Tired from the recent fight, I slowly walked back to where I had been separated from Paul, and as I did, I tried to recover as much mana as possible, because the last spell I had used had left me with so little mana that I was starting to feel dizzy.
I would like to use my family's spell to know Paul's situation, but with my current mana, my only option is to go see what's happening.
When I finally arrived, the fire that had separated us at first had almost completely died down, letting me see the aftermath of a fight.
Following that trail, I found two corpses on the ground before hearing a scream of pain a few meters away from where I was. Shit, I've got a bad feeling.
When I got there, I saw Paul writhing in pain on the ground, while two bandits slowly approached him.
I have to help him. I thought instinctively, gathering some of the little mana I had recovered up until now. Quickly conjuring two wind blades, I threw them at the bandits, making them retreat, giving me a chance to get closer to Paul.
"Paul! Are you okay!?" I asked worriedly, while helping him up. "Drake, be careful, the demon with the two swords is dangerous." He said weakly, trying to stop the bleeding from a large wound between his ribs.
The bandits, seeing me arrive, had been shocked for a moment, giving me enough time to talk to Paul, but once they realized what had happened to their comrades, they got furious, coming straight for my head while insulting me. "You piece of shit, brat!!"
I guess I have no choice, sooner or later they were going to now. With few options due to my lack of mana, I used my last card, hoping it would be effective enough for the battle ahead. Break….
Disconnecting my Dragon Core, I let the mana from my Demonic Core flow through my whole body, making the overwhelming fatigue I was feeling disappear little by little.
A cold sensation I already knew invaded my mind, giving me the concentration I needed to cast before the bandits' attacks reached us.
Dark Steam. I said to myself, quickly creating a dark vapor that blinded and confused our enemies' vision and senses. "Drake, that mana is…"
I took that opportunity to quickly get closer to them along with Belarus, finding one of them off guard, whose mana heart I pierced without much thought, making him fall to the ground before he started writhing in pain, as if he were suffocating from lack of air.
As I tried to find the other bandit, a strong gust of wind scattered the thick mist of my Dark Steam, revealing my position to the other bandit, who wasted no time in attacking me with a strong kick to my ribs that sent me flying until I crashed into one of the nearby trees.
Shit, it hurts… it hurts more than I expected… Why? I thought confused, while touching my sides. Why… Why did that kick hurt so much?
"You stupid brats, you had the audacity to kill almost all the men in our gang. Now I'll kill you!" He said with hatred.
Could it be because I switched cores? My pain resistance should be high, but now it feels like it isn't….
In pain, I slowly got up from the ground, while watching Paul launch several attacks at the remaining bandit, distracting him enough for me to recover.
I have to be careful with his attacks, because if they hit me, the pain will prevent me from concentrating, making me an easy target. I finished thinking, as I went to pick up Belarus, who had flown off to the side from where I was. Once ready to return to the fight, I started feeling a great chill that made all my senses stand on end.
Wh-What is this? I thought instantly, searching for the source of the sudden feeling. Don't tell me it's…
"Now it's your end, brat." Said a voice near me, from behind. When I quickly turned around, I found a bandit different from the one who was fighting Paul, filling my entire body with fear. How could I ignore that?
The last of the eight bandits had finally appeared, and now his sword was only a meter away from me, with no chance to completely dodge or block his attack.
Desperate, I placed my right forearm in the path of his sword, which was coming in a direct thrust, aiming to pierce my heart.
Thanks to my last move, I barely managed to slightly deflect his attack, preventing him from killing me instantly. Seeing that he had failed, the bandit violently swung his sword to the side, breaking my bones in the process.
Feeling a great burning sensation from my shoulder, my consciousness began to waver, barely managing to stay on my feet for a moment.
Th-This is too much… I can't… I can't hold on any longer…. I thought frantically, with no energy, as blood flowed from my shattered arm.
The bandit, seeing my low energy, quickly pulled his sword out of my forearm to attack me again, but, now free, I threw Dark Steam with all the willpower I had left over my opponent's face, buying me a few seconds that were enough to move away from him a bit, until my wounds caused me to collapse onto the grass that was beginning to be stained red with my blood.
I need… I need your help, Paul. I thought before turning to look at him with a mere glance. As I focused my gaze, I remembered that I had left him fighting alone against the other bandit who was still there.
It's useless… he won't come. I thought, gritting my teeth tightly before seeing my enemy free himself from Dark Steam, and then slowly approach me with a fixed gaze.
"You're pathetic, I still don't understand how brats like you managed to kill ten of my men." He said, changing his tone to a more annoyed one.
The bandit, in a display of superiority, increased the amount of mana his body was emitting, charging his sword with even more mana, causing me to feel a chill throughout my body that brought me back to my senses, despite the pain I was feeling. That's right, I need to… I need to think of something….
As I thought of a strategy to get out of this situation, the bandit had finally reached where I was, giving me a strong kick in the stomach that sent me flying a few meters from where I had been.
Damn… Th-this is bad… I'm losing too much blood. I thought, after coughing up blood while still lying on the grass.
Cursing my situation, I began to gather all the strength I had left in my demonic core, before I started speaking in a dying voice, to buy some time.
"Wait... wait p-please, I-I can give you money—money if you let me live." "Stupid brat, do you really think I'll let you live after all you've done?" He said angrily, pointing his sword at my chest.
"I, Duriel of the Dark Wolves, will be the one to kill you, thus avenging the blood of my men." He said, bringing his sword closer with a smile on his face. Damn, will I die…? I don't think I have enough mana to do it.
Closing my eyes from the fear I felt, I remembered my family, and for some reason, a silly thought came to my mind that gave me encouragement.
No, it's not my time yet, I haven't been with a girl yet, there are still many things I need to live. I told myself, concentrating all the mana I had left on my next move.
"Immaterial!" I shouted in my mind, just before his sword touched my chest.
As if I were simply made of air, Duriel's sword passed through my chest without difficulty, even managing to pierce a large part of the ground beneath me.
Duriel, not feeling the impact of his sword, opened his eyes wide, trying to understand what had happened.
"W-what the—" He shouted quickly, before falling silent as he saw my body pass through his hands while I moved to his side to attack.
Now it's my turn! I thought with rage, cutting off his left arm with the help of Duriel, and then trying to cut off his other arm, but due to the lack of energy I had left, I was only able to give him a shallow wound, which Duriel took advantage of to jump away from me.
Shit, if I don't change now, I'll pass out…. I thought, watching everything around me start to spin. Break.
I immediately felt relief, and my vision cleared, along with the burning sensation from my broken right arm.
"AHH!!" Duriel screamed loudly from several meters away. "DAMN KID!!" Ahh... ahh... Even though I changed my core… the blood loss is affecting me too much.
Even though I was worried about my current situation, I didn't waste my slight advantage over Duriel, throwing two fireballs that hit the confused and hurting bandit, who fell to the ground after taking my full attack.
"Bastard…" Duriel weakly said, trying to heal his wounds with the hand he had left. Since he is the leader, I think the best thing will be to keep him alive and later hand him over to the Birton authorities.
With the little mana I had left, I turned the ground beneath Duriel into mud, burying him until a little more than half of his body was hidden, enough to immobilize him for several minutes.
With him out, only the last one remains, so I have to hurry, but first, I have to do something about this. I thought, looking at my right arm, before stopping the bleeding thanks to the nature of my dragon core's mana.
Duriel, seeing that I planned to keep him alive, got furious, stopping his healing and attempting to cast a spell to attack me with the hand he had left. Seeing his intentions, I quickly threw a wind blade, cutting off his hand before he could finish casting his spell.
"AHH!! FUCKING KID!!" He screamed with great hatred.
"I thought you were a threat, but after all, you're just a weakling," I said arrogantly, picking up my sword that had fallen to the ground after I had started feeling dizzy. Even though the pain stopped, I don't feel well at all, I think I'm close to my limit.
Upon hearing my words, Duriel only began insulting me with all his strength, but to shut him up and make sure he didn't die, I threw flames at his mutilated hands, then closed his mouth with earth magic.
"Goodbye Duriel, I'll come back later to chat for a bit." I said, before quickly walking toward where Paul had gone with the last bandit.
I think my pride went up a bit after that victory, but oh well, I deserve it. I thought as I walked, recalling the fight I had. But I looked great! I would have liked Angelica to have seen it.
Focusing again, I decided to leave those childish thoughts for later.
When I reached where Paul was, my steps stopped abruptly, because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It can't be...
He was unconscious, suspended by the trunk of a tree, with his arms raised, only supported by a stone cannon that pierced both his hands, leaving his body hanging.
"No!" I screamed loudly, alerting the last bandit who was preparing to cut Paul's legs off to immobilize him.
Damn, with the mana I have left, I'll only be able to dodge his attacks until I find an opportunity to strike. I thought, covering my body with a weak mana shield.
"Eh? What are you doing here kid? Where's Duriel?" He asked confused, before pointing his sword at me. Smiling, I concluded that the best way to get him to lower his guard was to make him angry. "He's dead, after all, he was just a weakling."
"He was my little brother, kid, you've got guts to say that in front of me." He said, before covering his whole body with a thick layer of mana. Damn, I think that wasn't a good idea. I thought nervously.
Duriel's brother, without saying more, just rushed at me at great speed.
Oh shit! He's too fast! I thought quickly, barely managing to block his two swords with Belarus. Damn…
Cursing, I noticed how the impact of his attacks began to push me back, sending me flying several meters from where I was. With my current mana, it will be impossible to fight him directly.
Trying to get up again, I saw how 10 fireballs approached at an incredible speed. Instinctively, I launched a gust of air to one side to dodge their attacks.
If I don't do something, I'll die soon, I need to think of a trap, just like I did with Duriel. I concluded, struggling to get back up.
After thinking of an idea, I started gathering all the mana I had left. I'll only be able to make two more attacks, if they don't work… I'm dead.
Dodging some stone cannons that Duriel's brother had thrown at me, he rushed at me again, gripping his two swords tightly.
Following my plan, I shot a large amount of fire from my mouth at him, forcing him to cover himself. Good, it's time.
Taking advantage of his lack of vision, I wanted to throw two air blades at him, but as I was casting my spell, I suddenly felt something to my right that forced me to turn.
Duriel... I thought, seeing him behind two fireballs that were coming towards me. But how?
Surprised, I didn't have enough time to completely dodge his attack, which managed to hit my left leg.
"AHH!!" I began to scream in pain from the burn.
Damn!! I should have killed him! I thought angrily.
I need to do something! I thought quickly, trying to regain my composure before my vision became a bit blurry. What? Why do I feel dizzy? Have I already reached my limit?
"You should have thought twice before making us angry, brat." Duriel said with anger in his voice. "Now you will suffer 10 times more pain than what you caused me."
"So it was you, Duriel. Where were you? For a moment, I thought this kid had really killed you." His brother said while analyzing his wounded body.
"Don't look at me like that! He just caught me by surprise!" He screamed to defend himself against the pitying look his brother gave him.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter, it's best to finish this before anyone comes, after all, it's already dawn." Duriel's brother commented.
Damn, everything is starting to spin… I—I can't even concentrate. Ahh… Ah... I think... I think this is my end… I thought as I fell to my knees, holding myself up with Belarus to avoid collapsing.
Defeated, I helplessly watched as Duriel's brother slowly approached where Paul was hanging, and after making sure I was watching, he started cutting his neck, showing a smile that was etched in my mind.
What?
Why?
Why did he do that? If he was already out of combat.
I fell silent, trying to find logic in what had just happened, until Paul's blood abruptly stopped flowing from his body, making me understand the reality.
"BASTARD!!" I screamed with all the strength I had left. "HA-HA-HA" He laughed loudly as he walked over to Duriel. "Did you think we would show mercy?"
"DAMN YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!" I said furiously, staring him straight in the eyes.
"I'm tired of this, die." He responded, launching five stone cannons at me.
Fuck! This is all my fault! If only I had killed that bastard, maybe... I thought with my eyes closed.
Feeling my last breaths, I watched in slow motion as the cannons slowly approached, giving me enough time to think.
No, if only I hadn't agreed to come to this stupid forest, Paul would still be… Immersed in guilt, I opened my eyes again, only to find the converter Angelica had given me in front of me. That's right, how could I forget this.
Feeling a bit of hope in surviving, I placed my good hand on the converter, trying to figure out how to use the mana I had left.
No… it's useless, I don't have time. I thought, seeing the cannons a meter away from me.
I failed. I told myself, closing my eyes to await my end, which didn't come after a few seconds. What happened? Did I… die?
Opening my eyes again, a terrifying feeling invaded my soul.
W-w-what is th--thi-this? I thought in great fear, feeling an imposing presence a few meters away from me. Th-this power is suffocating.
Without giving me time to process it, I saw with my own eyes how the five cannons in front of me were reduced to dust, which then fell to the ground.
Wait, I can't move. W-What's happening?
Thinking that maybe time had stopped, just like when I had met Bernal, I thought it might be him, until the sunlight gently illuminated my eyes.
N-no, time still… this is… Under the pressure I felt, I started losing consciousness more quickly, causing my eyes to close slowly.
N-No! Come on! H-Hold on a little longer! I just w-want to see what happens, just a few mo-more seconds… I thought, before seeing several lines start to appear on Duriel and his brother's bodies, which gradually became wider until their bodies split open, bathing and flooding the place with an absurd amount of blood.
Now I understand… I thought, after recognizing the user of the mana in front of me.
"I-I'm glad you made it in time… Zoe." I said in a very low voice, before losing consciousness completely.