Looking at the giant humanoid monster, Blaze ponders what its power could be.
It is large, and its arms are big, mutated, and muscular. From every aspect, the Quarterback's power should be based on strength.
Therefore, it should be extremely slow.
It has a normal human-sized chest and legs. Obviously this will hinder its movement a lot and cause it to be slow as a snail.
Keep my distance, use the Force Shocker to stun it, and then hurt it with the Sun Bird.
When it is weak, I can summon the Solar Armor and end it up close.
Blaze prepares a battle plan in his head. However, the next thing the Quarterback does completely ruins his calculation.
The giant arms curve into circles. The Quarterback tucks its leg inside its large arm and withdraws its head inward.
It has now become a wheel.
"What the?"
Blaze blurts out.
The giant meat wheel spins in place, kicking out dirt and grass to the back. Its meaty skin is tough, roaring on the ground and becoming faster and faster.
And then it darts forward, fast as a missile on the ground.
It closes the distance in the blink of an eye and aims to crush Blaze with its big muscle flesh.
Blaze jumps to the side, just in time to move out of its trajectory.
His body was enhanced greatly, which allows Blaze to jump farther than he used to.
One jump and he can reach as far as three meters.
The meat wheel bolts past him, leaving a soaring wind behind.
Blaze turns back and points his palm toward the Quarterback, shooting out a wave of Force Shocker.
Too bad for him that the Quarterback is extremely fast and easily gets out of his power range.
The meat wheel runs far and takes a sharp turn back, once again going toward Blaze. It is far enough to gain momentum and build up speed again.
"This is bad..."
The meat wheel runs at him again, and Blaze can't do anything except jump out of the way.
Its speed is too great for Blaze to catch it. He also cannot face it upfront. Doing so will guarantee a one-way ticket to hell for him.
While the Quarterback is building momentum again, Blaze looks around, trying to think of a solution.
"It is basically a wheel. This grass field can increase its speed and lower friction.
What is the weakness of a wheel"?
The Quarterback runs at him once more. This time Blaze jumps up instead of sideways and tries to shoot it with a Force Shocker in midair.
Its little legs stick out and stomp on the ground, giving the meat wheel a push to bounce up.
Blaze's eyes are wide open, he cannot imagine the Quarterback has this trick.
Blaze drops the Sun Bird and aims both of his palms toward it. He channels all his power and shoots out two cone-shaped shockwaves.
The blue wave hits the Quarterback and slows it down by a bit.
But it isn't enough to stop it. The meat wheel slams on Blaze's body, sending him flying a dozen meters back.
Blaze rolls on the ground. He quickly finds his footing and stands up again.
He isn't hurt at the impact, only an airless feeling in his lungs, like all the oxygen has been sucked out.
And then the pain hits, his stomach is twisting like crazy, and his chest cramps like it is crushed inward.
"Damn it!" Blaze endures the pain and tries his best to calm his breathing.
He reaches his hand out, and the Sun Bird flies over to his palm.
The Quarterback doesn't leave him much time to think. It comes crashing again with deadly speed.
Blaze learns his lesson and jumps sideways.
"What is its weakness?"
If the meat wheel keeps spinning, sooner or later it will exhaust Blaze. He will no longer have the strength to move and will be crushed by it for sure.
Its speed also prevents Blaze from trying to learn its weakness.
Blaze takes a deep breath to calm himself.
"No.
It's not about its weakness.
With my current abilities, how can I exploit its attack?"
Blaze observes the meat wheel closely. This time not trying to think too hard but only see what is there.
It's spinning in place to gain momentum and then release for a high-speed charge.
Its attack is one straight line with the ability to bounce up.
It cannot jump very high, but due to its massive size, it is enough to catch Blaze in mid-air.
The meat wheel runs at him again, it bounces up a little due to a small mound of dirt on the ground.
"Wait!
That's it!"
A wheel needs even ground to run fast.
A bumpy road will cause the car to bounce up and down repeatedly, hindering its speed and control.
A light bulb shines brightly in Blaze's head.
He takes the Sun Bird and begins using it as a shovel, digging it into the ground and scooping dirt up.
He creates piles of dirt and potholes on the ground while also keeping an eye on the Quarterback. Whenever it gets close, he always jumps to the side to evade it.
"What is he doing?"
Batrick says.
They all are watching Blaze struggling from above. Seeing that he can handle himself well, none decide to interrupt.
"He tries to create an uneven surface."
Henry says.
"What for?"
Batrick scratches his head.
"What does an ugly road do to a car, you idiot?" Dastan says. "It makes the wheel slow down."
"Not just that." Preston says. "It will greatly decrease the Crisis's accuracy. Creating opportunities to counterattack."
"Well. What are we waiting for?" Dastan says. "We'd better get down there before the kid kills it. Then there'll be nothing left for us."
"Maybe... Maybe we should let him be." The Pale Harpy finally speaks up.
Everyone looks at her.
"You seem a little unwell, Miss Harpy?" Henry says.
"Why do you suggest that?" Preston says.
"It's nothing. I just think that maybe he will not appreciate us interrupting." The Harpy tries her best to let out a normal smile.
"She has a point. It is better for us to not snatch his prey." Preston says.
"Are you kidding me, Captain? We can't let a kid store our Crisis Core," Batrick says.
"And what if the kid is able to kill the Crisis on his own? Will you face him then?" Preston says.
Batrick gulps, not answering back.
Preston may not be the most powerful of them, but he is the undisputed leader of the Liberty Sons. They all respect him.
"Let's keep watching. If his life is in danger, we can intervene. If not, we can say hi after the fight.
The less enemy we make, the better. Remember, we are all C-rank here."
Batrick silently glances at Henry. Except for this kid.
Preston diverts his gaze to the fight afar, his focus is on the golden blade in Blaze's hand.
"We haven't been able to see the power of that kid's blade either."
No summoning power is weak. That is common sense in Ranas. They all are wary about what that gold sword of Blaze can do.
The ground around Blaze has been wrecked into a mess. Holes and piles of dirt are everywhere.
"Come here!" Blaze shouts toward the Quarterback.
It is spinning in place again, gaining speed by the second. And then it bolts to him.
Blaze hides behind the largest pile of dirt. If the meat wheel keeps going, it will surely be bounced up and allow Blaze to stab the Sun Bird inside it with precise timing.
The meat wheel tilts itself, almost to 45 degrees. It should fall over, but the friction keeps it going.
The Quarterback takes a sharp turn, avoiding the pile of dirt, and attacks him from a different direction.
It jumps up, aiming to crush Blaze on its way down.
Blaze's piles of dirt and holes are both his defense and his prison. He has nowhere left to run now, and the shadow of the meat wheel covers his entire body.