Chapter 269 - Nonsensical Fight

Bang!

Another blow landed on Rynold's side, causing his stomach to cave. He couldn't tell what was going on as the fight dragged on, and he was losing.

It didn't make sense. A mechanoid of that size would be slow. Its attacks should've been easy to dodge for Rynold. The damage would only get less and less as the fight continued. Rynold would've already had its attack pattern figured out.

But, it only got worse as the fight played out.

"What the hell is going on?!"

A complicated and simultaneously frustrated expression appeared on Rynold's face. He pushed himself off the ground again, having lost count of how many times he needed to do it.

The blows repeatedly landed against his chest, face, and nearly every limb in his body. He defended time and time again but to no avail. Rynold felt his entire body ache in sheer pain, barely able to stand up. His opponent pummeled Rynold every chance it got, making it hard for Rynold to counteract.

'Damn it.'

Rynold clenched his jaw as he saw the robot charge at him yet another time. He had to get away and think of a plan to take that thing down. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

In mere seconds, the mechanoid approached Rynold once more. The overwhelming, nonsensical, ominous feeling of doom consumed Rynold. It caused Rynold to overthink, panicking at yet another incoming attack.

The awestruck and terrified expression on Rynold's face caused reason to be concerned. Rynold couldn't take it anymore, only ever reeling back in fear.

He nervously swallowed as he instinctively took a step back. At this point, Rynold wondered whatever happened to his idea of not backing down. This fight wasn't something he could win, but he'd be damned if he just stood there and took it.

"Screw this."

Muttering underneath his breath, Rynold opened his Inventory and threw out four small, octahedron-shaped objects. They floated around him, revolving around him like Rynold had his own gravitational pull.

'Break,' Rynold commanded from within the confines of his consciousness. The drones reacted and pulled away from him, distancing themselves from Rynold.

And, from there, they fired concentrated beams of Mana towards the mechanoid, relentlessly and erratically. Each shot made its way towards the machine's sizable body.

But, it was nowhere near strong enough to take it down. Or even slow it down.

"God damn it," Rynold cursed again as he put his hand out in front of him, concentrating Mana at the very tip of his fingers. "Summon! X!"

The ground in front of him lit up as a magic array appeared. It stretched until the size of the Mech Knight and forcibly summoned X from wherever he was. Arriving fashionably late to the party, there he was in all his mechanical and knightly glory.

And, for some reason, injured and dented.

"Master..?"

X called out, knowing full well what had just happened. But, the Mech Knight was disoriented all the same. Something about him didn't feel right. Although, that, however, would have to be for some other time.

"Tell me later," Rynold ordered, his intentions apologetic yet urgent, "We have a problem on our hands." Rynold then looked up to the four octahedron drones and called out to them, "Reform!"

The drones closed back in on Rynold, surrounding him. Rynold then pointed forward, much to the Mech Knight's attention, and referred to what they were dealing with now. The mechanoid approached them like a juggernaut unhinged, and Rynold only had a few seconds to respond.

Fortunately, X was now there with him. The Mech Knight picked up his sword and took the hit head-on, blocking what would have been a harsh blow on Rynold.

The two struggled against each other, metal clashing against metal. Rynold saw it happening before his very eyes and knew that X wouldn't stand his ground any longer. So, Rynold helped out.

Rynold put both his hands in the air to his sides. With open palms, Rynold slammed his hands together like a thunderous clap. There was no sound, but the four drones converged on the Mech Knight as Rynold yelled out.

"Enforce!"

Each of the four octahedron drones attached themselves to the Mech Knight's shoulders and elbows. From there, the Mech Knight's body then glowed with a light blue hue.

At that moment, X stood his ground, much firmer than before. Rynold watched as the mechanoid's advantage disappeared in a flash, the drones augmenting X's combat and physical capabilities. They now stood a chance of beating the thing.

"Keep it preoccupied!" Rynold ordered as he pulled True Caliber out from his Inventory.

It was the same firearm as before, nothing different about it. Rynold then rushed to the mechanoid's side, not stopping until he got a clear shot.

From there, he breathed in and steadied his stance. Rynold aimed as he concentrated his Mana on the firearm. In a fraction of a second, the bullet formed. To which Rynold pulled the trigger.

Bink!

That was the sound it made as the bullet collided with the mechanoid's body. It barely made a scratch. If anything, it bounced off like a rubber band.

While the Mech Knight preoccupied the enemy, Rynold could rest easy knowing he had time for his next attempt. That said, the same Mana bullet wouldn't work. The panic overtook Rynold's concentration as he fired, thus making the bullet as insignificant as all else.

'Focus, idiot!' Rynold scolded himself as he raised his firearm once more.

Breathing in, Rynold activated his Domain skill, [Nature's Sustenance]. Following which, a large tree sprouted up from behind him. One of which filled the atmosphere with grace and warmth. It was quite the opposite of the metallic landscape all around him. But, it did its job.

Feeling the sense of calm arise from his chest, Rynold looked at the mechanoid. He breathed in, giving his all this time around. Rynold wouldn't miss a point-blank shot as he fired the next bullet.

Pink!

The bullet engraved itself on the mechanoid's metallic body, leaving a smaller-than-average dent on it. It was a weird thing, Rynold thought, as he hadn't expected his Mana to do something like that. Much less the bullet would engrave itself on its body rather than dissipating on impact.

'What the hell was that?!' Rynold thought to himself as he readied another bullet. This time around, Rynold planned on using Reserve Shot. While he could've used it earlier, Rynold didn't want to waste it. But, seeing as how nothing changed, now seemed a good a time as any.

That was until the bullet lodged in the mechanoid's body sprouted roots out of nowhere. The surprise caught Rynold off-guard and made him turn his head sideways in confusion. He narrowed his eyes, trying to understand why it was so.

Rynold quickly stepped back a second later, realizing things were not what they seemed. Even though Rynold had control over his Mana, he didn't know what caused it to form something like that.

Or, the better question: Since when was he able to create organic matter?

The roots or vines, or whatever one might call them, kept growing. They seemed relentless, growing until it wrapped itself around the mechanoid. While X kept it from moving, the roots consumed the mechanoid, growing and consuming its metallic body.

"X! Step back!" Rynold ordered as he watched the mechanoid lose a fight against the metal-eating plants.

Following its master's orders, the Mech Knight obediently jumped a foot back, allowing the mechanoid free. The mechanoid reactively pursued after X, though, but couldn't so much as move an inch. The plants had already made their way around the mechanoid's joints and machinery.

Their opponent soon seized to a halt, overcome by the unending plant life that had come from Rynold's bullet. It was a bizarre, awe-inspiring spectacle — something that Rynold couldn't believe he had done.

Rynold approached the mechanoid, noticing that it had stopped moving. Rynold was still careful, of course, but a part of him knew he was safe. He then inspected the thing from up close, verifying what had transpired based on the small clues he had.

'I've seen this before,' is what Rynold thought as he placed his hand gently on the mechanoid's chest. The design and overall architecture of the thing felt familiar.

Following that train of thought, Rynold looked around the place, assessing the structural damage. He couldn't help but think that the battle had caused some kind of fracas. But, as he looked around, none of the Mechs meant to protect the island ever acted.

He pieced the puzzle together, turning around as he did. Rynold spun in the same place and stopped when he looked the Mech Knight in the eye.

"That son of a bitch."

Underneath his breath, Rynold cursed one more time. He then shook his head in outright dismissal as he paid attention to the Mech Knight in front of him. Having not seen each other for quite some time, Rynold finally thought to ask.

"What happened to you?"