"Well that was rude...."
That was all Puck could as as he pulls himself out of the trench his body dug when he was thrown.
His ever present grin never left his face however.
In fact....
He was having the fucking time of his life!
Puck's pupils shrunk to the point where they almost disappeared from the darkness of his skull.
His body began to radiate a hellish black energy that began to alter the air and surrounding area as his insanity began to seep into reality.
~System Notification~
~Congratulations! The skills "Sanity's End" and "Black Energy" have been successfully fused!~
~The skill "Insanity's Aura" has been created!~
~Description: "Insanity isn't just a state of being.... It's a way of life!" This skill can only be used when sanity is below 10. While this skill is in effect, the status effect "insanity" can be spread to those around you randomly! Those under the effect of "insanity" will gradually lose health at 2% every 10 secs. Once those under the effect of "insanity" health falls under 10%, they will instantly fall into a comatose state! They will also take 2x damage from all sources!~
~This effect can happen randomly at any time and costs no mana, but be forewarned. For the nightmares of those under this effect will begin to leak into reality and be under the command of the user, but at a cost....~
~System Notification~
Puck wasn't paying attention to the system's notifications, his eyes focused solely on the white blur charging in his direction.
He fell into a sprinter's stance, his hands and feet beginning to splinter the ground for a moment before....
He blurred from existence.
Silence reigned in the spot he just stood for a moment.... before the ground promptly shattered.
A shockwave exploded from Puck's form as he promptly met Gascoigne, who was charging towards his location like a guided missile, halfway.
An explosion of force rocked from these two beasts as they clashed, forming a large crater in the ground.
They began to exchange blows that caused the ground to explode with dust and debris, sending pillars of dirt high into the air, piercing the clouds.
Gascoigne showed that, even in his new canid form that relied solely on his instincts, just why he was once the most feared on the entire continent.
While Puck showed that, while not in currently in control of his body, just why he was chosen as a hero candidate.
Their clash ripped apart the earth and showed an expertise of hand to hand combat that would make even demon's knees buckle in fear.
They seemed to appear and disappear as they glided over the ground in a flurry of blows, leaving only explosions of dirt and craters in their place.
But their clash didn't last long.
No....
_________________________
It didn't take long for Gascoigne, even in his canid state, to realize the gap that was slowly starting to form in their conditions.
Gascoigne~
Health: 300,000/1,150,000
Mana: 150,000/500,000
Puck~
Health: 600,000/850,000
Mana: 500,000/850,000
And the gap was just getting even bigger as time went on!
With each clash.
With each blow taken and exchanged....
His health was constantly on the decline, while it seemed like Puck was only gaining health as time went on!
It didn't take long before Gascoigne's body was push beyond the breaking point and he was forced to drop his werewolf like transformation.
Gascoigne dropped to his knees as he was forced to try and keep a glob of blood from leaving his mouth with a hand.
It was only now, in his sane state, that he realized just how close they had gotten to the kingdom during their battle.
Pieces of his armor fell from his tattered body.
And the sad realization finally dawned on him....
He was never going to win this fight.
Even if he was back in his prime, he'd probably only last 10 minutes at most.
He was pushing his limits just to breathe at this point.
And it had only been 5 minutes since their battle started.
Gascoigne couldn't even blame his old age, for he could've easily overcame any age gap with pure experience alone.
That just showed how difficult of an opponent the crazed hero was....
Just where did he go wrong?
_________________________
Puck stepped closer to the kneeling king.
He could tell that the battle was already over, but he wasn't satisfied with the outcome.
As he neared the old king's broken and beaten form, he noticed his sworn embedded in the ground not too far away.
It must've feel when Gascoigne's transformation was undone.
Puck moved and picked it up, inspecting the once flawless black blade, now beginning to crack after unleashing all its power to try and help the king maintain his transformation as long as possible.
"You had a good sword.... You know that?.... It's a shame that you were forced to use it against someone like me...." Puck said with a wide sadistic sneer.
He tossed the broken blad into his inventory before reaching into a small black hole that he made using the "Black Energy" as a catalyst.
What he pulled out could only be called a work of art.
It's blade was sleek and black, seemingly to absorb all light that touched it.
It was extremely thin and could've been mistaken for a shard of glass from the surface.
The blade was long and slender and resembled a fragment of the night sky as stars and galaxies reflected off the blade.
It just didn't seem natural at all.
The sword itself had no guard, the blade connecting straight to the handle in a aikuchi katana like design.
The handle wasn't anything special, wrapped loosely in a black and red cloth that trailed a foot off the pommel.
~System Notification~
~Congratulations! The user has successfully refined a weapon befitting a madman! The title: Blacksmith of Insanity, has been created! All proficiency with insanity based weapons+55%!~
Name: Ebony's Edge
Category: Sword
Rank: ???
Owner: Puck Gier (Ray Wolfblade)
Requirements: Blessed by the Old God of Insanity and Absurdity
Durability: N/A
Attack Dmg: 125,000
Dmg with insanity based attacks: +25%
Dmg with blades weapons: +75%
Lifesteal: +10%
Sanity: -2/s
Inflicts the status effect "insanity" upon successful hit.
This weapon has been cursed by the God of Blacksmiths, Hephaestus, due to his petty jealousy of being outdone by a mere human. Mana will be drained by 2% every 1 second, and once mana has been completely drained health will take the place of mana until death.
Description: A weapon expertly created by combining the skill "Black Energy" along with the energy provided by a greater existence. It's blade is indestructible and made by plucking a broken remnant of universe after the big bang. It can, and will, only have one owner, and it will cry upon their death.
~System Notification~
Puck couldn't help but let out a annoyed snort at the fact that his creation was cursed by such a petty being, but the sword's options more than made up for it.
"Of course they just couldn't sit still while something, that wasn't created by them, is a godlike weapon.... Fucking pathetic excuse for a god...." Puck mumbled to himself before sneering at the king's unmoving form.
"Well old man.... You had a good run! It sure was fun! Tell the Goddess of Light and Mercy that I said that.... you's a bitch!" He exclaims before flicking his wrist, sending the newly created blade towards the king's unguarded neck.
His blade never met it's destination as Puck was suddenly sent flying backwards, ragdolling across the ground for what felt like at least a few hundred miles.
He finally used his newly created sword to catch himself, digging a long narrow trench in the ground as he skidded to a halt.
Puck let out a low annoyed growl, his head snapping up to see who had the audacity to stop him in the middle of his fun.
⚠️ WARNING! All the Gods have turned their backs! WARNING! ⚠️
⚠️ WARNING! All the Gods have left the current area due to the sin that's about to unfold! WARNING! ⚠️
What Puck saw from his position shook him to his very core.
It wasn't fear.
No.
But unadulterated excitement.
The adrenaline pumping through his veins leaked forth and created a dense red fog around him.
He was breathing heavily, practically foaming at the mouth as his body shook.
His crazed grin completely split his face as he stared face to face with....
To be continued~
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End Chapter 24~