The perfect black blade tears through the skin and flesh of the abdomen without difficulty, blood oozing out as a result.

“The sharpness of this dagger is incredible…and the poison seems to work.” The blood would not stop flowing no matter how much time passed.

The bear turns around and Ezer notices some small red spots on his nose.

“His lungs are damaged!? He remembers the sound of the bison crash.

“His ribs are probably broken and that explains the reason for his slowness, apart from the wound on his leg.”

Ezer changes his battle target to an attrition one. Tries to stay out of range of the bear and drain as much of its energy as he can while waiting for an opening.

“He didn't launch any ball of air either... Can't do it with damaged lungs?”

The movements of the beast become slower and slower, Ezer manages to find a space and takes advantage of it. His target was again the blood-stained foreleg which seemed to be unresponsive, though he is stopped in his tracks by the sight of the bear's mouth wide open and a mixture of blood and magic being compressed within.

Finding himself only a few steps away, Ezer's insides are squeezed by the strong impact, the last time he felt something like that was in the accident of his past life. The dagger slips from his fingers and falls to the ground as his body is deprived of all oxygen.

Ezer struggles to fill his lungs with air again between the constant pain and the sudden desire to spit up blood. His eyes darken momentarily and a deep sleep invades him. He can see nothing but darkness as continues to hear the sounds of his surroundings, as well as the roars of the bear, his body undergoing constant and uncontrollable spasms as he continues to be unable to regain mobility.

"I have to move!" But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come to his senses.

Ezer's words may have shown panic, but in reality, his mind was in a strange sense of calm, so much so that it seemed as if his heart stopped he wouldn't care.

"I have to open my eyes... I can't die in a place like this!" Ezer manages to regain consciousness and gets up from the ground enduring the pain in his torso.

He coughs up drops of blood and frantically searches the ground for his dagger. He finds it and instinctively takes a defensive stance as struggles with his confused and aching body.

The bear was in no better condition and the lines of blood running through its nose were abundant, plus its breathing was getting heavier with time.

Judging from the position and the fact that he was not dead, Ezer deduced that the time he was unconscious was very short contrary to what he thought.

The beast shifts its weight on its uninjured front leg, demonstrating its pain and lack of mobility. Ezer watches him all the time and sees his opportunity.

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"He's as weak as me, or even worse...This time I'm sure he can't use magic, not without dying." Clears his mind and visualizes the murals in the elven fortress.

“Will it be me or him who falls in the end?”

Ezer runs with dagger raised as the wind caresses his back, propelling him forward giving him a little more speed. The bear with effort lifts the damaged leg and blocks the dagger that is embedded in it, it's already reached the point where it doesn't feel any pain and it's just an annoyance, so it uses it as a shield.

Not expecting this, Ezer is surprised and tries to back down knowing that he was at a disadvantage. But the leg devoid of almost all mobility pushes him, knocking the dagger from his fingers and leaving him in perfect position for the bear's teeth.

Ezer manages to move his head out of the bear's attack, but fails to do the same with his shoulder. Pain floods his brain again, and it comes from the same place it had bitten him in the past, leaving holes in his skin that would never go away.

But this time the bear doesn't play with his prey and puts all his weight on Ezer pressing him to the ground and immobilizing his left arm and doing the same with his right arm, as best he could with his injured paw.

Ezer screams as he hears and feels his bones break and his flesh is torn apart, he tries to free his body, but the tons of weight on him won't allow it. Between desperation and the constant snorting of the bear on his ear, Ezer manages to free his right arm that was being oppressed less strongly by the bear's atrophied paw.

His fingers search for the dagger embedded in the beast's flesh and, finding it, he firmly grips it, withdraws it, and sticks it back into the bear's neck. He does it so fast that manages to inflict two deep wounds on him before he can retract.

Ezer ignores the blood flowing from his shoulder and searches the ground for the last arrows scattered by the attack, finds one and attacks again stripped of all reason controlled only by bloodlust.

Jump over the bear and stick the arrow point very close to the neck, it breaks due to the effort, but it fulfills its objective. Ezer repeats the process, but this time with the dagger as blood splatters his face.

They both go into a frenzy and the bear tries to get rid of him, in vain, being unable to use his paw. The arrow's poison takes effect much faster because of where it was introduced, and this causes the beast's movements to become slow and clumsy.

Ezer does not stop at any time, but is forced to do so when he is thrown by the sudden movement that the bear generated with his last strength. He tries to get up instantly after hitting the ground, but fails.

He writhes on the ground with the dagger completely covered in blood as well as his face, the sounds he generates from the effort resemble that of an animal and the bloodlust in his eyes only reinforces that appearance. However, no matter how hard he tries, Ezer can't get up and desist in doing so, laying his head on the ground roughly. The badly wounded bear clumsily walks towards him and with each step, drops of blood emanate from his neck and nostrils as well as his paw that was hanging useless from his body.

“You deserve it… you won.” Ezer coughs up blood with those words

“No matter what I do, no matter what plan I come up with, no matter how hard I try… I can't beat you… I… accept it.” Ezer resigns himself and accepts his fate, releases the tension in his body and tries to normalize his breathing.

He looks at the sky and thinks that it is the first time he sees it with such beauty. He closes his eyes and feels a soft snort on his face followed by the characteristic smell of blood, he waits without emotions for the moment that never comes.

A thud occurs next to him and Ezer widens his eyes in response. As he turns his head, his gaze is returned by the eye of the lying bear with a soft breath.

“I was wrong... it seems that it's my victory... or maybe it's nobody's?” The question arises when feels the pain in his shoulder and intestines, as well as the taste of blood in his mouth.

The bear responds with a slight gasp, then stops breathing altogether, its one eye closes and all trace of life disappears. Ezer looks back at the sky unmoved and then closes his eyes as well.