The moon elves slash and slash rapidly. I dodge by a hair's breadth. If it isn't for the inhuman reflexes that Sapphire's granting me, those daggers would have sliced my head off by now. Sapphire is my company's most advanced combat artificial intelligence, capable of turning even a novice soldier into a literal superman. Empowered by the colossal computational capabilities of a nuclear-quantum fusion chip in tandem with our avant-garde combat anticipation algorithms, she can perceptibly decelerate the flow of time itself while showing me the best course of action possible to dodge any incoming attack.
Time slows down tenfold.
I thought I was invincible, ready to take on any challenge in another world.
But I was wrong.
"Damn it!"
Those elves are so fast that it feels like I am fighting ghosts! I cannot see anything at all, their movements are all blurry!
Yes, even with tenfold temporal distortion!
Thus, I have to rely not only on visual but also auditory cues, fine-tuning my senses to detect even the slightest disturbances in the air, tracking the trajectories of their lethal strikes and predicting their next movement at the same time.
Meanwhile, numerous other slaves stand far away, launching vicious fireballs at me and casting some kind of glowing magic on the elves.
Fortunately, adapting to tough challenges like this one is precisely where Sapphire shines the most.
This world has the element of magic. Therefore, my AI has to consider that as a newfound variable. It is not just processing data; it is also navigating a complex web of unpredictable factors, coming up with hypotheses and testing them at the same time. Then, all the data gathered will be refined to develop the best tactics to help me stand against those enemies.
Seconds by second, I steadily get the hang of it. I adapt, I evolve. The elves' assaults become more and more predictable; the distant fireball spells lose their menace as I learn to maneuver with tactical precision and good positioning.
Yet, it is still tough. Each dodge, each movement, feels like dancing on the edge of a knife. Every millisecond is a blur, every inch of space a potential death zone. In the span of mere seconds—stretched into minutes by the distortion of time, I have already counted 50 near-death experiences!
"WHAT IS TAKING YOU ALL SO LONG? KILL HIM! NOW!" Bromrik's furious roar echoes. Like an angry orc, he is constantly yelling, getting more and more impatient.
To me, that slave master is still the main target. If I want to win this battle, I have to kill him soon. Once I truly end him, all of his slaves will fall.
But how?
I have fired many bullets into his head, causing it to explode no less than ten times, killing him for sure. Yet, time after time, the bastard's body would twitch shortly thereafter; the blood would return to him like rewinding time, and he would ultimately shake off death's grasp as if it were nothing more than a pesky inconvenience.
So how?
How can I defeat a monster that simply refuses to die?
As if all the odds are against me, time is not on my side at all.
My left arm is as good as gone; I cannot move it anymore. The surprise attack earlier has severed my nerves. And now, even with my enhanced body, I can feel the strain on my muscles. They are burning, screaming in protest due to the relentless exertion and the unnatural contortions I am forcing upon them.
But I refuse to give up just yet.
BANG!
I fire another shot, and again, Bromrik gets up right after.
He laughs and tries to taunt me. "Hahahaha! It's useless! No matter what you do, you can't kill me! Just give up already!"
Ha?
Give up?
I still haven't found Anna, I cannot give up just yet!
My heart is still pumping, my soul is still burning with a fiery spirit!
And those shots are not entirely useless at all. Even though it felt like I was wasting my bullets, I was just simply testing, looking for a solution. Yes, every problem has an answer, I just need to look hard enough, to test my theories, to find out the missing pieces of the puzzle. There is no way he can truly be immortal, he is obviously just messing with me. There must be a hidden mechanic behind his constant reviving. There must be!
And not long after, I have found my answer.
There are some slaves lying on the ground, lifeless, even though I didn't kill them.
AHA! SO THAT'S HOW IT IS!
That bastard isn't invincible at all! He is simply sacrificing his own slaves to revive himself!
"So, as long as you have your slaves, you cannot be killed, huh?"
Bromrik's face twists as I said it, his expression grim.