Less than two steps away from the Dark Grizzly, Ramiel swung the sword in his right hand, shifting his body weight to his right foot. The mystical blade, filled with all sorts of elements, trembled, distorting reality in the immediate vicinity. Its destructive blade scratched space without the slightest problem, leaving blood-red streaks behind it on the first spatial layer of the universe.
Ramiel felt adrenaline bubbling through his veins, burning them from the inside out. His breathing sped up, and his mind was filled with extreme emotions, blinding his common sense.
Rasp
A sharp and piercing crack rang through the Roman cage as the weapon's blade made contact with the monster's impenetrable rock armor. Beneath the thin edge of the sword, the destructive power of the combined elements was unleashed.
Darkness penetrated the rock structure, subjecting it to degradation from the inside, lightning crackled and turned everything into dust, injuring the creature's massive body in the process, and space ripped every atom in its path into tiny elements, annihilating them.
The first approach Ramiel could pretend to be successful. Most of the stone armor that protected the monster disappeared from its right flank, revealing muscles as hard as steel. A circle of Cursed Condemnation appeared on the bear's skin, red from the burns. However, this wasn't the end of the oversized plushie's problems.
Ramiel turned on his heel, preparing for a second sword cut in his left hand. He clenched his hand more tightly on the raven-black hilt of the weapon, leaning in simultaneously.
The momentum of the blade was amplified by the centripetal force created by Ramiel's rotation.
With supreme grace, his body slammed down, leaving only blood-red streaks behind him. Ramiel felt the weapon in his hand tremble under the power stored in it, trying to release the stored charge. In the end, he used up half of his mana reserves for the two cuts. The weapon's force could be compared to a collision with a four-ton rock falling off a cliff.
Ramiel was sure of his victory. According to his calculations, the Dark Grizzly didn't have the slightest chance of escaping with his life. All he had to do was deliver one last deadly cut, thus ending the monster's ordeal.
Turning his head, a mocking smile was painted on his face, which he immediately turned into a straight line. The reason for this was simple. The victim, who should be trembling with fear, laughed straight into Ramiel's eyes, unconcerned about the imminent danger.
In a pair of eyes that were as small as buttons and as calm as can be, Ramiel saw an enormous amount of confidence. The man could have sworn he saw the corners of the monster's mouth rise in derision.
In less time than the speed of sound, Ramiel regained clarity of mind, and the image in front of him blurred, forming something like a thick and swirling fog. The phenomenon was accompanied by a searing headache that would have driven any normal person to the brink of insanity.
" Tsk... "
A loud click of the tongue left Ramiel's clenched lips. As he broke free from the influence of the illusion, he couldn't stop cursing himself in his mind for his stupidity. The situation he found himself in was hopeless. If there was a better term for what was happening, he didn't know it.
For a brief moment, a fleeting thought entered his mind. Why...
Ramiel couldn't understand why he was behaving like an amateur. From the very beginning, he made glaring mistakes, starting with underestimating his opponent and ending with the strongest attack at the very beginning.
The figure of the huge Dark Grizzly stared greedily at Ramiel as if he were a tasty morsel. Hideous and disgusting trickles of carrion-smelling saliva dripped down the monster's chin. A massive paw, which resembled the log of a hundred-year-old oak tree, was surrounded by a thick layer of darkness, towering over the silhouette of its prey. It was approaching Ramiel's exposed head with dizzying speed.
The man knew it was too late to dodge the deadly attack, and there wasn't even a question of blocking it. At best, he would lose an arm. At worst, half his body. Ramiel couldn't afford such a risk, but there will be a way out, even in the worst situation. It will require some sacrifices, but if it is to save his life, it is worth it.
Seeing no better way to avoid a devastating fate, Ramiel twisted his body, flexing his muscles to the limit. Before the huge paw crushed his head like a watermelon, the sword blade, which crackled from the elements within, was in front of the monster's deadly limb.
Ramiel hid in the shadow of his weapon, twisting at an unnatural angle. Praying to all the deities and idols he knew, he unleashed its stored mana charge enhanced by a cacophony of elements.
Boooooooooooooommmmmmmm!!!
Under the influence of Ramiel's will, the inner mana particles clashed with the omnipresent mana in the atmosphere, creating something like a violent and unstable chemical reaction. The contained elements of the world acted as a fuse, causing a chain reaction consisting of thousands of explosions. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that each of them carried the force of a small explosive charge.
A huge shock wave hit Ramiel, throwing him high into the air.
" Ah, fuck! "
Ramiel wailed in piercing pain. He felt every muscle in his body twisting in agony, begging for mercy.
" Ugh... " He hit the hard ground with tremendous force, bouncing off it like a tennis ball on a court.
Boom!
At the last moment, Ramiel bounced off the ground, correcting his posture in the air. This was to protect, hiding Avi and Sarron from being crushed alive. With a loud bang, Ramiel collided with the border of the restricted zone, and the peculiar sound of breaking bones rang in his ears.
Ramiel fell inertly to the ground, unable to catch his breath in his chest. A considerable amount of scarlet liquid, mixed with small fragments of internal organs, flowed from his mouth, and he felt a throbbing pain in his left hand that prevented any movement.
The man's condition was far from good. To save his comrades from their inevitable fate, he took the full brunt of the shock wave twice. His internal organs were bleeding, begging for rescue and immediate help. His left arm most likely broke under the impact, similarly as did several of his ribs. If Ramiel's body hadn't undergone the refining process in the lake, a wet ball of twisted flesh would have been left of the man.
As if that weren't enough, his body was ravaged by the elements that had saturated the sword. The moment they were released, they became a double-edged sword.
Ramiel coughed, spitting out the remnants of blood from his mouth. The only thing he wanted now was a warm bed in the company of his women, but unfortunately, he couldn't afford it. He knew that the monster wouldn't give him time to recover. At best, he has two minutes before the Dark Grizzly resumes its assault.
As he struggled to his feet, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that made his blood freeze. Although his left hand dangled inertly, he held a half-broken sword in a firm grip. Seeing the broken blade of the sword he had always dreamed of, his heart bled with despair.
' Ramiel! '
" Ygh. " The man wailed, feeling his head throbbing. Avi's loud scream, accompanied by a head-splitting screech, created a deadly combination.
' Are you... are you okay? ' Although he didn't have to open his mouth, gathering his thoughts was a challenge. Ramiel didn't want to be distracted, but he had to ensure that Avi and Sarron were okay. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to focus on the fight.
' Thanks to you... I'm fine... ' Avi pressed her lips together tighter, recalling the events of a few minutes ago. It was only thanks to Ramiel and his sacrifice that she was able to live. Before a series of explosions ravaged the surroundings, he transformed the shield that protected him into a barrier that surrounded Avi and Sarron. His injuries would have been much less if he hadn't done so.
' sss... ' (I'm all right, too.).
Hearing the worried voice of the fairy in his mind, coupled with the hiss of a small snake, Ramiel breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing that the fairy was all right made his heart lighter. The only thing he wanted to see was the sight of the dying Avi in his hands.
" Ygh... Fuck... Avi... you have to help me. I can't see anything... " A copious amount of blood, flowing from a cut on his forehead, flooded Ramiel's eyes as frosty as a snowstorm. He tried to wipe off the liquid with the willow of his hand, but it only got worse. Aside from the delicate outlines of objects, he could see nothing but scarlet and impenetrable red.
' Fi- fine... ' Avi sat on Ramiel's head, carefully observing his surroundings. Although he didn't specify what exactly he had in mind, the little fairy intuitively knew what she had to do.
Avi's small mouth tightened uncertainly. A moment later, a trembling voice came out of them. " Ramiel, you came back, right? I kept saying, but you didn't listen... "
Although Ramiel didn't realize it, Avi knew perfectly well what was happening to him, why he was behaving like an amateur and making glaring mistakes... The reason was the decaying soul, which had half-separated from his body. This brought with it a series of unpleasant consequences, the painful effects of which he felt on his skin.
Ramiel nodded with an unpleasant hiss. " I... I'm sorry... I don't know for how long, but it should be fine... " He had known for some time that he was behaving strangely. He was too impulsive, easily giving in to his emotions or doing stupid things. Despite everything, he couldn't do anything about it... The only thing he had control over was dealing with the consequences of his antics.
Despite the hopeless situation they were in, Avi smiled.
If it's Ramiel... we might have a chance. - The fairy thought.
Her sharp eyes focused on the figure of the knocked down bear. Like Ramiel, it wasn't in the best shape. A copious amount of black blood was oozing from the place where the creature's right paw should have been. Avi recognized this as the effect of the Cursed Condemnation. Burned patches of smoky skin could be seen on its massive body, combined with festering wounds. No trace remained of its ashen gray coat.
' Five meters in front of you, the thing lies upturned and pretends to be unconscious. Other than the loss of its right paw, I see no other fatal wounds. '
' Fine, keep the information to short messages like attack left, diagonal, dodge right, step left. I don't want to stress you out, but you are my eyes. '
' I hope you don't fall off, little... ' A quiet whisper left Ramiel's bloodied lips. Although he couldn't see anything, his head turned reflexively to his left hand.
Taking a deep breath, he created tens of thousands of thin snowballs, resembling a spinning web, around his broken arm. This was something that had saved his life more than once during heavy dungeons. With the help of mana rich in the element of darkness, thousands of thin threads moved the damaged limb without the slightest problem.
This carried with it unpleasant consequences in the form of intoxicating pain, but in a fight to the death, where every second counted, having a functioning arm made a huge difference.
' Since he wants to catch us so badly, we'll see if he can. '
Three pitch-black ice spears floated behind Ramiel's back. Under the influence of the man's magical creation, the air temperature dropped several degrees.
" Shall we dance? "
A ragged instinct warned Dark Bite of the impending danger, but it was too late. When he lifted his eyelids, his eyes saw three spears made of ice heading in his direction with dizzying speed.
Feeling a panicky fear of impending doom, the monster tried to escape. However, before it could do anything, its body was trapped between the massive chains.
Each link was reinforced with an element of gravity, amplifying its weight tenfold. Although Dark Grizzly's strength statistic hovered around 70 points, he was unable to free himself from under the yoke of the bonds binding him.
" GRAAAA. "
With a menacing roar that turned the rocks to dust, the monster's body was covered in earthen armor. In an attempt to save his life, the oversized bear poured all his remaining mana into it, creating a rocky shell covered with a thin layer of dark mirage.
It is said that a rat chased into a corner will start biting, so how will a wild bear behave? Ramiel didn't want to find out, so he had to end this quickly before things took an uninteresting turn.
Boom
Boom
Boom
Of the three spears, only one did its job, piercing the monster through. Passing through to the other side, the spearhead of the weapon massacred the monster's liver, leaving its remains hanging from the tip.
The rest of the spear disintegrated upon contact with the ground armor, creating a smoke screen. Ice particles floated in the air, obscuring the view of the furious predator.
" Gruuuuuuaaa! " - The dark Grizzly wailed in pain. Getting a shot of adrenaline, with a loud crack, he broke the chains binding him by standing up. As if all this wasn't enough, he felt the life drain out of him at an alarming rate.
Of course, the culprit of all the commotion was the Dark Spectrum, which depleted the overgrown bear's vitality statistics in a slow but effective way.
Snif Snif
Sensing Ramiel's peculiar scent from the cloud of ice, the Dark Grizzly stood up on his two hind legs, displaying a fully massive figure. It was no lie to say that the creature looked like a 3.5-meter giant. Even the tallest basketball players couldn't match its height.
Since he had used up his mana on the rock armor, there was nothing left for him but brutal close-quarters combat.