Reynold swung his hammer, crushing the glass-diamond-like worms. He wielded the weapon with such agility as if it were weightless.
With just a slight swing, the damage inflicted was immense due to the sheer weight of the hammer itself. Had Reynold not been an Os Medulla, he would surely have struggled to swing it.
"Hahaha, combat is always a nuisance when facing someone at the same stage!"
Reynold and his opponent were both at Stage Three. They had undergone qualitative changes in their mutations. Whenever a fight between those of the same level occurred, experience and tricks were the key.
Both Reynold and the man from Eternal Darkness would only look for openings and opportunities. They would not easily reveal their tricks to one another.
"Then this is a contest of endurance!"
Sangu Carna were masters of attacks from all ranges; their power was highly flexible and effective. Their existence was rare because the mutation itself was unique.
While Os Medulla lacked that flexibility, they were the champions when it came to raw striking power and mutational strength. Their physical endurance was several times stronger.
"You know I wouldn't be that stupid, right?" the man mocked as he unleashed a massive volley of blood arrows.
Reynold evaded some, while forming a shield from the bone of his left arm to handle the remaining arrows.
"Hm? I didn't think anyone intelligent came from Eternal Darkness."
Hearing the provocation, the man began creating a sword from hardened flesh. He dashed nimbly toward Reynold.
"Hahah, sorry for making you angry!" Reynold met the attack with his hammer.
The blood sword and iron hammer clashed. The impact was violent enough to create a sharp gust of wind in the surrounding area.
"My name is Bovoy. I will kill you here," Bovoy said coldly, his purple-hued eyes glowing from behind his mask.
"I am Reynold. I'll deliver you to the light!" Reynold delivered a powerful kick.
Bovoy parried it with flesh emerging from his leg. Simultaneously, he created blood thorns that attempted to pierce Reynold's stomach.
Reynold stomped the ground and leapt. He extended his left hand. Round bones shot out from his fingertips, hurtling forward as fast as bullets.
Bovoy did not dodge; he extended his hand as well and fired blood bullets, causing them to collide with the bone bullets.
The two were perfectly balanced in their offensive capabilities. However, the difference lay in their endurance.
Sangu Carna tended to be overwhelmed more quickly. This was because their bodies constantly expelled blood and flesh, forcing the body to work tirelessly to restore them.
That process occurred every second. As a result, while Sangu Carna were powerful, they were ill-suited for long-term battles.
On the other hand, Reynold was still doing fine. Os Medulla had almost no fatal flaws, save for the fact that they could not restore lost blood and flesh.
When extruding bone, they also had to create wounds on their bodies. Unlike Sangu Carna, an Os Medulla could not recover the blood they lost.
However, the difference was in the rate of blood loss. An Os Medulla could endure much longer, provided they did not sustain wounds that caused excessive bleeding.
Up to this second, Reynold only had a small wound on his left hand. He was confident enough to fight for a long duration.
"What is your plan for my city?" Reynold asked. "You should know there are grave consequences for disturbing my city."
Bovoy scoffed, "You selfishly claim a city and consider it yours? How laughable!"
He spread his arms and looked up at the red moon shining overhead.
"You fools reject a blessing as beautiful as this. The Nadir Sovereign bequeathed to us the way to be strong... the way to face a rotting world!"
Reynold furrowed his brow. He knew Eternal Darkness was a mad, extreme group. But speaking directly to a member gave him a headache.
"The curse is what caused the world to rot. There is no reason to admire it!"
Bovoy slowly removed his mask. His purple eyes became clearer. He had bronzed skin and dark blue hair. He stared at Reynold with a wide-eyed glare, looking almost insane and filled with hatred.
"The world was destined to rot even without the curse! The curse is the guidance for humanity to survive!"
The doctrine of Eternal Darkness was that the curse was a gift. They pursued and sought the true essence of the curse. Even becoming monsters or extremists was seen as a blessing. They considered it a form of evolution.
"There's no end to talking with a madman!" Reynold hurled his hammer with all his strength.
The hammer whistled through the air toward where Bovoy stood. It was a blunt weapon, yet weighing dozens of kilograms, it traveled as fast as a running deer.
Bovoy gathered blood and flesh into both his hands. He reinforced them, his hands transforming into massive claws that gripped the hammer. With both hands, he struggled to halt the hammer's momentum.
"It is precisely lost souls like you who must be brought to your senses!"
While Bovoy was busy restraining the hammer, Reynold had already rushed forward and extended his left hand. His hand bore bone knuckles that were jagged and grotesque.
At that moment, Bovoy bit his tongue. He immediately spat out blood and flesh which began to form a large sphere, encasing him within.
"ORRAA!"
Reynold did not stop. He swung his fist with all his might, striking the hardened flesh protecting Bovoy.
The punch was powerful enough to create cracks, but not strong enough to shatter it.
Bovoy grinned; the blood and flesh around him blanketed the ground and sprouted dozens of thorns.
"You are the one who will die!"
Thorns of blood and flesh jutted from the earth, impaling Reynold's body before he could evade.
Reynold spat out blood, but instead of being angry, he smiled confidently.
"A grave mistake!" From his wounds, bones emerged like tree roots, growing with incredible speed.
The root-like bones attempted to coil around Bovoy rapidly. The movement was like a snake constricting its prey.
But Bovoy did not flinch. He still had a trump card to play. From his other hand, he pulled out a black crystal stone.
Reynold noticed the stone and was shocked.
"Impossible—"
But he was too late to react. Bovoy had already unleashed the power within the stone, commanding the ambient curse with his words.
"Explode!"
Within a three-meter radius, the place where Bovoy and Reynold stood underwent a massive, destructive explosion.
Headless bird-like monsters, giant bats, and other small specimens fled the forest. The explosion was large enough to be felt by anyone nearby.
Bovoy, of course, was unaffected. He uttered another Cursed Prayer to protect himself from the blast. Because of that, black veins began to appear on his face—a sign that his body was being corrupted.
"Hahaha, there's no way he survived."
Bovoy looked at the massive destruction around him. Smoke billowed and dust rose, obscuring his vision. In the midst of it, he saw a human silhouette.
His eyebrows knitted and his teeth chattered with a tremor of immense rage. He could see Reynold standing there, brushing off his soiled clothes.
At Reynold's side was a woman with a cold expression, her body lean and ideal, her hand resting on the hilt of a sheathed sword.
"How did you escape?!" Bovoy stomped his feet onto the ground repeatedly.
Rebecca took a slow step forward, drawing her sword. The blade was dark red and emitted a lethal glow.
A sharp "Sring!" hummed as the sword left its scabbard.
"Now, let the hunt begin."