Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1534 Combat
Hachiman Hikigaya's body lurched forward and lunged to the left like a cannonball launched from a catapult!
call--!
The enormous crab claws whistled through the air, almost brushing past the back of his messy black hair.

The cold, sharp air cut into my scalp, and a few strands of hair, severed by the sharp airflow, drifted silently into the air filled with a strong, fishy stench.

He could even clearly feel the icy chill emanating from the edge of the pincers, and the pungent, rotten seafood odor that followed, strong enough to make his stomach churn.

The touch of death is cold and sticky.

He didn't pause at all!
Using the recoil from his low forward lunge, in the instant that the crab monster was momentarily unbalanced due to the enormous inertia generated by swinging its giant pincers, its body slightly leaning forward and its center of gravity unstable, Hachiman Hikigaya's right foot slammed into the wet, sticky ground like a nail!
Power erupted from the soles of his feet, traveling up his calves, thighs, and waist, instantly spreading throughout his entire body. He transformed into a black arrow released from a bow, shooting resolutely towards the monster's two human right legs, which were unprotected by armor and covered with thick, curly black hair!
The target is precisely locked—the popliteal fossa behind the knee!

That is a fragile hub where nerves and blood vessels converge in the leg, and it is the most vulnerable point to stress when supporting a huge weight!

No matter how strong the upper body is, once this fulcrum is destroyed, the entire "fortress" will inevitably collapse!
"Roar--!"

A flicker of surprise and anger flashed in the crab-like monster's murky compound eyes! It clearly hadn't expected that this seemingly tired,颓废, and seemingly about to fall apart human would dare to launch such a cunning and swift counterattack at the climax of its "great declaration"!

It attempted to forcefully twist its body, using its left pincer, which was relatively close to its body, to block or sweep.

However, the fatal disharmony between the enormous inertia brought by the heavy upper body shell and the relatively fragile and slow-reacting human body in the lower body was exposed at this moment!
Its movements faltered slightly; its thick carapace turned clumsily and slowly, like rusty gears. Its right leg was completely exposed to Hachiman Hikigaya's attack path!

In the midst of this lightning-fast sprint, Hachiman Hikigaya's thoughts flashed into an indescribable "corner" deep within his consciousness—one of his trump cards for survival.

The space seemed to ripple slightly in front of his outstretched right hand, like the surface of water where a pebble had been thrown in.

There are no fancy lighting effects, only a momentary sense of material displacement.

A long sword gleaming with a cold, eerie light appeared out of thin air in his tightly clenched right hand!
The sword isn't particularly ornate, but its lines are smooth, and the blade is extremely sharp. The cold metallic touch instantly reaches the palm, bringing a strange sense of calm.

*Thud!* *Bang!* *Crack!*
Three strange noises, almost simultaneously, suddenly erupted!
A dull cutting sound—the sharp blade sliced ​​through the relatively soft skin and thick leg hair in the popliteal fossa without any resistance!
A heavy thud—Hachiman Hikigaya's full-force charge slammed into that vulnerable spot through the sword!

A tooth-grinding, soft "crack" sound, like firewood being violently snapped—that was the desperate cry of the tendons and ligaments beneath the leg hair after being stretched and cut far beyond their limits in an instant!
The knee joint structure suffered a terrible dislocation due to the enormous impact!

“Aa ...

The crab monster let out a deafening scream! The sound was a mixture of the hiss of crustaceans and the agonizing roars of humans, sharp and piercing, almost tearing eardrums apart!

The massive body suddenly staggered violently! The severely injured right leg instantly lost almost all its support and collapsed as if its bones had been removed.

Its massive body tilted irreversibly to the right, about to topple over! To stabilize its collapsing center of gravity, it had to place its entire weight on its only intact left leg. At the same time, its huge left pincer, like a lifeline, instinctively slammed into the ground, trying to use it as a new foothold! An opportunity! A real opportunity!

A cold glint flashed in Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes, like a chilling flame ignited in the darkness! The instant the blade struck its target and the power was transferred, he did not seek personal glory!

Using the reaction force from the impact and the precise push from his left foot, his body rolled at high speed to his right side—the opposite direction of the crab monster's fall!
The movements were so fluid, as if they had been rehearsed a thousand times, carrying an almost instinctive instinct to avoid danger.

Just as his body detached from the point of contact, a deafening "BOOM!" resounded! The crab monster's heavy left claw slammed down on the spot where he had just stood like a battering ram!
The concrete floor shattered with a crack, sending shards of stone flying and leaving a jagged crater! The dust and foul wind that rose up lashed against Hachiman's churning back.

Hachiman Hikigaya quickly adjusted his posture as he rolled, kneeling on one knee to steady himself, holding his longsword horizontally in front of him, and breathing heavily.

Sweat trickled down his forehead, stinging his eyes as it dripped in, but he dared not blink, staring intently at the enormous creature that had briefly lost its balance due to the intense pain.

The crab-like monster barely managed to maintain its half-kneeling position using its left leg and its left pincer poking the ground. Its right leg was twisted at an odd angle, unable to bear weight. A viscous, strangely orange-yellow liquid (perhaps its mutated blood? It emitted an even stronger, fishy smell, like overcooked crab roe) was gushing out from the wound in its popliteal fossa, staining the black fur on its leg and the ground beneath its feet.

Its murky compound eyes were fixed on Hachiman, burning with pain, disbelief, and a raging fury at being hurt by ants.

The fanatical declaration of "gourmet evolution" has long been forgotten, leaving only the most primal, bloodthirsty killing intent.

"Despicable...human...insects!"

It let out a hateful roar from between its teeth (or rather, its mouthparts), its left pincer supporting its body, and its right pincer slowly rising again. Although it trembled slightly due to pain and imbalance, the sense of destructive power was not diminished in the slightest.

Its remaining left leg muscles were bulging, clearly preparing for a desperate charge or a devastating sweep.

The battle was far from over. Hachiman Hikigaya gripped his sword tightly, the cold metallic touch a stark reminder of the harsh reality.

As his breathing calmed, his brain once again entered a state of high-speed calculation: one leg was useless, but the monster still had one leg and a pair of giant pincers, and its strength was still terrifying. The space was narrow, and the range of dodging was limited.

The next attack must be more lethal, or... a way to completely dismantle it must be found.

He licked his chapped lips, tasting the salty bitterness of sweat and the lingering, nauseatingly sweet and pungent smell of crab roe in the air.

This tastes absolutely awful.

(End of this chapter)