Caster's entire body was broken beyond belief.
He could barely stand, barely see. But he still had to continue fighting. He had no choice, unless he chose to...
Die.
This battle was very cruel to him. Twelve nightmare creatures of the awakened rank and many of them of the demon class attacked a sole dormant sleeper.
Without the book of books, he would have been killed 5 times over by now.
However, he was still standing, and the creatures were not.
Currently, his injuries included—but not limited to— broken legs, ribs, skull, arms, bleeding from each of that area, especially the head, burns all over the body due to lightning's after effects. He took the full force of an awakened monster's attack on the head, twice, without his helmet summoned, so his head was in the worst possible condition.
'Wait... helmet? Oh my god I'm a fucking idiot! I forgot to summon my helmet!'
In the flow of battle, he had gotten too absorbed and focused into the battle. After all, he couldn't give it any less than his full focus, or he'd die. But he focused too much it seems. Instantly, he summoned his helmet, covering his entire face with protection.
Looking at the centaur, Caster thought to himself.
'That guy is still largely unharmed... despite me nearly crippling its mobility through the damage on its hind legs... That's insane vitality. Well, I guess it is not a devil for nothing.'
Just then, the centaur finally split the snake-like abomination into two with a clean swing.
And now, his attention was on Caster again.
The young man had a bloody look. His black armor covered everything. He had a Jian in one hand and a book in the other.
He stood still for a moment, grasping Caster's conditions but he couldn't determine it with the armor covering everything, and then suddenly, dashed towards him.
Caster was a good couple dozen meters away and he too dashed towards the centaur.
However, the centaur's speed, while still fast, was much slower than before, slower than Caster's.
'It seems the damage on the hind legs is severe enough.'
The centaur, who was still over a dozen meters away, raised its sword up and swung down with massive force behind it, splitting the air around them apart.
The red mist that covered its great sword and enhanced it suddenly shot out from it at terrifying speeds. Too fast for Caster to dodge, to strong for Caster to block, because of the damned mist that covered the area and slowed him down.
But, that's in the case Caster doesn't use his aspect. And why would he not use it?
Instantly, Caster seemed to appear behind the Centaur again, swinging his sword at the centaur's armor protected torso with all his might.
All the might he had left at least.
But again, it was not enough. The bone armor protected the centaur too well. But that's okay.
The centaur turned aroud again, not giving Caster any space.
'Very dangerous!'
But that's exactly what he wanted.
Jumping into the centaur's space, he lunged on it, riding his torso and swung at its arms, severing it completely, causing it to drop the great sword it was wielding.
But then the mist shot up at him, knocking him down from the centaur's torso, and getting rammed by the screaming centaur's legs.
Then, with a lot of difficulty, he got out from the barrage of attacks and ran, using his aspect, and got far enough from the centaur, before turning around.
He opened the book of books, to lightning strike.
'Lightning strike, 5 cores.'
Raised his sword up.
Swung it down.
"Divine Judgement."
From the shuddering vault of the sky, a column of light plunged downward with a pure white hue. The sky quivered above him and then came the light.
It removed the misty layer that the devil had summoned, which was hindering Caster.
And then, it tore through the devil. Annihilating it with a strong force of nature itself. However this nature, was Caster.
The lighting burned through the centaur's body, damaging it to another level and burning its outer layer.
The bone armor disintegrated and the centaur's open wounds closed up due to the immense heat and the ground near it shattered. the air itself split apart and screamed the loud roar of lighting.
However, it still didn't die.
'Insane vitality.'
Caster rushed towards the burning and screaming, but unmoving, centaur.
'This is the end.'
Caster stood in front of the kneeling centaur, unsummoning the book he took his sword it both his hands and raised it upwards.
"I will enjoy killing you."
But just then, the centaur shot all the remaining mist it had towards Caster, hoping to kill him with that. And it did hit him. It launched Caster dozens of meters back and injured him further.
Caster's entire body had broke down. But he still couldn't show weakness, not to the spire messenger. So he got up again. It took all his will power just to stand.
Slowly, but calmly and menacingly, he walked towards the centaur again. The centaur was done. It had given up.
Caster had also nearly given up.
'Even if i survive this... how will I survive on the forgotten shore with so many injuries. I'll need a healer, probably will have to wait for Nephis... Oh crap, focus. I'm in a battle!'
After he reached the centaur, Caster wasted no time in beheading it. Killing it with a clean, skillful strike.
[You have slain an Awakened Devil...]
[You have recieved a memory...]
"Finally! Another memory! I've dozens of kills, and only now do I get my first memory of the forgotten shore. Sunny got one from his first!"
Still broken, and wanting to fall asleep instantly, he looked around in the sky. The spire messenger was gone. It seems it didn't take the risk of fighting someone who could descend lightning from the sky.
Finally he could rest.
Or could he?
He was in the middle of the forest that was filled to the brim with awakened nightmare creatures. Some might even come here due to the commotion that happened due to the lightning and all.
'But, probably not for a while.'
The pain suddenly hit Caster, and it hit like a truck. Due to adrenaline the pain was ignorable. But after calming down slightly, it all came back.
And it was unbearable.
But randomly, the pain became bearable and just afterwards he saw something he didn't ever before.
[Dormant ability, 'The fourth wall' has diminished the pain.]
[Dormant ability. 'The fourth wall' has increased your mental fortitude.]
The message he just saw, was not the runes of the spell. It was as if the ability created itself showed those messages.
Now, the pain was not just bearable but also ignorable.
But it wasn't necessarily a good thing. He still didn't have any energy to move.
Yet he did.
'I'll absorb the soul shards... it should heal me slightly. Hopefully enough to return to the outer settlements.'
He barely crawled himself to the devil's burning body and took out the four shards it had, burning his hands in the process.
Only after absorbing it did he feel better.
'Oh boy, this was intense. I really hope I don't have to do something similar to this in the future. This was way too close.'
He let out a maddened laugh before standing up again.
[Dormant ability, 'The fourth wall' has detected and stopped an attempt to look at your fate.]
'What?'