Chapter 112: Liang Jing Battles the Golden Eagle Monster
Incredible! Truly incredible!
Watching the giant golden eagle fight these private soldiers to such an extent, Liang Jing couldn't help but admire it. At the very least, he knew he couldn't do the same. He felt secretly relieved that he hadn't taken the risk of engaging the giant golden eagle in a head-on collision, or the outcome would have been disastrous—a scenario with ten deaths and no chance of survival.
However, although the strength the golden eagle displayed was formidable, Liang Jing knew in his heart that because it had been severely wounded, its true power had not been fully unleashed. To date, the eagle hadn't even used a single skill during the battle. Could a giant mutated golden eagle possibly lack innate skills?
The answer was a definite no!
Some green-tier elite monsters possessed skills, and blue-tier BOSSes and above were guaranteed to have them. This giant golden eagle was one of the most terrifying monsters Liang Jing had ever seen—far more powerful than the newly evolved gold-tier BOSS, Larock. It was impossible for it to lack skills; the only reason it hadn't used any was that its current physical state—whether due to its injuries or a lack of internal energy—prevented it from doing so.
Even so, it relied solely on its physique. Or rather, its physique itself had been severely compromised by its grievous wounds, preventing it from functioning at its peak. Looking at the massive, bleeding hole in its chest and abdomen, it was clear that even setting aside its skills, its overall power had been drastically reduced. Yet, despite this, it was still tearing through the well-organized ranks of the private soldiers, rendering them almost helpless. If one were to ignore the chest wound, the soldiers would likely have struggled to inflict even the slightest scratch on the eagle.
Liang Jing had to admire the private soldiers for this; at the very least, their fighting spirit was truly impressive, and he felt a twinge of envy.
Perhaps the eagle’s natural defense hadn't been as diminished by its injuries as its offensive capabilities. Aside from the open wounds, the eagle relied on its feathers and an energy shield for protection. As long as its energy wasn't exhausted, the shield’s strength remained nearly constant. This was evident from the earlier barrage of heavy machine gun fire, which had failed to cause significant damage. Its defensive capability was truly terrifying; unless the energy shield could be shattered in one go, killing the giant golden eagle was nearly impossible. One could try to wear it down until it died, but the consumption required for such a feat would be enormous.
For instance, after fighting for so long and suffering heavy casualties, the soldiers still hadn't managed to deplete the energy of the already wounded and weakened eagle. However, Liang Jing could see that the golden eagle was reaching its limit. It had lost so much blood that its body was becoming increasingly sluggish, its reflexes were dulling, and while its internal energy wasn't entirely gone, it was running low.
Still, this didn't change Liang Jing's estimation of what a healthy golden eagle could do. In its current state, it was likely operating at less than a third of its full potential, yet it remained terrifyingly fierce. One could only imagine that if a healthy golden eagle were facing them, even if the number of soldiers were increased tenfold—provided they were soldiers of this caliber and engaged in a head-on fight—it would still be a struggle. And that was assuming the eagle’s skills weren't overly heaven-defying. Its true power was unimaginable!
At the same time, Liang Jing felt intense envy for the giant golden eagle's energy shield. If he possessed such an ability, he would have nothing to fear from thermal weapons. With metal armor on the outside and leather gear underneath, his defensive capabilities would surely be no less than those of the golden eagle. Coupled with his life essence and healing potions, his survivability would far exceed that of the beast.
Sigh...
Though he thought this, Liang Jing knew that the energy shield wasn't a skill, but a manifestation of energy that had reached a certain level of purity and density. Even if he could somehow convert it into a skill and learn it, he couldn't afford to use it like the eagle. Based on his own internal energy, he would likely exhaust it in moments.
He shook his head. Now was not the time for such thoughts. He tightened his grip on "Barock's Sorrow" and whispered to it in his heart: "Buddy, it's almost time for you to show what you're really made of!"
[Barock's Sorrow] Quality: Gold, Sharpness: 33, Toughness: 64, Weight: 90KG, Strength +10, Agility +10, Constitution +15, Lifesteal 10%, Critical Strike +10%, Skills: Thunderous Cleave, Summon Barock, Equipment Requirement: Strength.
This dark-gold greatsword was more than ten times superior to the [Short Blade] that had accompanied Liang Jing until now, in every aspect—sharpness, toughness, and weight. Since equipping it, he hadn't had a chance to truly unleash its power because his previous opponents had been too weak to test this legendary weapon.
His gaze returned to the battlefield...
In the end, under the interception of Wu Yong and the heavy machine gunner, fewer than ten private soldiers managed to escape. A team of over a hundred, armed with heavy firepower, had been utterly decimated by the giant golden eagle. Those who stayed behind to cover the retreat had almost no chance of survival, and they had already resolved that if they were to die, they would take a piece of the monster with them.
The battle had proven that although these men were prepared to fight to the death, making the giant golden eagle feel like it had nowhere to bite, the disparity in strength was too great. Even though their explosions had caused some damage and obstruction, they couldn't escape death, nor could they inflict any major trauma on the eagle.
Of course, it wasn't without effect. Liang Jing could see that the energy shield on the golden eagle was flickering, seemingly on the verge of collapsing, and would require time to recover.
Now!
Liang Jing slung the dark-gold greatsword onto his back and rushed out from his hiding spot, sprinting toward the giant golden eagle.
Boom!
Another explosion occurred. The blood-crazed giant golden eagle ignored everything, getting blown away once more. Its energy shield flickered violently, nearly shattered. The frenzied eagle shrieked in rage, completely unaware of Liang Jing charging toward it from behind, as it focused its sights on the last remaining survivor, Wu Yong.
Kill!
Liang Jing's eyes were firm and burning with intensity. The life essence of this monster and the loot it would drop were too tempting. This was a creature even more powerful than the Gold-tier Barock!
[Savage Burst]!
As he approached rapidly, Liang Jing’s body instantly became more robust, veins bulging, and his speed increased by nearly half.
[Brute Force Multiplier]!
His already thick arms doubled in size, becoming nearly as thick as a man's waist.
In an instant, Liang Jing's strength doubled, reaching about 65 points—the combined strength of 65 ordinary men!
[Mental Blade Wave]!
As he closed the distance, Liang Jing didn't wait for the eagle to react and unleashed his skill. An almost invisible gray ripple struck the head of the low-flying eagle!
Screech!
The eagle, which hadn't noticed the sneak attack, was struck by the gray ripple. It was overcome with agony, lost its balance in the air, and nearly crashed to the ground.
It wasn't over yet!
[Seduction Light]!
A beam of light instantly appeared on the giant golden eagle's head.
Liang Jing was filled with anticipation, hoping to successfully enslave the severely wounded giant golden eagle. Unfortunately, he was quickly disappointed. The eagle, already struggling to maintain its balance, lost all resistance and crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud. Writhing in agony, its body trembled, and its wings flapped powerlessly and unconsciously.
Kill!
He abruptly drew the golden greatsword from his back. Since [Seduction Light] had failed to enslave it, then kill it!
Wham!
The curved edge of the golden greatsword was designed for chopping, and it was a motion Liang Jing was accustomed to. The blade struck the thick neck of the giant golden eagle, producing a sound like a strike against a taut ox-hide drum, sending a massive shockwave of recoil back through Liang Jing's arms.
Again!
Prepared for the resistance, Liang Jing showed no change in expression. His gaze remained incredibly resolute as he swung again. He could see that with each strike, the aura of the energy shield at the point of impact shifted and thinned, almost ready to shatter.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes...
Wham! Wham-wham! Wham-wham-wham!—Splatter!
Finally, on the eleventh strike, the golden eagle's energy shield shattered. With the brute force of 65 ordinary men, the golden greatsword bit into the feathers on the eagle's neck. It paused for a fraction of a second, but the razor-sharp sword instantly tore through, slicing past the feathers and skin, and deep into the neck.
At almost the same moment, Liang Jing felt a surge of energy travel from [Barock's Sorrow] into his body, significantly alleviating the injuries he had sustained from the recoil of attacking the energy shield.
That was the 10% lifesteal!
Screech!
Stung by the sharp pain, the giant golden eagle finally snapped out of the continuous mental barrage. Its wings flapped violently, instantly throwing Liang Jing backward.