He stood in the centre of a crater, awaiting for the final strike. The calamity dragon was wounded but so was he. He had lost half the elders in his clan; they had been obliterated by the forces of the dragon nest and the calamity had stricken the rest. Leaving him alone; he felt insignificant before the dragon as it hovered above him buffeting him with the wind from its wings.
Sword Artistry
He struck out and a thick swathe of Mana and he thought to himself how much his skill looked like paint on a paintbrush, how artistic. He struck out at the calamity and though the dragon tried to dive out of the way; the Mana slash was so enlarged that it hit it on the right shoulder and sliced a chunk of flesh from its wing. It howled out in pain and careened into a freefall to the ground. Before it hit the ground it shot one flaring breath of fire at him and though the strike skimmed past him he was seconds too slow and it cost him, a lesson learned in flesh.
He lost his arm, from just below the elbow; burned off. He cut off the ruined flesh with his sword and when the blood started flowing, using Mana to heat up his blade he seared, cauterised the wound, and winced; trying hard not to faint.
The dragon had crashed into the ground by now and the few seconds it took to right itself, were precious. Precious for him, he drank a potion; something he hadn’t used in a while but had found that his body was not as hardy as it used to be and even now in his old age. He had to be cautious, but now it was a different circumstance, his life was on the line and the name of his clan was also hanging by a thread. He had to defeat the 100th floor.
DING!
TIER III RIGOROUS VIGOR POTION CONSUMED!
HEALTH WILL DOUBLE AND MANA WILL TRIPLE FOR 200 SECONDS!
The system chimed in his eyes, but he didn’t need to see it to know what was happening, his body pumped the potion around and he felt it strike the end of his elbow on his severed limb and try to regrow, but he needed the Mana and health for something else, his other wounds began to knit back together, and he hissed; realising just how injured he had been.
One body, strong mind!
his body lurched and he felt the burden on his aging form, but his mind was agile, and he wasn’t to decline now. Not when he was so close, the calamity dragon was wheezing. Tier V and as strong as anything he had ever faced in the labyrinth in all his years, but now he was going to beat it and he would survive. For the clan, for his family.
Gaiden cut through the air and everything in between and launched a series of bladed attacks at the dragon, his sword and the elders attacks had cracked and broken enough of the dragon’s scales now that his attacks were getting through, and great droplets of the dragons blood were dropping and sizzling on the ground where they fell. The dragon was not done yet though, a sharp inhale told him an attack was coming and he slid to the side with his skill for movement.
River stream steps!
he slide across the ground like a boat down a river and moved out of the way when a sharp torrent of fire blasted the ground he had been standing on before; the flames were so hot it melted the stones that were in the gravel and Gaiden watched as the grass burned black and then turned to ash. How was this monster still so powerful?
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He didn’t hesitate instead he chugged another health potion and then did the skill he knew could end his life. The skill he knew was his most powerful but also his most dangerous.
Kirin form!
He yelled and immediately he groaned as his body morphed, he grew bigger; heavier and larger too. His feet became hind legs and clawed, and he felt his forehead split and then sharp pain welled up as two horns sprouted.
In his youth this form had been great for his strides into the labyrinth, and he had always been able to heal from its wear and tear. But the older he got, the harder it got to recover, and it took him more days to recover than it allowed him to use this skill. But in truth it was his most powerful skill, it pushed him to the highest ends of the master tier III and even as he scratched the ceiling here. He knew it was barely enough to damage the calamity dragon, a tier V monster that had ravaged he and his people.
His transformation had completed, and he stood taller than he had been in human form, his arm hadn’t grown back, but the pain of its loss was now a dull ache. He stepped forward and the dragon seemed to grow wary of this new enemy; his Mana was higher than before, and the dragon seemed to be curious as to how he had done this.
He raised his sword; one handed, that was all he had left. Bringing it down with authority he cut the air again and with no skill and pure strength and Mana he cut through the air and tore the space between them; leaving a small gap into the void. The calamity dragon ducked as the slash flew past and it cut through one of the horns that made up its crown and it wailed in angst at the desecration. It was mad now, good. Things made mistakes when they were mad, and he was banking; hoping on it.
He darted forward, his steps heavy and powerful. But swift, o so swift and he made it to the sided of the dragon’s head in four strides. He stabbed into the jaw with his blade and with the blade stuck, he did the only thing he could do. He punched the hilt; shoving the blade deeper into the jaw and the blade caught the joint of the jaw and forced the dragon to stay transfixed in a surprised ajar motion.
He punched again and the dragon bled this time, he almost smiled but the third time the labyrinth bit him back; his blade broke, shattering and leaving nothing but the hilt. He had no weapon as strong as his sword currently on him and he was only one handed too.
The dragon forced its jaw back in place through sheer might and then snapped down at him. He dodged it; agile as his Kirin form was and as it neared him, he did the only thing he could. The jagged bone of his elbow was slammed into the eye of the dragon and pierced it. it yelled, howling in pain and anguish. Now was his only chance at winning this battle.
Fist of the mountain!
using his right arm, he brought his hand back, clenched his muscle and breathing slowly he channelled all his remaining Mana into this arm, into this moment and with the last might of Gaiden, the clan head of the Gazen clan. He blew up the calamity dragon’s head with a punch, a mighty punch.
DING!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
YOU HAVE DEFEATED THE TIER V CALAMITY OF THE 100TH FLOOR!
…
WELL DONE ON OVERCOMING WHAT MANY HAD NOT!
…
YOU ARE UNDERGOING A TIER TRIBULATION!
YOUR REWARD, MONARCH TIER TRIBULATION!
What on Earth was a monarch?
He winced as his body wrenched forward and he almost fell if he didn’t grab hold of the shoulder of the dragon’s corpse. His body had begun to shed the form of the Kirin and Mana seeped from his form like steam. He was battered and bruised but still conscious.
TIER V ANCIENT HIGH DRAGON BLOOD FOR BODY TIER TRIBULATION!
He fell to the ground as his body grew rigid as a foreign entity melded into his body; his very being. His back arched and he bit his tongue; almost right through to stop himself from screaming. This was going to hurt; a lot and it had been many years since he had suffered through a tier tribulation.