Although Skadi was as graceful as a dance in combat, as a warrior whose battlefield mobility was only standard, while she could achieve very high movement speed through brute force, her agility was far inferior to Gladiia's.
Only in a straight line could she dash forward at top speed.
But now, Goki's Vitality ability had improved; his Physique was strong enough to withstand several g's of instantaneous acceleration, so he no longer needed to chug blood vials while being dragged by Skadi as before.
Crackling — crackling.
The moment they entered the Catastrophe sandstorm, Goki and Skadi's senses were almost completely blocked, and continuous crackling impacts came from their bodies, followed by pain.
It felt like being hit by hailstones the size of goose eggs; even Goki's current physical strength from his Vitality stat couldn't completely fend it off.
One after another, yellowish active Originium crystals, carried by the strong winds, exploded directly on Goki and Skadi's bodies, their power completely equivalent to small Spell missiles.
Although the Hunter's uniform offered some defense, Goki's exposed skin was still cut open, splattering blood.
"Hiss — ouch, ouch, ouch, Skadi, are you alright?"
Feeling his blood bar rapidly decreasing, Goki took out the disinfectant needle Kaltsit had given him, gave himself a shot of invigorating, extremely potent blood plasma, and then pulled out a translucent riot shield.
This was the same riot shield Saria used, bulletproof and Spell-proof, highly recommended by everyone. When Goki left, Saria specifically stuffed a stack of shields from the Defense Department's inventory to him, hoping he would take care of his health.
In any case, the equipment developed by the Defense Department was much more useful than Goki's shoddy wooden shield.
His shattered skin healed quickly, only to be shattered again. Goki had helped Cannote's caravan hunt a lot along the way, so the blood vials were temporarily sufficient.
Goki was somewhat relieved that he had already separated from Kaltsit. If the Old Lynx knew that he and Skadi had ventured into a Catastrophe, she would surely have a brain hemorrhage on the spot.
"Hmm? No, it's just, um, sand gets into my mouth — it feels like rain."
Beside him, small flashes occasionally exploded on Skadi's skin. Countless high-energy Originium crystals, comparable to bullets, impacted her skin, but they didn't even leave a mark.
Saria had a diamond head, but clearly, Skadi was even harder.
Even hand cannons with anti-Iberia properties could only barely break her defense; to truly threaten Skadi, the power would need to be even stronger.
Of course, compared to damage, energy radiation was the most terrifying aspect of a Catastrophe.
If it were an ordinary human, entering the sandstorm would guarantee oripathy; not even Jesus, let alone Kaltsit, could save them.
However, Skadi and Goki did not have this concern.
The former was naturally immune to Originium energy; a Catastrophe of this magnitude was far less threatening than the high-concentration liquid Originium in Specter's body.
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As for the latter... Kaltsit had examined Goki, and a single drop of his blood could separate into seven or eight completely different physical properties. The liquid Originium in his body was even more abundant than in Specter's. If it were to leak here, the Catastrophe's intensity Rank would likely immediately rise by at least one Rank.
However, the body of a Yharnam Old Hunter was just like that; anything could be casually stuffed into it. Forget liquid Originium and various miscellaneous bloods; even if you poured pearl milk tea into him, Goki would still feel nothing.
"This, this must hurt a lot, right? It's okay, Goki, I'll protect you."
Looking at Goki's repeatedly shattered and healed wounds, Skadi, who was originally accustomed to Goki's state, uncharacteristically wrapped her arms around Goki's waist from behind, shielding him from a large number of active Originium explosions.
Although she knew Goki's body could heal itself, Skadi also understood that being injured would be very painful.
Compared to her past self, who was indifferent to everything, the current Skadi did not wish for Goki to suffer.
"Skadi... Ha, then thank you, but we should help others first — look, I have my own way."
Goki paused, then smiled and patted Skadi's small hand. Compared to the cold bounty hunter who was indifferent to everything, unwilling to even explain to her colleague Grani during missions, Skadi had, unknowingly, learned to care for others.
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