Chapter 602: Wounding the Dark Humanoid Automaton
Despite the wound on the Dark Humanoid Automaton’s knee, which might have crippled an ordinary Sage-tier golem, it was merely a minor inconvenience for a Half-Step Legend. Even so, the damage hindered its speed enough that, when it raised its massive bastard sword to crush Vlad, the Depravita had time to leap backward and evade the strike.
Glancing at each other, Vlad and Jormungandr nodded, silently agreeing on their strategy. They continued to coordinate their attacks, searching for vulnerable points on the automaton’s formidable body.
A barrage of fireballs soared through the air, detonating against the automaton’s thick armor plates. While these flames scarcely did more than nick its surface, the ensuing explosions blinded it momentarily with smoke and heat, allowing Vlad to slip behind the creature unseen. In a single fluid motion, the Depravita of Wrath slashed at its left ankle. The blade left only a narrow cut, but the Mark of Cain caused the wound to expand a moment later, providing an opening for arcs of lightning—launched by Jormungandr—to surge inside, scorching the automaton from within.
Recognizing the danger, the Dark Humanoid Automaton turned on Vlad, eyes flaring with rudimentary intelligence. This time, it reacted with formidable speed, sweeping its bastard sword in a broad arc.
There was no room for Vlad to dodge. He clenched his teeth, steeled his muscles, and braced the flat of his sword in a defensive posture. Putting every ounce of strength into his arms and shoulders, Vlad channeled his Force to absorb the brunt of the impact.
"BOOOOOMMMMM!"
A tremendous kinetic blast reverberated through the room as the automaton’s sword met Vlad’s parry. Though the blow was overwhelming, Vlad’s skillful manipulation of Force reduced the worst of it, allowing him to vault backward just in time. Even so, the collision flung him across the floor in a controlled slide, his limbs trembling from the exertion and his injured arm throbbing with pain.
The Dark Humanoid Automaton’s eyes burned with mechanical determination. It lunged forward, ready to follow up and smash Vlad. But the gouges on its knee and ankle prevented it from closing the gap before dozens of lightning-infused chains of fire erupted from the stone floor. With arcs of lightning dancing along their blazing links, they coiled around its limbs, locking it in place.
"You’re not going anywhere," Jormungandr snapped, standing away with his paw raised. The cat’s eyes glowed coldly as he channeled an immense amount of Magic into his spell.
For a fraction of a second, the massive automaton strained against its bindings, testing their integrity. Then, with a fierce burst of physical power, it tore through the chains as though they were paper, sending shards of molten metal and flickers of lightning scattering across the floor. Immediately, it pivoted toward Jormungandr, sword raised to strike.
Undeterred, the small yellow cat narrowed his gaze. A portion of his Depravita Aura coalesced inside his energy pool, fueling a potent attack.