In the game, Karpeng had a pattern where, right before the second phase began, it would gather bloodlust and reflect the attacks it had received back at its opponents.
Reality was no different.
Luchi and Heinzel were struck by the very attacks they had dealt to Karpeng.
If they had the same knowledge I did, they wouldn't have been caught off guard like that.
No—if they knew what I knew, they would have already won.
"Rubia, I need your support as much as possible."
I walked toward Karpeng, leaving Rubia's response behind.
Heinzel's broken halberd lay at my feet.
The blood Karpeng had spilled made the ground wet.
I came to a stop.
Luchi's sword, stuck in the ground, now served as a boundary between me and Karpeng.
Karpeng let out a low growl that echoed around us.
I spread my senses to assess Karpeng's condition.
It was still condensing its bloodlust inside its body.
And its body was covered in large, deep wounds.
Just like in the game, Karpeng couldn't heal its first-phase injuries.
If I focus on those wounds, I stand a chance.
If I follow the path that Luchi and Heinzel have already carved, I might win this.
GRRRRR-
In an instant, the bloodlust hanging in the air condensed, signaling the start of the second phase.
The heavy armor covering Karpeng's body crumpled and fell to the ground.
Even the massive halberd it wielded shattered into pieces.
The accumulated bloodlust vibrated in the air.
I drew the greatsword Hephaestus had given me and steadied my breath.
Then—
GRRRAAAAAAAA-!!
With a roar that threatened to tear my eardrums apart, Karpeng's arm swung at me.
A blast of bloodlust shot toward me.
I focused my senses on a single point.
The direction—
Behind me.
Not toward me—toward Luchi.
In his current state, even Rubia might be in danger.
There was no helping it, even if Luchi was in bad shape.
I sprinted toward Rubia, grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and threw her aside.
Then I kicked Luchi, sending him flying toward Rubia.
As he flew, blood poured from his mouth in large clumps.
It felt like I heard a few bones crack as well...
But I had to put that aside for now.
I swung my greatsword at the bloodlust blast, tilting the blade at an angle.
A chilling screech echoed as the bloodlust scraped along the greatsword, slamming into the ground.
The impact tore the ground apart, sending dust and small stones flying.
Holding my breath, I rushed at Karpeng.
Its right hand immediately lunged at me.
I twisted my body to dodge, but the bloodlust followed close behind.
With all my strength, I swung my greatsword to brush the bloodlust away.
And again, Karpeng's claws came swinging at me, with the bloodlust trailing behind.
Exhaling sharply, I planted my feet firmly and twisted my waist, drawing a half-circle with my greatsword.
A sharp sound rang out as I deflected Karpeng's claws.
But the bloodlust continued its relentless assault.
I threw myself in the direction I had swung my greatsword, using the momentum to accelerate my movements.
Claw marks were etched into the ground where I had just been standing.
I slammed my greatsword into the ground to stop my momentum.
Just as I had expected.
Karpeng in reality was different from Karpeng in the game.
There were no predictable patterns. No tells before its attacks.
Even when I parried its strikes, it didn't stagger. The difference in reach between us was painfully obvious. The smell, the wind, the dust—everything in the environment was a distraction.
And...
There wasn't a second chance.
"Hoo…"
I steadied my breath and charged in again.
I couldn't afford to give Karpeng any space.
I had to get within striking distance.
I couldn't let it focus on Luchi or Rubia.
I deflected Karpeng's claws again. I dodged the bloodlust. I batted away the gaping maw that lunged at me as I pressed forward.
I closed the distance.
Bloodlust erupted from its tail, rushing toward me.
I bit my lip and twisted my body, retreating just in time.
My side was slashed open.
Blood poured out in countless streams.
I didn't stop.
I had to keep Karpeng distracted, so it couldn't focus on anything else.
I pushed my senses to its absolute limit. The pain didn't come. There was no recoil.
The reason... I'll figure that out later. Right now, I have to focus on the battle.
I mapped out every one of Karpeng's movements. Even the tiniest twitches.
Its shoulder muscles rippled. I swung my greatsword to match.
Kiiing-
The sharp sound rang in my ears. The sound alone felt like it was ripping my body apart.
Before I could even catch my breath, Karpeng's next attack was upon me.
Bloodlust shot toward me. Its tail whipped around. Its jaws opened wide.
I blocked its attacks with my greatsword. Sparks flew.
Before the sparks could even vanish, another attack came.
I dodged, blocked, and deflected.
Its tail twisted like a snake and struck.
I kicked off the ground, twisting my body as I swung my greatsword.
But the slash, lacking strength, was easily deflected by the bloodlust.
I used the recoil to spin my body. The greatsword that had been falling downward now shot upward.
It slammed into Karpeng's jaw.
Its gaping maw snapped shut.
At last.
Blood from Karpeng's body splattered onto my greatsword.
But there was no time to celebrate.
Its claws came down again. I stepped on its chest and leaped backward.
Then I charged forward once more.
Bloodlust raked the spot where I had just been.
Countless stones grazed my body as they flew past.
Clenching my jaw, I emerged from the dust cloud.
Before I could even catch my breath, Karpeng's tail came whipping toward me.
I slammed my greatsword into the ground to block it.
I stomped down hard, pulling the greatsword out of the ground just in time to block another blast of bloodlust.
For every ten attacks I dodged. For every ten strikes I blocked. For every ten slashes I parried.
I could land a single attack.
It was absurdly one-sided. An endlessly unfair fight.
But it was familiar. I'd always fought alone.
The greatsword and Karpeng's attacks clashed in midair.
I blocked its attempts to knock me off balance. I countered its twisting strikes. I unraveled its attempts to entangle me.
I had no idea how many attacks we exchanged in a single breath. I couldn't count.
As I continued this grueling exchange.
I lost sight of its claws. I couldn't feel the bloodlust.
I had lost track of its movements.
At the same time—
Clang-!
A burst of Rubia's divine power blocked Karpeng's attack from behind.
I never thought having just one teammate could feel so reassuring.
Grinning to myself, I charged again.
I stabbed, lunged, withdrew, and slashed. With every dodge and parry, I traced strange trajectories as I continued my relentless assault.
Karpeng's bloodlust twisted its limbs in unnatural ways. I had never seen movements like this in the game.
Its erratic attacks relentlessly tightened around my throat.
Even a single graze peeled the flesh from my bones. Blood exploded from my wounds. The violent gusts from its attacks threw me back.
I charged once more. The fierce wind was cut away by my greatsword.
The breaths I couldn't take were filled in by Rubia. The attacks I struggled to block were intercepted by her.
But every time, Karpeng's gaze shifted toward Rubia.
How dare you look at her!
I charged forward again.
Karpeng's claws swung toward Rubia. Her divine power blocked them.
The bloodlust that followed surged toward me. I mimicked Luchi's movements and deflected it.
I could feel Karpeng's breathing grow ragged. I heard its cries of pain.
I immediately swung my greatsword upward, striking its wrist.
I slashed at the spot where Heinzel's halberd had already torn through its flesh.
With a crack, its muscles ripped apart, and I severed a blood vessel. I sliced through its tendons.
Karpeng's wrist hung loosely from its arm. I didn't let the opportunity slip away.
I tore into it again and again. I kept slamming my blade down.
I didn't stop until its right hand was useless.
Again and again. Over and over.
Its claws were all ripped out. The yellowish bone beneath was now exposed.
The raging bloodlust forced me back. Karpeng began to regenerate its right hand.
I spun around the spot where Luchi had gouged out its right eye.
Karpeng's head turned.
I spun once more, now in Karpeng's blind spot.
I charged forward.
I swung my greatsword at the back of its knee.
Krrrk- Karpeng's knee buckled. I circled around and brought my greatsword down.
Its teeth clattered to the ground.
I picked up the sharpest fang and, using all my strength, drove it into the gap in Karpeng's flesh where Luchi and Heinzel had already torn through the hide.
With a brutal force, I pierced through its muscles.
But I didn't stop there.
I hammered the fang into its thigh using my greatsword.
The fang shattered Karpeng's weakened bones, piercing all the way through its leg.
Dark red blood spurted into the air, and a guttural scream echoed around us.
I drank in the scent of blood, quenching my thirst. I reveled in the sound of its agonized cries, fueling my emotions.
The metallic, nauseating taste of blood snapped me back to full consciousness. The adrenaline coursing through me heightened my senses and filled me with strength.
I charged at Karpeng from below, swinging my greatsword as I aimed for its spine.
Its body lurched backward under the force of the strike.
I circled behind it and swung at its spine once more.
My blade tore through its tough hide. Again. Again. Again. And again.
I ripped through its muscles. Its blood vessels burst. Its grotesque spine began to emerge, exposed.
I drove my greatsword deep into its spine, crushing its vertebrae.
Karpeng's bloodlust lashed out, wild and erratic, shooting out in all directions.
I withdrew my greatsword and backed away just in time.
The smaller bursts of bloodlust were blocked by Rubia's divine power.
I was almost there.
I steadied my breath and lunged forward.
Before Karpeng could fully envelop its spine with its bloodlust, my greatsword struck first.
And with that—
Crack!
Its bones shattered.
Karpeng's lower body went limp.
The massive, towering beast began to collapse, its neck dropping right in front of me.
But at the same time, the writhing bloodlust began to coil around its spine.
It started to reform its bones and reconstruct its muscles. Its body was regenerating through its bloodlust.
There wasn't much time left.
While Karpeng's bloodlust was focused on healing its body, it wouldn't be able to defend itself.
This was my last chance.
I climbed up Karpeng's leg and leaped into the air, raising my greatsword high.
I brought it down on Karpeng's head with all my might, slamming its skull into the ground with a sound like an exploding bomb.
Without missing a beat, I spun my body, aiming my next strike.
Once again, I brought my greatsword down from above with even more force.
This time, I aimed directly for Karpeng's neck.
Its bloodlust wrapped around its neck in a desperate attempt to protect it.
But I gritted my teeth and forced my blade through the bloodlust.
Its hide split open. Its muscles tore apart.
I could see its spine.
But my sword stopped.
I didn't have enough strength left.
"Rubiaaaa!!!"
I called out to the one who could give me the power I needed.
In that instant—
A streaking arrow struck my greatsword, sending it crashing down with greater force.
But it wasn't Rubia's divine power.
It was an arrow.
An arrow I had never seen before.
Rubia doesn't use arrows. No one here does.
So then—
Who?
I instinctively expanded my senses.
Karpeng's neck bones were beginning to regenerate. Its muscles. Its hide.
Everything was starting to heal.
I didn't have much time.
I widened my senses even more.
I traced the direction the arrow had come from.
My senses finally located its source—a robed woman, standing at a distance, her face hidden in the shadows.
She was smiling at me.
I expanded my senses further.
I sensed Rubia.
Rubia, with dozens of arrows embedded in her body. Blood pouring from her wounds, her face twisted in pain as she struggled to protect Luchi.
I saw it all.
GRRR-
Karpeng's regeneration was complete.
The woman pulled a horn from her robe. A horn that Luchi had destroyed earlier.
And with a bright, sinister smile on her face—
She blew the horn.
And in that moment...
My greatsword...
Broke.