Leo was prepared to be swarmed on every side, as he looked around to see which enemy he should target first, but Leo had forgotten the first rule of combat. He did not expect the unexpected, as an Armurion burst from the ground beneath him. It managed to gain a grasp on him as it lifted Leo into the air. Being taken off his feet was not something Leo appreciated, as the Armurion threw him into the air, something Leo appreciated less.
With the experience he had gained from the Multiculi fight, he was able to keep stable enough in the air to see the surrounding area. There had to be at least two dozen enemies currently emerged and ready to fight, with many more on the way.
Leo’s first area for concern was the Spikesnakes, as they unleashed a barrage of spikes aimed directly at him. He had a few ideas on how to defend against the attack, but was unable to think of a solution that would deflect every spike. Leo spent too much time overthinking how he should protect himself, which led to the vast majority of the spikes having hit their target.
His skin was far tougher than the spikes, many of them breaking on collision. Though with so many spikes it was bound that one of them would pierce his skin. The cut left behind was minor, as it just barely managed to draw blood from Leo. While he could have easily ignored the single damage done by the attack, he could not as easily ignore the screen which popped up.
[POISONED: SPIKESNAKE VENOM]
[EFFECT: COLLAPSE FROM EXHAUSTION WITHIN 5 MINUTES]
[EFFECT: SUFFER FROM INTENSE HALLUCINATIONS]
Having read the effect, Leo had a growing concern over what exactly would happen to him. This concern increased heavily when he saw a countdown appear. Leo knew that even with his strength, being unable to fight back meant he had no guarantee of safety or life, even if the venom wouldn’t kill him.
Knowing he had been given a time limit for this fight energized Leo, as he fell back to the ground. The Armurion had its palm extended, prepared to grab Leo once he was within range. Leo pulled his arm back and slammed his palm against the Armurion’s, as he created the most powerful high five to be experienced within history.
The force was more than enough to kill the Armurion, as it was atomized by the blow. But more importantly for Leo, the attack created a powerful gust of wind. Leo used the wind to get back in the air, as he saw the sand monsters buffeted by the wind as a perfect opportunity to attack.
He landed on the outskirts of the swarm, who had all grouped up on his previous position. While a punch would likely work, he didn’t want to risk the survival of the furthest monsters from the group. Leo pulled his arms as far back as he could, before he forced them forwards in a movement akin to overenthusiastic clap.
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The air pressure from the move sent Leo flying through the air, as it launched him a great length from his original location . He saw the horde had also been sent into the air from the force; those who were not killed by the force of the wind would soon be killed by the impact once they landed.
Leo smashed through the ground for a while that felt far too long as he felt his mind start to slip. While his body bounced off and on the ground, Leo struggled to focus on anything happening nearby. His mind wandered from thought to thought, as he struggled to piece together what exactly was happening. Once he finally came to a stop, he was able to regain himself, as he saw his original glass structures far off in the distance.
He glanced at the timer, while fighting off the feeling of lightheadedness that began to creep in once more.
[1:54 remaining]
His breathing started to become labored, as his head swirled while he tried to gather his thoughts. He struggled to tell if the ground was shaking due to a new horde approaching or if he had begun to experience hallucinations. Leo hadn’t ever experienced anything like this, as he struggled to piece together how to operate under these conditions.
In the fine line between the desire to throw up and to stare at the now color changing sand below him, he was able to activate enough braincells to ask the system for help.
“System, please, how do I make this stop,” he cried out.
He hoped desperately for a response, but was reminded that the system was nothing but a tool instead of a friend. He fell onto his back, as his mind grew more tired by the second. He looked at the timer, each second that passed felt like an eternity as his mind subjected him to more information than he could ever parse through.
He faced visions of his previous life, the suffering he had to survive due to his reputation as an outcast. Leo saw his journey through the world, as it felt so real he could swear that he was still laying on the forest floor bleeding out. Though through all the trials in his memories, the only thought that was comprehensible was a simple plea. ‘Please make the suffering end.’
The latest rumble snapped him out of his insanity for a brief moment, as he made out a large figure bursting from the ground. He squinted as hard as he could without closing his eyes, barely making out the details of the giant Centiface that appeared to be smiling at him.
The beast approached Leo with caution, as it seemed to have realized that Leo was in no state to fight back. Leo wanted to fight, to punch, to thrash, to do whatever it took to survive. The desire to live was what burned the strongest in him, even if his body didn’t cooperate.
But there approached the Centiface, every one of its mouths salivating as it got ever closer. Leo’s body refused to listen to any of his commands, even if one attack could save his life. He looked at the timer, hoping that maybe he had some time left before he fully lost consciousness.
[0:03]
“no,” was all he could sputter out, unable to get any other words out. His body simply didn’t have it in him to move, let alone think. But with the last firing synapsis of his brain, he was just barely able to see a new screen appear. He didn’t have the time nor ability to read, only able to grasp the familiar [Yes/No] at the bottom of it.
While his arms refused to throw a punch, his body finally did move in a pathetic flop, as he aimed his arm at the screen. Right as he saw the timer hit 0, he felt his hand connect with the screen. Leo hoped that his last act would save him, as he fell unconscious.