Lynn maintained a cautious distance between himself and the imposing chimera. His penetrating stare remained locked onto the enraged and wounded creature, studying it with unwavering focus.
The gaping laceration he had inflicted glowed a searing orange, the exposed flesh thoroughly cauterized by the intensity of his fiery blade. Thick, dark blood continued oozing from the charred edges, dripping to the ground.
The monster let out an anguished shriek, convulsing in agony. Its tail lashed out wildly, colliding with the surrounding stone walls. The powerful impacts sent tremors rippling through the underground space.
However, Lynn remained unfazed, his composure intact. He smoothly recalled the anchoring threads, while deftly evading the thrashing appendage. His mind remained sharp and concentrated, perceiving the unfolding events in slow motion due to his heightened senses.
As the razor-sharp strands retracted into his body, instead of dispersing them, he focused their energy inward, guiding them towards the fractures caused by the powerful tail strike.
Delicately manipulating the nimble strings, he guided them to meticulously stitch together the cracked bones, seamlessly realigning and fusing the fragmented sections. The procedure was executed with utmost precision.
He could distinctly visualize the intricate structure of his skeletal system. This allowed him to surgically repair the damage with accuracy far surpassing normal capabilities.
With a final touch of [Cell Proliferation], the broken ribs and surrounding damaged tissues were flooded with renewed vitality, triggering an accelerated healing response.
He felt a comforting warmth spread through his chest as the ruptured blood vessels were repaired and new cells quickly multiplied to mend the trauma.
While this was happening, Lynn carefully circled his adversary like a predator stalking his prey. His unique talent transformed him into an extraordinary processing machine, capable of multitasking and analyzing various variables of the ongoing battle simultaneously.
His mind absorbed information like a sponge, treating the creature's patterns and weaknesses. He observed its body language, the subtle shifts in its weight, and the slight twitches before each attack.
This data was assimilated and analyzed in real-time, enhancing his ability to predict and evade even the most unexpected maneuvers, allowing him to counterattack with calculated precision.
As he continued to weave between offensive and defensive actions, the abomination’s movements became increasingly erratic, its eyes burning with primal rage as it struggled to land a hit on Lynn, who seemed to be always one step ahead.
Suddenly, the monstrosity lunged, its muscular legs propelling its hulking frame forward with astonishing speed. Four limbs scrambled across the ground, closing the distance in an instant.
Reacting quickly, Lynn leaned backward into a graceful arch, allowing the swipe of razor-sharp claws to narrowly miss his torso by mere centimeters. As he bent backward, he planted one hand firmly on the ground to support himself.
Utilizing his position, he lashed out with a powerful kick, channeling [Cell Proliferation] into his legs once again. His foot collided solidly with the creature's armored underbelly.
The explosive impact sent a shockwave rippling through its body. The chimera let out a pained grunt as the sheer force lifted it momentarily off the ground before crashing back down.
Taking advantage of the temporary incapacitation, Lynn instantly executed a one-handed backflip, propelling himself out of the danger as the monster crashed to the floor.
Regaining his footing, Bloody Reaper reappeared in his hand, ready to unleash its deadly force. Although the weapon struggled to penetrate the exoskeleton armor, it remained highly effective and capable of causing devastating damage to flesh.
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Discharging multiple rounds in quick succession, the thunderous blasts echoed through the underground chamber. The heavy bullets tore into vital areas left exposed by the wound on the torso, interrupting the process of regeneration that already started.
The combined shock of these debilitating impacts sent the abomination reeling backward. An unearthly screech erupted from its fanged maw, conveying the sheer agony coursing through its body. The deafening cry seemed to shudder the very air.
As Bloody Reaper vanished again from his hand, Lynn propelled himself forward. He would not allow the twisted monster an opportunity to fully heal and regain its strength. Every passing moment was crucial, and he understood the urgency of the situation.
The moment he activated [Gemini Soul], he immediately recognized that he was in a disadvantageous position. He realized that this duel to the death was never intended to be a fair fight.
During his battle with Knott, he made a critical error by mistakenly attributing the enemy’s rapid regeneration and resilience to one of the assimilated abilities. However, this assumption turned out to be false.
"If it wasn't for my talent, I could've never seen this hidden problem," he pondered calmly as he rapidly dodged a swipe from wicked claws.
His attention focused on a particular element, one that interested him more than the imposing presence of the chimera itself. It was the ritual chamber, or more precisely, what lay beneath its surface.
Following the start of [The Chimera's Feast] ritual, the symbols etched into the walls intricately entwined and fused, forming a perfect and unbroken circle that isolated the entire area. This resulted in the creation of an arena for the duel to the death between him and Knott.
Lynn already had an intuition that this was not the only effect of the ritual, and his hunch proved to be correct. Beneath the surface of the cold stone floor, he discerned a mesmerizing network of faint crimson tendrils of energy.
These wispy filaments, normally invisible even under his spiritual vision, seemed to pulsate with vitality, undulating and twisting as they coursed across the ground. His keen eyes tracked their subtle movements, noticing how they gradually converged upon the fiercely thrashing creature.
Lynn muttered under his breath with indifference, "That's why the merchant was so confident. The ritual arena is continuously supplying him with vitality." He observed the crimson energy being absorbed, witnessing the wounds on the monster gradually healing at a visible pace.
"The next thing to test is if the supply is limited," he determined. Under the side effects of his talent, his speech and actions were devoid of emotion, guided purely by logic and tactical thinking.
As the abomination steadied itself, having partially recovered from the previous onslaught, it let out an ear-splitting roar and charged at him again. Its heavy footfalls sent tremors through the stone floor.
Lynn's expression remained neutral, betraying no hint of emotion, as he deftly dodged. With extraordinary reflexes, he landed three precise shots on its unarmored joints as it passed by.
The creature bellowed in frustration, skidding to an abrupt halt. It swiftly spun around, lashing out in retaliation with its deadly tail. The nimble stinger at the end gleamed with venom.
Instantly reacting, Lynn utilized [Quickstep] to evade the attack, vanishing from the trajectory in the blink of an eye. As the stinger harmlessly struck the spot where he had stood, he reappeared directly above the creature’s head, having propelled himself upward.
The monster glanced up, but too late. he descended rapidly, plunging his searing sword directly into the unprotected flesh of the neck. The intense heat instantly cauterized the wound.
Letting out an agonized wail, the abomination thrashed violently, trying to dislodge him. But Lynn held fast, his grip unwavering. He tilted the blade downward with deft movements, carving a deep incision into its back.
Dark blood gushed forth, dripping down the sword's razor edge. The nauseating stench of scorched viscera permeated the air. After dealing another devastating blow, he swiftly detached himself from the chimera’s form.
Landing gracefully, he scrutinized the injuries with extreme focus. The steady crimson glow of the ritual space's energy temporarily intensified, accelerating the healing.
However, Lynn noticed something subtle yet significant. The regeneration process seemed slightly more sluggish than before. While difficult to discern with normal senses, his extraordinary perception pushed to the limits revealed a faint but distinct change.
"Just as I thought, the energy has limits," he concluded with his emotionless voice. The energy was finite, and being steadily drained by the regenerating monstrosity before him.
Considering all pertinent factors, his mechanical intellect started functioning with extraordinary efficiency, enabling him to promptly devise strategies that would lead the fight to a successful conclusion.
As his cognitive processes engaged, time seemed to decelerate, granting him ample room to analyze the situation from every conceivable perspective.
Methodically, he scrutinized the available resources, appraised the strengths and vulnerabilities of his opponent, and contemplated the potential outcomes resulting from various courses of action.
With each passing moment elongated, as if time itself had stretched out, a plan gradually materialized within his consciousness. It began as a flicker of an idea, a spark of inspiration that slowly grew into a coherent strategy.