In the next chamber, a massive black gorilla sits motionlessly upon a throne, its entire body carved from stone.
Aomi studies it thoughtfully, trying to figure out the purpose of this new chamber.
Meanwhile, Níng looks around and discovers another drum, complete with a pair of sticks.
Her eyes light up.
Without a second thought, she rushes over and picks it up, grinning from ear to ear.
The moment she strikes the drum, the entire chamber begins to tremble.
Aomi freezes.
Slowly, he turns his head toward the enormous stone gorilla.
Crack!
Fine fractures spread across its stone body.
The gorilla’s fingers twitch.
Its head lifts.
The lifeless stone eyes suddenly open, revealing a terrifying gaze.
Aomi remains rooted to the spot.
Meanwhile, Níng cheerfully turns toward him, completely unaware of the disaster she has just caused.
“See? This chamber is also done! So, where’s the door—”
Her voice trails off.
Her smile stiffens.
Slowly, she turns her head back toward the throne.
The enormous black gorilla is no longer made of lifeless stone.
It is awake.
And it is staring right at them.
” Get ready.”
Aomi steps back, gripping his White Fall Axe as he prepares to attack.
His eyes remain fixed on the gorilla, ready to react the instant it makes a move.
Beside him, Níng raises her spear.
A thin mist begins to gather around her body, gradually spreading toward the weapon until its entire shaft and blade are shrouded in white.
…
Neither of them dares to make the first move.
The gorilla slowly rises from its throne.
Yet, instead of attacking, it merely stares at them, its enormous stone eyes resembling those of a judge passing sentence upon criminals.
Níng cautiously takes a step to the side, tightening her grip on her spear.
Then—
The gorilla moves.
With a deafening roar, it charges toward them, its massive body barreling forward like an unstoppable boulder.
Aomi’s eyes widen.
Without hesitation, he rushes toward Níng.
Before she can even react, he kicks her away from the gorilla’s path, sending her flying safely to the side.
And in the very next instant—
BOOM!
The gorilla crashes into Aomi, carrying him straight into the chamber wall.
…
The next moment, the wall collapses under the tremendous impact, sending chunks of stone and clouds of dust exploding into the air.
Níng stares at the destruction in disbelief.
Her outstretched hand trembles as she reaches toward the collapsing rubble.
“Aomi!”
Her voice echoes through the chamber.
But all she sees is a mountain of broken stones where Aomi disappeared.
The gorilla slowly turns toward Níng, sizing her up.
Its enormous body towers over her, casting a shadow that makes her seem as insignificant as an ant beneath an elephant.
Her eyes remain fixed on the pile of broken stones where Aomi was buried.
They redden as tears gather in them, threatening to spill over.
But she doesn’t move.
She simply stares at the rubble, waiting for something.
Anything.
The gorilla suddenly beats its massive chest, releasing a thunderous roar.
Cracks spread across the ceiling as dozens of stone monkeys break free and rain down upon Níng.
But before they can reach her, the mist surrounding her begins to expand rapidly.
It swallows the chamber.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The falling stone monkeys are crushed to pieces the moment they enter the mist, their shattered bodies scattering across the floor.
Yet Níng doesn’t even glance at them.
Her mist continues to spread, destroying anything that approaches her, while her gaze remains locked on the pile of stones.
Her vision grows blurry.
Tears finally begin to roll down her cheeks.
Still, she searches the rubble with desperate eyes, hoping to catch even the slightest movement.
A hand.
A finger.
Anything that might tell her he is still alive.
But there is nothing.
No movement.
No voice.
Not even the faintest sign of life.
Only the silence of the broken stones remains.
Finally, the rock begins to fall apart, revealing Aomi beneath it.
He slowly rises, his hair spread wildly around him as blood trickles down his head and over his face.
His robe is torn apart, exposing one side of his chest.
Bruises cover his body, and his clothes are ripped in several places.
Yet, despite his battered appearance, he emerges with a smirk.
Great!
I used the Injured Bear to absorb the impact.
The greater the hit, the greater the boost.
And if I can see…
He turns his gaze toward the damaged wall behind him.
This gorilla is in bad luck.
Aomi wipes the blood from his eyes before reaching into the pile of rubble with one hand and lifting a massive boulder.
Níng can only stare at him, her hands wiping away the tears still clinging to her eyes.
At the sight of Aomi standing once more, her expression softens.
A faint smile slowly creeps onto her face.
Aomi suddenly leaps into the air, soaring above the gorilla.
Then—
BAM!
He brings the massive boulder crashing down on the monster.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Blood begins to spill from its battered body as the earth trembles beneath the force of the impacts.
Níng stares at the scene with wide eyes, momentarily stunned by the sheer brutality unfolding before her.
Even she, who had witnessed countless horrors moments ago, finds herself shocked by the merciless butchery.
The gorilla’s roars grow weaker with every blow, yet Aomi shows no intention of stopping.
He continues to bring the massive boulder down upon it, his movements merciless and his expression twisted into a chilling smirk.
Blood splatters across the shattered ground.
Níng’s lips part slightly.
Just…
what am I looking at?
She had seen Aomi fight before, but this was different.
Even after being buried beneath a mountain of rubble, he had risen as though death itself had merely inconvenienced him.
His hair hung wildly around his bloodied face.
His robe was torn, exposing his bruised chest, and blood continued to trickle down his forehead, occasionally slipping past his eyes.
Yet he smiled.
Not the gentle, faint smile she had occasionally seen on his face.
Not the casual expression he wore while speaking to her.
This smile was something else entirely.
It was the smile of someone who had found an opportunity in the very situation that should have crushed him.
Someone who could turn pain into an advantage.
Someone who, rather than fearing the monster before him, had decided to make it regret ever laying a hand on him.
What kind of person are you, Aomi?
Níng’s fingers slowly curl against her clothes.
She had known him for only a short time.
To her, he was an unknown traveller who had crossed her path, an odd fellow who sometimes behaved in ways she couldn’t understand.
And yet, when she had been in danger, he had stood before her.
When she had thought she had lost him beneath the rubble, her heart had nearly stopped.
Now, watching him mercilessly pound the gorilla into the ground, she couldn’t help but feel a strange warmth spreading through her chest.
Her trembling gradually subsides.
The tears in her eyes remain, but her gaze softens as she watches his battered figure.
A small smile finds its way onto her lips.
Such unhinged brutality…
from a human?
I never even heard such brutalism even in Ingu legends.
For a moment, she wonders whether the monster beneath the boulder is truly the more frightening creature here.
I think even this is somewhere near only demonic zūns will be.
Then her thoughts settle, and the answer comes to her with surprising ease.
No.
He’s Aomi.
The mysterious traveller I met by chance…
the strange man who became my friend.
Her smile grows a little more pronounced.
And no matter how frightening you might be, Aomi…
I’m glad you’re still here.
Aomi crushes the gorilla into the ground.
All that remains is its battered body, a massive stone resting atop its head, and a pool of blood spreading around them.
The gorilla falls silent after the final blow.
Above its enormous corpse, Aomi stands victorious at last.
So this is the inured bear power?
I made a good use of it.