, then...let's see what I gained from that. That monster was about an strong as an Evil Number-...no, he was even stronger, but without the regenerative abilities of a Vampire, all I needed was to land one fatal hit. And since he's been in hiding for literal centuries, he was probably pretty rusty.
Well, Lazarus? I can sense that I can summon the monsters he was in charge of, and I feel stronger too...is there anything else?
"Yes, there is. And just like the Goblin King's night-vision eyes, you will be able to use these abilities in your normal state. They haven't come into effect yet, I am holding back, or rather, slowing down, his life force from melding with your body, because you're receiving a lot more abilities than you did with the Goblin King, and it may overwhelm you if you are not expecting it. First, your eyesight will improve, you will have a wider field of vision and be able to see farther than you used to. Second, you will be able to produce spiderwebs from your mouth and fingertips. You can also create your own venom, and your tongue can extend out."
Huh...so the eyesight from the Cyclops, the Giant Spider's webs and the Giant Poison Frog's venom and tongue...the strength boost I was already feeling must be from the Giants or Abominable Snowmen, or maybe both. Overall...this was definitely worth the trouble. Now I'm really looking forward to hunting down the rest of the monster kings. Two down, four more to go...
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