My chest heaved, and blood dripped from my battered body, but I kept my stance steady. Around me lay the fallen bodies of the bandits, their weapons scattered across the blood-soaked ground. The mages, the swordsmen—all of them lay defeated. Only the boss remained, his hulking figure bruised and slashed, yet still standing, a burning hatred in his eyes.
Despite the ache in my muscles and the sting of cuts from his lackeys' weapons, I forced myself upright, my body barely holding together thanks to the last remnants of my body enhancement spell. Each breath was a test of my endurance. I couldn’t afford to make mistakes—not with this brute.
"You’ll pay for killing my men!” the boss growled, raising his massive hammer, the weapon as battered as his pride.
“Your men? The way you treated them, they were more like disposable pawns.” I smirked, taunting him as he seethed with rage.
With a furious roar, he swung his hammer in a powerful arc, the ground trembling with each step he took forward. I dodged, barely evading the massive weapon as it crashed into the earth, splintering the ground with brutal force. Dust and debris exploded into the air, obscuring my vision for a split second.
This was my chance to try out my speed skills. Normal strikes had barely scratched this giant, and I’d need to be faster than he could see if I wanted to end this. Taking a breath, I activated the new power, feeling energy surge through my veins as the world around me blurred.
In an instant, I was moving, dashing to the side faster than I’d ever moved. My body sliced through the air, the speed nearly disorienting, but I steadied my focus, tightening my grip on my sword. I circled behind him, my blade flashing out, aiming for his exposed flank. A shallow cut opened across his ribs before he even had time to react, and he snarled, whirling around to find me already gone.
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“Hold still, you little—” He swung again, but I darted past him, the world a streak of colors and shapes. Moving this fast while attacking was harder than I thought, each strike demanding pinpoint control to avoid slipping up. But I kept at it, circling, slashing, wearing him down bit by bit.
The boss was panting now, his eyes darting around, trying to catch a glimpse of me. His enraged growl echoed in the night air. “Stand still and fight me like a man!”
“I thought you wanted me dead,” I retorted, zipping past him and landing a glancing blow on his shoulder. The speed was exhilarating, but I could feel it draining my energy. I had to finish this before the strength-enhancement wore off.
Finally, I saw an opening. The boss, breathing hard, let his guard slip for just a moment. In one last burst of speed, I shot forward, planting one foot on the head of his hammer as it hovered just above the ground. Using it as a springboard, I leapt up, hurtling toward his face.
My knee collided with his jaw in a brutal impact that echoed through the clearing. His head snapped back, and he staggered, stunned. Seizing the moment, I brought my sword down in a swift, deadly arc, driving it straight into his chest.
The boss’s eyes widened, his body shuddering as he looked down at the blade buried in his heart. He let out a final, strangled breath before crumpling to the ground, his lifeless form collapsing with a dull thud.
I took a shaky breath, my vision finally clearing as the world returned to normal speed. The battle was over, but I could still feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. With the last of my strength, I pulled my blade free and stood tall over the fallen bandit, the only sound in the clearing the rustling of the night breeze.
The boss’s reign of terror had ended. It's time to look for cherry.