Gacha System: Reborn In The Hardest World
Chapter 64: The Strongest In The World

Chapter 64: The Strongest In The World

The magenta flames danced in the valley, raining their embers down as the man bearing the dragon’s heart moved like a wild beast. It was no different than facing down a calamitous beast; as the once proud knight ran on all fours, digging up and flinging soil in his wake, Rowan paced to meet him halfway–

He flipped the heavy hammer in his hand, locking his eyes on the ivory beast, cocking his weapon back like a batter ready to hit a homerun.

"--I give up a week of my life, so give me some extra punch–!" Rowan imposed with a thrilled smile.

As the portion of his lifespan was sapped, the soil around him quaked, splitting beneath his feet as the air shuddered. Every muscle in his body filled with abundant strength, swelling as his uniform struggled not to tear away.

Right as the man-beast arrived, lunging at him with teeth bare, he swung the hammer, splitting the wind–

The devastating impact cracked the scales, sending the inhuman warrior flying back as the air howled. Rowan chased after with steps that splintered the soil, waving his hammer around with a smile more genuine than a lover’s confession.

"Don’t break yet, glorious knight! You’re a hero of Mastorn, aren’t you?! I’m a hero of Galios! Let’s see which of our tales will be sung for the ages–!" The scarlet-haired Outlander challenged as his voice boomed through the flaming valley.

The dragon-man used his own tail to slam into the soil, halting his momentum as his chest puffed, glowing with a magenta shine. Rowan immediately recognized the building heat just as the jaws of the abandoned knight parted–

"Increase the size of my hammer, but halve its power!" He shouted, holding his weapon in front of his body.

The black steel expanded into a wall, shielding his body as the wrathful flames ran against it. Even standing behind its protective material, he felt the heat of the dragon’s fire; sweat was cast from his pores as breathing became arduous, feeling as though he stood in an oven.

Even touching the metal immediately burnt his skin, forcing him away as the torrent of fire finally ceased.

As he breathed out amidst the smoke, he tried to grab his hammer, though it melted as he attempted to hoist it back up. It dribbled into metallic goo, sizzling on the burnt soil.

"Well, that’s unfortunate," Rowan said, dropping the remnants of the melted bludgeoning tool.

There was no time to grieve the loss of his precious hammer, hearing the crackling of thunder bearing down.

["The Great Dragons stand at the pinnacle of all beasts. Immortal creatures that have existed since before the Age of Gods. They’re divine in their own right, having shaped continents with their claws.

To borrow the power of one, that is a frightening claim."]

Bolts of magenta lightning descended, caught in the hands of Valerius like spears. The bestial man rose from the ground, levitating as the captured bolts hissed, crackling from their tethering to the sky.

He watched as the dragon-man tossed the first bolt, forcing him to sidestep it as he sprinted in. It roared right past him with its elemental wrath, leaving a trail of sparks.

"Hyuuuuh—!"

In response, he slammed his foot against the ground, bashing his shoulder against the wind. A pulse of vibrations emitted forth, erupting against the lightning-capturing man-beast.

Though it stopped Valerius from sending forth the second bolt, it only briefly concussed the dragon.

’Ah, I get it now,’ Rowan observed as his vision was filled with the shine of the magenta sparks.

["The scales of a Great Dragon are said to be one of the most durable materials in the world. They disperse mana that comes into contact with it, unraveling any magecraft to make it nearly harmless.

As the Outlander figured out the futility of his own magic, the bolt struck him head-on. It erupted into fireworks of sparks, covering his body in sharp tingles as the breath was ripped from his lungs.

As his lungs fought to work again, he found his uniform tattered, leaving his torso bare; bruised and bleeding from the direct hit. Throughout his body, the effects of the dragon’s lightning felt as though a mallet had pounded his organs from the inside.

"In that case—" Rowan drew in a breath before shouting. "I can no longer use magic against Valerius, so give me the strongest body in the world—!"

Relinquishing the dominant affinity even temporarily, a weapon that most in the world would sacrifice everything to hold even for a moment, the strength that flowed through his body was unbelievable. It was no different from a god forsaking his authority; the exchange broke the boundaries of logic.

As he breathed, the wind shuddered; as he stepped, the land shook; as he flexed, the temperature warmed.

["This is the pinnacle of strength. It’s...too much. If I’m not careful, I’ll shatter this continent."]

A roar of thunder brought his gaze up, witnessing another of the magenta bolts striking at his body. As it slammed into his chest, exploding into dazzling sparks, it felt like little more than a sting. His body had become a divine instrument itself; a temple of impervious flesh that could not be moved.

Over the field of blackened soil, embers and sparks trickled in the air like an electric winter. A gathering of fire and lightning was called by the man-dragon, swirling with the unison of destructive elements like that of a burning cyclone–

Rowan pushed forward, shattering the ground at his feet, covering the distance in a single step. As he clenched his fist, he drove it upward, slamming his knuckles against the underside of the man-beast’s jaw. The scales shattered as the figure was flung upwards into the sky like a reverse lightning bolt, soaring right for the clouds.

With a bend of his knees, Rowan launched, leaving a crater in his wake as he leapt after his foe. In a single moment, he pierced the clouds, turning his body as he faced down at the avatar of the Great Dragon.

Amongst the drifting clouds, with his back to the cosmos, peering down at the vast world beneath, true freedom was experienced. As he clenched his fist, drawing it back as the vapor parted, he looked down at the helpless man-dragon–

["I’ve never once held hatred for anybody I’ve fought. They have their reasons, I have mine. That’s just the way it is. So–no hard feelings."]

As he drove his fist down, the sky parted; the clouds were dismissed above the valley as the monumental impact bounced the abandoned knight right back towards the surface.

The entire valley roared as the man-beast collided with the ground; the overlooking mountains shuddered.

From a far enough distance to not care, Astrid watched as dust rose from the disturbed soil, high like the cloud of an atomic bomb, "...He always overdoes it."