Pendragon's Infinity Gauntlet

Page 175

The boy who leaped over her head from behind the Catalogue of Forbidden Books delivered a flying kick to the statue's abdomen. The power and speed were extraordinary, like a meteorite impact.

There was a rumble.

Like a high-speed iron ball colliding with a stationary one, the stone giant's entire body was lifted into the air, flipped three times vertically in the air, and then crashed face down to the ground. This single blow sent the stone giant's massive body flying nearly seven meters. In contrast, after channeling all of Feng Zhan's energy into the stone statue, it floated lightly and remained still in the air.

Then, like a light feather, it slowly descended to the ground.

boom!

A heavy tremor spread.

The moment Kazakiri Hyouka landed with her other foot, which wasn't kicking out, cracks appeared in the ground within a two-meter radius centered on her foot, as if a giant iron hammer had struck the earth. This scene gave the illusion that Kazakiri was experiencing several times the gravity of Earth.

"Bing...Hua...?"

Just as Index of Forbidden Books was about to call out to Kazan's retreating figure, it couldn't help but gasp.

The right leg that Feng Zhan had used to deliver the flying kick had completely disappeared below the knee. The power of that attack was enough to send a massive stone statue weighing several tons flying far away, and the recoil had long exceeded what the human body could withstand.

The original list of banned books was based on this method of judgment.

However, upon closer inspection of the cross-section of Kazezan's right foot, it was discovered that it was just an empty hole, and the wound looked like paint peeling off a transparent pillar, appearing very unnatural.

...What...what happened?

The Forbidden Book Index, holding its calico cat, fell into deep thought.

Corpse-jumping magic, necromancy, the Hand of Glory, the Serpent's Curse, the Elixir of Immortality… The mind of the author of Index Forbidden Books contains countless magical techniques and knowledge that utilize the dead. Some of these spells even allow for the free manipulation of corpses simply by performing certain modifications on them.

but……

Even the Catalogue of Banned Books cannot explain what is happening before our eyes.

Chapter 304 Friends

Chapter 304

but……

Even the Catalogue of Banned Books cannot explain what is happening before our eyes.

Is it really possible for humans to degenerate into something like this?

"Snapped!"

A sound like a large sheet being forcefully swung through the air was heard, and then Kazakiri Hyouka's severed foot was completely healed. As if it had been fitted with a spring, the new foot seemed to spring out from the cut surface with astonishing speed.

"Run away."

Feng Zhanbinghua did not turn around.

He said this with his back to the Catalogue of Banned Books.

"You should run away quickly... It's still very dangerous here."

The voice was indeed that of Kazakiri Hyouka, familiar from the Index series. The Index was bewildered and dared not answer. They couldn't determine whether to lift the alert, because they didn't know if the girl was the real Kazakiri Hyouka, or a magically created imposter.

At this moment, the stone statue lying on the ground creaked.

The stone giant seemed to be trying to stand up, but the wind slash had already caused structural damage to its body.

Using the human body as an analogy, it's like being unable to move due to a back injury. The eerie sounds emanating from the stone giant are the vibrations of its joints…

"Snapped!"

A sound like bones breaking was heard.

The attempt to stand up resulted in even greater damage to the inner side of the body that had been created.

"Quack quack!"

The stone monster was howling. Strictly speaking, stone giants don't have vocal organs, so it was an uncoordinated sound produced by the strained movement of its joints. The statue couldn't stand up properly and could only support itself on its limbs. It raised its head, as if it were roaring to the sky.

Suddenly a strong wind blew up.

Centered on the stone giant that was constantly emitting violent sounds, a tornado-level gale arose, with massive gusts of wind nearly engulfing the entire ruins. But this wasn't a wind that simply lifted everything up and then pushed it in all directions. In nature, it was more like a giant whirlpool trying to drag nearby ships into the ocean.

The wind is not blowing outwards, but rather rolling inwards.

Small stones, empty cans, abandoned bicycles, window frames without glass... all were sucked onto the stone giant, then flattened by an unseen force, becoming part of the stone giant's body.

"Damn it... that attack just now caused the stone giant's regenerative abilities to go out of control...?"

The Forbidden Book Index tightly held onto the tricolor cat that was about to slip away, trembling all over.

The "Wind Slash Ice Blossom" attack seemed to have inflicted fatal damage on the stone statue, even damaging the "core" hidden within the stone giant's body—the safety device, the "Secret Text." Undeterred, the stone giant tried to heal this seemingly incurable wound, constantly issuing commands to absorb everything around it and form it into its own body.

However, the injury could not be healed no matter what.

Therefore, the command "perform repair work until the injury is fully healed" will be repeated indefinitely. Unable to heal the original wounds, it simply absorbs excess matter, causing the stone giant's body to grow larger and larger like a snowball. Its already nearly four-meter-tall body doubled in length and width in less than thirty seconds. With its limbs supporting it on the ground, it now resembles the roof covering Index and Kazezaki.

The surrounding abandoned buildings began to make noise.

Hearing the terrifying roars of these massive buildings, like trees in a storm, Index to the Forbidden Books paled. At this rate, all the buildings around them would collapse. If they were caught in the collapse, they would surely perish. Moreover, if the tornado was powerful enough to destroy buildings, no matter how hard Index to the Forbidden Books tried to hold on, their feet would still leave the ground, and they would be swallowed by the statues' bodies.

The Forbidden Book Index thought to itself that it was absolutely necessary to escape.

The stone giant is now in an automatic control mode that doesn't require a caster, so forced incantations are ineffective. Furthermore, since the stone giant continues to operate knowing the regeneration system is malfunctioning and unable to save itself, a mere safety pin is no longer enough to stop its movements. Although it's truly frustrating, the Index: Forbidden Book, unable to refine its magic, is now powerless even with vast knowledge.

The Index of Forbidden Books was no longer enough to subdue the stone giant before him. As far as he knew, the only person who could resolve this situation was the girl with the strongest right hand.

"Binghua, run!"

Although the author couldn't confirm that the girl in front of him was the same "Kaze-zaki Hyouka" he had played with after class, he still shouted that at him.

At this point, the outer walls of the abandoned building gradually peeled away.

A massive concrete block, as large as a giant's hammer, was tossed about in the sky by the tornado. Index Books quickly crouched down, clutching the calico cat. The concrete block grazed Index Books' head and slammed into the asphalt. Debris from the asphalt was also sucked into the stone giant by the wind.

Even simply raising your head could result in being hit by a flying stone, let alone escaping.

Despite the desperate situation, Kazan Hyōka simply stood there as if nothing had happened.

A boulder even larger than Kazezan's body grazed past his face, but he didn't even flinch, remaining completely unmoved, like an old man watching the raging waves at sea.

Feng Zhan Binghua didn't turn around, but simply said quietly:

"You...run away quickly."

"how about you?"

The Forbidden Book Index, pressing down on the calico cat that was about to be blown away by the wind, asked a question in return.

“I…” the boy thought for a moment and said, “I must… stop that monster.”

As if enraged by the sound of wind slicing through ice, the stone statue, supporting itself on all fours, raised its right wrist at that very moment. Due to its increased weight, its movements became slower. But like a dam about to burst, the power stored within seemed to be waiting to be released.

Once that fist comes down, it will surely shatter the two people and the surrounding buildings into pieces. That kind of power, which has long surpassed the limits of human strength, is simply impossible to defend against.

"Impossible, Binghua! Run away! That's an enemy that humans can't fight head-on! Even if we want to defeat it, we have to find another way! Binghua, why are you throwing your life away?"

Despite hearing what the Forbidden Book Index said, Feng Zhan still didn't turn around.

The statue's fist remained still, seemingly aiming at a target.

"Binghua, that thing isn't human! Fighting that monster head-on isn't a smart decision! You'll definitely die if you do that!" Binghua shouted. Only then did Fengzhan Binghua slowly turn around.

Despite being targeted by cannonball-like fists, Kazezan seemed unconcerned and turned his head away.

"……don’t worry."

"Feng Zhan said."

His expression suggested he might cry at any moment, yet a smile played on his lips.

Chapter 305 Fist to the Bone

Chapter 305

"Feng Zhan said."

His expression suggested he might cry at any moment, yet a smile played on his lips.

"Because I am not human either."

The list of banned books made me gasp.

Feng Zhan Binghua looked at the Forbidden Book Index, forced a smile, and said the last sentence.

"I'm sorry for lying to you for so long."

The stone statue behind Feng Zhan swung its fist.

"boom!"

The air is compressed.

It was almost like a meteorite impact. Index Books involuntarily shrank back, calling out the name of Kazezaki.

Feng Zhan Binghua did not answer.

He turned to face the stone giant, raising his delicate hands to the left and right, positioning himself as a wall guarding the Index of Forbidden Books.

The stone statue's fist was right in front of Feng Zhan.

This massive blow didn't feel like a bullet or cannonball, but rather like an entire wall crashing into it. The power of the wind slash was worlds apart from that of the stone giant.

It's like a praying mantis trying to stop a rolling wheel with its arms.

Boom!

Feng Zhan Binghua's thin arm blocked the fist of the stone giant Alice head-on.

Hands, feet, chest, abdomen, back, head... every part of his body was subjected to a powerful impact, and the pain throughout his body felt like he was being dismembered. His arms were shortened by at least five centimeters. The compression of his arms created terrifying bumps and dents on Kazezaki's originally delicate and elastic skin, making them look like ribs protruding from beneath his skin.

"Ah...ah..."

Feng Zhanbinghua heard the sound of a boy behind her, so frightened he couldn't speak.

Feng Zhan wanted to tell him not to worry, but he couldn't even turn around and smile.

They can't even speak or make a gesture.

The body made a creaking sound. A sharp pain, like the chafing of teeth with an iron file, spread from the inside of both hands throughout the entire arm.

It was as if the earth had slid down, and the entire mountain had pressed down on him; an overwhelming, despairing force was applied to Feng Zhan. The stone giant's iron fist, which had absorbed a great deal of waste, shattered Feng Zhan's fingertips. His foot, which was bracing himself on the ground, along with the asphalt, gradually slid backward. His calves, unable to withstand the immense pressure, emitted a terrible sound, bending like tree branches about to snap under the weight of snow. Intense pain coursed through Feng Zhan's body; his calves felt as if they were being struck with a hammer.

The stone statue seemed intent on using brute force to completely destroy the small resistance before it, and increased the force of its fist once again.

"Ah... Ahhhhhh!"

Kazezan shouted loudly, and with a burst of strength, his hands and feet rapidly expanded. This was not a phenomenon caused by muscle exertion, but rather like inflating a balloon; his previously flattened hands and feet expanded and returned to their original shape.

As if a wound that was about to heal had been forcibly pulled open, Feng Zhan's vision blurred with pain.

The stone monster increased the force of its punch once again.

The external force that wanted to flatten the body was in conflict with the internal force that wanted to restore the body's shape. The boy's body was caught between the two forces, making a creaking sound like walking on an old wooden floor.

Feng Zhan gritted his teeth, refusing to let go of the stone giant's fist.

We absolutely cannot let go.

He had to protect the boy behind him. That silver-haired boy wasn't a monster like himself; he simply didn't have the strength to block the enormous fist.

monster,

The monsters will have to deal with it.

but……

However, no matter how hard she tries, Kazan Hyōka can never be saved.

Even if they saved Index A Certain Magical Index, the price was that Hyouka Kazakiri was defeated by the Stone Giant. Whether a severely damaged body could recover was something they had no prior experience with. Moreover, if, like the Pillar or the Bicycle, Kazakiri's body became part of the Stone Giant's body, what Hyouka would become was unimaginable. And even if a miracle occurred and both survived, Index A Certain Magical Index would already know that Kazakiri was not human.

but……

The time we spent together in the school cafeteria

The time I spent in the underground shopping mall after class

will never return.

However, we must never stand by and watch someone die...!