Chereads / The Looming Death / Chapter 27 - Dead end

Chapter 27 - Dead end

'....Truly! how the tables have been turned' 

It had been a while by now. For Arsh to just run in circles around the forest. He felt tired jumping every few seconds, trying to evade the huge claws of the furious monster behind him.

When Arsh was suddenly sent to that ethereal abyss. His body had done significant damage to the three-headed Millenniums. Taking both eyes out from its left head completely.

The issue about the voices in his head. Arsh had left them unattended for now. He had no idea why and what it was. 

However much he tried now, the voice never replied again.

The sudden surge of power, he felt after letting his body free. Standing on the verge of madness, barely holding on to his sanity. Staring deep into the dark abyss of the unknown. The conversation with the mysterious voice. 

It all just happened in the span of a few minutes. And after experiencing all that his body felt different somehow. As though it will break just by even the slightest touch.

The feeling was too real, to just mark it as going insane for a little while. Something was definitely strange about his body. 

Arsh gritted his teeth, stopping abruptly on a branch of the tall tree. 

But currently, the time wasn't right for that. Every problem can be solved later sometime. For now, just surviving the giant three-headed monster took priority over everything else.

Arsh had completed his task of luring the monster away from the adventurers. But still, killing it, even by a long shot felt very much impossible for Arsh.

".....But, I'll rather die trying"

He was not ready to back down. Not without giving a fight for his life. Even if he was grasping for the last straw, however impossible his chances of making it out alive were going to be. He was determined to fight adversity.

'.….. Just work this one time ' 

Arsh stood silently on his spot, waiting for the monster to close in the distance between them. His body already was in a strange shape. He couldn't drag on the fight, even if he wanted to.

Looking at the approaching figure of the giant monster. Arsh heaved a long breath before jumping up in the air, as the monster rammed its body into the tree, decimating it completely.

Spinning around in the air, he threw his daggers at the furious monstrosity's eyes with utmost precision. Arsh needed to take its eyes. If he wanted to have a fighting chance against the towering disaster.

".....Surprise!!"

The monster looked at the incoming dagger wide-eyed. But before it could even blink its eyes, the daggers had already struck deep in the retina of the monster's middle head.

"HIIEEEEEEE"

The monster let out a tremulous scream. Howling in agony, jerking his head violently to get the daggers out. But, it didn't work. The dagger already had dug themselves deep into the monster's eyes.

'...Now this guy also has a blind spot'

The monster lost four out of its six eyes. Narrowing its field of vision tremendously. Arsh masterfully created a chance for himself. Even if the monster was stronger than him exponentially, he had a fighting chance now. 

Arsh was feeling a little bit more confident in taking on the monster. But, it all evaporated the moment the last two of the monster's eyes glazed over him.

Flinching from the sleazing pain, the monster looked at Arsh. A dark aura of utter terror emanated from the millennium's giant body. Making Arsh's whole body shiver uncontrollably.

"Well…..Now…It is really angry"

Arsh had already used all of his daggers in piercing the eyes of the monster. His body was pleading for rest, along with the low magic essence. There were no cards left for him to play now.

'Shit! I can't stop its next attack'

The monster moved again, faster than ever before, his giant body leaving only afterimages behind. The monster swung his claws violently, his eyes raging with true hatred for Arsh.

Shadow Envelope|

Arsh called out for his armor again, trying to dodge the unbelievably fast blow. He used the agility given to him by plunging into the darkness of the forest.

Absent-mindedly, he ran in the direction of the highest mountain. He felt drained of strength by now. His body was already on the verge of collapsing. It was just a matter of time.

The three-headed Millennium sensed Arsh's presence with its heightened senses. As it started chasing after Arsh, stumbling around due to its narrow field of vision. Destroying everything with its path trees and monsters alike, whoever collided with the monstrosity. 

"...It wasn't my fault. You are the one who was trying to kill us. I don't get why are you so mad all of sudden"

Arsh shouted at the enraged monster behind him. He knew it would serve no purpose, the beast was already raging to kill him.

Hearing this, the monster scowled at him, before letting out a hateful screech, increasing its speed yet again.

'Shit! Shit! Shit!'

Arsh ran, ran, ran until his body gave out standing on the top of a mountain. Arsh staggered and walked slowly to the very cliff of the highest peak in view.

'A dead end' 

He saw a dark valley directly below the cliff, searching through the direct pathway to hell in front of him. 

But, before Arsh could even think of anything, the three-headed monster's giant body emerged from behind him, a smirk plastered all over its three faces.

"KUH KUH KUH KUH"

The monster looked at Arsh, chuckling in a hateful tone. Its eyes gleamed with equal pleasure, as to hate. It was just dying to rip Arsh to pieces.

The monster lunged forward with his claws, giving Arsh no place to run off.  He tried ducking, but the giant claw was large enough to hold him in it. The claw ripped into Arsh's every part of the flesh, leaving a stream of crimson stream out.

"....Gahhhhhh"

The monster giggled again looking at Arsh, grabbing onto the ground, and wincing in undeniable pain. 

Arsh looked at the incoming disaster in front of him with terror. Even after he did everything in his power to survive. It was all just in vain. 

On the verge of death, He tried asking for help in his mind, to the mysterious voice. But, it didn't respond at all. 

'.....I have to be alive...'

Arsh tried to stand up on his feet, staggering and falling. Ignoring the crimson-red bloodstream flowing out of every part of his body.

There were many things left for him to do in the world. The most important one of them was keeping the promise of his oldest friend. 

"....Ahh"

Arsh moved staggering and wobbled around. The monster chuckled, seeing Arsh's condition. Sweeping its claw again lazily. 

But, this time Arsh was waiting for the very moment.

"....You fucked up this time around"

Fireball|

Arsh cast the blinding fire spell again suddenly. Taken by surprise, the monster was stunned completely. It was only for a moment, but the monster was helpless in this state. It was now or never.

Arsh quickly ducked to dodge the directionless claw of the monstrosity. The monster retracted its claw, trying to back away from the cliff. 

But, Arsh didn't miss the chance, moving toward the front leg of the monster. He grabbed it with both of his hands rounding around the giant leg. 

'.....Now comes the most difficult part'

Mass manipulation|

Arsh dried all of his essences, getting a severe backlash on his already broken body. His body shut down for a moment, from the pain of the backlash, but he didn't let the monster go.

As Leo had explained to him, he was the only one who could feel the change in the mass of the giant monster. He had to keep the spell going by constantly holding on.

It was essential for him to not let go. He dragged the monster's giant body to the ledge, gasping in pain. He needed to finish this before he collapsed.

The monster struggled, trying to take hold of the ground. But due to the sudden change in the mass, Arsh dragged him down. 

In the end, the millennium wasn't able to hold out on the ground, as Arsh threw its giant body down to the dark valley. 

Falling down to the valley. The monster swung his claws everywhere, as the last straw attempted to latch onto any kind of support.

Arsh moved back staggering, evading the giant swinging claw. But…Even his tired eyes, opened wide looking at the horror of the situation.

Due to the ginormous size of the claw, the cliff got destroyed by the sudden impact.  The cliff along with the landslide started falling down into the valley to hell.

Arsh tried to back away from the cliff. But he failed to do so due to fatigue and exhaustion. 

In the next moment, Arsh's head got hit by a large rock falling from high up the mountain plugging him directly into the dark valley. As his consciousness slowly slipped away from his body.

".....No! Not again Dammit!!"