Chapter 33
'Did that work?' he thought, glancing at the battered demon vessel.
"Tch! Weak," a voice echoed out, causing Max's heart to skip a beat in fright.
"Kuk!" The vessel coughed out a mouthful of black blood, staggering slightly as it tried to take another step.
"Was it?" Max asked, still kneeling, a raised eyebrow on his face as he watched the vessel wince in pain.
Black blood dripped down its cracked mouth, and its horn looked almost broken, jagged and fragile.
Max quickly activated his dragon eyes, scanning the vessel. Its aura had weakened as the fight dragged on. If before its black life force had burned like a pot filled with roaring flames, now it flickered like a shallow fire on a plate, wavering and unstable.
'Looks like his body can't handle whatever is inside him. Something is eating at his life force, and my attacks are causing far more damage than before,' Max thought, eyes locked on the trembling vessel, which wasn't quaking from fear but from strain.
'Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking!' The man roared internally, his claws clawing at his hair as his pitch-black eyes swirled like shadows trapped in his sockets.
'I really don't have time for this. I need to put this vessel down and get Mia's bill to the hospital as soon as possible,' he thought, shakily pushing himself off the ground.
'Come on body, don't give up on me now. We still have a few tasks to complete.'
'Kill the dragon vessel! Kill the dragon vessel now! If you can't do it, let me take over!' a voice kept ringing in the gang leader's head, repeating over and over.
Looking up, the vessel now stared at Max with malicious intent. Its claws gleamed with a dark, twisted energy as it noticed the dragon vessel regaining his footing.
"Kill the dragon vessel, huh?" the gang leader muttered beneath his breath, lips curling into a sinister smile as he lifted his claws.
"Fine!"
In one fluid motion, he swung his claw down, unleashing a massive black strike that hurtled toward Max at full speed.
'Wait! Since when can it do that?' Max thought, quickly pushing himself out of the way. The claw tore into the ground, shattering a nearby stall into splintered pieces.
'No. Something is definitely wrong with this vessel.'
"Max! Go now and take it down!" Pix roared in his mind, and Max nodded, activating one of his newest skills.
{Adrenaline Rush Activated!}
{Adrenaline Rush {Lv1}: Temporarily increases speed and agility by 4 percent for 4 minutes. Cool down timer: 45 minutes.}
Instantly, Max felt light as a feather. He began bouncing on his feet like a boxer warming up, adjusting to the new sensation.
'What's wrong with the dragon vessel?' the silent observer muttered as he watched, confusion etched on his face.
BANG!
A deafening bang erupted, like a gunshot echoing through the empty street, as Max exploded from his position and bolted toward the demon vessel, moving almost like a blur.
"No! Get away from me! Don't come close!" the demon vessel roared, swinging its claws in rapid succession, unleashing strike after strike that tore through the air toward Max.
'Something has definitely triggered him. He is erratic and uncomposed compared to before,' Max thought, pivoting on one foot to avoid a slash.
He ducked low to evade another strike, then leaned backward just in time, allowing one more swipe to sail harmlessly over his head.
It grazed his nose slightly before flying over him, and Max quickly launched forward, continuing his dash toward the vessel, which was now behaving almost like a lunatic.
It continued swinging its claws violently while mumbling incoherent words.
'No, no, no! Get away from my head! I won't surrender my body to you! Leave me alone!' the vessel muttered, almost in desperation.
"Ahhh!" Max roared as he leapt forward and clamped his hands tightly around the demon vessel's waist, pushing it forward with all his strength.
"Let me goo!" the vessel shouted, slamming its claws into Max's back one after another in blind rage.
BAM, BAM, BAM!
The claws hammered into Max's back relentlessly, causing him to occasionally cough out blood, but he grit his teeth and held on. The system kept flashing notifications in front of his eyes.
{-5 HP}
{-5 HP}
{-5 HP}
{-5 HP}
{HP: 56/100}
"Dragon Vessel! I don't know what you are doing, but go for its damned head now! That's the only way to finish it off!" the quiet spectator shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Go for the head," Max muttered under his breath as the vessel pounded him one last time, its sharp claws digging deeper into his back and slicing through his shirt.
BAM!
Max slammed the vessel's back into a wall with immense force. The demon coughed out a mouthful of blood, but gritting its teeth, it dug its claws even deeper into Max's back.
"Arghhh!" Max cried out in pain.
{-10HP}
{HP: 46/100}
The moment the message flashed in front of his eyes, his body was lifted and slammed into the ground with such force that the earth beneath him quaked violently.
A huge crater formed beneath his body as he coughed up blood twice, almost choking on it both times.
{-20HP}
{HP: 26/100}
'Curses!' Max groaned internally as he saw the vessel lift its foot and hurl it toward his head.
'Shit! I'm not strong enough to stop that foot. System! Put all my free stat points into Strength now!'
{Are you sure you want to allocate all 5 points to STR stat?}
'Yes!' Max roared internally.
{Very well! Points allocated}
{STR: 40 >>>> 45}
After the notification flashed, Max shot his hands forward just in time to block the foot aimed at his head.
BOOM!
A mini shockwave erupted as Max gritted his teeth. The vessel's foot pressed into his hands, nearly forcing them back into his face.
'Not enough! System! Activate Strength Surge!'
{Strength Surge activated}
{Strength Surge: Increases user's strength by 15 percent for 10 minutes. Cool down timer: 1 hour 30 minutes}
A sudden burst of energy surged through Max's body. The vessel's foot felt lighter, and in a flash, he swung it aside.
Boom!
Max exploded off the ground, rugby-tackling the vessel into the dirt. The impact slammed the demon with such force that its vision blurred, while the ground beneath their feet shook violently.
'Go for the head,' Max thought, pounding the vessel's skull repeatedly.
Each strike was powerful enough to dent a wall. Max unleashed blow after blow, hammering the vessel with every ounce of his strength.
TCWK!
The vessel refused to go down, stabbing its claws deep into Max's abdomen, sending blood gushing.
{-10HP}
{HP: 16/100}
{Warning! Critical damage received}
"ARGHHHH!" Max roared, blood filling his mouth, but he refused to give up.
{Draconic Force Palm activated}
His hands glowed as he clasped the vessel's head.
Crack, Crack, Crack!
The sound of the vessel's skull cracking echoed as it panicked, twisting its claws in a desperate attempt to strike Max.
{-5HP}
"Come onnnnn!" Max roared, and then…
BOOM!
A deafening shockwave erupted from his glowing palms, slamming through the vessel's head.
POP!
The head exploded in Max's grasp.
Tring!
{Quest Completed}
{Rewards distributed…}
{Rewards calculated and received}
{Ding! Host has reached level 10!}
{Evolution available}
{Evolution will begin now… Good luck, Host!}