Jonathan ran toward the monster with his fist outstretched, and leaped at it, cocking back his right fist. His runes flared into being, and Void tainted mana accentuated it, cloaking the fist in a halo of power. The medusa looked up just in time to cross its arms,and Jonathan struck, sending the monster into the ground. The earth cracked, and the creature grimaced at Jonathan, trying to push backwards. However he had the advantage, both in terms of physics and his strength, and he forced the creature step by step further and further down.
A moment later his fist detonated, sending a shockwave of light that blasted apart the medusa’s guard and nailed it directly in the chest. As the monster staggered backwards, with a gaping wound visible on its torso, Jonathan landed, and balled his fist, driving it into the creature’s abdomen. There was a whoosh of expelled air, and the creature was lifted off its feet, smashing into a statue, much in the same way as Edgar had a few moments ago. The wind mage was in the process of getting to his feet, but one of his arms was broken, and if Jonathan had his eyes open, he would have been able to see the pain on the man’s face. However, Edgar had suffered worse, and he cast his support spell on Jonathan, improving his movement speed.
Jonathan tore across the ground, cracking the stone beneath his feet but the medusa was ready with its final attack. The creature swelled with muscles, and rose to its feet, grinning. Jonathan rolled to the side, and the creature sent a devastating ax kick towards the space where he had been, breaking the stone with ease. In its current state, the medusa was stronger than Jonathan was, and he remembered the other skill that the last one had exhibited. As an imperceptible amount of brightness entered his eyes, his instinct took over and he covered his face, just as the monster released a shockwave of blinding light. Last time it had seared his eyelids off, but this time he was prepared.
He heard a curse come from Edgar's direction, and he grimaced, realizing that the other man had not been as fortunate. He had likely been distracted by his injuries, and although Jonathan had warned him about this ability, it came quite fast, probably too fast for Edgar to prepare for with his lower Dexterity.
Jonathan removed his hands, and then moved in, sending a quick series of blows into the monster. He could not use his Impact skill with his eyes closed, so he was missing out on a bit of damage, but it hardly mattered. The medusa took the strikes in stride, and then counterattacked, slamming its meaty fist into his head.
Jonathan staggered, straight into a kick that sent him flying up into the air. He flipped, and brought his fist back, pinpointing the position of the medusa with his senses. Jonathan slammed his fist down into his foe, staggering it. The medusa recovered quickly, and tried to punch Jonathan, but he twisted in midair to avoid the highly telegraphed attack. The monster snarled and tried to use its shockwave ability again, but this time Jonathan was ready and he drove both fists into the monster, sending it backwards, and aborting the attack. The medusa skidded to a halt a few dozen feet away, and regarded Jonathan with a baleful gaze. Behind him, Edgar seemed to be recovering somewhat, as he had not been the target of the medusa’s gaze while his eyes had been vulnerable.
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“You are not of the normal ilk of adventurers who come in here. What are you?” The monster asked, in a calm voice.
“I could ask the same of you. Why do you talk about other adventurers? Do you not know that this dungeon is but a construct of the System?” Jonathan asked, interested in what this would cause the medusa to do. Would he trigger some sort of existential crisis within the monster or would it just ignore him?
“Lies! The Primal God warned me of the things that your kind would say, in order to send me away from my purpose. I will not listen to them. Now, this farce has gone on long enough. Die!”
Before Jonathan could wonder what exactly the Primal God was, the medusa tore across the ground, cracking the earth with each lumbering step. Edgar sent in a spear of wind, imbued with his new ability, and the medusa levitated for a second, causing it to stumble. Jonathan raced forwards, and began to pummel the monster with devastating blows of his gauntlets.
However, the creature gave as good as it got, and eventually one lucky strike broke through the hole in its armor, and slammed into his chest, breaking his ribs. Jonathan let out a sharp breath as the pain hit him, but he ignored it for the most part. If all went well here, he would merely heal afterwards. The medusa was in ruins by now, but it still held strong, and seemed to be mostly unaffected by the litany of wounds that spread across its kin. However Jonathan could not say the same. His stamina was gradually being worn down from having to fight such a powerful opponent, and even with his utterly massive pool, it was lowering by the second.
His health bar was taking a hit as well, with each devastating blow from the medusa shaving off more and more of its length. The creature was almost at Tier 2, and its battle prowess and power certainly matched that lofty height of power. Jonathan was slowly being pushed back, but he knew that his final skill would allow him to make a difference. Smite would level the odds, but before he tried it out, he had one last ability that he needed to hone before using it in further battle.
Jonathan leaped backwards, clearing a space for a moment, and then summoned the pure conceptual power of the Void to his right hand, creating a pocket of empty space in front of it. The medusa seemed none the wiser, and it came in like a wrecking ball, driving one fist into Jonathan’s left shoulder. Something popped in the joint, but Jonathan ignored it, sending his fist in a devastating uppercut.
The attack struck the base of the monster’s jaw, and before it could react, there was a sharp implosion as the entire bottom half of its head simply vanished. Despite its small radius of effect, the skill was still monumentally powerful, as befitted its status as a Mythical skill. However, using it to such an extent taxed Jonathan’s ability to draw upon the power of his element, and he was forced to dispel the effect, sending a normal punch into the hole that his last one had left. There was a dull squelch, and the monster gurgled faintly as his fist drove up into its brain, killing it. Essence entered him in a tide, and he opened his eyes, watching the monster's corpse fall off his hand before disappearing.