Derek's mind raced, desperately searching for any strategy that could give him an edge. He was out of mana, out of stamina, and close to losing consciousness. But he couldn’t give up now; he had to win. There was simply no other choice. His blurry gaze fell on the crab’s eyes again. He failed once before but if he succeeds now then everything can change.
Derek couldn’t move much. He leaned on the cavern wall, this time waiting for the crab to come at him. The pain in his side was unbearable, but he fought to keep his focus. The guardian, sensing his vulnerability, let out a shrill clicking noise and charged forward, pincers snapping eagerly as it closed the distance. This was his only shot. He would either end the fight here or be crushed against the wall.
The crab lunged with its massive pincers, aiming to trap him, and just as it reached him, Derek gathered every last bit of energy he had left. With a desperate burst of speed, he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the pincers. The crab's momentum carried it forward, and its body slammed into the cavern wall, shaking loose dust and debris from above.
Seizing the opening, Derek summoned the last traces of mana he could muster. It wasn’t much, but it would have to be enough. His hand glowed faintly as he formed a small mana blob, aiming directly at one of the crab's six glowing eyes. With a fierce cry, he launched the projectile with everything he had.
However, at the last minute, he felt as if it wouldn’t be enough. With his other hand, he instinctively tugged at the small puddle of water nearby, and a stream of water splashed on the other side of the crab. It didn’t leave any mark. It was not really an attack. It was nothing.
But while it was distracted by the water splash, the mana blob flew true this time, striking one of the red eyes dead-on. There was a flash of light followed by an agonizing screech as the blob exploded, shattering the eye and sending fragments of shell and a dark, viscous fluid spraying outward.
The crab's pained screech echoed through the cavern as it staggered back, its movements frantic and uncoordinated. The shattered eye leaked dark fluid, and the other five glowing orbs flickered erratically. The damage had clearly disoriented the guardian, its once-deadly precision now replaced by wild, erratic movements. Maybe he had damaged something else underneath the eyeball, perhaps a nerve bundle or even its brain.
Derek felt a surge of hope. This was his chance to end the fight once and for all. The crab was weakened, and he had a brief window to strike again before it regained its bearings. But his body was on the verge of collapse, and there was almost no mana left to draw upon.
He pushed himself to his feet, his limbs trembling with exhaustion. His mind raced as he tried to figure out how to capitalize on the moment. He had no mana for another attack, but he still had the puddle of water nearby. It wasn’t much, but if he could use it in just the right way…
Derek knew it was a fool’s errand but he couldn’t simply give time to the crab and watch it recover. Gritting his teeth, he focussed on the water, willing it to rise again. Another weak stream of water emerged and it splashed on the same open wound where previously its eyeball was present. More blood oozed out.
Derek did not know if it had any effect but currently, he couldn’t move and he had no mana. So he kept going with the same thing over and over. As the water mixed with blood dripped onto the cave floor, he willed for the same water to rise again and hit the same spot.
He knew it was a desperate and likely futile effort, but he had no other options. It was all he had left. His body screamed for rest, his vision blurred from the blood loss, and the crab was already beginning to recover from its disorientation.
But as Derek continued splashing the water against the open wound, something unexpected happened. The liquid, now mixed with the crab's dark blood, seemed to be seeping deeper into the wound, trickling into the exposed tissues beneath the shattered eye.
The crab flinched each time the water hit, and its movements grew increasingly frantic. Perhaps the water was aggravating the exposed nerves, or maybe it was reaching a vital organ or vein just beneath the shell.
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The next second, his answer arrived as he spotted something shiny on the crab’s open wound. Every time the water hit the shiny part, the crab seemed to be in intense pain. What the hell was that?
Derek only needed a moment to see that whatever it was, it was densely packed with mana. His mana sense told him as much. Now that magic was there did this kind of mana organ grow in every being? He did not have time to think. His instincts screamed at him to target that spot and if it was really jam packed with mana, then...
With nothing to lose, he threw himself onto the crab just as it steadied itself. The spines embedded in his body sank even deeper, sending a fresh wave of searing pain through his limbs. He grit his teeth against the agony, forcing his body to keep moving despite the blinding hurt.
With his hands slick with the crab's blood, he clawed his way closer to the shiny object embedded in the wound. His hand plunged into the crab’s open wound, feeling the heat of its flesh. His fingers scraped against the shiny, hardened object lodged within the exposed flesh—a crystal-like structure radiating a potent, throbbing aura of mana.
The crab's legs flailed wildly as it felt him digging deeper into the wound, trying to dislodge him with violent spasms. Derek gritted his teeth, ignoring the searing pain from his own wounds as he reached for the core. He could feel it vibrating under his touch, the mana coursing through it like an overcharged circuit.
With his strength fading fast, Derek had one last gamble. With a strong pull, he yanked the damn thing out. The crystal-like structure came free with a sickening tear, its surface pulsating violently as it was severed from the crab's flesh.
The crab became utterly frenzied. It let out a horrifying, shrill screech that reverberated through the cavern, its body convulsing uncontrollably. Its legs flailed, striking the cave floor and walls, as if it were in its death throes. In the midst of its seizure, it finally managed to throw Derek off, his body hitting the cave wall violently.
Derek screamed in pain. The rest of his health quickly drained and thanks to the spines, he was now bleeding even more profusely. He was at death’s door and he could die any second now.
But even in this condition, his bloodied hand tightly clutched the mana rock. Raw, hot mana seeped into his body from the small rock and he felt his body spasm in pain, unable to bear the concentrated stream. It felt like liquid fire burning his veins, threatening to tear his already fragile body apart. He was on the brink of losing consciousness, teetering at the edge of oblivion.
But as the potent mana flowed into him, it did more than just scorch his insides—it invigorated him. The overwhelming surge of mana awakened something deep within him, reigniting his instincts to survive. A bomb of energy was building up inside him and he needed to release it all before he exploded into a million meat chunks.
Mana Blob! Mana Blob! Mana Blob! Derek weakly lifted his finger to aim at the crab, no longer caring where exactly he was aiming and sent out one attack after another. Each shot flew erratically, some missing their mark entirely, while others hit the crab’s body with explosive force.
The first three blobs struck one of the crab’s legs, blowing off a chunk of its jagged shell. The creature screeched and flailed even more wildly, slamming into the cavern walls with deafening force. Derek’s second and third set of blobs veered off course, hitting the floor and sending up sprays of dust and debris, but the fourth set found its target, striking near the shattered eye socket and eliciting another agonized cry from the guardian.
The wild bombardment was a chaotic storm of raw mana, unrefined and desperate, yet somehow effective. Each blast chipped away at the crab's remaining strength, and the creature’s movements grew weaker, less coordinated. It was staggering, its legs barely supporting its massive weight.
Derek’s body shook with every shot he unleashed, his vision tunneling as the world around him started to blur into darkness. He felt the mana within him reaching its breaking point, the crystal’s energy nearly depleted. There was only one final burst left in him—a last-ditch effort to end this once and for all.
With the last shreds of strength he could muster, Derek raised his arm and fired one final mana blob at the exposed wound where the crystal had been torn from and numerous other gaping holes now existed. The blob, infused with the remaining vestiges of the crystal’s power, flew straight and true, striking the exact spot and sinking deep into the gaping wound.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then the crab's body convulsed violently as the mana exploded within it, tearing through its insides. A deafening, guttural roar echoed through the cavern as the creature collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash. Its legs twitched one last time before falling still, its six eyes fading into dull, lifeless orbs.
The battle was finally over.
Derek stumbled forward, collapsing onto the cold, hard floor of the cavern, his vision darkening as consciousness slipped away. He had nothing left—no mana, no strength, and no more power to stay alive.
As his eyes fluttered closed, a vision of his mother appeared, her warm smile piercing through the shadows gathering at the edges of his mind. But it was quickly replaced by that of a monster, a monster who whispered in his ears, “You did well, my liege. Leave the rest to me.”