Chapter 163: A Proper Showdown
As he was still occupied deflecting the attack in front of him, the creature on his left twisted its torso in a grotesque motion before raking its sharp claws across the back of his shoulder, the sudden shift in angle almost catching him completely off guard.
At the same time, a fleeting shadow drifted high above his head, which he managed to notice only by chance as droplets of water slid down from its clawed legs and fell past his vision one by one. It was poised to descend upon him, its body ready to plummet straight toward his skull at any given moment. If something of that size were to crash down directly onto his head, he doubted there would be anything left of him afterward, let alone a living, breathing body capable of standing again.
'Oh, right! How can I be so careless?'
Leaning his upper body backward, he threw his dagger behind him without sparing even a glance and narrowly avoided the claws aimed at his shoulder by a hair's breadth. But instead of allowing the attack to pass harmlessly, the creature twisted its wrist in mid-motion and redirected its claws downward, aiming to pierce the flesh just beneath his shoulder blade out of nowhere.
Before the strike could fully descend, however, he stepped sideways and wrapped his hand tightly around its forearm, if such a twisted limb could even be called that, his fingers digging into coarse fur. Then he pivoted his hips and sent it crashing into the ground with a devastating hip toss that caused the shallow water beneath them to splash violently in all directions.
Even though the creature did not weigh as much as he had expected, executing the throw still demanded a considerable amount of strength from him, especially since during the struggle it managed to drive one of its claws into the side of his neck and rake across portions of his back, carving gruesome marks into his flesh and forcing a pained groan from deep within his throat.
'It almost slipped my mind that these creatures are not only capable of jumping high into the air but also specialize in digging through the ground very easily. Speaking of which, they haven't used those skills yet. Why is that?'
As his thoughts continued, another creature lunged at him, its sharp claws descending toward his torso with terrifying speed as though intending to split him apart in a single motion. Above him, the descending shadow had committed to its fall and was now scarcely a meter away, its body angled downward like a living projectile prepared to flatten him into something grotesque and unrecognizable.
'These monsters aren't capable of hiding their skills unless... either they are unable to use them at the moment or they have been ordered not to. Could their boss have forbidden it? But why would any boss restrict the strength of its own minions when that strength could easily alter the outcome of a battle? It makes no sense… unless I am overthinking this.'
Attempting to retreat, he tried to shift backward, but his body refused to obey as something tightened around his legs. The creature beneath him had pierced into his calves without him noticing the exact moment it happened, its jaws biting deep into his skin while its limbs coiled around him as though anchoring him in place, refusing to allow even the slightest escape.
'Fuck! I was late to react...'
In the next moment, an overwhelming weight slammed into his torso with crushing force, the impact driving the air out of his lungs and sending a wave of agony surging through his entire body as though his bones were on the verge of shattering. He was hurled through the air like a broken ragdoll, skidding and splashing across the thick layer of water that covered the stone floor.
Despite the inexplicable pain tearing through his muscles and joints, he lifted his gaze toward the creatures and allowed a wide grin to stretch across his face, one that seemed almost out of place.
'... but unfortunately for you, that was also what I wanted from the beginning, fools. Although I had to pay a small price to bring you two together, that much pain is tolerable if it keeps me from dying, isn't it? Since I worked this hard... would you mind dying for me, pretty please?'
The airborne creature completed its descent and crashed violently, but instead of landing upon him, its clawed legs drove straight into the neck of the standing creature with enough force to produce a sickening crack that echoed faintly through the hall.
The collision sent both of them tumbling backward, their tangled bodies smashing into the one still sprawled upon the floor. The combined impact caused ripples to surge outward across the water while a web of cracks spread beneath them through the stone surface.
'Wait... wait... wait, I think I must've forgotten something. The floor is filled with water, cold water even... not that it mattered whether it was made out of magic or not. That meant, if my tattoo came into contact with it then I'll be fucked, won't I?'
Fortunately, he had anticipated this particular weakness of his long before stepping into this dungeon, because as far as he knew there were several kinds of rivers flowing through the deeper floors below, something he did not need to worry about at present but still a danger worth preparing against since trusting his luck had never proven wise. Prior to entering, he had wrapped layers of bandages tightly around his abdomen to shield the tattoo etched upon his skin.
Those precautions had spared him until now, but water possessed a treacherous nature of its own as it could seep silently through fabric and thread alike, which meant he still had to remain vigilant and ensure that not even a single careless slip allowed that cursed mark to come into contact with the water beneath his feet.
Besides, the creature seemed to have torn away a portion of flesh from his torso when the earlier attack struck him, so he doubted the bandages were still intact, though.
'Argh! But... it hurts like hell, damn it!'
Twisting his battered body in mid-air, he crashed down toward the floor, or rather the rising waves of water beneath him. The moment his back struck the surface, the pressure of a sudden surge hurled him upward again before he slid swiftly across the slick floor, turning himself around in the same motion to face his enemies.
'These waves do come in handy sometimes. Well, what did I expect anyway? It's the spell of an S-Ranked adventurer, after all. Or could it be possible that she's constantly casting spells, instead of it being one?'
Before he could even steady his footing, a creature lunged at him from behind as though it had sensed the magic pulsing through the floor beneath them. Instead of dodging away, he lowered his body and ducked under its claws before driving a sharp kick backward into its legs, which caused it to lose balance and sway clumsily.
'Is there no end to them?'
Catching the dagger firmly in his hand, he rolled its grip across his palm and twisted his torso in the same motion before thrusting the tip deep into the creature's neck. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he barely avoided being pierced through the face by its claws, though they still tore a strip of flesh from just below his eyes, warm blood instantly spilling down his cheek.
Before it could retaliate again, however, he twisted the dagger within the wound and pulled it free before delivering a devastating kick to its abdomen, sending the body flying backward until it crashed heavily against the water-covered floor.
Soon enough, his fingers trembled and loosened at last. The dagger slipped from his grasp before falling into the shallow water with a muted thud that sent faint ripples outward.
Crimson blood dripped steadily from the wounds across his face, torso, and leg, soaking into his clothes. His body swayed once, then again, and soon his knees buckled beneath him as his strength slowly drained away.
Unable to remain standing any longer, he collapsed onto one knee while his arms hung loosely at his sides. His glasses were long gone; he didn't even know when they had fallen somewhere, though.
'Ah!'
A bitter taste of salt filled his mouth as he vomited blood onto the floor, watching faintly as it spread and blended with the restless water. He did not even bother to wipe his lips. Before he could attempt to do so, his vision began to blur at the edges, the world around him turning hazy and unsteady. Even through that dimmed sight, he still noticed that a creature was lunging at him, noticing his vulnerability.
'So, they survived, huh?'
It took him a few moments to focus, but soon he recognized it as the same one that had tried to crush him flat earlier and had ended up attacking its own kin instead. The arrow lodged deep in its neck made it unmistakable. The other two were still alive as well, struggling to rise from the ground, though one's neck was tilted at an unnatural angle as if the bone had cracked within, while the other bore grievous wounds carved across its torso, at least that was all he could see.
'How insanely tough are they...?'
There was little point in dwelling on what he already knew, since he had more urgent matters pressing upon him at that very moment. Currently, he was vulnerable, his limbs felt unbearably heavy, to the point that even the thought of moving another muscle seemed exhausting. And from the distant echoes of clashing steel that reached his ears from time to time, Serow appeared to have shifted her position toward the frontline, which meant he was more or less alone in his current state.
'What should I do?'
Nearly half of his mana still remained within him, untouched and waiting. With that reserve, he could heal every injury no matter how severe it was, and he would still retain enough strength to move freely afterward. Time was not much of an issue either. His healing element was as peculiar as his Mana Veil ability, possessing properties that defied common understanding, after all.
To put it simply, it could destroy curses without needing to comprehend their nature, it could also mend even the most grievous wounds in the span of a single second, though such acceleration demanded an immense amount of mana depending on how rapidly he wished the restoration to occur. With the amount he had left, he could restore himself completely and return to battle, but doing so would leave him unable to cast another spell afterward, forcing him to fight relying solely on his physical prowess.
'Well, what do you know... I'm actually tired.'
Ignoring the blinding pain, he forced himself to heal his torso as swiftly as he could before shifting that same trembling focus toward the wound on his leg, allowing the torn flesh to knit together under the faint glow of his magic.
The bleeding had stopped, yes, but that did not mean the agony had lessened in the slightest, though. If anything, the pain seemed to have grown far worse than the earlier wound on his waist, spreading like burning threads beneath his skin and forcing him to grit his teeth from time to time.
'That doesn't mean... I'm giving up, though.'
Wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, he retrieved the dagger from the water-covered floor, droplets sliding down its edge slowly.
Standing up, he aimed the blade at the creature ahead before speaking in a voice far calmer than his battered state suggested, "It's time for a proper showdown, I guess. It'd be even more thrilling without my magic, don't you think? After all, the more weakened my overall strength turns, the more desperate I'd become."
As the Star-eyed Digger suddenly leapt toward him in an attempt to push its speed even further, he dashed forward instead of retreating and blocked its claw head-on. The impact forced him to slide several steps back across the water-covered floor as ripples spread outward beneath his boots.
Gritting his teeth, he parried its claw aside and leaned back just in time to evade another swipe from its other limb, feeling the wind of it brush past his chest. Using that momentum, he thrust his dagger into the creature's torso and slit it open downward till its thigh in one fluid motion, warm blood spilling outward and mixing with the water below.
Then he jumped backward to avoid an incoming strike descending from above his head by another creature. It was the same one whose neck bones had seemed cracked earlier, but it was still capable of moving around as though sheer malice alone kept it upright.
Before he could launch his next strike, three more creatures rose into the air from different angles, their silhouettes overlapping under the dim light as they brought their claws down upon him, while two others on the left dashed forward at the same time with murderous intent burning in their star-like eyes. All of them were converging upon a single man, a battered one no less.
'Ah, this is becoming rather irritating. No but really, isn't it too much for one man to handle all alone, though? And why isn't anyone helping me anymore? Excuse me, leaders? I'm an A-Ranked adventurer, too, even if it's only on paper, so I need help too. Guess no one cares about me anymore. How pitiful!'
Did he truly have the luxury to be dramatic in a moment such as this, though?
Dashing forward once more, he twisted his torso and parried an attack coming from his right, the sheer pressure behind it cracking the already soaked floor beneath him as the creature was sent several meters away.
'Ah!'
Rolling the dagger within his palm to adjust his grip, he sidestepped to evade a claw that descended toward his face by a hair's breadth, the attack crashing into the ground behind him and sending fragments of stone scattering across the shallow water.
'Crap!'
Lifting his gaze instinctively, he saw another claw already descending toward his eyes, leaving him no room to evade, so he twisted his wrist and clenched the dagger tightly within his bleeding fingers, raising it as a makeshift shield to guard his face.
However, the strength behind the blow was so immense that the sharp edge of his own blade bit into the flesh of his fingers, threatening to slice them apart as the force pushed the weapon dangerously close to his face, close enough that he could feel the cold breath of steel against his skin.
'So strong!'
Staggering backward, he forced every ounce of strength left in his trembling arm into a final shove and threw the creature into the air, its body tumbling before crashing down somewhere beyond his sight. Then he leaned forward slightly and huffed for breath as his chest rose and fell in uneven rhythm.
During that brief moment of respite, his gaze flickered downward and he noticed something else that had escaped his attention up until now.
The water covering the floor appeared to be decreasing at a drastic pace, though it was also being replenished almost instantly. At some point during the battle, the boss must have realized that the water posed a threat and had begun transporting it elsewhere, perhaps outside the corridor or into some hidden chamber, attempting to dry the battlefield and regain its advantage again.
However, the Mistress of Waves had not allowed that effort to succeed, since the floor never remained dry long enough to shift the balance against the adventurers. Hidden from sight, another battle was unfolding beyond their reach, and perhaps that unseen struggle was what allowed her to lend support at the most critical moments.
'She's without a doubt a good comrade. Although she doesn't appear to do much, what little help she gives is truly life-saving. No wonder they placed her in the rear party. And she's fulfilling her role very well, so it's time for me to finish mine as well.'
As drops of blood slowly dripped from his fingers and merged with the restless water below, he lunged toward the two incoming wounded creatures and parried one of their attacks almost instantly, the clash ringing through his arm once more.
As it prepared to bring down its other claw, he slipped inside its guard at the exact moment its balance shifted and thrust his dagger upward into the creature's neck.
'Gotcha!'
Twisting the blade within the wound, he drove a swift, devastating kick into its torso that sent it staggering backward.
"That's... one down. Let's see who's foolish enough to try next."
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(Chapter Ended)