During movement, "dynamic rate" is a crucial parameter—though that's a term I made up myself. So, what is dynamic rate? Let me put it this way: the larger the creature, the lower its dynamic rate tends to be. For example, an elephant always moves slowly and steadily, but a mosquito flaps its wings at an incredibly high frequency.
There's a reason for the way dynamic rate works, and you can't just ignore it—just like you can't imagine an elephant running with the frequency of a mosquito. If an elephant really tried to sprint at that rate, it would burn through its energy in the blink of an eye, and the heat generated by its movements would instantly roast it alive, maybe even set it on fire.
Besides, an elephant's circulatory system can't handle that much energy turnover, and its muscles and bones would collapse under the strain. If it really tried to take off running, the only place it'd end up flying is straight to the afterlife. Energy supply, heat dissipation, and body strength—these are the three main prerequisites that limit dynamic rate. Even a mech hunter powered by the combined technology of all humanity in the Pacific world still moves pretty sluggishly.
Of course, that's the norm, but some special beings can break the rules. Take Flame Tide, for example—its unique traits let the Fist King break through the limits of energy supply and heat dissipation, pushing dynamic rate to the very edge of what superalloy can handle. Or consider the Final Creation; for its size, its dynamic rate is downright unimaginable.
This must be the true power of a Meat Pill Master. Based on what we know now, a legit Meat Pill Master is probably at the "god" level.
Unfortunately, the Mountain Giant isn't a god yet, so it's still bound by the rules of dynamic rate.
Boom—like muffled thunder, that giant slap came crashing down with terrifying energy. The sky went dark in an instant, the Mountain Giant's palm cast a massive shadow, smashing down from seven or eight hundred meters above. The enraged Mountain Giant's dynamic rate really did spike—a single slap whipped up a fierce wind, twisting the air into visible cyclones.
DOOOOONG————————!
Its right palm slammed down on the back of its left hand, sending a terrifying shockwave rippling out from the impact. The water molecules in the air were superheated by the monstrous energy of that slap, then instantly pre-cooled and condensed, forming a cloud that radiated in all directions. If that slap landed on the White City, half of it would probably collapse on the spot.
But sadly, when it comes to dynamic rate, it's still getting outclassed by the little guys.
"Hey, not bad—pretty sturdy material! I thought you’d smash your own arm to bits." Somehow, Jill Young had ended up on the Mountain Giant’s right hand. As the smoke cleared, her platinum hair fluttered as she landed gracefully on the stone surface, not a scratch on her.
[The Mountain Giant’s rocky body is nothing special—must be some kind of magical circuit holding it together. With that kind of weight, just existing burns through a ton of mana. After all, the Ringwraith isn’t a true Mountain Giant. Keep provoking it, make it burn out.]
A message popped up in Jill’s mind from a certain tech nerd, and she instantly replied, [Got it.] She stomped on the stone beneath her and shouted at the Mountain Giant, "Sturdy is good! Hope you can take a beating! Now, let’s see where to punch next... Oh, got it—your big dumb face is just begging for it. Here comes another one!"
Woo-woo-woo—like a ship's horn blaring, the Mountain Giant was furious, the heat radiating from its body spiked by dozens of degrees. Whoosh! Jill Young dashed along its right hand, wrist, and up its arm toward the shoulder. Of course, she deliberately didn’t run too fast, giving the Mountain Giant a chance to react. Sure enough, the Mountain Giant fell for it.
Just as she neared the elbow, the Mountain Giant’s left hand swept over like dusting off a table. From Jill’s perspective, it looked like a long cliff coming right at her, flattening everything in its path. Dried tree trunks, baked brittle by the heat, instantly snapped and crumbled to powder. The spectacle was even scarier and fiercer than an avalanche or a landslide.
Faced with that attack, Jill Young’s response was simple—she jumped lightly, just like Super Mario, even making a "doo!" sound effect, looking like she was having a blast.
The destructive torrent thundered past beneath her feet, but Jill spun nimbly in midair and swung her Sunblade Core.
Screeeech—like a grinding wheel cutting steel, sparks flew as the Sunblade Core sliced a long gash across the Mountain Giant’s hand. For the Mountain Giant, the cut wasn’t much—if it had palm lines, this gash wouldn’t even be as deep—but it did make it even angrier.
"Is that all you got? Way too slow! You can't even touch me. With skills like that, you call yourself Demon King’s Army? Go home and drink milk, loser!"
You could see it—the giant stones on the Mountain Giant’s face kept shifting, making its expression even more twisted. Blazing with fury, it was determined to squash this annoying little mosquito, launching into a fierce battle of big versus small.
It threw a punch—missed by a hair.
It slammed its palm—barely dodged.
Jill Young was like a wicked little fly, constantly dodging and weaving. "So close—just missed me... That was pathetic, you can’t even graze me. Huh? Getting better! Keep at it, kid, and maybe you’ll score a hit one day!" She zipped around, teasing the Mountain Giant into attacking. If its movements slowed or its body temperature dropped, she’d strike right away, keeping its aggro locked on her.
Standing on the Mountain Giant’s arm, Jill Young took a moment to tap her right hand to her brow and send a message: [Hey, it’s been a while—any progress?]
[Got something.] Jack Young was controlling the Earth Devourer, wrapping, biting, squeezing, and twisting around the Mountain Giant’s waist and hips. It didn’t seem to do much, but Jack had his reasons. [Based on the info from the rock vibrations, there’s definitely a sizable cavity inside this Mountain Giant. The rock layers are too thick for me to see the mana flow, but I’m sure the mana core is inside that cavity. Stall it a bit longer, and I’ll pinpoint the cavity’s location.]
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^—click next page to keep reading!
[Leave it to me!]
Boom! The Mountain Giant’s huge hand swept through the air, grabbing sideways. Whoosh—Jill Young leapt off its arm and landed squarely on its pinky tip.
With the Supreme Six Harmonies Skill running, she stuck to the tip of the pinky at nearly a ninety-degree angle, steady as could be. Jill's gaze was icy, her smile sharp and sly: "Looks like you're in a bad mood—let me give you a manicure to cheer you up!"
Grabbing her Sunblade Core in her right hand, she slashed hard at the Mountain Giant’s nail seam. Crrrunch—the blade sank deep, like slicing through tofu. Surging internal force mixed with icy and fiery power, cutting straight into the enemy for some serious damage.
"Ha—!" A Dragon Force phantom leapt up, her arm powered up as Jill Young grabbed the radiant Sunblade Core, sprinting and slashing all the way. Splat, splat—strange magical liquid sprayed from the wound, dark red like blood, compressed from volcanic mana.
The Mountain Giant couldn't help but roar in pain again, but before its sluggish body could react, Jill had already finished a full circle of cuts. She snorted coldly at the Mountain Giant, then, with a loud shout, stomped hard along the cut line.
Down below, both sides in the battle heard a giant crack. The spider-mutants crowding the White City's gate hadn’t figured out what was happening when something came spinning down from above. Boom—stones flew, limbs scattered, and spider-mutants near and far were rocked by the impact. When they steadied themselves and looked up, they saw a massive slab of rock jammed tight in the White City’s gate, sealing the breach completely.
"What is..."
"It looks like... it really looks like..."
"Uh... a fingernail?! Holy crap, is just one fingernail really that huge?!"
The city’s defenders were stunned, while the Mountain Giant, now missing its pinky nail, was losing its cool. Jill’s attacks weren’t heavy, but they hurt enough—and combined with her taunting and annoying antics, the Mountain Giant’s temper was about to explode.
It was only close to exploding, though—the Balrog had already lost it before the Magic Mirror.
"Stop messing with her! She can’t really hurt you, and you’re not good at fighting someone like her. Ignore her and attack the arcane array—attack the arcane array, you idiot!" It clutched the Magic Mirror, roaring like it wanted to strangle its own teammate. Sure, it knew this wasn’t really its teammate’s fault—the strain of possessing the Mountain Giant was massive, and just keeping it moving was impressive enough. Expecting it to stay rational was asking too much. Still, being pushed to this point, it was absolutely furious.
Amid the Balrog’s shouts, the Mountain Giant seemed to snap out of it for a moment. It turned to look at the White City, where the magical light was growing ever brighter. It seemed to remember its mission, twisted its waist, and got ready to punch that way.
But in a flash of platinum light, Jill Young leapt across the sky, landing right on its nose.
"Where do you think you’re looking, loser? You dare look away in the middle of a fight with me? Looks like—" She stomped down, stepping right up its nose. Jill darted from the tip of its nose to its right eye, hovering in front of an eyeball bigger than her whole body, and drew her fist to her waist: "Time to teach you a lesson!"
Buzz—Dragon Force surged, three dragon-shaped energies spiraling around her. Plus, two Dragon Force seeds—one big, one small—danced near her heart, all working together. That world-shaking feeling returned; her dark gold glow and the surrounding light collapsed into her right fist. In the giant eyeball right in front of her, panic and fear flashed.
She punched—right into the eyeball.