Bartram

Clang Clang Clang!

“A few minutes more,’ I said to myself as I attacked again and elder-blood defended. He is defending against my every attack.

It had been a while since I was able to land any attack on him.

He is bloody from head to toe; I had taken him near the death’s door, but now there is not a single injury to his body.

All the injuries had been healed, but he hadn't moved away from the death’s door.

The elder blood inside him is boiling. It had reached it to the level, that purple burn marks had begun appearing on his body. These are no normal burn marks, but marks of magic poisoning.

He had already started failing the awakening and wouldn’t last for long. Even him lasting five minutes would be a stretch.

“Give up and run. It might give you a chance to survive!” I said and attacked him with a combination of Iron Smite, Dark Cleave, and Thunderous Blow.

Clang!

It defended against my attack with a deformed shield and attacked me with the dented sword, which was barely holding on to its enchantments.

Though it is still a dangerous attack. It is not burning enchantment that is making it dangerous, but that powerful dense bronze energy covering it.

I had already got the taste of it and didn’t want it anymore.

Clang!

I attacked again, and he defended, before attacking me. Seeing that, my eyes couldn’t help but be alarmed.

His strength had increased again.

I quickly moved my halberd with Knights Stance and Dark Sponge. The skills are powerful, but it is an artifact that is saving me. The bronze energy is dangerous, that it would go for the body, the moment it touched anything I was holding.

It is the reason why, I had thrown away the shield and now only using the halberd. It would absorb anything that would come at it.

Even in its current state, it is an amazing weapon.

Its sword reached me and was about to clash with my halberd when it suddenly sped up. It avoided my halberd and came at me.

‘Fuck!’ I cursed hard and activated the Sharp Steps to retreat while trying to bring my halberd in front of the sword to defend.

It wasn’t long ago that, he used to do it. He had to defend against my every attack, but slowly, the advantage disappeared as the elder blood power began to boil inside him.

Making him stronger, till he forced me to defend such a way.

Bang!

The sword struck against my chest, hard. The enchantments flared, and Knights Protection enhanced the defensive power of the armor, but it wasn’t enough.

Pu!

I vomited the mouthful of blood and took a step back, while the bronze energies assailed my body.

It was after 80% of energies had been absorbed by the halberd.

The Impenetrable Body, which had protected me well against other attacks, failed, under the assault of this dense bronze energies which had become far more powerful than before.

‘Why isn’t anyone coming to help me?’ I asked myself.

I didn’t ask anyone for help, but they should have come to help me. While I have confidence that I could keep this bastard occupied till the elder blood cook him to death, I rather not take the chances.

‘Fuck!’ I cursed again as I saw him coming at me with another attack, while I hadn't even stabilized from his previous attack.

Clang!

I moved my halberd forward and was barely able to defend against the attack, but the bastard launched another, more powerful than the last.

Bang!

It hit me hard against the attacks. Harder than before, with more bronze energies attacking me, which are making me feel heavy and hot all over.

He came to me with another attack, when something happened. The bronze wisps that were all over giant blood, had turned denser, and now, they have covered every part of his body.

I could feel the unstable energies inside him getting powerful. Those purple marks of magic poisoning had begun to spread across his body visibly.

“Shit!” I cursed.

It had brought him closer to his end, but his power also increased. I could tell that he wanted to take me with him, and I had no intention of dying.

Bang!

His sword clashed hard against my chest, creating a huge dent, while sending large amounts of bronze wisps of power over me. Most of it had been absorbed by the halberd, but some that didn’t drill inside me.

It made me feel like I was burning all over with a ton of weight hanging down on me.

Hun!

‘Fuck it!’ I cursed as I nearly flew back and activated the Allies To Me. I don’t want to use it, but I need others help to deal with this bastard and I didn’t care about the prestige anymore; I only care about my survival.

I hope they will come soon because I don’t think I am going to last this bastard until he falls dead.

Hun!

I just activated the skill and was thinking, who would come first? When I sensed something.

Vansgart is dead.

Area Awareness is a skill that lets me be aware of the surrounding things. It takes a toll and quite an effort to use it for a long time, without getting swept into a headache, but it is worth it.

Though now, I wished I hadn't. The death of allies is the last thing, I want.

I was just thinking that when another, even bigger feeling hit me.

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Esalya is dead.

It shook my heart. Vansgart is one thing; he is a warrior; an armored one, but still a warrior, but Esalya was a necromancer. She is valuable, more valuable than Ford, Heartpeak, and Vansgart combined.

Bang!

I was in shock when his sword hit once again and this time my arm. Covering it whole with bronze-wispy energy.

Bang!

It stunned my arm for a moment. Allowing him to hit me once again, squarely against the chest.

Pu Pu Pu…

I begin to vomit the blood as I begin to take steps back. Feeling the intense fear for the first time.

‘I can’t stay here,’ I thought.

I had kept fighting, even when his power kept increasing. Kept fighting, even when our undead kept dying in huge numbers, but the death of Vansgart and Esalya had tipped the scales.

I can’t risk it. I have to retreat. If it died on the way, I could always come back and finish the battle.

I turned and used the River Sprint. I ran like I had never before.

The steed would have made retreating much easier, but the elder-blood bastard broken it into pieces. My heart ached, seeing those pieces; the steed was not cheap.

Bang!

I had just taken two steps to retreat, when I felt the attack on my back. Making me nearly stumble.

I stabilized myself and kept running. There are no other options than that.

Bang Bang Bang

His attacks continued, and I kept running despite the heavy injuries that bronze energy causing me. I have to survive and for it; I will bear the pain and injuries until I reach the safe place.

Hun!

I was running away when the skill informed me of another death.

‘These bastards!’ I cursed.

We had made a grave mistake in the beginning. We should have brought more powerhouses. We had fixed that mistake somewhat, but the death of the two had given the enemies hope and supercharged their morale.

These bastards are also uncommon, and the hope is making them fight even harder.

His deathless had warned us about the hope. It is the one thing, that we should never give to our enemies. I never truly believed it, until now; I am forced to. Seeing the bunch of pre-LV 30s killing the Lv. 30, one after another.

I am running fast as I had never done. I would have been able to run even faster, if not for this heavy armor I am wearing.

Though not for a moment. I had thought about removing it. It is because of this armor, I am alive, without it; I wouldn’t have been dead as long ago.

A few more seconds passed, and I entered the familiar area. The place where the explosion happened. The ground is still hot, but not enough that I couldn’t run through it.

Hun!

I was running through the hot caked ground when suddenly I felt something.

A powerful suppressive blanket enveloped me. Making me feel like, there was a mountain over me. It brought horror to my eyes when I realized it had reduced the power of my skills by nearly 20%.

Bang!

As it happened. I felt the powerful attack on my back and this time; I was not able to contain it and it sent me stumbling down hard.

Bang!

I was stumbling when I felt him attacking my shoulder, and the halberd, that I had been holding with everything I had flew away from my hand.

It is what had happened protecting me against the more than bronze energies and now, it had left my hand too.

It took me a few seconds to stabilize myself, and fortunately, no attack came. It made me relieved, but only for a fraction of a seconds, before I saw the giant blood standing in front of me, covered in bronze energies like fire.

I looked and the horror in my eyes deepened when I saw my halberd in his hands.

…

Stone

“Vris’alud took everything from me. My family, my home. It's time; I pay back some that is owed to me!” I said, with every coming out of my mouth, giving me extreme pain, but they needed to be said.

I looked into the Knight's horrified eyes. A few minutes ago, he was a powerful enemy that nearly killed me and now he is a weak man quivering in front of death.

I swung the halberd at him, pushing as much power into it, despite the soul-breaking pain I am feeling.

Every breath, I took was painful with a volcano-like energy boiling inside me.

They had reached near the limit. Soon, they will burst out, exploding me into pieces.

I do not fear death like the man in front of me and am glad that I am dying while defeating the horde.

The knight is the commander of the horde. His death will be the final straw of their defeat.

The halberd reached his head in an instant and began to cut through the armored protection. The Knight resisted, trying to retreat, but it was already too late.

Pachack!

He would have had some hope, if I had been using the sword, but in front of his rusted artifact. His defenses fell apart smoothly, and the halberd cut through his neck, cleanly, without any resistance.

I had watched the head of the enemy fly in the air. The enemy that had nearly killed me. I wouldn’t have been able to kill him, if not for the boiling power that is going to kill me, and I don’t mind.

Seeing the Knight's head falling. I let go of everything. Immediately, feeling the sweet whisper of the abyss, that begins to envelop me.

I felt someone screaming my name, but I was far too gone to listen. Though, I hope whoever it is won't be sad by my death.

I am not.