The clash sent a shockwave through Rylan's body, but he didn't even blink. He pressed forward with his full strength before a realization reached him.

Tempest Break isn't enough to completely crush its defenses.

The wings creaked and groaned as the mana wreaked havoc across their surface, but they didn't collapse. His current self's Tempest Break couldn't overcome this barrier through brute force. As such, it only made sense to change his approach.

I need to avoid the wings and hit its actual body. No, there's no reason to believe the body will be more fragile than the wings.

To top it all off, there were twelve wings, not just two or four. There were enough of them to make the Boss able to defend from almost any angle. There were no visible, easily discerned weak points like the eyes of the previous Golems.

The Boss was a powerful foe. It only made Rylan grin. He stopped channeling his mana into the Sword Art and stepped onto the surface of the folded wings. The Golem moved almost immediately. Two more wings came slashing through the air, one from each side in a scissor-like attack. Rylan jumped straight up, avoiding them, and stepped on the air to shoot to the side. He eyed the Boss from above.

I'll need both magic and swordsmanship.

His Class increased all stats by 10% when he used both simultaneously, and that would make a world of difference against a foe this powerful.

Let's do this.

Rylan threw all useless thoughts aside and dashed toward the Golem from above. At the same time, he cast Tide and Frost again, this time channeling as much mana as he could into them. The roaring wave of water coalesced out of mana itself, followed by the wave of ice that froze it right after. Once more, the Golem's legs were bound in place by ice, and once more, the ice cracked under its strength.

Rylan swung his sword, using Crackling Edge.

The attack met one of the Boss' silvery wings head-on. By using the air for support, Rylan avoided being flung away. Both the wing and Silver Twilight rebounded off each other after the clash, but Rylan recovered faster. He swung his sword again. The blade was coated in mana that crackled like lightning. Other wings tried to intercept it, but they were too late. The Sword Art landed straight on the Golem's forehead.

Rylan used Snowstorm to dash to the side, circling the construct's head. Three wings followed his movements and slashed at him, but he managed to dodge them just barely. His eyes were fixed on the spot where he'd managed to hit the Boss. If its defenses were too great, all he needed to do was keep hitting the same spot. Eventually, it would cave in. It would take great precision and careful judgment, since the Boss' attacks wouldn't stop coming, all with the intent of killing him.

But he could do it.

Rylan smiled and shot to the side to reach the Golem's back. Meanwhile, the wave of ice continued to grow as more and more mana coalesced into water, which was then frozen. The Boss broke through layers of ice, only to find itself hindered by even more of them. Of course, the drain on Rylan's mana was immense, but he needed to slow down its movements just a bit. The frost spread throughout the Golem's body like a crawling, living creature.

Behind the Golem, Rylan looked at the spots where the wings were attached to the body. He let out a breath and held his sword's hilt with both hands. The ethereal blade of mana took shape around the weapon, crackling with Lesser Lightning's power. He jumped forward. The Boss tried to turn around, but its spinning was hindered by the thick layers of ice around its legs. All it managed to do was move all twelve of its wings and throw a backhanded fist attack.

Rylan felt like his field of view was expanding as he took in all of the attacks at once. Twelve wings, each coming from a different angle, and one more blow. Snowstorm's mana movement coursed through him faster than ever. There were no thoughts running through his mind. All he needed to do was avoid the incoming attacks and reach his target. That was all.

The first wing arrived. He easily avoided it with Snowstorm, virtually running around its movement path by stepping on the air. As if they had predicted his path, however, the second, third, and fourth wings arrived, each from a different direction. He breathed in and continued to move. The second wing grazed his shoulder, slicing through a chunk of flesh and drawing blood. He couldn't even feel the pain. The third wing was completely avoided. The fourth grazed his left thigh, also creating a line of blood. He got past them all.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The backhand arrived, but he managed to easily leap over it, right into the path of another one of the wings. This one sliced his belly, creating a deeper wound than the ones before it. Rylan clenched his jaw and continued to move.

The remaining wing attacks were either completely avoided or managed to inflict him with an injury. Bloodied and in pain, Rylan got within three meters of the Golem's back, right where the first set of wings connected with the body. He swung his blade horizontally. The slash met the right wing first, clashing against the silvery alloy. For a second that seemed to last forever, neither of them budged. Then, the blade sliced through the surface and managed to cut off the entire wing. It kept going and reached the one on the left. Rylan gritted his teeth and kept funneling mana into the Sword Art. In the end, the left wing was also severed.

Having achieved his objective, Rylan immediately jumped backward with a backflip, avoiding another one of the wings just in time. He quickly widened the distance between himself and the Boss as the two severed wings collapsed onto the ice, shining beautifully. The Boss managed to fully turn around and look at Rylan, who was smiling. He allowed himself to think again.

Ten more to go.

Most importantly, the uppermost defensive appendages of the Golem, the ones that could most easily keep him from reaching the construct's forehead again, had been severed. Rylan let out a breath and readied himself again. He couldn't stop now. At the same time, he evaluated his mana pool.

At this rate, I'll only be able to fight for ten more minutes.

His mana was being used not only for his mana circulation, but also to sustain two Third Circle spells, alongside his Sword Arts and the Falling Snow Steps. The drain was almost overwhelming. There was only one more thing he could try.

System. 22 points into Intelligence and 22 points into Wisdom.

They were the last few Free Points he'd been saving for an emergency. Right now, he needed to improve his mana recovery rate as much as possible, even if only to fight for just a bit longer.

With the System's confirmation resounding in his mind, Rylan shot forward again. He was aiming for the next set of wings.

That was when it happened.

The Golem pointed at him instead of simply swinging its fist. The mana in the room roiled. Rylan widened his eyes and dashed to the side, straining his body. Less than a second later, a beam of light as tall as a person pierced through where he had just been. Hot air ruffled Rylan's hair.

Fucking hell.

He gritted his teeth. Things had indeed been too simple, it seemed.

But he wouldn't lose.

He ran toward the Golem again, avoiding two more beams of light before reaching its head.

Mountainpeak Swordsmanship, Final Movement: Mountain's Collapse.

Silver Twilight's blade fell toward the construct's forehead with even more power than a landslide, made heavier by the thick layer of mana all around it. The attack met its target dead-on. The Golem's head was pushed back and down by the Sword Art, making the giant need to take a step back. Rylan didn't miss this window. He lifted his sword again, both feet planted on the Golem's head. One of the silver wings came at him, slicing through the air from the left, but he easily parried the blow by spinning in place and moving a bit. He lifted the sword again.

Stormcaller Sword Style, First Movement: Thunderbolt.

The blade pierced through the air and landed straight on where he had hit the Golem with Mountain's Collapse. Unsatisfied, Rylan readied another attack, but was forced to back off as the Golem lifted both arms in an attempt to grab him. A System notification appeared in the corner of his vision.

[Mana Cultivation (Intermediate) is resonating with your skill.]

Rylan grinned and kept moving.

The battle continued as a dangerous dance. Rylan would advance and retreat as needed as the seconds ticked down, but because of the Golem's power, he couldn't avoid being injured. Even though none of the Golem's attacks were fast enough to hit him dead-on, they still managed to graze his body and draw blood. Once the wounds piled up, fighting became more difficult, even though he managed to avoid being crippled by a serious injury.

At the end of the third minute, Rylan managed to cut off another set of wings. By the end of the fifth minute, he had severed another set.

This alone made the battle significantly easier, but not to the point where he could let his guard down. The Golem's beams of light mixed with other kinds of magic that sought to blind him or hinder his senses. Because of it, even more wounds accumulated.

And finally, at the end of the eighth minute.

Rylan looked down at the Golem from above. Cuts marred its previously pristine golden frame, and there were only half as many wings on its back. The Golem was looking back at him, its forehead cracked.

One last time.

He readied Tempest Break once more. The mana within the laboratory roiled and contorted, as if trying to follow the lightning's lead. The Boss pointed its index finger at him.

Now.

He shot downward. The beam of light was fired, but it was also avoided as he pushed Snowstorm to its limits. His mana roared within his body.

[Mana Cultivation (Intermediate) has resonated with your abilities.]

[Mana Cultivation (Intermediate) has become Mana Cultivation (Advanced).]

Power unlike anything he'd known in this life flooded his veins, surging out of his Mana Core, even though he was already on his last legs. It only fueled his Sword Art. Rylan flew down the construct's lifted arm and between two of its wing slices.

The attack landed on the most damaged part of the Golem's forehead. For a second, it stood strong before collapsing. Beyond, he glimpsed the core.

It's over.

His mana entered the Boss' body with the power of a hurricane, going straight for the core.

It split in half, losing its light.

The Golem collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, making Rylan close his eyes and take a deep breath.

Finally, it was over.

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