redvbooks Chapter 188 188: Pus of Man
Chapter 188 188: Pus of Man
Clang!
It was a pure contest of strength.
There was no technique to speak of. The flash of the greatsword Great Fortune collided head-on with the halberd swung by the Ash Judge.
The crisp sound of metal striking metal echoed throughout the circular arena.
But the most immediate sensation Ron felt—
was the aching in his arms, as if the muscles between thumb and forefinger had been torn apart in an instant.
By contrast, the Ash Judge, locked in the clash—its massive body wasn't shaken in the slightest by the exchange of force. It didn't even show any extra stiffness or delay.
It swung its halberd again.
The Ash Judge attempted to tear apart the Ashen One before it with its weapon—but the expected slash never came.
Instead, its right hand clenched into a fist and it lunged forward, smashing toward Ron.
'Fast-slow mixups don't work on me!'
"..."
After burning through countless uses of Revival, the Ash Judge's halberd feint—its real killing move being that straight punch aimed at the chest—had long since lost any effect.
Ron didn't greed for hits during the recovery window. He decisively stepped back, pulling open a safe distance, while that lightning-fast punch slammed into the ground.
Boom!
The stone floor, weathered by countless years, cracked into a spiderweb pattern under the impact.
Fragments of rock and dust surged toward Ron behind him—but the Ash Judge's assault didn't end there.
Using the momentum from the punch—
its massive body flipped backward without any external support, spinning through the air before bringing the halberd down toward Ron.
The movement was so fluid it almost made him think of Lion's Claw.
'Not gonna lie…'
'In terms of combat techniques, it's actually better than the one in Dark Souls III.'
A powerful opponent.
At least in terms of raw strength, it completely crushed his current self.
Ron rolled sideways decisively, dodging the downward halberd strike, then sprang back to his feet, eyes locking onto the exposed flank.
Seizing the opening—he lowered his stance and swung the greatsword in a cross pattern, unleashing two sharp slashes.
Ash of War: Double Slash!
The greatsword's armor-breaking power spoke for itself.
Not to mention, the armor worn by the Ash Judge had long lost its defensive integrity after the passage of time.
When the blades collided, sparks burst outward in all directions.
And with its leg struck, the Ash Judge's balance was naturally affected. It adjusted its stance and swung a punch toward Ron.
But—its towering physique, while granting it overwhelming strength and durability, came at the cost of speed.
In other words, Ron could evade the Ash Judge's attacks purely with his own speed.
And even—
under the influence of the Ashina-style swordsmanship, he felt that the Floor Boss's attack movements had become unusually slow.
Lion's Claw!
Impaling Thrust!
Relying on his speed advantage—even the absurdly heavy Great Fortune flowed in his hands with smooth, fluid motion, each wide, sweeping strike connecting seamlessly.
The Ash Judge couldn't defend against the greatsword's blows.
Its armor gradually shattered, and crimson flesh—like infected tissue—splattered outward.
It was completely one-sided domination.
...
Standing at a distance, observing while maintaining a safe gap, Tiona watched Ron's battle with the Ash Judge.
Her earlier anticipation for this unknown Floor Boss gradually faded.
Was it strong?
Perhaps due to the decay of its body, the Ash Judge's movements seemed rather slow in her eyes.
But in terms of raw strength, it could definitely rival a Level 4 adventurer.
All power and no mobility—against someone as agile as Ron, it simply had no way to fight back.
More importantly, he wasn't even going all out.
She lightly shook her head.
"Feels like…"
"We don't even need to step in. It's almost over!"
"..."
Tiona looked at the shattered armor of the Floor Boss, the deep, unhealable wounds carved by the greatsword—the outcome of the battle was already decided.
Still, it wasn't without gain.
At least they had witnessed something entirely new.
Her gaze swept across the bizarre environment.
According to Ron—this was a world on the verge of destruction, reaching its end.
It was fascinating.
Just as Tiona noticed the Ash Judge in the distance—its movements halted, kneeling on one knee—she was thinking about how to return next—when Lefiya's trembling voice suddenly sounded beside her: "Um… Senior Tiona… it looks like this fight isn't over yet…"
"..."
"What do you mean?"
The Amazoness frowned.
Following Lefiya's pointing finger, the scene that came into view—was something that assaulted the senses.
Because—the Ash Judge, already on the brink of defeat—had black tendrils writhing behind it.
As if something that had been suppressed was now unleashed.
They began mutating at a visible rate.
The body that once belonged to the Ash Judge was being crushed and torn apart from within by the Pus of Man.
Chunks of flesh mixed with blood fell away continuously.
That towering figure—was ripped apart from the inside out, replaced by a new form composed of a writhing, pitch-black mass of flesh.
The grotesque form of the Pus of Man—was beyond Tiona's ability to describe.
That inky-black, constantly flowing skin alone was enough to send chills down her spine.
Even with her experience exploring the deep Floors—and encountering those humanoid female monstrosities—the impact of this second phase of the Ash Judge was on an entirely different level.
She swallowed instinctively.
"This is…"
"What the hell is that?!"
As the Pus of Man virus erupted within the Ash Judge—the repulsive aura that Lefiya had sensed earlier reached its peak.
It wasn't fear—but an instinctive rejection from her elven body.
She shrank back slightly, her gaze turning toward Ron in the distance.
"I… don't know either… maybe… Ron knows?"
"..."
A true Boss.
At low health, entering a second phase was practically standard.
The Ash Judge was no exception.
Watching the now-uncontrolled Pus of Man virus—Ron frowned deeply.
Back in the game, he had already found it disgusting.
Now that he was facing it in reality—it somehow felt even worse… in a strangely vivid way.
The problem was—he couldn't confirm whether this Pus of Man virus was contagious in the real world.
Looking at the monster before him—
should he continue using the same tactics as before?
Clearly not.
He had no intention of turning into that kind of grotesque creature.
He dropped the greatsword to the ground—and gripped the Gravel Stone Seal in his hand.
At this point—there was only one option left.
Time to cast incantations.
"Even if this is supposed to be a trial for inheriting the flame as an Ashen One…"
"I'm not even trying to link the fire in DanMachi anyway. Using other methods…"
"Should be fine."
Passing through the fog gate, encountering the Ash Judge—and defeating it using the methods of a Tarnished—there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Don't question it.
This—is the "Lord of Cinder" who has returned from Elden Ring.
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