A Theory on Godhood: An Overlord Story

Chapter 57: The Black Dragon, Part Three

Battle of Nazarick

Nidhoggr growled in a mixture of agony and irritation. He brought down his colossal claws, crushing Gargantua underfoot. The rocky floor guardian stood its ground, holding up the World Enemy's foot like Atlas and the world on his shoulders.

It managed to shove off the foot, raising another fist to smash Nidhoggr's snout when he dove in to try and bite the golem's midsection. The tip of his snout deformed, but quickly regenerated. Gargantua did not let this impede its onslaught, as it began to unleash a hail of strikes.

Each punch could have easily sent hills flying, breaking Nidhoggr's scaly coat apart with little effort. When Nidhoggr tried to press the golem away, it merely grabbed his clawed paw and began tearing off his fingers.

"Do not think this false Titan of yours will prevail against me, wretches! From the earth it was forged, and to the earth it shall be destroyed!"

With monumental effort, Gargantua was toppled over by Nidhoggr's tail, which swung around and hammered it into the dirt. Before it could rise, the black dragon slammed his fist repeatedly downwards, taking out chunks of its body.

Gargantua needed no time to recover, grabbing Nidhoggr's fist and using the momentum to yank itself back up. With a simple twist, it broke the dragon's already injured hand, nearly tearing the limb clean off.

Utilizing his tail once more, Gargantua was thrown off. A stream of fire blasted over it, melting the surface level of the golem to a glossy sheen but doing little else. It stomped directly in the blast, paying the flames no mind.

Once within striking distance, a stony fist rocketed out to hit the joint that connected the World Enemy's left wing to its body. A sickening crunch indicated whatever passed for bones instantly broke, and the golem reached for the extra limb.

A maw of endless teeth chomped down at the golem's shoulder, halting its advance. It was picked up and shaken about, a temporary chew toy that could handle the punishment. As it was tossed around, more flames spilled out of the back of Nidhoggr's throat.

While it retained no discernible will of its own, the floor guardian had enough of being used so blatantly, grasping the side of the World Enemy's jaw and tearing out a sizable chunk. A low groan and a fountain of tar staining the dirt were evidence of Gargantua's indomitable might.

Finally, the golem was flung away, bits and pieces falling off when it crash-landed a fair distance away. It was able to rise again with superficial damage, unyielding in its approach.

Momonga's jaw fell open at seeing such an extraordinary struggle. The pure shock of witnessing a floor guardian, one that never would have seen the light of day in Yggdrasil due to guild base restrictions, actually take on the game's most powerful boss was a view unlike any other.

The NPCs were, likewise, similarly impressed at the display. However, it would take time for Gargantua to close the distance again, being thrown far enough to give the black dragon breathing room.

That would prove to be a lethal detriment to the guild that day.

Taking advantage of the temporary astonishment, the black dragon blasted a beam of emerald napalm directly toward Shalltear, who had managed to achieve flight once again after being blasted out of the sky previously.

Before any of them could react, the True Vampire was eviscerated. Her entire body was reduced to ash in a breath. Being a level one-hundred being, Shalltear's body persisted for a single second, her bones startlingly apparent against the intense heat.

However, Shalltear did have the benefit of being equipped with an extra-life item. She was able to briefly resurrect, giving her just enough time to escape the inferno. She quickly dodged to the side, her crimson armor scorched and her hair on fire. Her left arm was missing, cauterized to her very cells.