Rivers of the Night - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Thornhulk

CHI.

Theron’s blade rebounded off of the Thornhulk’s leg. Its exoskeleton flashed, morphing into the path of his weapon and protecting its joint.

With a step into the soft soil, Theron explosively retreated, his head tilting back and out of the way of a swipe of another limb.

Sharp horns lined its legs like blades. One misstep and he would either be skewered through or severed at the waist.

‘Okay.’

It was just a single exchange, but Theron understood many things. Reading about a creature was one thing, facing it was an entirely different matter. All of his reading fused into his world experience in what felt like a breath of time.

Despite its heft, the Thornhulk had hardly sunk into the ground at all when it landed, ignoring the softness of the earth. Its Mana control was immediate, and the casual movement of Wood Mana carried the strength of techniques to it.

It had sensed the roots of the trees in the surroundings, carefully choosing its landing position to stabilize on the sturdiest positions on the ground.

In addition, despite the speed and suddenness of Theron’s attack, it was able to move such thick pieces of wood over itself in protection.

This confirmed many things for Theron, and as he dodged the swinging leg, his chilling blue eyes streaking in the night, he knew his plan of action.

The sharp wind soared past his nose and his back arched. With a push of his legs, he somersaulted backward after dodging the swinging scythe-like limb.

His feet landed on the trunk of a tree, his body nearly parallel to the ground as he shot forward.

There was a strong fluttering of his robes as he closed the distance again.

The wooden armor retreated from the Thornhulk’s leg and it moved, its wings flapping heavily as it soared up to the skies again, then allowed itself to drop from above toward Theron.

Theron had no way to dodge, and he certainly couldn’t take on such a weight. After their first exchange, the Thornhulk had also adjusted much the same way.

The only reason Theron had been able to dodge the first time was because of [Touch of Mirage]. The Thornhulk had misjudged his position.

But after just that one interaction, the talent of a Mancy Beast shone through. Elemental Mancers could be countered by various elements they didn’t pair well against, and it could be said that Wood Mana most definitely suppressed Water Mana.

Using its exoskeleton as a medium, the Thornhulk began to greedily swallow up any Water Mana it sensed hanging in the air, making it especially difficult for Theron to control any Atmospheric Mana.

Using [Touch of Mirage] was suddenly not an option, and this time, the beetle was certain that it was going to land in the right direction.

Theron sensed the change immediately and his eyes narrowed, but his reaction was fast. It had no choice but to be; he had already burst forward, and it was too late to change direction.

[Bursting Water Shield].

He pulled on the Mana in his body, a large defensive shield appearing between himself and the Thornhulk.

The casting speed was so fast that even the Imbued Beast seemed to feel a hint of surprise.

BANG!

The shield burst.

The vision of the beetle was obscured. If Theron couldn’t trick its sight, then he would just have to leave it for a moment.

The Thornhulk had only just collided with the shield, pausing for a fraction of a moment in the air before it broke through. While the defensive properties of [Bursting Water Shield] were decent, it was far better designed for control and misdirection.

Theron knew this.

So he didn’t try to make it do something it was incapable of.

He appeared to the side of the beetle.

It had three main weaknesses as he had gathered.

The first.

‘Its agility is terrible.’

Theron appeared to the beetle’s side just as it landed. It didn’t even get a chance to sense him before he slashed out.

A leg of the Thornhulk flew into the skies, the fragile flesh of its joint being entirely unable to withstand Theron’s blow.

It shrieked and it sensed Theron’s location in that instant. Its senses reached out to the roots in the ground, feeling out the little human’s position and reacting accordingly.

When Theron’s blade flashed for a second time, his short sword and dagger attacked opposing limbs, and the Thornhulk was ready, protecting its joints once again.

CHI. CHI.

The second.

‘It can only control the Wood Mana in its body that is imbued with its aura. For external Wood Mana, it can only sense it, not control it.’

The beetle wasn’t the only one that could sense roots in the ground. Theron had used that exact trick to deal with Yonowai.

His steps changed. With the two remaining limbs facing Theron blocked at the joints, the Thornhulk couldn’t easily attack again.

Theron took advantage, slipping beneath the enormous beast and roaring.

Veins popped across his forehead, his back bracing against the ground as his legs kicked upward.

He might not be a Flux Mancer, but this level of weight was well within his capabilities to move if given the opportunity.

The Thornhulk tipped over, its body unable to stop itself as it fell toward its side. With one leg missing and two with encased joints, it couldn’t maneuver itself at all.

The third.

‘If it protects its joints, its poor agility becomes even worse.’

Theron flipped the Thornhulk onto its back, its two legs almost snapping beneath the pressure of its own weight.

He hopped to his feet almost like a specter, shifting from the beetle’s side.

The Thornhulk thought it sensed movement in the wood underground and reacted accordingly, protecting the side where it sensed Theron.

It was wrong.

Theron had poured his Water Mana into the ground, allowing the roots of the trees to soak it up and give the illusion of pressure.

The Thornhulk was protecting the wrong side.

Theron fell from above, his twin blades descending like guillotines as they split the soft joint of the Imbued Beast’s neck.

The creature’s shriek was abruptly cut off, replaced by a gurgling.