Sorry for the delay, I think I skipped Tuesday chap?
Anyhow, this one is for Thursday, see you all on Sunday.
Peace!
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—
/Tremble!/
/Crack!/
/Splash!/
'The entire spring began to quake, and with, the trees and mountains surrounding it.'
'Torrents of poisonous water rose to the skies, splashing all around, dissolving everything on its path as the Ancient Monster went berserk.'
/Trigger!/
/Boom!/
"Tsk."
'Albeit he already expected this, a few traps he set around the area triggered, causing flames and smoke to reach the skies.'
Annoying.
/Crack.../
'Underneath him, the protective stone submerged in water cracked, and from its gaps, tentacles of black smog rose from the depths of the spring, reaching onto the sky as they ravaged the lake and its surroundings even more, searching for its enemy.'
"..."
'Silver, on the other hand, quietly observed the Swamp King's struggle from a higher position, waiting for it to do anything special.'
'From here on out, his focus was the utmost priority.'
/Fwoosh!/
'By raising his right hand, he retrieved the cursed spear from the depths of the Spring, taking a look at its condition.'
"Hm… It looks a bit polished… It seems the corrosion gave it a new sheen. Not bad." He said with a smirk as he rested it on his shoulder
All jokes aside, it doesn't look like it'll last long if it falls there.
I hate corrosive monsters. They're too expensive to fight.
/Splash!/
'His gaze went back to the spring. The world continued to shake as the beast awakened. So violent its rampage was it gave the impression the mountains would collapse if enough time passed.'
The Swamp King, the monster who went past its limits…
Honestly, it doesn't look like much.
'Before the beast could cause any further damage, Silver acted.'
/Clap!/
'He clasped both hands, leaving his spear and halberd floating beside him.'
/Push!/
/Crunch!/
'With a pushing gesture, Silver moved his hands downward, immediately crushing all of the black tentacles laying haste on the surroundings.'
'The sounds of bones cracking and water splashing echoed like jelly being smushed under a heavy weight.'
/Pull!/
'Following this, he pulled with his right hand, his fist clenched, as if holding onto something.'
/Crackle…/
/Pull!/
/Shua…!/
'The massive stone dome under the water was forcibly broken, removed from its ancient resting place, "unsealing" the great calamity from within.'
'Truth be told, it was no seal; the Swamp King wasn't limited nor constrained by its existence; the dome was merely a natural stone structure carved long ago during a time of peace and religious practices…'
'It was meant for the priestesses of the past to stand on, allowing them to bathe in the Spring and partake in now forgotten rituals in honor of the Gods and Natural Spirits.'
'Nonetheless, it was in his way.'
/BOOM…/
'After raising the enormous stone structure, he gently let go of it somewhere down the swamp. Trying not to break this old heirloom.'
'Regardless if he could fix it, he had no intention of defaming this place further.'
/SPLASH!/
/ROAAARRR!/
'At the same time, the Swamp King exclaimed loudly from under the water, its screams reverberating from the watery chasm as it shook the earth with its movements.'
'Slamming its body on the underwater canyon, the spring slowly shattered, one piece at a time.'
'It slowly untangled itself from its nest, rising to the surface of the Spring with clear intent.'
'It was going to devour and destroy everything on its path!'
/Splash!/
'In mere moments, the large injury the cursed spear left on its body had already healed, displaying the catastrophic power of the spring's healing power.'
'As he witnessed the monster's flesh reconnect and transform right before his eyes, Silver understood the spring's true value and why it was such a miracle of nature.'
'Under its might, even a vile Curse vanished in seconds; it was more effective than even the strongest healers in Orario, and by miles at that.'
"... It's indeed a shame it became like this…" He mumbled in a low tone as he moved to grasp the spear again
/ROAARRR!!/
'Unsurprisingly, his voice attracted the monster's attention, which immediately bolted from the Spring, opening its gargantuan jaw to devour him whole!'
'It was the second biggest monster Silver had ever seen, whether in picture books or face to face. Second only to the Leviathan.'
'Unfortunately, he felt little threat coming from the monster, but deep down, he wished for it to struggle, to give him a fight worth all this hassle...'
'Just so he could push his blessing even further, towards an even higher stage.'
'An adventurer's journey was a form of ascension. The only difference between each was the process.'
'And Silver wanted his to be...'
/SLASH!/
/CUT!/
'Unflustered by the monster's size, Silver swung his spear vertically toward the sky, slashing the upper end of the Swamp King's jaw.'
'The impact and sharpness of his attack was such that it split the monster's mouth in two, spilling violet, musky blood everywhere!'
"Humph."
/SPLASH!/
'The sudden attack left the beast heavily injured, its body clumsy coiling over as its back splashed against the water, causing it to rain all around.'
/Sizzle.../
'Smoke soon began to rise across the entire Swamp, the trees burning over the caustic demise.'
/Bubble.../
/ROAAAAAAAARRRR!!/
'As it fell back to the Spring, the Swamp King roared in pain and anger… Its cries soon muffled by the water.'
/RISE!/
'But just when he thought he delivered a crushing blow against his opponent, the Swamp King rose again from the Spring, completely healed from his attack, as if nothing had even happened.'
/OPEN!/
'And as he witnessed the jaw open again before him, Silver had a momentary glimpse of… Glee.'
"Right, this is how it's supposed to be."
/Vanish!/
/SNAP!/
'As the beast's jaws closed around Silver, he vanished from his previous position, reappearing right above the monster.'
/PIERCE!/
'With a powerful thrust, he embedded his spear straight through the head, or what he assumed to be, of the Swamp King, sending it spiraling down once more!'
'Hot blood splattered across his skin as broken shards cut through it, causing it to turn blue and black.'
/Sizzle…/
"Ouch… This hurts." Silver said as he whipped his arms from the corrosive water and the strange shards
I feel like I'm punching a rock and only hurting myself in the process…
But these... I see.
The Swamp King… It seems it's some sort of serpentine monster.
Those aren't commonly seen in the Upper and Middle Floors.
Bhera said it used to be a monster anyone could defeat, but I can only think of a few serpent monsters that appear in the Upper Floors, all living in the mist forest before the Middle Floors. Still, they aren't what I imagine would conform to her statement.
Still, compared to this monstrous creature, those feel like ants.
'The Swamp King, from head to tail, was over sixty meters long and over a dozen meters wide on average, its head alone being considerably larger than a house.'
'However, that wasn't its true body.'
'Silver had already realized, from the beginning, that the Swamp King possesses a strange power, being able to manipulate the Swamp's waters to a certain degree and control it to the point it could be used to puppeteer the carcasses of other monsters.'
'It could move the water to create false monsters with the strength of a Level 2 to 3 adventurer and even control it to create deadly whisps strong enough to disintegrate most matter it came in contact with.'
'And above all, use the swamp's water to envelop its body in a protective shell, boosting its size even further and creating its strongest defense.'
'A hard shell covered in a thin layer of corrosive water, it wasn't excellent, given a Level 3 or 4 adventurer was strong enough to pierce it. However, the point of the shell was to cushion attacks, and it was efficient enough that Silver felt as if he was hitting jelly.'
'Still, it was good enough to push down an attack by a Level, and even if it connected, to punish its aggressor with a barrage of poison and corrosion, with even its scales being built in a way they would splinter like the shards of grenade upon impact, increasing the chances of its attacker being poisoned. Just like Silver experienced just now.'
'Nonetheless, no matter how overwhelmingly stronger Silver was compared to the beast, its greatest strength lay not in its size or power but in its unending vitality and territorial advantage.'
'With every punch and swipe of his spear, torrents of water would downpour onto him, corroding his flesh and bones to mush in moments.'
'Things would've been deadly if not for his strength and Constitution. No wonder the people were unwilling to fight it. A single mistake could signify the loss of an entire limb if not a life-threatening scar.'
'And given the Spring's water was corrupted, there was only so much they could do to purify it. By the time they do so, it may already be too late to save someone.'
'The Swamp King's body was its greatest sword and shield.'
'To win, he had to peel it off, one layer at a time...'
/SPLASH!/
'Like before, mere seconds passed before the Swamp reemerged from the Spring, its body completely healed despite the terrific damage Silver gave it moments prior.'
"It'll take forever at this rate… Alright. I had enough fun for now."
'As he said that, he momentarily turned to look at his spear.'
The curse works on the Monster, but it only delays the healing process by a few seconds.
Substantial, but not worth the damage from the corrosion.
Before this spear breaks completely, I'll stash it. I appreciate your cooperation, but I can't replace you if you break here… It's not like there are many Hexers just lying around.
/Swoop!/
'A dark vortex manifested behind him, sucking in the spear before closing unceremoniously.'
/Grab…/
'Silver moved his left arm, this time clutching his Halberd.'
/ROAARR!!/
"Huff…"
/Inhale…/
/SMASH!/
'Silver took a deep breath, floating lightly in the air as he evaded the monster's jaw, tensioning his muscles as he brutally shoved his spear onto the side of its head, bursting through its protective barrier and cutting into its flesh underneath.'
/SIZZLE!/
'As the corrosive water splattered onto his body, he opened his eyes wide and stared straight into the disheveled eye of the beast, now revealed as the entire layer of dirt covering it shook from the impact waves of Silver's attack.'
"I wonder what'll happen if I take your head off?"
'As he smiled amidst the intense pain, Silver swung the halberd sideways, sending the Swamp King's body flying over the trees as a caustic blood rained down the forest.'
/FLASH!/
/KICK!/
'Following its movement, Silver teleported over its head, slamming his feet against its skull, sending it crashing down against the earth like a comet!'
'The snake's body arched across the forest, casting a dark shadow as it covered the bright moon in the sky.'
/BOOOM!/
/Tremble!/
'As the Colossal beast slammed against the ground, causing a weak earthquake, sending echoes across the land.'
/Sizzle…/
'Now on land, the Swamp King sluggishly moved its body, melting its surroundings with every twitch of its tail…'
'With every movement, its hard shell peeled, melting around it, giving Silver yet another insight into its powers.'
"Hm..."
It seems its abilities rely heavily on the spring's constant power supply; now that it's not connected to it anymore, it cannot sustain its previous appearance.
Also, I don't know if it's related, but I feel as if the water level of the Swamp is decreasing...
/Land!/
/RIP!/
'Meanwhile, Silver landed before it, proudly holding his halberd as he ripped apart the now completely corroded chest piece he was wearing, exposing his wounded chest to the foul-smelling air of the swamp.'
"Phew, time for round two!" He exclaimed as he shoved his foot on the ground
/CRACK!/
'The earth rumbled, and the trees shook from his step.'
/Roar…/
'The beast replied in kind, coiling its body in a way it hadn't done in centuries.'
'A defensive posture, it was being threatened… By a being of insignificant size. Smaller than even one of its many fangs.'
'It's wounds healing at breakneck speeds, the battle continued!'
/CLASH!/
/BOOOM!/
…
/Meanwhile…/
/Quake…/
"Wh…"
/Crackle…/
'The city shook faintly as the forest rumbled with the echoes of a catastrophic fight…'
'Within her home, Talvi balanced herself as she ran to the window, trying to figure out what was happening, tumbling whenever a powerful shockwave hit her home.'
/BOOM!/
"N-No way…"
'From afar, sparks of light and fire lit the sky like thunderbolts in a storm, casting shadows onto the mountains like the flashes from a camera.'
"Already?!" She exclaimed out loud as her pupils shrank, fear and worry overtaking her as she turned back in a hurry, a thousand thoughts racing in her mind as she ran outside of her home
"That's as far as you're going miss."
'Before she could leave, someone stopped her.'
'Although the darkness covered much of her figure, the divine aura surrounding her was unmistakable.'
"B-Bhera-Sa…"
"Enough of that, go back inside; I won't repeat myself this time." Bhera replied, her gaze heavy and deep
"You must prepare."
'With those words, Bhera turned back, unable to face Talvi any longer.'
'She walked to the horizon, but where she was going was clear. There was only one place she could go.'
'Whenever a Mortal faced their ideals in search of their truths, defying the will of the Gods as they carved their fate, writing it down in history, be it with ink or blood...'
'The one they challenged would observe as that was their duty... And shame.'
/ROAAARRR!/
/Thud…/
'Talvi fell to her knees, weakness overtaking her as she heard the cries of madness incarnate resonate in the air.'
/Panic!/
'Soon enough, the cries of the people reverberated across the city as dozens of lights lit up in the darkness.'
'Thousands began moving in the dark, trying to make sense of this apocalyptic scenario.'
/Shua…/
"... Talvi…"
'At that time, Uskari jumped from a ceiling nearby, his expression tense and heavy as he helped the princess get up.'
'In normal times, he would reassure her that everything would end well, to try acting as the advisor as he had done for the past few decades… But…'
'This time, he wasn't here to protect her. He was here to ensure the fate of the people moved on.'
'And above all, he knew…'
'That maybe today would be their last, together.'
…
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Notes
Cool.