Okami Wa Nemuranai

Boudo's body slightly bent backward.

His head lowered a bit.

But that's it.

Boudo's head which should have been cut in two remained on its neck.

In fact the slash failed to even break through his helmet.

An unbelievable spectacle just unfolded.

That slash had Lecan's maximum speed and power put behind it.

It should have sliced any and all thing in two.

Yet Boudo didn't even budge.

The helmet occupies Lecan's view. It's got the visage of an eerie looking fierce god, but the eye parts are round which is kind of weirdly charming.

Lecan felt like Boudo's are staring at him behind these round shaped eyes.

It also felt like he just grinned behind the giant curved fangs on the mask.

"<Power>!"

A moment after Lecan thought 'crap', the giant battle hammer was already swinging toward Lecan.

"W-<Wind>!"

He cast <Gust> in an attempt to get out of Boudo's attack, but he was a tad too late.

The battle hammer's tip dug into Lecan's abdomen.

Lecan got blown away, spinning in the air before getting slammed into the ground.

The impact he took clouded his vision, but Lecan frantically got up and put his left hand on his abdomen.

"Gofh. <Recovery>! <Recovery>!"

He cast multiple <Recovery> as blood spewed out of his mouth.

Boudo walked up to him with battle hammer on his shoulder.

"<Flame Spear>! <Flame Spear>! <Flame Spear>! <Flame Spear>! <Flame Spear>!"

Lecan rapidly shot out five <Flame Spears> ahead of him while he was still on his knees.

He put quite a lot of mana into them.

The five <Flame Spears> hit Boudo's face, right shoulder, left chest, abdomen and waist, creating huge explosions upon impacts.

However, Boudo just calmly stood there without even flinching before resuming his walk forward.

(Dammit!)

(It's <Hardening>!)

(No doubt.)

Boudo stopped moving when the five <Flame Spears> landed on him there. He always stops moving whenever he activates an especially strong <Hardening>.

And before that, he must have deployed <Hardening> to meet Lecan's full powered slash earlier.

<Hardening> is an active skill that doesn't require spell recitation for activation, a skilled user is capable of chain activation over a short burst. Boudo would keep a weak version of the skill active entirely during combat and put it in the highest gear at the right timing, stopping him in his track.

However, <Hardening> should consume a huge amount of mana when cast at maximum effect. How come Boudo is able to activate <Hardening> when he's got no mana.

Boudo roared as he swung down his battle hammer from upper right to lower left.

Lecan had quickly stood up and leaped to the left just as Boudo initiated his assault.

Lecan's Argent Flame Wolf's overcoat almost got torn away from the wind pressure.

Lecan slashed at Boudo's upper right arm with <Sword of Lecan> as he passed by.

The feedback was not entirely stiff, there was some suppleness to it.

Lecan used this chance of Boudo whiffing a large swing to slash at his back.

It was a direct hit, but it didn't feel like he was cutting at things.

<Hardening>'s effect applies to clothes and armor but some armor works well with it, while some other not so much. Metal armor doesn't work too well. While armor made of magic beast materials have high compatibility.

It seems Boudo's armor is made of magic beast materials. It's of an exceedingly high quality with a strong <Hardening> applied. It cannot be easily cut. However, Lecan felt like it's not impossible either.

Boudo spun around to the right and amassed his power before swinging his battle hammer.

"<Power>!"

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"<Wind>!"

Lecan greatly leaped backward with <Gust>.

<Power> is the spell to activate <Superstrength> skill. And that attack earlier must have been loaded with <Impact Penetration>.

Lecan spat out the blood collected in his mouth.

<Recovery> may have healed his wounds, but the blood lost in his stomach wouldn't come back and the pain from damaged internal organs remained. Lecan endured the pain and discomfort from having his internal twisted all this while.

There's no doubt now, Boudo has been employing <Impact Penetration>, <Superstrength> and <Hardening> skill. Lecan's <Gust> wasn't classified as magic in his world, which got adapted into one when he came to this world. <Life Detection> and <Mana Detection> were also remade, adapted per this world's law. In Boudo's case, <Impact Penetration>, <Superstrength> and <Hardening> must be seen as not magic by this world. Hence he must be consuming something that's not mana to activate them. Or so how they were adapted by this world's rule. That's the only explanation.

Still, how he came out unscathed after getting hit by that slash Lecan put his everything into is just not normal. Either <Hardening> had evolved abnormally after his arrival in this world. Or perhaps he's got an equipment that maximizes the effect of <Hardening> on him.

And that attack that penetrated through Lecan's Great Flame Dragon's armor and dealt heavy damage.

Seems like <Impact Penetration> has evolved as terrifyingly.

Boudo held his battle hammer aloft and calmly walked up to Lecan.

Lecan stooped low and waited until the very last moment before dodging to the right, circled around Boudo's back and cut at his left upper heel.

The battle hammer that was swung down right ahead changed its trajectory midway and gouged the ground on the left side.

Had Lecan dodged to the left, he would have eaten that blow.

(One hit by him will drive me into the corner, near incapacitation.)

(Yet my attacks barely have any effect on him.)

(Now then.)

(How to approach this fight.)

"<Wind>! <Wind>!"

Lecan greatly leaped backward to take some distance, put <Sword of Lecan> in <Storage> and grabbed a Solid Sacred Silver sword.