Even if he relied solely on brute force rather than flashy tactics, Goki could now easily subdue Margaret—provided she didn't start charging prematurely.
Of course, the biggest improvement was the change in Strength. Goki now felt his entire body filled with explosive power, and his muscles seemed to come alive, every cell cheering.
This was an "evolution," signifying that Goki had finally, in some aspect, glimpsed the limits of Mortals—becoming even less human.
After all, among all of Rhodes Island, Operators whose physical strength could reach the excellent level, besides the anomaly Skadi, were only the other two Abyssal Hunters.
Of course, 30 points of Strength attribute were still not enough when facing Skadi, but the simultaneous increase in Vigor, Endurance, and Skill gave Goki confidence that next time he faced an Orca's pounce, he wouldn't break a single rib.
However, the pelvic crisis still existed; this was something that absolutely could not be changed!
At the same time, once again, Goki had drained his blood echoes.
The spoils of killing the Celestial Envoy, the Director's years of collected treasures given to Goki before he left, the hunting gains during his journey to Kazimierz, the treasures seized from annihilating the Unification Sect, plus the Relics left to him by the Knight King Nona—
Goki's previously accumulated blood echoes reached a terrifying figure of nearly a million, arguably Goki's wealthiest moment.
And these gains, apart from Goki temporarily adding one point to Skill when fighting Old Man Marse, and exchanging for certain weapons and items, had not been used at all. Many weapons were even made by craftsmen at Goki's request, making him exceptionally thrifty.
Of course, it seemed like a million-dollar fortune, but under the constantly rising demand for blood echoes, Goki had only allocated 26 attribute points.
As the demand for blood echoes grew ever higher, Goki knew that relying solely on pure hunting would no longer be efficient enough.
In Yharnam, Goki had infinite time, but on Terra—what was the point of grinding monsters? Grinding his wives' trust was the most important job, alright!
"So, I'm thinking—if those 'starry blood' before were what you used to bestow upon believers and awaken yourself, then in your current massive body, would there be even more blood?"
Jumping onto the Star God's head, Goki wielded the Holy Sword, cutting off the tentacles beneath his feet, and looked at the four girls still fighting—of course, Skadi was still contributing the most.
"You bastard, what took you so long to come back—quick, that tentacle over there, didn't you say this guy can't see the stars!"
And just as he stood firm, Goki heard Platinum's grumbling voice, and even saw her pointing her gun at a tentacle that was spreading upwards, extending deep into a huge vent leading to the upper part of the city.
Although the Star God was insane, he was still cunning. He used an illusion to disguise the vent, about ten meters above, as a black hole, and the color of the tentacle perfectly blended into the starry landscape.
Only Platinum's Pegasus eyes could detect the enemy's presence.
Goki's eyes narrowed, and he unhesitatingly pulled out a brand new, large-caliber firearm—the Star God absolutely could not see the stars!
However, before Goki could fire, he noticed that the tentacle, which had stealthily entered the vent, suddenly underwent a violent spasm, its tip severed into several fragments. It then furiously split into several tendrils, launching a fierce attack into the vent.
And then, from within the vent, came a surge of Spell fluctuations, and a playful, exceptionally familiar voice to Goki.
"Master, catch me!"
Immediately, a shield, wrapped in tentacles and shimmering with Spell aura, suddenly shattered. A girl, enclosed within, nimbly dodged the attack and fell towards the ground.
"Gravel—I'll go! What are you doing here!"
Without any hesitation, Goki, her Master, faithfully carried out his "slave's" command, dashing in an arrow-like stride towards the falling figure.
Exerting his entire body, Goki precisely leaped mid-air, jumping several meters outwards from the Star God's head, embracing the falling little mouse. Then, he plunged the Holy Sword in his hand into the tentacle and gave a mighty tug.
Thwack—
The tentacle's elasticity was exceptionally good. Goki used it as a spring, directly embracing the pink-haired girl in his arms and falling back onto the Star God's head—this time, Goki's high Vigor stat prevented his legs from breaking again, though they were a bit sore.
"It's too dangerous! It's dozens of meters from the ground here!"
Looking at the Zalak girl wearing the black trench coat he had given her, smiling as she leaned into his embrace, Goki couldn't help but criticize Gravel a few times.
"Gravel, weren't you at home? Everyone, this way. Shining, Nightingale, add another layer of shield."
Beside him, Skadi suddenly tore a large chunk of flesh from the giant beast's head and incinerated it to ashes with a Molotov cocktail Goki had given her.
Upon seeing Gravel, she immediately ran over, calling for the two medics to reinforce the shields.
"Because I believe, Master's duty is to protect his slave~~ Although finding my homeland is also my dream, you are more important."
Still holding the dagger Goki had given her, Cenomi's face bloomed with a happy smile, and to Skadi's astonishment, she looked up and lightly pecked Goki on the lips.
Unlike their initial meeting, when it was a reluctant act to show her worth for survival, this time Gravel seemed exceptionally shy.
Goki, who had the intention but not the guts, blushed and immediately froze in place.
"This is just part of the advance reward, and it's not just me—I'm sorry, Skadi."
Pointing to the vent above, Gravel jumped down from Goki's body and pleaded pitifully with Skadi, who was pouting.
And in the vent above, a golden light grew ever brighter.
"We're gonna die, we're gonna die, Sister! We're going to fall to our deaths!"
"Are you sure this is reliable, Margaret!"
"Trust me, I'm adjusting the landing angle! Brother Goki—we're coming!"
The next second, a golden light mass, like a meteor, directly slammed onto the deity's writhing body.
The Champion of the Grand Tournament, Radiant Knight Nona, rushed to the true battlefield without delay!
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