His earlier decision, to wait for the inevitable reinforcements, had proven to be the correct one – as they usually did.
Of course, he would have loved to test himself against the massive wooden guardian, but such a decision would be beyond risky – it would be a coin flip, with his life on the line. And not due to the oversized pile of wood.
And attack of this magnitude would elicit one of a few responses:
First, a large group of low-level reinforcements; However, with chaos breaking all over the city, the Life Druids must have created sufficient diversions to occupy such troops.
The same was most likely true for small elite squads – powerful individuals or pairs were likely dispatched to quickly and efficiently suppress the monsters on the streets, minimizing the cost of lives when compared to sending in the chuff. Of course, the MIS could still choose to send such a squad here, however, the third option was more likely…
And that option was sending a single powerhouse, strong enough to resolve this situation with the utmost confidence.
When he saw the man, clad in a massive suit of mithril armor, dispatch the animated tree with two swings of his flaming redsteel greatsword, he knew that his decision paid off. And he also knew – that was the time to make a choice.
The safest choice would be to retreat, to abandon the hunt, and wait for a better opportunity. In his place, many would make such a choice. However…
Despite the fact that almost any who knew his name in this city would curse it, he actually loved Silverveil.
In some desolate forest, there would be a clear hierarchy – there would be the predators, and the helpless prey.
Sure, sometimes, a challenger could wander into the territory of another hunter, and occasionally, a bloody battle for dominance would ensue. However, such battles being true challenges would be even rarer than the occasion itself. Most of the time, those of similar strength simply sit in their hunting grounds, content with stagnation.
And yet, in this maze of iron and stone, countless beings of different power roamed side by side.
One could find proper targets with ease, as long as they knew where to look. Of course, not every such hunt would be worthy, but most would at least offer some challenge.
And, when the stars aligned, he would stumble upon the type of hunt that enticed him the most – one where he would have to take every precaution, execute each step to perfection, and even then, the slightest mistake could end up in a desperate struggle for survival.
Following the Transcendent Spellblade into the facility, hoping that his own formidable stealth abilities would be enough to avoid detection, that his claws would be sharp enough to find the target’s heart through whatever chaos would ensue inside, that his legs would be fast enough to carry him to safety after the deed is done – the prospect was far too alluring for him to pass on.
And so, he finally decided to make his move, charging over the bloodied plaza, and the charred remains of the blight, into the stone corridors of the facility. Corridors he was vaguely familiar with.
No, not that he ever was there, in person. However, as an officer of the Crimson Shadows, albeit seldom acting as one, he still had access to their information.
Judging by looks alone, one would never expect the huge, beast-like man to maliciously study the blueprints of every major facility in the city, at least to the extent that the Shadow’s intelligence network managed to procure.
However, a hunter must know their hunting grounds – and for one whose hunting ground, for decades, has been this deadly city, such wisdom held doubly true.
Keeping a safe distance, occasionally losing track of the massive man due to Sealsense barriers, he, nonetheless, managed to reach the purification chamber just in time – the Sealsense at the entrance was damaged, and with his 3rd realm Awareness, he could make out the situation inside.
As the deadly enemy rushed to the inner chamber, he knew the time to strike was imminent.
The following minute would be among the most dangerous of his long life, but he didn’t mind – no, rather, he was excited.
He was here not as an officer of the Crimson Shadows, but as a hunter. And this hunt had finally reached its zenith.
***
Soaring forward, I angled my body mid-dash, turning my head farther back.
Along with [Charging] at an angle, which was slowly approaching 90, I also learned to turn mid-Skill. Actually, during the last escape from the elder Druidess, I managed to push the Skill’s adaptive use another step farther.
Regardless, what I saw did not instill much confidence.
The attacker was yet another massive man, his natural size almost as large as the armored MIS chief.
He wore a gray robe, stretched thin by his bulging muscles, and the proportions of his arms and legs, sporting massive claws and covered with gray fur, were even larger than the rest of his enormous body.
One minor thing that bothered me was how easily he followed my movements, suggesting he, too, was in the 2nd Awareness realm, perhaps near its peak.
The main thing that bothered me were the tiny fluctuations in the air during the shapeshifter’s charge – and, indeed, when the massive figure arrived at my previous spot, near Alrox, I could see dozens of small scrapes appear on his chainmail, as well as a few shallow cuts on his exposed face and leather gloves.
‘A damaging movement skill.’
I didn’t even have time to be surprised, as the next exchange occurred.
The level 3 Destroyer had superb combat reflexes – by the time of my charge, he was already grabbing the pole of his axe with his other hand. Now, as the newcomer was raising his enormous left arm for a swipe, he raised his weapon in a defensive posture, trying to leap backwards.
The attack’s force could probably compare to that of the bigger blight – while Alrox’s defence was enough to mitigate some of its force, his left arm - its shoulder not fully recovered from the smaller blight’s strike - buckled, and the claws reached the metal scales protecting his chest, while his feet were already in the air.
THUD
!
With the claws leaving four gashes in his chestpiece, the large man was sent flying backwards, towards the glass-like barrier.
However, the shapeshifter’s eyes, hidden behind a festive mask with black glass visors, did not linger on the Destroyer, nor did they shift to the Druidess lying nearby. Rather, his head turned toward me, as his body was already preparing for another lunge.
[Charge] !!
Turning my back towards the enemy, my senses instinctively shifted to the tides, able to perceive the surroundings behind me. Although, for a moment, he had left my range, before my movement concluded, he had already closed more distance than I’ve created.
[Charge] !
Even though my movement Skill must have reached the 3rd level in the earlier fight, increasing its range and versatility, I had already realized it wasn’t enough to evade the figure for long.
By now, my assessment was complete:
Awareness – somewhere near the peak of the 2nd realm.
Strength – at least peak 2nd realm, maybe even low 3rd, as his earlier swipe, while being a Skill - evident by the shifting air around his claws - was focused on speed, not power.
Agility – mid or high 2nd realm.
Endurance – likely similar to Strength.
‘Elevated Realm. Assessment – [Deadly].’
Even if both me and Alrox were in our peak form, which the high-grade potion wasn’t quite enough to reach, our chances would likely be close to 0%, and that’s without the surprise attack.
And, since the robed assailant was fully focused on me, even in a fair fight, my survival when facing him head-on was all but forfeit.
As my movement came to a halt, I stumbled – or, at least, so it would seem. The beast-like man prepared to leap forward once more, seizing the opportunity.
[Charge] !
This time, rather than continuing forward, I dashed to the side, towards the inner wall of the corridor.
I could feel faint tears forming on the back of my hard leather chestpiece, as the massive figure passed behind me, using his claws to halt his movement and change his angle.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
[Charge] !
While his forward movement was faster than mine, the angle of his leap wasn’t very wide. On the other hand, with this last dodge, I finally managed to reach a 70 degree angle, which was likely the maximum for this Skill.
Still, based on my current calculations, as long as I stayed within either 4 to 6 or more than 10 meters of him, I could dodge his dashes indefinitely.
Even though my legs began to hurt again, that potion, coupled with my stamina potions, was enough to fully recover my stamina. Not to mention, I still had my stamina-restoring Ability.
Sure, I’d run out of stamina again, eventually, yet, this wasn’t really a 1v2 fight, was it?
TSKAAAA!
The sound produced by the thick window, when struck by Alrox’s heavy swing, was somewhat akin to plastic, and it was clear the attack wasn’t enough to do any real damage. However, I had a feeling the Transcendent Spellblade, currently inside the inner chamber, would be able to sense the vibrations created by the blunt force of the greataxe’s broad side.
Now, the countdown to the end of this fight had truly begun.
Earlier, it took the armored man nearly two minutes to enter the chamber, but that included helping Alrox up, as well as waiting for the door to open.
While the inner radius of this massive circle was around 80 meters, by my estimation, circling half the inner chamber wouldn’t take that man longer than a minute, likely even less.
The massive man in front of me realized this as well, reaching with his left claws, and ripping the leafy mask off.
Turning my head, while switching back to regular vision, a chiselled face, slightly older than middle-aged, adorned with dozens of scars and rich, gray facial hair.
His cold, emotionless eyes, glimmering with a vibrant yellow hue, much like the stray leaves scattering in the air around his discarded headpiece, were still locked in on his target – me.
Suddenly-
“ARWOOOO!!!”
Following a massive roar, between that of man and a beast, an overwhelming sense of fear gripped my chest.
I felt a wave of helplessness and despair, crushing onto my shoulders like an avalanche, freezing me in place as the deadly enemy prepared to lunge forward once more.
‘This!..’
[Charge] !!!
Was this a fucking joke?!
He wasn’t even as strong as that monstrous druidic avatar. Even if these feelings of fear weren’t artificial – like hell I’d give up!
I’ve been through too much shit in this world to simply let go – even in the face of true despair, I’d scratch and claw my way, grasping at the faintest chance of survival. This much was nothing.
Clang
!
As I barely dodged the wolf-man’s Skill once again, a few shallow wounds sprouting on my face due to its residual damage, I heard the distant sound of a heavy metal boot descending upon the stone floor.
This was it.
The exit was barely visible from where I was, about 30 meters up the ascending corridor. The giant man was 6 meters closer to it, cutting off my ‘escape’ – only that it wasn’t my real escape.
From this point on, I could simply charge inward, perhaps having to kite one or two more lunges from the enemy – and even if, for some reason, he managed to catch me, there’s no chance he’d be able to finish the job in time.
While the gap in power between me and him was massive, the gap between him and the leader of the provincial MIS branch was even bigger. From here on out, trying to catch me meant near-certain death.
In the second it took for his movement to cease, from the last look he gave me, I could see he’s reached the same conclusion.
‘It’s finally-’
The man turned his back, preparing to lunge – yet his body wasn’t pointing at the breached doors.
‘Alrox!’
At that moment, the already-slow world ground to a near-halt.
‘I have to-’
I thought about rushing to his aid, and yet, my legs refused to bulge.
‘What are you doing?! You’ve survived!’
Yeah.. it’s true. Despite the myriad of dangers this day - or even, the last hour - presented, I managed to push through. And now, with my stamina half-depleted, with potion fatigue being close at hand – did I really have to put my life on the line once again?
With both his arms and legs pushing off the ground, leaving large scrapes in the uniform stone, the massive figure launched itself forward.
‘He’s not helpless, either!’
Right. He was a level 3 Destroyer. Although...
His best matchup were either slow, large opponents, or those who were physically weaker than him. The shapeshifting man was neither. In fact, perhaps the only reason he was still alive was the fact he wasn’t the initial target.
‘What can you even do?!’
The massive figure landed on the ground, preparing for the subsequent leap.
My senses picked up the sound of Alrox’s axe handle pushing off the floor, and a barely audible exhale, carrying a mix of acceptance and grim determination.
The claws dug into the stone once more, before launching the robed man forward.
‘This is sui-!’
[Charge] !
The images of our fight against Olevia flashed through my mind – a fight where my temporary companion risked his life multiple times, perhaps even saving mine in the process.
Yes, he was the one who convinced me to come here, yet the choice was ultimately my own. I felt like if I didn’t at least try to repay this debt, today’s events would join the ever-growing pile of regrets I had in this world – a pile I refused to enlarge with my own hands.
‘W-’
I pushed every intrusive thought aside, my mind crystal clear. There was no longer anything in the world beside my own body, moving forward, and the massive shapeshifter, shortening the distance between him an Alrox, whose massive greataxe was now at the ready, with a tiny empty flash (similar to the one I received earlier) hitting the floor.
[Charge] !
The pain in my strained leg muscles resurfaced – yet, it was still manageable.
[Charge] !!
As I was moving, the enemy had already reached my companion.
Alrox’s axe was ready, in a similar position to the one before his earlier power strike. In response, the massive clawed hand rose up as well, with air shifting and turning around it.
CLANG
!
Sparks flew into the air as the two devastating attacks collided… but, as the clawed hand was deflected backwards, the massive axe head was launched towards the ground!
The second hand grabbed Alrox’s arm with inhuman strength, claws piercing the steel scales like those of a fish, leaving deep, bloody gashes. Perhaps, his bone was now broken, too.
The second arm flung backwards, getting ready to deliver the last swipe-
[Charge Thrust] !!
-only for the massive figure to release his grip and leap a few steps backwards, to the very edge of my attack’s range!
His raised claws were now aiming at the spot where I’d end up in less than a heartbeat.
Tstttt
I instantly lowered the edge of my sword to the ground, using both it and my increased proficiency with [Charge] to decrease my momentum, while shifting my body.
Whooom
The massive claws pierced the air, inches away from my arms.
However, despite my dodge, the situation was terrible – the other clawed hand was already raised, to deliver one more strike, while the wolf-like legs were poised to perform a forward leap. I wouldn’t be able to dodge on time.
I began taking my sword back – the only way to survive this would be to meet his attack head on.
But… how? Even though my instincts were rapidly moving my arms into a familiar posture, [Arc Slash] was nowhere near as powerful as the level 3 Destroyer’s swing, which barely managed to match the deadly claws.
In that moment, with the gears in my head racing like never before, in the face of imminent annihilation, dozens of pieces suddenly connected themselves in my mind.
In my mind’s eye, fragments of Alrox’s movements flashed through my mind, as well as those of the beast-like arm.
I also remembered the tiny inefficiencies in my Skill, ones that I’ve been slowly hammering out over the course of my training.
Still, at the face of death, was it really the time to take such radical risks?
‘Fuck it!’
[Arc… SLASH] !!!
There weren’t many visible changes in my Skill – in fact, even the posture looked similar. The only things that changed were the timings, the specific moment where I applied force – and, the force of the attack itself.
CLANG
!
The force of the impact sent sparks flying through the air – and my sword, the one I’d never lost in battle before, was sent flying to the side, with the force reverberating through it completely numbing my hands.
And yet, the clawed arm was deflected, as well!
For the first time, I saw a glimmer of surprise flickering through the topaz eyes.
However, that flicker was short-lived, as the second arm was already raised.
In the last moment, I raised both my arms - one missing its forearm shield - to block the attack, while trying to leap backwards.
CRUSH
!
The block worked - to the extent that my body was unscathed, distance was being created, with my flying backwards through the air.
‘Is this how it feels to be hit by Truck-kun?’
The amusing thought failed to distract me from the flaring pain in my arms, which were probably broken.
‘Ah, shit...’
I let my arms helplessly flail to the sides, gathering every shred of focus on my opponent.
I was ready to see him lower his posture, about to continue his offense – in fact, I was already preparing for another [Charge], trying to stabilise my landing.
However, to my surprise, the man wasn’t even looking my way.
Tnnng
The sound of metal boots hitting the ground, at large intervals, was rapidly approaching. It would seem the ambusher had finally decided the risk outweighed the reward.
With a mighty leap, he closed in… on the laying the Druidess?
Within the sudden chaos, she had completely slipped my mind.
By now, Alrox was already more than a few steps away from her – and, in his current condition, barely holding the axe with one hand, he was in no shape to intercept Elevated Path-bearer.
Grabbing the limp body, tossing it over his shoulder like a ragdoll, his next leap covered the whole distance between the inner wall and the breached door.
A moment later, he was gone – as if everything that happened up to this point was a mirage, with only our heavy injuries serving as evidence of this sudden attack.
We survived. Once more.