Chapter 427: Like Ice (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 427: Like Ice (2)
Elemental Barbarian (Dark) Extreme Damage Mode—or Dark Mode for short—was the most extreme mode among many that you could use with Elementalization. All your resistances went down to zero, and you couldn't be healed since divine power now dealt damage. In return, however, it had a ridiculous payoff: I was immune to all types of status effects including Bleeding, Poisoning, Unconsciousness, Paralysis, Blindness, and tons more. The random penalty from Soul Extraction still applied since it was categorized as a system effect instead of a status effect, but that was honestly a non-issue right now. The key upside to Dark Mode was something else.
[All types of attacks receive Unavoidable Strike Correction.]
Dark Mode was the only ability in all of Dungeon and Stone that had an auto lock-on feature. Of course, as the motto of this game was an eye for an eye, the price of that ability was a body that was even more fragile than glass.
[All resource consumption increases by 20x. The cooldown time for all skills increases by 5x.]
Those two debuffs could instantly turn any normal adventurer into a joke, but they weren't currently much of an issue for me. I was already half a joke because of the random penalty from Soul Extraction. If there was one thing I needed to be concerned about, it would be this:
[You will receive Recoil in proportion to the time Elementalization is active.]
I had to reduce the recoil I took as much as possible. So, put simply, every moment was more precious than gold.
Okay, let's do it.
When I took another step forward, Six quickly widened the distance between us.
Dash.
She seemed wary of my changed appearance. Since she didn't know what was going on, it seemed she was going to stop what she was doing so she could reassess my threat level. Which I was grateful for.
Okay, now that I definitely have the aggro on me again...
I closed in and swung my hammer. It wasn't considered a real attack if I just swung randomly into empty air. I'd already tested it and there had to be a clear target for the auto-lock to apply.
Leap.
As she had throughout this entire battle, the woman avoided my hammer with minimal movement.
[Activating Unavoidable Strike Correction.]
At the moment, the course correction effect was activated.
Rip!
A tear in space appeared in the direction the hammer swung. The woman stared at this with a sharp look in her eyes. Although she didn't know what this move was, she was on high alert so she could respond at any moment.
The swung hammer plunged into the darkness and the whistle of it moving through the air ceased. Looking for any trace of the missing weapon, her eyes darted around to widen her line of sight. It was no use, though. The hammer appeared a split second later, transcending space to strike Six's body with the force of the initial swing intact.
Smack!
Before long, a dull thud sounded. Unfortunately, the blow didn't feel too satisfying as it jolted up my arm. That was because it landed in her abdomen.
Why is this woman so sturdy?
At first, I thought she was just an Agility-type, but it seemed she'd invested considerable stats into Defense too. Judging by her expression, that attack didn't hurt her at all.
Man, if only I still had Swing... I could've crushed her.
It was too bad that the Demon Grinder's increased damage only applied to blunt weapon skills and not the weapon itself.
Anyway, if once doesn't work, I'll do it again.
I'd have time for regrets later when I'd tried all the options available and failed.
Whoom!
So I threw those regrets away and swung the hammer again.
Dash.
Six widened the distance even more than before. It seemed she was wary after that first strike, but unfortunately for her, that wasn't how you countered this move.
Smack!
My next attack struck true despite the distance.
Finally got her on the head.
The blow felt good this time but surprisingly, Six didn't even let out a small groan. She just staggered a bit.
Slide.
She slowly lifted her head, which was bowed forward, to glare at me.
Spit.
The blood in her mouth was spat out with mechanical precision. "I remember now," she said solemnly.
...Huh?
"The rank-five monster Flora's special ability, Elementalization. This is its effect when it's used in conjunction with the Elemental of Darkness."
Uh... Does she go around memorizing the effects of essences too? I guess it's possible. These are agents painstakingly trained by the palace, right?
"This is my first time seeing it so it took me a moment to realize, but..." Before she could get any further, I immediately kicked off the ground and ran forward. Unlike before, though, Six did not move back. "Things will be different from now on."
Dash!
Instead, she rushed toward me recklessly. From that action alone, I could piece together that she wasn't talking big.
Ha, I only got two hits in.
From now on, this was going to be hellish.
Whoom!
I swung my hammer down as soon as Six moved. She didn't even avoid it. She'd made a calculated decision based on the information she had on hand.
If she doesn't dodge it, she can at least choose where it hits.
The first thing to make contact was the hammer.
Smack!
The moment that it struck Six's shoulder, a dagger coated with an aura sliced through my forearm like tofu.
Stab!
Yeah, this is why I was saving Dark Mode...
Though we exchanged the same number of blows, it was clear which of us had suffered more damage, as was obvious from the triumphant look in her eyes.
"You are more agile than I thought. I was aiming for your neck."
God damn it.
If she had cursed me instead, I would've smiled at the praise. But, more agile than she thought? That was nothing short of the ultimate insult.
Throb.
Thanks to my Pain Resistance dropping to zero, I could feel a sharp burning in my stabbed forearm. I tried to look on the bright side, though. For taking an aura with zero resistance, this wasn't too bad a wound. If it had struck somewhere other than my forearm or my skin, the injury would've been much more serious.
Man, if only I still had Swing... I could've crushed her.
It was too bad that the Demon Grinder's increased damage only applied to blunt weapon skills and not the weapon itself.
Anyway, if once doesn't work, I'll do it again.
I'd have time for regrets later when I'd tried all the options available and failed.
Whoom!
So I threw those regrets away and swung the hammer again.
Dash.
Six widened the distance even more than before. It seemed she was wary after that first strike, but unfortunately for her, that wasn't how you countered this move.
Smack!
My next attack struck true despite the distance.
Finally got her on the head.
The blow felt good this time but surprisingly, Six didn't even let out a small groan. She just staggered a bit.
Slide.
She slowly lifted her head, which was bowed forward, to glare at me.
Spit.
The blood in her mouth was spat out with mechanical precision. "I remember now," she said solemnly.
...Huh?
"The rank-five monster Flora's special ability, Elementalization. This is its effect when it's used in conjunction with the Elemental of Darkness."
Uh... Does she go around memorizing the effects of essences too? I guess it's possible. These are agents painstakingly trained by the palace, right?
"This is my first time seeing it so it took me a moment to realize, but..." Before she could get any further, I immediately kicked off the ground and ran forward. Unlike before, though, Six did not move back. "Things will be different from now on."
Dash!
Instead, she rushed toward me recklessly. From that action alone, I could piece together that she wasn't talking big.
Ha, I only got two hits in.
From now on, this was going to be hellish.
Whoom!
I swung my hammer down as soon as Six moved. She didn't even avoid it. She'd made a calculated decision based on the information she had on hand.
If she doesn't dodge it, she can at least choose where it hits.
The first thing to make contact was the hammer.
Smack!
The moment that it struck Six's shoulder, a dagger coated with an aura sliced through my forearm like tofu.
Stab!
Yeah, this is why I was saving Dark Mode...
Though we exchanged the same number of blows, it was clear which of us had suffered more damage, as was obvious from the triumphant look in her eyes.
"You are more agile than I thought. I was aiming for your neck."
God damn it.
If she had cursed me instead, I would've smiled at the praise. But, more agile than she thought? That was nothing short of the ultimate insult.
Throb.
Thanks to my Pain Resistance dropping to zero, I could feel a sharp burning in my stabbed forearm. I tried to look on the bright side, though. For taking an aura with zero resistance, this wasn't too bad a wound. If it had struck somewhere other than my forearm or my skin, the injury would've been much more serious.
"Behel—aaaaaah!" I used even the stinging pain as fuel for my fighting spirit and let out a shout.
"Tough guy."
This match would end soon.
One more time.
I brought my hammer down again. The exchange went about the same as before. Six didn't dodge it this time either and extended her dagger.
Smack!
Slice.
We exchanged one blow each. Once again mine landed on Six's shoulder—the same one.
God damn it.
In my case, though, she hit the hand holding my shield. I was hoping to use the shield to get through this one unscathed, but the aura-covered dagger went through the metal and even my palm.
Clunk.
It seemed she even cut off the strap securing the shield to my wrist because it dropped helplessly to the ground—along with my pinky and ring fingers.
One more time.
Either way, I swung the hammer again. This time, the structure of our fight changed slightly. Six didn't dodge either this time but instead confronted the blow head-on, crossing her two daggers together to block the hammer's trajectory.
Riiiiiip!
The hammer was sucked into the darkness before it could collide with the daggers. A moment later, it struck Six's ankle.
Smack!
As thin as her ankle was, the impact must have been considerable, but the look in Six's eyes remained unchanged.
"...So, this method isn't working, huh?"
Jeez, I feel like a monster being hunted. One more time.
I swung the hammer.
Smack!
Stab.
I hit her and gained another stab wound in return. Once, twice, three times, four times—we exchanged many more attacks. I finally acknowledged her.
This woman... she's much stronger than I thought.
Her natural abilities were obvious. She was able to use an aura, and her swordsmanship was as fierce as that of the captain of Orcules.
Smack!
She clearly wasn't a fool either. After only a few exchanges, she was able to put her knowledge of Dark Mode to use.
Stab!
She also had good judgment.
"I can't use this shoulder anymore." As if to prove my point, Six dropped the dagger from her left hand after determining she couldn't use it anyway. Ever since this exchange began, this woman had purposefully taken most of my attacks on her left forearm and shoulder. She'd made the pragmatic decision to concentrate the damage in one spot.
More than ten blows for one arm, huh?
Of course, compared to me, full of cuts and holes all over, she was pretty much unscathed. That was why I took a moment to let go of any overzealousness. I had wanted to go help my comrades, but...
All I have to do... is somehow finish her here and now...
With my goal simplified, my mind felt clearer. I could worry about what came next later, like the barbarian warrior I was.
"Behel—aaaaaah!" I used even the stinging pain as fuel for my fighting spirit and let out a shout.
"Tough guy."
This match would end soon.
One more time.
I brought my hammer down again. The exchange went about the same as before. Six didn't dodge it this time either and extended her dagger.
Smack!
Slice.
We exchanged one blow each. Once again mine landed on Six's shoulder—the same one.
God damn it.
In my case, though, she hit the hand holding my shield. I was hoping to use the shield to get through this one unscathed, but the aura-covered dagger went through the metal and even my palm.
Clunk.
It seemed she even cut off the strap securing the shield to my wrist because it dropped helplessly to the ground—along with my pinky and ring fingers.
One more time.
Either way, I swung the hammer again. This time, the structure of our fight changed slightly. Six didn't dodge either this time but instead confronted the blow head-on, crossing her two daggers together to block the hammer's trajectory.
Riiiiiip!
The hammer was sucked into the darkness before it could collide with the daggers. A moment later, it struck Six's ankle.
Smack!
As thin as her ankle was, the impact must have been considerable, but the look in Six's eyes remained unchanged.
"...So, this method isn't working, huh?"
Jeez, I feel like a monster being hunted. One more time.
I swung the hammer.
Smack!
Stab.
I hit her and gained another stab wound in return. Once, twice, three times, four times—we exchanged many more attacks. I finally acknowledged her.
This woman... she's much stronger than I thought.
Her natural abilities were obvious. She was able to use an aura, and her swordsmanship was as fierce as that of the captain of Orcules.
Smack!
She clearly wasn't a fool either. After only a few exchanges, she was able to put her knowledge of Dark Mode to use.
Stab!
She also had good judgment.
"I can't use this shoulder anymore." As if to prove my point, Six dropped the dagger from her left hand after determining she couldn't use it anyway. Ever since this exchange began, this woman had purposefully taken most of my attacks on her left forearm and shoulder. She'd made the pragmatic decision to concentrate the damage in one spot.
More than ten blows for one arm, huh?
Of course, compared to me, full of cuts and holes all over, she was pretty much unscathed. That was why I took a moment to let go of any overzealousness. I had wanted to go help my comrades, but...
All I have to do... is somehow finish her here and now...
With my goal simplified, my mind felt clearer. I could worry about what came next later, like the barbarian warrior I was.
Smack!
I watched her like a hawk, treating each moment as critical. Or, actually, I felt a lot like a wild dog. When this woman eventually slipped and showed even the slightest hint of weakness, I'd be able to lunge forward and sink my teeth into her.
Stab.
Forearm, flesh, wrist, thigh—the blade that had up to this point missed my vitals sank deep into my lower abdomen.
Hmm, this one seems a bit dangerous.
Zippp.
I forced my staggering body forward using the strength I had left in my legs and quickly took stock of the situation.
How much longer can I last? How many more seconds?
I had no way of knowing, but it wouldn't be long.
Not yet.
I tried to suppress any impatience. Just a little longer and it would come—the moment to end this long fight once and for all.
Smack!
Stab.
The battle continued without pause. No, calling it a battle would be a farce. It was instead a series of clashes where each team ignored all concepts of defense for the sole objective of attacking and killing the other.
"The paladin that died earlier..." The woman busy chopping up my body suddenly spoke up. I wondered what she had to say. "Was he a close friend?"
I don't know why she'd be curious about that.
Whooom!
I responded after another swing of my hammer. "No." We had known each other for too short a time to be considered close.
"Then I don't understand. Why are you going this far for him?"
"Because he's not someone who should die in a place like this."
I didn't know much about him. What I had seen was only one of the many sides of him that happened to appear in the labyrinth. Which was why I felt an even keener sense of regret. I wondered what it would have been like to go adventuring with Jun. It wouldn't have been bad, I thought. We would work well together most of the time and whenever his habits from his inquisitor days came out, I could just shoot him a warning look. Though his unconditional support would have been a burden some days, at times he would've been a more reliable comrade than anyone else.
Whoom!
What about at drinking parties? I wonder if he could handle his liquor. It's always guys like that who completely change personalities once they chug a drink. I wonder what type of drinker he was.
Whoom!
I'd never know. These people had stolen that opportunity away from us. Not just Jun's, but all of the other squad members, too.
Stab!
Their lives weren't disposable, and they couldn't be wasted here.
"Behel—aaah!" I forced my slack arm to move. I refused to let these guys take anything more from me.
Squeeze!
I forcibly tensed my torn-up thigh muscles to find my balance.
Whip.
A fierce aura flew toward my stomach, ignoring all air resistance as if determined to break my spirit. But then, the moment I'd been waiting for finally arrived.
Smack!
I watched her like a hawk, treating each moment as critical. Or, actually, I felt a lot like a wild dog. When this woman eventually slipped and showed even the slightest hint of weakness, I'd be able to lunge forward and sink my teeth into her.
Stab.
Forearm, flesh, wrist, thigh—the blade that had up to this point missed my vitals sank deep into my lower abdomen.
Hmm, this one seems a bit dangerous.
Zippp.
I forced my staggering body forward using the strength I had left in my legs and quickly took stock of the situation.
How much longer can I last? How many more seconds?
I had no way of knowing, but it wouldn't be long.
Not yet.
I tried to suppress any impatience. Just a little longer and it would come—the moment to end this long fight once and for all.
Smack!
Stab.
The battle continued without pause. No, calling it a battle would be a farce. It was instead a series of clashes where each team ignored all concepts of defense for the sole objective of attacking and killing the other.
"The paladin that died earlier..." The woman busy chopping up my body suddenly spoke up. I wondered what she had to say. "Was he a close friend?"
I don't know why she'd be curious about that.
Whooom!
I responded after another swing of my hammer. "No." We had known each other for too short a time to be considered close.
"Then I don't understand. Why are you going this far for him?"
"Because he's not someone who should die in a place like this."
I didn't know much about him. What I had seen was only one of the many sides of him that happened to appear in the labyrinth. Which was why I felt an even keener sense of regret. I wondered what it would have been like to go adventuring with Jun. It wouldn't have been bad, I thought. We would work well together most of the time and whenever his habits from his inquisitor days came out, I could just shoot him a warning look. Though his unconditional support would have been a burden some days, at times he would've been a more reliable comrade than anyone else.
Whoom!
What about at drinking parties? I wonder if he could handle his liquor. It's always guys like that who completely change personalities once they chug a drink. I wonder what type of drinker he was.
Whoom!
I'd never know. These people had stolen that opportunity away from us. Not just Jun's, but all of the other squad members, too.
Stab!
Their lives weren't disposable, and they couldn't be wasted here.
"Behel—aaah!" I forced my slack arm to move. I refused to let these guys take anything more from me.
Squeeze!
I forcibly tensed my torn-up thigh muscles to find my balance.
Whip.
A fierce aura flew toward my stomach, ignoring all air resistance as if determined to break my spirit. But then, the moment I'd been waiting for finally arrived.
[The Luck dwelling in your body has blocked the damage.]
Tap.
As if hit by a transparent barrier, the dagger stopped in mid-air.
So, it's finally happened.
This was Probabilistic Retaliation, Gachabone's passive ability. Passives worked regardless of whether your actives were sealed off.
[Your Ordinary Luck reflects 15% of your damage back to the enemy.]
The skeleton that popped into existence on my left side swung a dagger at Six. It wasn't any old dagger either, but one with a blazing aura the same color as hers.
Dash.
In response, Six quickly adjusted her stance from lunging and retreated. It was a scene I had seen play out several times before. Probabilistic Retaliation had activated on several occasions even before I turned on Dark Mode, and Six had evaded the counterattacks with annoying agility.
Grin.
This was the first positive development in a while.
I guess she doesn't know that much about Dark Mode.
If she did, she wouldn't have made that split-second decision. Dark Mode's auto-lock bonus applied to passives too—like this one.
Riiiiip.
The moment the summoned skeleton's dagger sliced through the empty air where Six once was, a small rift appeared and swallowed it. Before long, it transcended space and sank into Six's body.
Stab!
"Ugh." For the first time in what felt like ages, a groan escaped that steely woman.
God damn it. All that work just to hit her thigh?
I wasn't happy with that at all. If it had landed in her neck, heart, or between the eyebrows, it would've been an instant Game Over. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by this outcome, but I shook off my regrets.
It's not like I didn't expect this to happen.
Starting with Hans A in the Crystal Cave, I'd encountered countless enemies.
Yeah, this is more my style.
Each time, Plan B had been the thing to lead me to victory. So, in that sense, just as I prepared, it was finally time to end this fight.
Dash.
Spew!
As I ran forward, I spat the blood in my mouth onto Six's face. Although I didn't have Acid Fluid from the Corpse Golem anymore, I could still block her vision.
Whoom!
The blood spewing and hammer swinging happened almost simultaneously, a combo beautifully wrecking her field of vision. Six stuck out her shoulder like she could see my trajectory anyway. It was the same shoulder that was already broken to the point that it was dangling.
Really making use of that one arm, huh?
Smack!
The hammer landed on her shoulder.
Whip!
Meanwhile, the woman thrust her dagger out at me. I didn't avoid it.
Stab!
The dagger sank deep into my lower abdomen again.
Slide.
Ignoring the pain, I took advantage of the moment I'd been waiting for and threw my arm out—the same arm that normally had a shield on it, and that had been hanging limp since it was stabbed earlier. Six's eyes hardened.
[The Luck dwelling in your body has blocked the damage.]
Tap.
As if hit by a transparent barrier, the dagger stopped in mid-air.
So, it's finally happened.
This was Probabilistic Retaliation, Gachabone's passive ability. Passives worked regardless of whether your actives were sealed off.
[Your Ordinary Luck reflects 15% of your damage back to the enemy.]
The skeleton that popped into existence on my left side swung a dagger at Six. It wasn't any old dagger either, but one with a blazing aura the same color as hers.
Dash.
In response, Six quickly adjusted her stance from lunging and retreated. It was a scene I had seen play out several times before. Probabilistic Retaliation had activated on several occasions even before I turned on Dark Mode, and Six had evaded the counterattacks with annoying agility.
Grin.
This was the first positive development in a while.
I guess she doesn't know that much about Dark Mode.
If she did, she wouldn't have made that split-second decision. Dark Mode's auto-lock bonus applied to passives too—like this one.
Riiiiip.
The moment the summoned skeleton's dagger sliced through the empty air where Six once was, a small rift appeared and swallowed it. Before long, it transcended space and sank into Six's body.
Stab!
"Ugh." For the first time in what felt like ages, a groan escaped that steely woman.
God damn it. All that work just to hit her thigh?
I wasn't happy with that at all. If it had landed in her neck, heart, or between the eyebrows, it would've been an instant Game Over. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by this outcome, but I shook off my regrets.
It's not like I didn't expect this to happen.
Starting with Hans A in the Crystal Cave, I'd encountered countless enemies.
Yeah, this is more my style.
Each time, Plan B had been the thing to lead me to victory. So, in that sense, just as I prepared, it was finally time to end this fight.
Dash.
Spew!
As I ran forward, I spat the blood in my mouth onto Six's face. Although I didn't have Acid Fluid from the Corpse Golem anymore, I could still block her vision.
Whoom!
The blood spewing and hammer swinging happened almost simultaneously, a combo beautifully wrecking her field of vision. Six stuck out her shoulder like she could see my trajectory anyway. It was the same shoulder that was already broken to the point that it was dangling.
Really making use of that one arm, huh?
Smack!
The hammer landed on her shoulder.
Whip!
Meanwhile, the woman thrust her dagger out at me. I didn't avoid it.
Stab!
The dagger sank deep into my lower abdomen again.
Slide.
Ignoring the pain, I took advantage of the moment I'd been waiting for and threw my arm out—the same arm that normally had a shield on it, and that had been hanging limp since it was stabbed earlier. Six's eyes hardened.
Oh, so you didn't expect this either, huh? It was worth saving this until now, then.
Tap.
As soon as my fingertips touched Six's neck, I used my thumb, index, and middle fingers to grip it tightly.
Squeeze.
Crack!
Then I drove my forehead into her face, which remained aloof despite the situation she was in.
Kwaaang!
Instead of holding Six's body up as it fell back from the force, I piled on top of her to crush her under me.
Stab!
It felt like my side was on fire. This was kind of ridiculous. Did she really stab me even on the way down?
Whoom!
In the mount position, I brought down my hammer. Then, something incredible happened.
Ha... unbelievable.
Even while her upper body was being restrained, Six managed to avoid the hammer by using her reflexes to move just her neck. That was a surprise, but it didn't make a huge difference. It wasn't like Unavoidable Strike Correction didn't apply to close-range attacks.
Crack!
The hammer I swung at her head tore through space and crushed her feet instead.
Stab!
In return, I got one more stab wound on my side. For a moment, I felt dizzy, like all the strength was leaving my body. But the more I felt that way, the harder I swung down.
Crack!
This time, the hammer struck a pretty good spot. It must have landed right on her wrist. The dagger she had clutched in her hand flew through the air and landed on the ground.
Okay, she has no weapon now.
Now that I didn't need to worry about a counterattack, I brought my hammer down again.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Six contorted her neck at strange angles three times to protect her head, but the fourth time was different. That was because that time, the hammer came down right on top of her skull.
Crack!
The strong shock the blow sent through her brain made her body go stiff like she was having a seizure. I didn't stop and continued to bring the hammer down. There were no more auto-locks applied. Even a woman like her couldn't move her neck to dodge the hammer while suffering from a concussion.
Smash, smash, smash!
One more time.
I lifted the hammer to bring it down for the fourth time and I saw Six's eyes through the blood and crushed flesh of her face. It was quite a strange experience. I'd split countless heads before, but this had never happened.
Those calm eyes didn't seem to match the predicament she was in at all. She looked up at me with those eyes and said, "...I lose."
How nonchalant. She didn't seem the type of woman to beg for her life, but I didn't expect her to be this impassive either.
Well, either way, it doesn't matter to me.
"Nia... Raf... donia..."
I brought down the hammer with all my might.
Crack!
With an eerie snap, Six's body went stiff under me.
Huff, huff, huff...
My breath was so rapid that it was at the top of my throat rather than my lungs.
Is... she really dead?
It didn't feel real. That was how strong of an enemy she had been. But I couldn't stay here resting forever.
Slide.
After collecting my breath in a daze, I slowly got up. "Erwen, you can turn off—"
"Mister!"
It was like my blood pressure had plummeted. My vision turned white and my body staggered.
Motherfuck...
I needed to get up right now. There were still a lot of people to kill. I didn't know what I'd end up losing if I fell asleep right now.
Slide.
My eyes fell shut.
[You have fallen into a state of Unconsciousness. Elementalization has been deactivated.]
[Remnants of the Abyss: you have received Recoil in proportion to the length of your bond with the Elemental of Darkness. Cast time: 318 seconds. All Resistance values are reduced by 50% for 3180 seconds. For 3180 seconds, all healing and regeneration effects targeting you are reduced by 90%.]
Oh, so you didn't expect this either, huh? It was worth saving this until now, then.
Tap.
As soon as my fingertips touched Six's neck, I used my thumb, index, and middle fingers to grip it tightly.
Squeeze.
Crack!
Then I drove my forehead into her face, which remained aloof despite the situation she was in.
Kwaaang!
Instead of holding Six's body up as it fell back from the force, I piled on top of her to crush her under me.
Stab!
It felt like my side was on fire. This was kind of ridiculous. Did she really stab me even on the way down?
Whoom!
In the mount position, I brought down my hammer. Then, something incredible happened.
Ha... unbelievable.
Even while her upper body was being restrained, Six managed to avoid the hammer by using her reflexes to move just her neck. That was a surprise, but it didn't make a huge difference. It wasn't like Unavoidable Strike Correction didn't apply to close-range attacks.
Crack!
The hammer I swung at her head tore through space and crushed her feet instead.
Stab!
In return, I got one more stab wound on my side. For a moment, I felt dizzy, like all the strength was leaving my body. But the more I felt that way, the harder I swung down.
Crack!
This time, the hammer struck a pretty good spot. It must have landed right on her wrist. The dagger she had clutched in her hand flew through the air and landed on the ground.
Okay, she has no weapon now.
Now that I didn't need to worry about a counterattack, I brought my hammer down again.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Six contorted her neck at strange angles three times to protect her head, but the fourth time was different. That was because that time, the hammer came down right on top of her skull.
Crack!
The strong shock the blow sent through her brain made her body go stiff like she was having a seizure. I didn't stop and continued to bring the hammer down. There were no more auto-locks applied. Even a woman like her couldn't move her neck to dodge the hammer while suffering from a concussion.
Smash, smash, smash!
One more time.
I lifted the hammer to bring it down for the fourth time and I saw Six's eyes through the blood and crushed flesh of her face. It was quite a strange experience. I'd split countless heads before, but this had never happened.
Those calm eyes didn't seem to match the predicament she was in at all. She looked up at me with those eyes and said, "...I lose."
How nonchalant. She didn't seem the type of woman to beg for her life, but I didn't expect her to be this impassive either.
Well, either way, it doesn't matter to me.
"Nia... Raf... donia..."
I brought down the hammer with all my might.
Crack!
With an eerie snap, Six's body went stiff under me.
Huff, huff, huff...
My breath was so rapid that it was at the top of my throat rather than my lungs.
Is... she really dead?
It didn't feel real. That was how strong of an enemy she had been. But I couldn't stay here resting forever.
Slide.
After collecting my breath in a daze, I slowly got up. "Erwen, you can turn off—"
"Mister!"
It was like my blood pressure had plummeted. My vision turned white and my body staggered.
Motherfuck...
I needed to get up right now. There were still a lot of people to kill. I didn't know what I'd end up losing if I fell asleep right now.
Slide.
My eyes fell shut.
[You have fallen into a state of Unconsciousness. Elementalization has been deactivated.]
[Remnants of the Abyss: you have received Recoil in proportion to the length of your bond with the Elemental of Darkness. Cast time: 318 seconds. All Resistance values are reduced by 50% for 3180 seconds. For 3180 seconds, all healing and regeneration effects targeting you are reduced by 90%.]