Luca came crashing into me, worsening my condition. For the second time, the air was knocked out of my lungs. Luca, being a nine-foot tall man with a muscular build, was undoubtedly heavy. Combine that with the force of his armor slamming into me as well, it was one of the most excruciating experiences I've ever had. Luca let out a groan of pain, but seemed fine, in better condition than me.
"Sorry, man, but you didn't get the Fiend, at least not entirely." Luca got up and looked back at me and his face turned from an expression of worry to a face of pure horror. Hopefully I didn't look that bad. I could feel blood dripping down from my mouth to my throat. My ears were ringing and a severe headache was taking place. Luca sucked on his teeth, his singular canine on his left side in it's permanent protrusion. "Wow, you look horrible. I've told you that you've gotta start wearing armor."
I tried to speak, but my throat was extremely sore. In my attempt, I began coughing up more blood, dirtying my coat even more. My second attempt was moderately successful, however, my voice was terribly hoarse, and it took strength to full form a sentence. I'm only human, unlike Luca who has Ogre blood. He's made to be durable for long lasting fights and damage intake. As a human, I don't have that.
"As if...armor would...reduced the damage your...fat back did to my torso.."
"Hey, hey, don't go into the light now, big guy. You've got a kid on the way. Plus, my nieces are waiting for you to come home." Luca patted my shoulder. Then, his hand started to glow with white energy, seeping into my body and being absorbed by my Inner Seal, which bettered my condition to the point where I wasn't coughing blood, but everything else still hurt the same. "Get up and fight."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm up." Luca had a smile on his face as he stood up and held his hand out. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up. My knees were a bit weak, but I was able to manage it. Wait. Where's Lomaingrandr? I didn't see that gold come flying at me in a blur like Luca's humongous stature did in a blue and auburn did. I looked up, only to see an absolute nightmare.
Forty feet north of Luca and I, was the Fiend. A massive, tiger-like creature with black fur and golden eyes reminiscent to that of gold place. It stood on two legs and was at least twenty-feet tall, but missing half of its flesh and fur on its left side, damage sustained from my Mass Light Ray earlier. On its left side was only muscle and bone, not even just bone, more like it's skeleton. Its left eyeball was burned away, and its teeth were clenched in anger. In its right arm was Lomaingrandr, holding it tightly as if it were about to engage in combat using it. Its tail was huge, no wonder it was able to slash so deep into the wall.
"You got a plan?" I asked.
"Just cover me. You're not in the state to do any running, so fall back."
"Are you sure? I can use the Spear of-"
"Too much energy consumption, focus on using Green-Rank techniques or lower." There are eight color ranks which correspond to your power. From weakest to strongest, it goes:
Red
Blue
Green
Orange
Purple
Gold
White
Black
You know your color rank based on the color your Seal Energy turns when you extract it from your body. However, being a White-Rank swordsman does not make you a White-Rank mage, and vice versa. To prove your skill and proficiency in the rank to obtain those titles, you have to be able to consistently perform those color rank techniques. While I'm a White-Rank mage, Luca is a White-Rank swordsman, so I could act as support while he was on the offensive. Still, without a sword, the title of swordsman is kind of irrelevant here.
"Have some faith, Gou."
"Alright," I sighed, reluctantly. "I trust you."
Luca charged instantly towards the mutilated monster with a smirk on his face. The beast swung the golden blade at Luca's face, but he avoided by sliding under it's massive body. I took the opportunity to use a Red-Rank technique to preserve as much Seal Energy as I could.
"『Flash!』" I held both of my hands out, sending a flash of light in the direction of the Fiend. This technique was made to blind your adversaries by emitting large amounts of light into their eyes. While it wasn't permanent, it gave Luca enough time to snatch Lomaingrandr from the tiger-like Fiend. The behemoth's vision came back faster than expected and swiped its paw at Luca, but Luca was able to block it with his blade. Luca began slashing at creature of the night, creating deep cuts and gashes in the skin that remained. Once Luca started infusing his Seal Energy into the swings was when the beast started to let out roars of agony and anger. It started becoming more and more unpredictable.
The beast swung its right paw at Luca's head once again. Luca was able to evade by ducking his head and slicing its left leg off. A terrible cry of pain occupied the area as the Fiend flung its tail at Luca, sending him flying once again. The Leviticus Armor was more than enough to guarantee Luca's safety, so there was nothing to worry about. I readied a Green-Rank technique this time.
"『Rapid Fire!』" I spread out both of my hands, releasing a flurry of orbs made of light into the monster. The beast wasn't able to counter my assault, pointlessly blocking its body with its arm and what was left of its left arm. My attack easily pierced through the Fiend's body, leaving numerous holes in its skeleton and body. Blood sprouted out of its body like a fountain, but it was still standing, refusing to surrender. I, on the other hand, fell over onto my knees. The bit of energy Luca gave me wasn't enough to sustain a Green-Rank attack, so far now, I'd have to absorb Seal Energy from the trees around me.
The Fiend yelled at me and charged in my direction with hate in its golden eyes. It closed the gap between us in seconds. I tried my best to get up and move, but my legs failed me. The Fiend slammed into me with its right paw, pinning me against the tree. Its sour breath infiltrated my nose, a mix of saliva and blood dripping from its mouth. It stared at me as if it were trying to tell me something. Something along the lines of "I know I'm gonna die, but I'll be taking you with me." Its grip only became stronger on my body. The beast unhinged its jaw, giving me a view of its bloodied throat and large canines sitting among two rows of razor-bladed teeth. I couldn't muster enough strength to free myself, let alone charge up an attack. I could feel my breathing slow down and my vision began to blur. I accepted my fate. I'm going to die, leaving behind three children and two wives. A tear ran down my right cheek.
Suddenly, the beast stopped. I could see pure fear in its eyes. It sensed something. I sensed it too. Something I could only describe as murderous rage.
It's grip loosened as blood squirted from where its head was supposed to be. The decapitated creature fell, getting its blood all over my clothes. Its blood leaked all over my pants as I sat down, leaning on the tree I was pinned against just mere seconds ago. A thud on the ground finally answered all of my questions. The Fiend's head rolled across the grassy terrain, staining the weeds and plants a dark red color. My heart was pounding, I was hyperventilating, and I almost peed myself. Almost.
"You need a bath." A familiar voice said to me. I looked up and saw a nine-foot tall silhouette with glowing blue patterns running down their chest, shoulders, and arms. Their face was barely visible, I couldn't make out any features aside from their protruding canine on the left side of their mouth.
It was Luca. In his right hand, a golden blade as tall as me with splatters of crimson liquid as decoration. The One-Armed Blade Emperor was standing before me. He saved my life multiple times in our past, but this time was undoubtedly the most important.
"Sorry. This is, what, the fourth time?"
"Fifth, but who's counting?"
"Now I'm in real debt to you. How can I make it up to you, pal?"
"Just let me stay for dinner once we get back to Karangan."
And with that, our job in Zelch Kingdom was finished.