Integration: One Flash
A perfect thrust. The scales pierced clean through, and the beast let out a roar. Kirrrraaaah! The air split with an explosion, shattered fragments spraying in every direction. A deafening rumble like the sky and earth tearing apart. Hearing that roar up close made my skull vibrate. My brain felt like it was turning to mush. My head throbbed.
I retrieved the rapier and tried to leap off its back. Before I could even yank the embedded blade free, the thing shot straight up into the air. Whiiish! Altitude spiked in an instant. Wind clawed at my face, and below, the felled trees and recallers shrank to tiny dots. The shock threw me off balance, clinging desperately to its back.
Fuck. I didn't have a fear of heights, but at this elevation, my legs went weak anyway. A fall from here would smash me to pieces. To avoid dropping, I twisted the rapier lodged in its back. The beast shook its body with all its might to fling me off. Crack! Its torso whipped left and right. I hung on for dear life. As I regained my balance and prepared to stab again, it started spinning 360 degrees. Back that had faced the sky now toward the ground, belly flipping skyward. The rotation accelerated in a flash. Sky to ground. Ground to sky. Ground again. Sky again. I gritted my teeth and endured. The first two or three spins, I could still count. Soon, it was a blur. As it started erratic maneuvers, the spin sped up even more. Whirr! My vision flipped continuously, but instead, my body stuck to its back like gum. Centrifugal force pinning me down, probably. Urk. Every rotation in midair tangled my guts. Dizziness crashed over me.
This snake bastard. While gripping the sword to hold on, I activated Silence of Bloom. Not sure if it'd work like this, but it was an attempt to anchor my body. Thud. Tree roots sprouted from my soles but failed to pierce its scales. They slipped and scattered. I retracted the ability and switched plans. To stop it, beating the shit out of it was best. I resolved to pummel the thing. Grip. Fighting vertigo, I clutched the embedded blade with my left hand like my lifeline. I bent my knees, lowered my stance, and raised my right fist. Ready to pound.
Whoosh. Vision normalized, gravity tugging at my shoulders and feet—right then, I smashed my fist into its back. 'Align, center—.' Naturally infused with mana: swiftness, insight, fist. Penetrated. Splat! My punch didn't stop it. If anything, it pissed it off; wingbeats accelerated briefly. I savored the sensation of my organs centrifuging. "Fuuuuck, you pieeeeeces of shiiiit—." That little fucker! Rage surged. I hammered its back in fury. Thud. One hit no good? Two hits. Thud. Thud. Two no good? Three, stubbornly. Thud. Thud. Thud. I'd keep pounding till it stopped. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Stop, you fucking bastard. Vision righted or not, aligned or not, centered or not—didn't matter anymore. I just wrapped my fist in mana and blindly bashed. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Hammering one spot cracked its dark blue scales. A water drop splitting rock came to mind. This is it. No hesitation. Fist swung again. Thud. Thud. Thud. Cracked scales rang through my knuckles on impact. Gate Bound thrashed, shaking the air. Even dragged by the spin, I didn't stop. Clinging fiercely, pounding the same point relentlessly. Thud. Thud. Thud. Vision spinning? Whatever. Vomit rising to my throat? Fuck it. Thud. Thud. Thud. It'll break eventually. Like a water drop on rock. Shatter already! After a barrage, the cracks widened. Thud. Split scale fragments peeled open like a clamshell. Thud! Finally, scales shattered, shards flying. Crunch. Red lines seeped from the gash. Its white flesh stark against the blood.
Gotcha. I focused all my power on that one spot. 'Align, center….' Penetrated. Mana-wrapped fist slammed into the raw flesh through the breach. Splorch! Explosion of sound, and the spin halted. Vision steadied. Drop. Not just stopping—the sudden halt nearly flung me off. If my fist hadn't been buried in its flesh, I'd have plummeted. Whirr. Its spine arched grotesquely, massive body tensing like a drawn bowstring. Kirrrraaaah! Agony, clearly. Roar erupted. Ears rang from the tearing noise as I yanked my fist free. Finally stopped. That instant, the arched spine snapped straight—like releasing a taut bowstring. Whoosh. The recoil launched me off. Rapier still in hand. Fuck. Didn't see that coming. My body plunged immediately. Wind raked my cheeks like talons. Below, endless ground, splintered trees and recallers scattered like debris. Whiiish. I gritted my teeth. Organs lurched upward, bones crushed by pressure. Face skin flapped like it might tear off. 'Actually, perfect. This way….' Even then, plotting next move. Gripped rapier in right hand, twisted body desperately to angle left side down. 'Petrify—.' Basilion Shell coated me just as ground rushed up. BOOM! Body slammed in. Excruciating pain shattered every inch of me, dominating consciousness. Each bone joint screaming. "……."
Pain surged violently. Without prep, I'd have blacked out. Grind. Gritted teeth, swallowed agony. Clung to fraying sanity. Repaired body, shed Basilion Shell. "Hoo…." Pain ebbed, fierce hunger hit with sharpening mind. Didn't rise. Stayed embedded, lying prone, playing dead. Waiting. Piiiish. As expected, it came to check. Left side buried, right hand gripping rapier intact. 'Closer.' Used swiftness, uncoiling danjeon mana threads, tensing. Mana running low now. Realized I'd been using fist-sized mana chunks efficiently. Piiiish. It approached like a nearsighted elder. That moment, I sprang. Instinctively, it tucked its neck. Whish. Neck no good? Target wings. Kicked off ground again. Swiftness to stab. 'Align, center….' Penetrated. Mana-lightning rapier pierced wing. Crackle. Retracted blade skyward. Rapier shredded one wing completely. Kirrrraaah! Roar again. Shoulder twitched; massive tail whipped in. Couldn't dodge, sent flying. Crash! Buried deep, cratering ground. Miracle body intact. Cough. Spat blood, rose. "Can't fly now, huh, you fucking bastard."
Not entirely sure. Might fly with one wing. "…Hoo." Repaired wounds, caught breath. Pulled bread from subspace pouch, wolfed it down. Swallowed near-whole, chugged water. It wasn't attacking, recovering. Big shock, probably. Seized chance, refueled with bread and water. —Recovery complete. Gripped rapier confidently—then atmosphere shifted. Layer winds halted abruptly. Hummm. Air hung heavy, all sounds sinking silent. One-winged Gate Bound hovered tilted. Something's off…. Blue glow points on black scales ignited. Points connected like constellations, forming unknown pattern. Hummm. Low vibrations in ears. Hypnotized, I stared. Brain decoded pattern's meaning. 'Death.' Brain froze. Neck prickled, goosebumps. Air turned eerie. Heart-crushing pressure. Pulse-slowing force. Death—. Concept looped in mind. Death. Death. Death. Death. Death. Death. Death. Not my thought. Forced injection. "Wha…." Terror turning physical. Fingertips trembled, grip weakening on sword. Fuck, what is this. Buckled knees straightened, reclutched blade. Its ability, probably. Fear. Not mere emotion—a debuff. Thoughts stretched like rubber, body leaden. Overall stats down. Gritted teeth. Endure. Fuck. Whipped my mind. Death pressure unchanged, but will held. Forced stiff senses, meshed sluggish thoughts. Piiiish. Swam air toward me. Tilted from lost wing, but fierce eyes same. Fought off [Death]. Couldn't fully shake. Word looped. Piiiish. Slithered around me. Careless eyes. Stared at mouth. 'Too small.' Jar-blood sucker, tiny maw. If bigger, might've tried Thanos-Antman ass strategy. Splat! Tail lashed body. Couldn't react. [Fear] clogging muscles, nerves. Moved late—already hit. Fuck. Buried, tasted iron, rose. "Urk." Vision rippled like thin membrane, spat blood. Repaired; it closed again. Whoosh. Tail mace smashed head. Splat! Couldn't dodge again. Crack. Bone snapped somewhere. Tinnitus rang, blood gushed. Fuck. This is bullshit. Rose, repaired; shadow loomed again. 'Align, center….' Preempted swing. —Penetrated. Dodged easily, spun. Chiiir. Eerie cry. Enjoying, probably. Crazy monster fuck. Careless. Crisis and opportunity. Land one solid hit on attack. Problem: 'How.' Clear intent, but [Fear]-infested body slow. Align-center-penetrate routine—already eating tail each time. Needed faster thrust. Simpler. Deeper. Full power, quick. But how…. Giant form? Coordination sucks at scale. How grip tiny rapier? Or giant body brawl? Thud! Tail arced, smashed again. Soared, cratered. Senses grayed; mind looped 'how.' Chiiir. Laughed gleefully. What the fuck's it thinking. Rose, repaired shattered body. Amid weird laugh, flash struck. 'Thinking.' Align, center, penetrate—not just body. Thinking. I'd thrust using only physical axis. Chanting steps inwardly. But thrust aligns body and mind axis perfectly. Why miss this. Not missed—experience lagged growth. Habit, maybe. Piiiish. Mid-epiphany, approached. Tilted, one wing, careless eyes. Fangs and tail crossed, gap formed. That gap—now. Whoosh. Tail whistled. Shallow silence; thought in gap. Align mind too. Center mind too. Penetrate mind too. Swiftness, insight, mana threads, thrust. Unify all on one axis. Flash ignited. Single flash. Flash. So… One Flash. Flicker—. Sword moved like lightning. Stab! Gate Bound's eye burst like glass. Crackle! Lightning blade slid through jelly, bored orbital socket. Scorched brain, pierced skull in one go. Crunch! Blue points flickered wildly, constellation blacked out. Massive body arced bow-like, straightened, crashed. Thud—. Shock rippled underground, dust billowed. Drew sword, stepped back. "……."
Fingertips still trembled. Vibration faded along blade. Key issue: fluids splashed, some entered mouth. And I swallowed. "Fuck." Trance state, unavoidable. Still, tongue swept, whispered low—but clear: "One Flash." Unified swiftness, insight, mana thrust into one.