Rather than brag about having figured it out, Sam instead got to his feet and dusted himself off as if nothing had happened. He feigned a look of disappointment at the destruction of his previous weapon, which was surprisingly easy to do. Even though he had found a better replacement, it had been his first real weapon, and he would always remember it.
Now he wielded the hammer of Thor, and as he squared off against the Hammerwraith, his body began to swell as he directed the power of the hammer into himself. It was completely intuitive, the hammer providing the means and direction for such a use. The faint sparks crackling along its length dimmed, and Sam’s body started to crackle as static jumped off it. His armor grew outwards with him, its makers evidently having accounted for something like this. By the time that he was finished transforming, he was the same size as Pyotr, and even stockier. He could sense that this would be a one off transformation, as the hammer had a plethora of surplus energy as a newly claimed weapon, but it was still welcome.The Hammerwraith snarled in anger as it saw Sam using the hammer in such a way.
“How in the name of the gods did Mjolnir find you worthy, filth? It is mine. Mine alone!”
“Really? Let me give it to you then!” Sam shouted, before leaping forwards. He pushed all of his power into his body and hammer, sending him flying in a nimbus of lightning towards the monster ahead. It started to effortlessly slide to the side, but Eduardo sent a beam of light towards it, and it slowed down slightly, before catching the light beam in its hand. It moved so quickly that Sam was only halfway to it by this point, and it threw the beam of light towards Sam. Moving so quickly that it almost teleported, the light beam punched through Sam’s stomach, and out the back. Its power had been muted by his resilient body, and it did not reach the others. Sam immediately stanched the wound with Girdings of the Arbiter, ignoring the sharp pain in his gut. Compared to what he had been through, it was nothing.
"You are a strange creature. Not at all like those disgusting Dao echoes. Their spirits screamed at the slightest pain, as if it was being reflected between themselves a thousandfold.”
Sam ignored the monster’s words, saving them for later. He leaped into the air, and bent backwards into a C shape, storing as much energy as he could in his muscles. Bringing it down, a bolt of lightning fell from the heavens, and illuminated him with its light as the hammer descended. Like a meteor, his attack fell on the Hammerwraith. It lifted its own hammer to block, and the two fighters struggled against each other. Even though the Hammerwraith was far stronger than Sam, it lacked his mental abilities. In addition, its Dao had been hastily formed, almost as if it had not existed before a few days ago.
Stolen novel; please report.
Sam broke through its guard in three stages of penetration. Firstly, his Dao overpowered the creature's Dao, and it surged down into its body. Secondly, the lightning surged through his hammer and into the Hammerwraith, overloading its form for a second. Finally, Sam pushed his hammer downwards with all of his might, and snapped the other hammer in half. The Hammerwraith was smashed into the ground, and the entire caldera trembled as Mjolnir hit the ground. As the dust cleared, Sam choked unexpectedly. Looking down, he saw the hand of the Hammerwaith buried in his chest, closed around his heart. It smiled grimly at him as he fell to the side, and tried to lift up the hammer. It was unable to do so however, and the weapon stayed attached to Sam’s hand like it was fused to it.
“That was a good fight, inteloper. Sadly, I must kill your entourage now. They cannot be allowed to leave here alive.”
“No…” Sam began weakly, but the life was leaking out of him with each beat of his heart. He flopped to the side as his vision started to dim, and saw the Hammerwraith moving purposefully towards the others. Eduardo tried to fend it off, but it slapped him away, snapping his bones.
Sam was screaming in rage inside his head, his Dao fighting to do something, anything to help, but his body would not answer. As the blackness of death started to claim him, something shifted within him. A trickle of power, turning into a rush as his essence started to desert him, trying to head towards his killer. Knowing that it was futile, Sam thrust his hands into the flow, trying to stop it. He had never felt such agony as he did in that moment, and his brain shorted out as his very soul was flayed to its foundations. What he was doing should have been impossible, and only his supreme will, allowing him to linger a few seconds after death, was keeping him conscious.
Pulling on his Dao, his Mantra, and all of his hopes and dreams, Sam convinced himself to thrust his hands into the flow again. Actually doing so was harder than anything he had ever done before, but he succeeded. With a scream that echoed for eternity within his spirit, Sam took control of the essence, and slammed it back into his body. His body shook as his heart beat again, and he drew a single, gasping breath. Suddenly a tide of energy from the outside world surged into his body, and he was reforged within a crucible of his Dao and soul. There was only one explanation. He was breaking through to F Rank.
The Hammerwraith paused and turned around as Sam’s aura exploded out of him, and it froze. What it saw should have been impossible. Sam sat cross legged, with a haze of power warping his body. It was only frozen for a second, and it then ran towards him, desperately trying to reach him before it was too late. However, it was already too late. Sam stood, power burning within his eyes, and a wave of his aura made the Hammerwraith pause for a moment.
“You dare. You dare to attack my friends, and attempt to kill them in cold blood? I WILL KILL YOU!” Sam said, as he clenched his fist around Mjolnir. He had not seen the power that he had gained upon ranking up through the System, but even without the numbers, he could tell that it was significant. Would it be significant enough to win this fight? That is what he would find out.