According to Li Lin's "Data Mind" and the AI's calculations, if Gaboga were to attack at full power, Malphite probably wouldn't withstand it, especially energy weapons.
Even as a magical creature, its body primarily consists of granite and a type of magical rock now nearly extinct.
It can withstand most melee attacks, bullets, rockets, and even "megaton cannons" and similar physical damage.
However, it has little resistance against energy weapons like "plasma sabers," "plasma cannons," "energy arc lasers," and "particle javelins," which can easily shatter its shell and even itself.
But to test Gaboga's limits as much as possible, Li Lin isn't planning to use too many energy weapons, relying instead on kinetic weapons and close combat to suppress Malphite.
Incidentally, it shows the councilors and members of the big families how weak they are with just 100,000 bullets and 2,000 rockets they provided.
After confirming each other's readiness, Malphite launches the first attack.
Gathering strength, its granite stones protrude as it fiercely stomps the ground, raising a shower of rubble and dust.
Next, in an unreasonably eerie posture, Malphite charges toward Gaboga, as if something behind it is propelling it forward, seeming unstoppable despite not using much force.
In just a heartbeat, it has surged hundreds of meters, rapidly approaching Gaboga.
"Seriously, why do they all like to come up and use their ultimate moves..."
Li Lin quickly reacts, immediately activating the force field shield to evade the impending damage.
Although the force field shield can mitigate the damage that follows, it cannot evade the intense impact caused by the opponent.
Assisted by the AI's calculations, Gaboga's strong pulse propulsion device behind it emits a blue flame at full power, positioning its hardest right arm in front, not retreating but advancing.
With a translucent energy force field instantly enveloping Gaboga's entire body, the mechanical giant and the lava beast collide, creating a huge shockwave that shakes the earth, impacting the terrain for hundreds of meters around, spraying dust and causing deep depressions.
The thick granite shield on Malphite's body shows slight cracks from the impact, but it's limited to this.
As the core part of the monolith, Malphite naturally inherits the most combat instincts.
Finding that its proudest charge didn't affect Gaboga at all, it immediately activates the magic within, covering its body in sandy-yellow magic.
In the next moment, Malphite grabs Gaboga's left hand with its right arm, creating a visible shockwave just by gripping tightly, then strikes at the spot where energy converges on Gaboga's chest with thunderous force.
Due to the height difference, its full-force strike can only reach this far.
But at that moment, Li Lin controls the mech to sharply raise its knee, the sharp spike extending from its knee stabbing into Malphite's abdomen.
Simultaneously, the fist of its right arm gathers energy from another angle, its intense punch seeming capable of breaking through space, striking Malphite's side and lifting large fragments of granite.
Gaboga's half-power fist!
Malphite is sent flying by this blow using nearly half its strength, crashing heavily onto the ground over two hundred meters away, stirring up a storm of mud and stones.
Through holographic displays and the AI's capture, Li Lin observes that Malphite's granite shield on its left shoulder and upper arm has completely shattered, revealing its reddish-brown true form.
If Li Lin had chosen to punch Malphite in the face just now, it might have knocked it unconscious.
Assuming it has such a physiological response.
"Are you okay?" Li Lin asks loudly.
"Of course!" Malphite exhales a hot wave of turbid air, swiftly climbing from the ground, its battle intent fierce, "I am steadfast as a rock!"
Seeing that Malphite is unharmed, Li Lin knows that this amount of damage is like scratching an itch for it, "Then let's continue!"
"Fight!" Malphite pounds its chest, emitting a roar.
Immediately after, its right hand plunges deeply into the ground, touching the rocks beneath the soil, then lifts forcefully, sending a rolling, spinning fragment of rock flying towards Gaboga, leaving a crack over ten meters deep in the earth.
Unlike in the game, this "seismic fragment" does not track its target automatically.
The force field shield effect has ended, and Li Lin opts not to resist this seemingly formidable attack directly, immediately activating "overload charge" to increase Gaboga's speed and dodge to the side.
But Malphite has already anticipated his intentions, consecutively plunging both arms into the ground to touch the rocks, lifting one "seismic fragment" after another, blocking off the paths Gaboga could choose to dodge left and right.
Helpless, Li Lin has no choice but to activate the thrusters to fly more than twenty meters above the ground, narrowly evading four or five rapidly approaching physical attacks. Then, the rocket launcher on its shoulder opens, launching a round of 20 compressed missiles.
Malphite widens its crystal-yellow pupils, feeling the energy contained in the missiles, knowing they won't have much effect on it. It uses its hands to shield its face, preventing its eyes from being burned by the flames.
Although these explosions can't harm it, its eyes are still its relatively vulnerable spot, and it feels pain.
Dust fills the sky. Li Lin doesn't give Malphite any time to catch its breath, driving Gaboga to chase after its victory. Descending from above into the smoke-filled environment, using its mass and kinetic energy to heavily punch.
Malphite sensed imminent danger and reacted swiftly, opening his massive, shimmering yellow mouth and unleashing a guttural roar.
A shockwave infused with elemental magic surged towards Gaboga, forming an air barrier in front of him, halting its descent.
Li Lin was stunned; he hadn't expected Malphite to have this move up his sleeve.
But in the next moment, he was even more dumbfounded, visibly perplexed.
Thunderous roars crackled around Malphite, intertwining with massive stone columns on his spine. A lightning bolt as thick as a grown man's arm shot from his outstretched hands, piercing through the dark grey smoke, heading straight for Gaboga, trapped in midair by the air barrier.
Malphite was created by the great elemental mage Vortaar, and being the core of the Monolith, naturally inherited its elemental magic, capable of wielding all types of elemental sorcery.
However, he usually relied on his mastery of earth elemental magic. Combining attacks with other elemental types would drain his magic significantly, and he rarely used them.
But today, facing an opponent as formidable as himself, a mechanical giant taller and more energized than him, Malphite's long-lost fighting spirit was ignited. He was determined to challenge Gaboga head-on.
To his surprise, Li Lin made no attempt to manipulate Gaboga into generating an "energy shield" barrier and instead allowed Malphite's lightning strikes to hit him.
For a moment, Gaboga's metallic shell flickered with electrical sparks, emitting a sharp buzzing sound.
Though puzzled by Li Lin's lack of resistance, Malphite was quickly overwhelmed with intense excitement.
If he could defeat a steel giant stronger than himself, he would have stories to boast about when he returned to Mount Targon, bragging to his "son," the stone golem Malphite, the ancient golem Little Blue, the earth turtle Cliff, the stone giant Spike, and those shiny dragons!
"Go down!"
The magical energy stored within Malphite surged like a floodgate opening. Simultaneously, maintaining long-unused and unfamiliar wind and lightning magic drained his magic exponentially. Yet, their combined power far exceeded that of earth elemental magic.
Once, he used lightning magic to fend off a long-necked beast from Icathia attempting to cross the border into Shurima.
In their battle, Malphite crushed the void creature beneath thunder and lightning, a feat he considered one of his most outstanding achievements.
However, as his magic dwindled to a third, nearing depletion, Gaboga remained motionless in mid-air, its metallic armor only slightly darkened, seemingly unaffected.
"This is..."
Malphite widened his eyes, his yellow gem-like gaze filled with great confusion, realizing something was amiss. He immediately halted the release of magic, but it was too late.
Li Lin's amused voice echoed, "Thank you for recharging Gaboga."
To ensure Gaboga never ran out of energy, Heimerdinger specially equipped it with a device that could harness natural lightning to recharge itself.
Originally, Li Lin thought Heimerdinger's addition of a fusion core was unnecessary. Now, he realized its unforeseen usefulness.
Struck by Malphite's lightning magic, Gaboga not only sustained no damage but automatically entered an "overload operation" state, increasing its energy reserves by 20%!
"What?!"
Malphite's voice barely faded when the electrical glow surrounding Gaboga dimmed.
In the next breath, Li Lin activated "overload charge" again, even faster than before, surpassing any conceivable speed for a body of its size!
\[Gaboga's fist rapidly charging...\]
\[Gaboga's fist fully charged!\]
\[Data correction complete!\]
\[Directional alignment complete!\]
\[Current charge power: 120%!\]
Gaboga turned into an almost invisible blur, its massive right fist covered in a dazzling blue-white light, speeding towards Malphite below.
"Oh no!"
Malphite couldn't dodge in time, so he used the remaining magic within him to draw energy from the rocks beneath his feet, forming a granite shield ten times thicker in front of him.
In an instant, Gaboga's fist collided with Malphite's granite shield, creating a deafening roar and a shockwave capable of tearing through the earth and sky, even affecting the high-flying airships.
The immense force spread rapidly from Malphite's arms throughout his body, leaving cracks in his thickened granite shield, which collapsed with a thunderous crash, scattering all over.
Furthermore, Malphite's entire granite shield was now riddled with cracks. He sat heavily on the ground, completely shattered.
Exhausted, Malphite gasped for air, his face twisted in a slightly distorted expression, conveying a sense of profound fatigue and defeat.
Without his granite shield, he appeared noticeably smaller.
"I yield, I yield! Your punch could shatter a mountain range on Mount Targon... I've lost."
(End of Chapter)
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