23 Chapter 23. Divine General

"With this treasure, I summon..." (Furube Yurayura)

Divine General Mahoraga. [Images & GIFs]

The incantantion was complete, with the entire island forced to participate in the ritual. It was a gamble to either tame the Divine General or face the consequences of an undefeated adversary. I took the leap, propelled by the conviction that this bold move could ensure the instantaneous completion of my mission.

I had suffered through enough during the past thirty days or more I had been fighting in a futile battle.

Before me stood a towering humanoid with a very monstrous appearance that agreed with the atmosphere that had enveloped the room. One look at it and I could tell that it was emanating with incredible power.

The Divine General Mahoraga was the most powerful shikigami in my artillery. It stood like a grotesque sentinel, but I found this to be a little more desirable than what the Oracle and the rest of Themyscira had become. It had a eight-handled wheel at its back that gave it an adaptive advantage.

Four wings protruded from its eye sockets and a tail-like appendage extended from the back of its head. Covering most of its lower body was a black hakama bottoms and a white sash stemming from around its waist.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Threat level (400)

<Strength: 800>

<Speed: 800>

<Agility: 800>

<HP: 800>

With my own adaptation to surviving Themyscira's treacherous environment, I had navigated the challenges posed by two factions of Amazons — one afflicted by the Vengeful Curse, the other untouched by its malevolent influence.

The cursed Amazons, survivors of the twisted alteration, harbored a fervent desire to extinguish all life on the island. Infused with cursed energy, they had transcended their previous capabilities, their skills refined to an incomprehensible level. However, their newfound power came at the cost of sanity; they had become maniacal, driven solely by the urge to kill.

If my understanding served me right, these transformed Amazons were nothing short of Special Grade entities, a quantum leap from their former selves. What unnerved me more was the apparent evolution they underwent with every fleeting moment, as if the curse itself were a catalyst for their continuous metamorphosis.

They were impossible to kill, and constantly came to when I knocked them out

Spearmen among them exhibited a newfound grace in combat, their techniques defying conventional understanding. Conversations were a luxury they could no longer afford, consumed as they were by their homicidal tendencies. Those unfortunate Amazons who succumbed to the curse either met violent ends or lay unconscious in hidden corners, tended to by the unscathed.

The second group, led by Hippolyta, remained unaffected by the curse. Driven by the hope of restoring their plagued sisters to normalcy, they relentlessly pursued me, their intent clear - kill me, and perhaps the curse would lift.

As I faced the Divine General Mahoraga I couldn't shake the lingering doubt about whether his immense power, as displayed in my attributes window, would be enough to effortlessly subdue the transformed Amazons. The numerical superiority suggested that Mahoraga wielded twice the strength, speed, agility, and vitality compared to the cursed entities haunting Themyscira.

Yet, in the face of their evolving malevolence and my first-hand experience, I understood that merely being twice as powerful might not suffice to bring them to heel. Perhaps his inherent nature to adapt to attacks could prove to be the decisive factor, tipping the scales in my favor.

The cave violently shook, and a sizable chunk broke apart, the unexpected chaos disrupting the prelude to our confrontation. It was an attack neither Mahoraga nor I had orchestrated - a stark reminder that Themyscira, despite its vastness, was a limited battleground.

The sound of crumbling rock echoed through the chamber as the entrance to my hiding spot became exposed. They had found me once again. In this confined arena, evasion was a temporary reprieve at best, and the inevitability of battles lingered like a specter.

The intrusion couldn't have come at a more opportune moment, just as the impending duel with the Divine General was about to commence.

Oblivious of the sudden intrusion, the Divine General Mahoraga lunged forward, its eight-handled wheel sitting still on its back. The dump air seemed to warp around it as it closed the distance with incredible speed.

I remained calm and composed, studying his fast movement and reading his eyes, with my fists ready and a purple glow around them. I resisted its double punches with my own that sent it flying back the way it had come and crashing into the wall. A pile of rubble heaped on it as it staggered forward, attempting to comprehend what had just happened.

I was already twice as powerful as it was and had honed my jujutsu. I no longer flowed cursed energy but let it manifest to whatever part of my body I desired. Neither did I let emotions get in the way of my fighting.

It stood up, and the eight-handed wheel rotated to adapt to my strike. It glared at me fiercely, charging for another attack. This time, it was convinced it would take me down.

I breathed calmly as the 'ding' sound rang in my ears, relieving me of the tension building up in my body.

"I should have done this sooner," I thought to myself as Mahoraga unleashed a sweeping hand strike. I began to feel lucky and privileged, even as the blow landed from the side. The clash was powerful, as expected, but not nearly as strong as I was.

Wearing a victorious smile, I effortlessly stopped Mahoraga's strike with barely a movement from where I stood. My attention turned to my stats board, and confidence oozed through me.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Threat level updated (800)

<Strength: 1600>

<Speed: 1600>

<Agility: 1600>

<HP: 1600>

As Mahoraga adapted to my attributes, so did my attributes adapt to him. Which meant that I could get all the power that I needed to wipe out the entire island, effortlessly, just by provoking it further and ensuring that it'd continue to be my existing threat.

I seized it by the hand and twirled him around, releasing my grip and sending him hurtling towards the first Amazon who stepped through the entrance.

With Mahoraga careening toward the approaching Amazon, I seized the opportunity and sprinted towards them both. The clash between the Divine General and the unsuspecting cursed Amazon created a chaotic spectacle, debris flying in all directions as the cave trembled with the force of their collision.

I manifested my energy, ready to unleash a powerful strike to incapacitate them both. As I neared the scene, the chaotic dance of Mahoraga and the Amazon presented an opening. With a swift and precise movement, I aimed a devastating blow.

The impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, rocketing the fight to the outside. The Amazon was thrown aside while Mahoraga staggered, momentarily disoriented. Seizing the opportunity, I swiftly moved to engage Mahoraga directly in the hopes of making him tougher. The eight-handled wheel on his back rotated, indicating his adaptation to my previous attacks.

In a rapid exchange of blows, I utilized my enhanced strength, speed, and agility to keep Mahoraga on the defensive.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Threat level updated (1200)

<Strength: 2400>

<Speed: 2400>

<Agility: 2400>

<HP: 2400>

"Your own natural enemy." I beamed to myself like a villain as I welcomed the thought of becoming immensely powerful. But I had to avoid getting excited, or else I would exhaust my cursed energy.

The numbers on my stats board surged, reflecting the escalating threat level. Mahoraga, despite his formidable nature, struggled to keep up with my increasing power. However, I knew that the true challenge lay in the evolving menace of the cursed Amazons, and I needed to keep pumping myself up by forcing him to keep adapting.

A sudden barrage of transfigured arrows and spears veered toward us, forcing Mahoraga to break away from our clash momentarily. Seizing this opportunity, it sought to establish a tactical advantage amidst the chaotic hail of projectiles.

It had to figure out how to adapt to my evolution.

My attention pivoted from Mahoraga alone to the encroaching threat of the Cursed Amazons. They raced towards us with weapons gripped tightly, their techniques steeped in murderous intent.

The once beautiful women now bore grotesque transformations reminiscent of the Vengeful Curse. Their bodies contorted in unnatural ways, limbs elongated or twisted, with ominous markings etched across their skin. Eyes glowed with an eerie animosity, and hair hung in disheveled strands, no longer reflecting the disciplined warriors they once were.

Their expressions were marked by an insatiable thirst for blood, and the literal traces of it adorned their features from the countless killings they had committed, even against their own sisters.

The spearmen wielded twisted and elongated weapons, their movements erratic and unpredictable. The archers' bows had morphed into grotesque, pulsating appendages.. The melee fighters had claws and fangs protruding from their bodies, and their once pristine armor now clung to them like a second, warped skin.

Their battle cries were guttural roars and shrieks of madness, driven solely by the curse that consumed them.

Even Mahoraga must have been taken aback as he tore through a wave of them, only for them to promptly rise again with even more vitality than before.

As swiftly as the battle commenced, they seamlessly transitioned to employing the Curse's inherent technique. Soul Transfiguration, emanating from the countless souls of men sacrificed by the Amazons.

C/N:

Mahoraga finally adapts and becomes a nightmare to The Cursed Millennial.

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