Caelum's eyes rolled to his fallen arm; he was so stunned that he was unable to react to the pain.
A renowned anger washed over him as he knelt on the ground, blood pouring out in large quantities from his shoulder.
Suddenly, he used his right hand to cover the bleeding as he stood up. The whites of his eyes began to harbour red veins.
"Aye, it's not like I will die here!"
The creature was now standing beside him with a creepy smile, staring at Caelum as he slowly turned around.
Then, unexpectedly, Caelum rushed at it with a blow from his right hand. The Monki staggered backwards while Caelum fell down.
Picking himself up, he charged at the Monki again, delivering a powerful uppercut. Its head snapped back, but Caelum didn't stop there; he continued to unleash a flurry of powerful blows with his right hand.
The Monki struggled to react quickly, unable to keep pace with Caelum's Incessant strike, despite him nearly falling after each strike.
On the fifth blow, the Monki's face was gashed. It raised its arm to attack at this point, but Caelum had already thrown another hard punch to its forehead.
The Monki let out a guttural growl, its eyes narrowing into slits as it prepared to strike back.
Adrenaline surged through Caelum's veins like wildfire. He was resolute not to perish, no, not yet! Not in a place like this!
"I will not die! I never claimed I was going to die; only I can decide whether to live or not! Not you, you deranged creature!" he shouted, rolling his eyes in a mix of anger and determination.
With a sudden lunge, the Monki attacked, its claws slicing through the air with deadly accuracy. Caelum barely managed to duck, feeling the rush of wind as the creature's talons grazed his side, tearing through flesh and sending a jolt of agony coursing through him.
Gritting his teeth, he battled against the pain, his resolve solidifying.
Drawing on every ounce of strength left in his right arm, he countered with a vicious jab to the Monki's ribs.
The impact resonated, and the creature howled in frustration; this time, it was incredibly quick to retaliate, landing a crushing blow to Caelum's chest that sent him hurtling backwards and crashing to the ground.
To his side lay the bloodied stone knife; he quickly seized it and stood up.
"Let's go hardcore..." he muttered, blood trickling from his mouth, shoulder, chest, side—almost every part of his body.
The Monki advanced, its claws poised for another strike. Caelum ducked under a wild swipe, retaliating with a powerful hook, using the stone knife to stab it.
But the creature also slashed at his leg, tearing out flesh. He fell to the ground, simultaneously stabbing the creature's abdomen, eliciting a cry of pain.
For a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of fear in its eyes.
However, the Monki quickly regained its composure, unleashing a savage kick to Caelum's knee just as he attempted to rise, sending him crashing down again. Pain radiated through him, but he refused to remain on the ground.
"If you're deaf, I will make you hear this through a miracle or whatever; I will not die!" he roared, forcing himself back onto his feet.
Sensing his stubbornness, the Monki launched an unrelenting onslaught of strikes, each one landing with brutal force.
Caelum's bones rattled; the pain was overwhelming, yet he was determined not to give in.
Blood soaked him from head to toe.
The Monki's attacks grew more vicious, and Caelum's body began to betray him.
He stumbled, his vision blurring, yet he clung to his mantra, repeating a lifeline: "Hell, I am not entering your gates today!"
Finally, in a moment of raw determination, Caelum hurled himself at the Monki, stabbing its face repeatedly.
Each time he withdrew the stone knife from its visage, he would deliver another crushing blow.
The Monki staggered under the assault, its snarls transforming into desperate cries.
Despite using only one hand, Caelum was swift with each thrust to its face, striking again and again, crimson pouring from the creature's wounds. He was unstoppable, tearing into the flesh, disfiguring the once-menacing countenance of the beast.
The Monki attempted to raise its hand but found it difficult to move.
With one final thrust into the top of its head, the creature collapsed to the ground.
It lay there, dazed and battered, as Caelum continued to pummel it, creating a sickening rhythm of flesh meeting flesh.
Its face became a grotesque mask of crimson and ruin, and the claws that had once threatened him fell limply to the side.
"You are the one that will perish! Die!" yelled Caelum as he stabbed it for the last time. The force of this final strike made the creature's hands rise and fall back.
Breathless, battered, broken, and pierced, Caelum finally stepped back, staring at the disfigured form of the Monki.
At this point, he expected the inferno to say something about him having successfully slain the creature.
Or was it not dead yet? Perhaps that was why the inferno wasn't saying anything.
Then, he realised... this was its first form; he had only vanquished the initial incarnation, and now he was truly halfway to death.
'It isn't over yet...? Seriously, I just want to die with a smile, not like this!'
Caelum thought the fog had thickened, and now he was unable to see even Monki's body.
Everything was greyish, and even his own body seemed to sink into the fog.
He grunted and tightened his grip on the stone knife.
Caelum grew a bit annoyed by his long hair that fell over his face, obscuring his eyes. He held the stone knife between his teeth and swayed his hair backwards, continuing this until he directed every single strand away from his view.
His body felt a bit weak, and from where he stood, he couldn't move; it was simply too hard to take a step.
The pain!
So, he rather fixed himself to that spot, collected the stone knife from his teeth, and held it tightly once more.
His legs shook slightly, almost as if they would fail him at any moment, though he still held on.
"Just hold on for a few minutes... we will be out of here, surely, alive."
Suddenly, in the distance, facing Caelum, a bright light glowed through the fog, taking the form of a spear.
A menacing laughter followed it.
"So soon, huh? It has transformed... this should take some time, magic bastard!"