It had only been four hours since Ramiel's hunt had begun, and the man was already exhausted. Not everything was going his way.
The monsters appeared to have a little more oil in their heads and began to avoid Ramiel, waging a battle of attrition. As soon as he managed to catch up with the smaller group, several Night Terrors stood in his way.
Fighting them wasn't one of the most pleasant things, especially when he had to treat every molecule of mana as a national treasure. Already, his reserves of life-giving energy were scrubbing the bottoms.
Ramiel would have long since died several times from exhaustion had it not been for the above-average skills of the blades shrouded in mystery. However, all good things don't last forever.
He abused the weapon's goodness, which meant it had to replenish its supply of scarlet liquid. This meant only one thing. Ramiel was on his own.
He could no longer count on a sudden surge of stamina, the healing of minor wounds, or the restoration of mana, at least not on the part of whimsical weapons. At least they still served their purpose as ordinary swords.
In this case, he couldn't complain about anything. The twin blades performed perfectly. Even stone armor didn't pose the slightest challenge to them. They penetrated it like a knife through butter.
" Tsk... " A sudden gasp escaped Ramiel's bloodied lips.
The sword's blade pierced The Night Terror all the way through, leaving a fist-sized hole behind. Despite the monster's resistance, it didn't stand the slightest chance against the experienced hunter.
Ramiel leaned on the sword's hilt, transferring his body weight to it. The blade of the weapon, with the characteristic rasp of cut bones, pinned the overgrown tiger to the ground.
The Night Terror wriggled on the ground, trying to escape the deadly trap. The pain caused by the fresh wound was nothing compared to the feeling of blood ripped from its veins.
The blades' appetite was unquenchable. No matter how much scarlet blood they consumed, they still wanted more and more. Sometimes, the man wondered if they were the embodiment of gluttony or the apostle of some demon from hell. Since someone like Azazel lived, there was no reason to rule out the existence of other mythical beings.
The agony of The Night Terror ended rather quickly. He was dragged into Azazel's domain before he gave up the ghost. At least there, he will experience a peaceful and painless death...
As long as you can get one with a fist-sized hole in your stomach.
' Kid... '
The demon's rough voice echoed in Ramiel's mind. Although he reassured him that he wasn't daydreaming.
" I know... I can feel it, too. This thing is getting closer, and I can bet my right hand on it that it isn't happy with the playground I have made out of its forest. "
As if on cue, about a hundred monsters surrounded Ramiel. They enclosed him in a tight ring, cutting off all avenues of escape.
Despite the bloodlust their bodies emanated, they kept their distance from Ramiel, closely watching the man's actions.
" It would be easier if they didn't think... "
Ramiel straightened up, stretching his sore muscles. He wanted to end this as soon as possible but doubted that he would be able to get out of the forest quickly.
" Azazel, will you be able to bring me back to optimal form? "
' Stamina generation, wound healing, and mana restoration... any of these things will get you... '
Ramiel didn't let the poor demon finish. His cool voice interrupted him in mid-sentence.
" I'm not asking how much it will cost. I'm asking if you can do it. "
Ramiel's normally insolent attitude would have offended the arrogant Azazel. This one, however, turned a blind eye to the man's rude antics. Given the state of his fading soul, he allowed him a little more.
After all, he didn't want his host to die an untimely death. He was in no hurry to return to the place from which he fled centuries ago.
' You don't have to worry about that. '
" So what else are you waiting for? We don't have all day. I don't know if you know this, but time is at a premium. "
Azazel's teeth gritted in anger. Accidentally, a hint of the demon's aura leaked into the domain and crushed the monsters inside.
' DON'T TEST MY PATIENCE BRAT. SOMEDAY IT TOO WILL RUN OUT. I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE IN YOUR SHOES THEN. '
" I doubt if I will live to see that time. Now, if you can, do your job. "
As if by the touch of a magic wand, Ramiel's body was shaken by uncontrollable convulsions. Every nerve, every tendon, every cell trembled with unbearable pain, from which many a hunter would have fallen into madness.
Despite the swirling image in front of his eyes, he gave everything to keep from faltering.
The slightest sign of weakness would be enough for the monsters lurking in the woods to tear him to shreds.
Nothing in the world came for free. Everything had a price. In this particular case, it was inhuman pain and suffering.
Losing an arm hurts less than regenerating strength and healing wounds. As for mana... Ramiel will pay in another way, affecting him more than he thinks.
" Ramiel? Everything is ok? Your emotions ... what is going on? "
From Ramiel's luxuriant brow, Avi's head emerged. All the while, the fairy obediently hid on his head. This would have continued if not for the madness that was born in the man's mind.
Thanks to the ethereal bond that connected them, she could feel his emotions, and these... couldn't be described in words. For a moment, she wondered if he was still human.
She didn't know anyone who could suddenly explode with uncontrollable bloodlust mixed with the desire to uproot all life.
" Already... It's okay... "
Ramiel wheezed heavily, wiping drops of fresh sweat from his forehead. He narrowly missed, and his heart would have stopped forever.
" Never... Never again... "
The barely audible words left his larynx.
Although Avi was worried about him, she didn't ask for details. Distracting the unstably emotional Ramiel wasn't one of the smartest things in the world.
Instead of disturbing him, she returned to her seat.
' And how did you like it? '
Azahiel's voice dripped with derision. The man felt like beating up the cocky demon, but he still needed this one.
At least he fulfilled his part of the bargain,' Ramiel thought.
" For fuck's sake, why did it hurt so much. "
The corners of the demon's three mouths lifted subtly, showing rows of sharpened teeth.
' If you had let me finish for once, you would have known that your body is falling apart. The absence of certain parts of your soul has greater consequences than you think. Instead of whining, you should be grateful for putting you together. '
Ramiel's amethyst eyes scanned the monsters hiding in the shadows. Tension hovered in the air, unsettling him.
" How many times can you repeat it? "
Frantic laughter resounded in Ramiel's head.
' PFHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA. Not even once. I'm not a miracle worker. I also have my limitations. As for mana, you can also forget about stamina regeneration or healing simple wounds. ' Azahiel looked deep into Ramiel's body, analyzing his condition. ' I can do it a few more times, but I don't know if you can stand it. '
" At least this much... Huh? "
Unexpectedly, the presence that Ramiel had feared for some time dissolved into thin air. It seemed as if it had never existed. He couldn't even find a single particle of mana left by the being.
" Azazel... "
Ramiel immediately used Shadow Walk and appeared a hundred meters away. The place where he stood was filled with tentacles several meters long, furiously pounding the ground and crushing everything within their reach.
The tentacles had only one goal - to spread chaos and destruction. They made no distinction between allies and the enemy. Everyone and everything was treated equally.
Without a doubt, the spell was aimed at Ramiel. Fortunately, his instincts warned him in time about the suspicious movement of mana particles. A moment's hesitation, and he would have turned into a mush of bloody meat.
Swish
Black as night, the claws aimed at Ramiel's head missed by a millimeter. Fortunately, he dodged in time. Taking the opportunity, he repaid the stranger's favor.
With the grace of an acrobat, he spun 180 degrees in the air and kicked with all his might at the monster's hideous snout.
His foot was covered with bright blue lightning mixed with the element of space. Just before impact, Ramiel increased the force of gravity three times to make it hurt harder.
Boom
The shockwave created by the attack threw back nearby monsters.
It might have seemed that nothing could survive the carefully aimed attack, however... you couldn't be more wrong.
" Tsk... "
Night Deuce's head moved only a few inches to the side. The monster reacted in time, covering it with a thick layer of mana.
Unlike Ramiel, it could afford to do so. This statistic fluctuated around 140 points. This was almost three times more than the man's current mana. Speaking of mana, Night Deuce's regeneration stood at an equally decent level.
As one of the relics of the past, he was well acquainted with the secrets of the world and the cultivation methods.
Ramiel felt his leg go numb. This wasn't what he expected. Instead of soft fluff, he encountered a concrete wall with steel reinforcement.
Despite the failed first approach, he didn't let the Night Deuce take the initiative. Twin blades sunk into the ground, activating a spark. Maybe lightning immediately engulfed the monster.
However, even this had no effect. The dark fur grew moody, leading an electric charge to the ground.
The whole thing didn't even last three seconds.
Ramiel had to try harder if he wanted to get away with something. The monster seemed very familiar with the element of lightning. A measly Spark couldn't do him the slightest harm.
For a brief moment, Night Deuce's eyes shone with recognition. For the first time since time immemorial, he had met someone who could entertain him for a brief moment.
After two failed attempts, it was time for a relic of the past to show what he was capable of. Faced with this, Ramiel had a bad feeling.
Seeing the tail curl up gracefully to launch a crushing attack, he wanted to escape using the Shadow Walk.
What was Ramiel's surprise when he realized that all the shadows within a 500-meter radius had been annihilated.
Night Deuce snorted with disdain at the look of surprise painted on Ramiel's face. After such a pompous entrance, it expected more than a measly few spells.
Only one thing surprised him. The man's eyes seemed as calm as maybe. No matter how long he looked at them, he couldn't find the slightest trace of fear or panic in them.
He even felt a sense of awe towards him for a brief moment, which seemed absurd.
Swish
The monster's insanely dangerous tail tore through the air, striking Ramiel like a whip administering punishment to a disobedient slave.
Slam Slam
Only pieces of shattered black metal remained where Ramiel had just stood.
He survived only because of the element of space. Just before the impact, he activated the seal placed on the hilt of his swords, blocking the deadly attack with them.
Despite being reinforced with all possible elements and fresh blood, the blade in his right hand shattered into a fine poppy. The second sword was in no better condition. Numerous cracks appeared on its surface, compromising stability and structure. Only barely visible threads of viscous liquid held the weapon in one piece.
This time, the Grim Reaper had to get around the taste. But he didn't think it would last long.
Night Deuce raised his eyes, watching the man's figure glide across the ground.
Ramiel was horrified by the crushing advantage in statistics. Yes, he had been lazing for the last twenty seconds, but still, some creatures should live inside Azazel's domain. If he wanted to survive, he had to level it quickly.
If only he could hurt the Night Deuce, he could try to stall the fight and try to even the odds with Leach or the Cursed Condemnation.
" Easier said than done... "
Taking advantage of the momentum of the impact, Ramiel kicked the ground, changing the direction in which his body moved. With lightning speed, he found himself near a group of monsters surrounding him.
The plan was simple. Trap as many monsters as possible inside Azazel's domain and pray it would be enough. If they run out of fuel, find new ones.
The Night Rippers didn't even see what hit them. To make matters worse, Ramiel used the blunt hilt of both swords to get as much blood as possible. He deluded himself into thinking this might be enough to regenerate the blades.
Half of the hundred monsters evaporated before the Night Deuce took action.
Unlike last time, Ramiel prepared for the monster's arrival. Three throwing knives appeared in his right hand, which he sent toward the charging Night Deuce.
With minimal movement, the monster dodged the seemingly useless weapons. This turned out to be a big mistake.
The knives, made of infirnyt crystals, exploded under the influence of Ramiel's mana. Part of the creature's body was immediately covered with pitch-black ice.
The Night Phantom element, grafted by the hunter, did an excellent job of injuring the monster.
A sudden explosion knocked the Night Deuce out of rhythm, injuring it in the process. The sulfurous frost penetrated the body, trying to do as much damage as possible.
The monster growled furosialy, stopping the foreign mana from traveling through his body. He had to make an effort to get rid of it.
Usually, he would have moved toward the brazen victim, but he couldn't ignore the ice that seemed to rob him of his strength. This was the first time he had encountered this type of spell. Taking unnecessary risks was foolishness.
Ramiel made great use of the few seconds it bought, sending more defenseless monsters to the other side. Once he no longer had to worry about mana, everything became simpler.
Seeing the lines of text in front of his eyes, a subtle smile appeared on his face, which disappeared even faster when he read it.
A faint weakening of strength was applied
A negligible weakness in strength was imposed
A negligible curse was imposed - irritation
" It will be a long fight ... "
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