We both charged at the giant monster. If we wanted to defeat it, we would have to attack at the same, in order to not leave any room for the monster to take a break.
"We have to execute a continuous assault so that it doesn't have time to regenerate or grow back its limbs!"
"Yep!"
The monster didn't stand there idly and following a guttural roar, it lumbered toward us. My gaze never left the approaching monstrosity. The ground trembled beneath its massive feet as it closed in.
Without warning a tentacle covered in black slime formed out of its body and lashed out at us as. I hardly dodged the attack as the tentacle swished above my head like a whip. The same tentacle was now after Eleanor but she was able to roll to the side, narrowly avoiding the tentacle that snapped toward her.
We gradually closed the distance, evading the offenses of the monster. However, I narrowed my eyes as I saw the monster preparing to smash the ground. The mass of black slime came crashing down on the sand below its feet. The force carried by the smash created a wind current that blew away sand around the vicinity.
It had deliberately made such a move to create a mist of sand to catch us off guard while our vision was obstructed due to the sand. But it had already done this before so I already knew its intentions.
I put my forearm over my eyes to protect them from sand particles while circulating the divine energy inside me. I dictated the sand grains floating in the air to come pressing down. Following my orders, the haze of sand died down, and our vision was back.
The monster was sprinting toward Eleanor. With a powerful swing, the monster threw a punch at Eleanor, which it missed as Eleanor was quick to react after regaining her vision. She counterattacked with a powerful swing. She struck the creature's leg, the sword cutting through the slime and leaving a gash on its ankle.
The monster roared in pain, but it retaliated with a sweeping motion of its tentacle. Eleanor leaped back, but it wasn't enough to avoid it. The tentacle hit her right in the stomach, grazing her skin.
"Aaargh!"
The tentacle cut through her flesh, leaving behind a bloodied horizontal line that crossed through her stomach. Without any breaks, the monster once more swung its tentacle toward Eleanor but this time she narrowly avoided the attack. She gritted her teeth, realizing that brute force alone wouldn't be enough. However, she proceeded to attack regardless to not let the monster recover like the last time.
While the monster was struggling against Elanor's rapid sword style, I advanced with my kicks and fists too. Although my strikes weren't as destructive as before, they still were able to deal some damage. The monster staggered backward as it was having a hard time dealing with both of us relentlessly attacking him simultaneously.
However, what the giant monster didn't notice was that we were slowly pushing it toward the sea. Its feet were already in the water. The monster, not being able to stand against our combined attacks, had no other choice but to spin and swing its tentacle and hands aimlessly to fend us off. However, not only this didn't succeed in hurting us, but it drained a considerable amount of its energy.
We took a few steps back to avoid getting hit by its aimless strikes. The monster, thinking it had succeeded in scaring us, was inside the water halfway up to its shin. Its fate was already sealed when it stepped into the sea, the territory of Poseidon.
Eleanor raised her arm and connected its divine energy with the sea, bending the water with her will. The bodies of water gripped around the limbs and tentacle of the monster, restraining it completely. The monster struggled to break out of the water, but it didn't have enough strength.
As Eleanor tried to keep the monster under control, she coughed up a mouthful of blood due to the high usage of divine energy. The wound on her stomach was bleeding and it was obvious she was near her limit.
I wasn't in good shape either with many bruises here and there on my body and an almost depleted divine energy reserve. But I could still muster enough strength to kill the monster being restrained by Eleanor.
"Eleanor! Sword!"
She nodded with a pale expression as she threw the sword at me. I caught it mid-air and lunged at the monster. In a matter of seconds, I was before the monster. My eyes focused on the red glowing eye-like shape on its face.
"Blake! Careful!"
As I heard Eleanor warning me, the monster's right arm broke free and darted toward me.
'Checkmate.'
As the black slimy mass approached my face to crush me, I sidestepped it. Its punch brushed through my hair but it didn't hit me. I quickly jumped on its arm and began climbing through its arm up to its face, where the red circle was located.
It jolted its arm to get me out of itself but it was futile. My muscles contracted and my veins bulged as I burst myself into the monster's head which was covered in black slime. My blade glowed in shades of red and black as I trusted it directly into its eye. The blade shattered the eye-like circle and the red glow was extinguished accompanied by the cry of the monster. The movement of the monster halted abruptly, which then began turning into fluid.
The bodies of water were also dismantled and I fell into the sea. I quickly reached the shore where Eleanor was waiting for me. She seemed excited even though we had just battled to death with a huge monster.
"We did it! We actually did it!∼"
She lifted her hands to offer me a high five which I awkwardly accepted. After the adrenaline of the battle subdued, Eleanor mumbled with a tired voice.
"Yeah... Though we sti-"
*Thud*
Suddenly fatigue washed over Eleanor and she lost her balance. She staggered and leaned her back onto my chest. As her legs gave in, I held her shoulders to help her stand. But she was struggling to stand straight so I helped her sit on the sand.
I sat beside her and let her rest a little. She was struggling to keep her eyes open.
"Uugh... My head is spinning..."
"You probably used too much divine energy."
"Well, at least we are still alive, no?"
A warm smile flashed across her face. Her face was bright like the sun despite her terrible condition. Witnessing her genuine joy made me remember a specific time in my life. This reminiscence of peacefulness was once present in my life.
Not being able to resist the fatigue anymore, Eleanor's body fell into my embrace. I let her head lean against my shoulder. When I looked at her face I realized she had fallen asleep. The last part of the battle must have taken a toll on her.
*Sigh...*
'How can you even sleep in such a place...'
The evening rays of the sun reflected through the surface of the sea as the sound of waves crashing on the shore filled my ears. A warm and gentle breeze brushed through our hair, fluttering along the wind.
Eleanor's eyes flickered from time to time as light rays hit her face. I could feel her breath warming my neck as she exhaled. With each breath, her chest heaved slightly. Her cherry lips were parted ever so subtly as she was sleeping. Now that I was very close to her face, I couldn't help but notice how flawless her face was.
As I turned my eyes back to the horizon. A thought passed through my mind.
This feeling, which was both very unfamiliar yet also familiar to me at the same time... This feeling of peace and tranquility, that I had been deprived of for a long time... This feeling is...
'Not bad...'