Chapter 83: 83:Slain
His exhausted muscles loosened slightly as some of the pain coursing through his body slowly began to fade, allowing him to breathe a little easier than before.
It restored around ten percent of his stamina and mana.
It wasn’t much.
But right now, even that little felt lifesaving.
The Undead Warrior grabbed the Dryad and was about to tear it apart when a sword slammed into its face.
Duster had managed to get back to his feet.
Tears still streamed down his face, but he seemed to have regained enough control of himself to act. And the moment he did, he grabbed a sword and hurled it at Undead Warrior.
Before the Undead Warrior could completely tear apart the weakened Dryad, Reigns forced his exhausted legs into motion and charged forward once more despite the pain raging throughout his body.
His boots slammed heavily against the cracked floor as he picked up a broken shield lying nearby before and gripped it tightly.
Then, using a pile of debris as a support, he leaped forward and slammed the shield directly into the Undead Warrior’s head with all the strength he had left.
BANG!
The impact jolted the creature’s head to the side. Its damaged mask shifted from the force and slid partially aside, finally exposing part of the skull hidden beneath.
For the first time, Reigns saw what lay under the mask.
The exposed side of the skull looked hollow and horrifying. Faint blue flames flickered within the empty eye socket, creating an eerie and unnatural sight that made his expression tighten slightly.
The Undead Warrior paused.
Its flaming eyes blinked almost innocently for a split second, as though confused by the sudden attack.
Then the killing intent returned.
It instantly swung its greatsword toward Reigns.
SWOOOSH!
Reigns quickly raised the stolen sword to intercept the incoming strike while bracing himself for the impact.
CLAAANG!
A deafening metallic crash erupted the moment both weapons collided, sending sparks flying in every direction.
The impact was monstrous.
Reigns was sent flying backward and rolled across the rough battlefield several times. Pain exploded throughout his body, and his hands nearly lost their grip on the weapon from the sheer force from the impact.
As he rolled, Reigns suddenly spotted the dagger he had thrown earlier lodged between a cluster of broken stones.
Without slowing down, he grabbed it up mid-roll while keeping hold of the damaged shield with his other hand. He finally came to a stop after crashing heavily into a pile of rubble.
Breathing heavily, Reigns slowly raised his head and looked at the Undead Warrior and Number One.
The Dryad was already on its last legs.
Large cracks covered its body. One of its wooden arms was barely attached, and pieces of shattered bark continuously fell from its damaged frame.
It looked as though it could collapse at any moment.
Seeing that sight, Reigns suddenly remembered the Dryad’s final move earlier during the fight.
An idea flashed through his mind as he stared at the heavily struggling Undead Warrior.
His eyes immediately narrowed with determination upon realizing that this might be the only remaining chance for them to end the fight before both he and Number One completely collapsed from exhaustion and injuries.
"Number One! Hold it down!"
The heavily damaged Dryad immediately obeyed Reigns’ command despite its broken condition.
Thick vines suddenly burst from its cracked frame and shot toward the Undead Warrior from every direction. They twisted around each other and formed a massive mesh-like net around the creature.
SHRRRK!
The Undead Warrior immediately flew into a rage. The blue flames in its hollow eyes flared as it struggled against the vines with monstrous strength.
It began tearing them apart with both hands, sending splintered wood and shredded vines scattering across the battlefield as it desperately tried to reach its greatsword.
But the Dryad wrapped even more vines around its arms and body.
Deeper cracks spread across Number One’s damaged frame, and fragments of bark continuously broke away and fell to the ground.
Its body had already reached its absolute limit.
Reigns watched everything unfold while breathing heavily, his grip tightening around the dagger.
At that moment, he finally decided to give whatever he still had left.
A violent surge of energy erupted from his exhausted body.
"Berserker."
His heartbeat accelerated. Muscles tightened across his body, and bulging blood vessels spread along his arms and neck as a savage burst of strength coursed through him.
"Lightning Steps."
CRACKLE!
Lightning sparks exploded around his legs as violent electrical arcs danced wildly across the cracked battlefield beneath him, illuminating the ruined surroundings.
"Phantom Steps."
Several blurry afterimages formed behind Reigns as his movements became unnaturally fast, almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
The combined might of all those abilities pushed his strength to a completely different level, while his already exhausted body screamed in agony from the overwhelming strain.
The last remnants of his mana were rapidly consumed.
Reigns tightened his grip on the dagger.
Then he slammed his foot heavily into the ground with all his remaining strength.
BOOM!
The earth beneath him cracked apart as his body shot forward toward the Undead Warrior at a terrifying speed, leaving a trail of blurry afterimages behind him.
In an instant, he arrived directly before the Undead Warrior.
The creature noticed Reigns approaching and immediately tried to turn around and retaliate.
But at that exact moment, Number One wrapped its remaining vines tightly around the creature’s body and desperately tried to stop it from reaching its greatsword.
CRAAACK!
The vines snapped apart one after another under the monster’s overwhelming strength. Number One’s body trembled violently from the pressure, and large chunks of wood shattered away from its already damaged frame.
Reigns seized that opening immediately.
The dagger in his hand glowed brightly after being imbued with Arcana Blast. Violent lightning sparks erupted around the blade while the surrounding air crackled loudly from the unstable energy gathering around it.
With every ounce of strength left in his exhausted body, Reigns leaped upward before thrusting the dagger directly toward the small crevice beside the damaged mask where part of its skull had been exposed earlier.
THUD!
The dagger pierced deeply into the crack and lodged itself firmly inside the exposed skull.
CRRRACKLE!
Lightning exploded from the blade as electric arcs spread throughout the Undead Warrior’s head.
CRANG!
The exposed skull shattered apart.
Cracks rapidly spread across the Undead Warrior’s head as the blue flames burning within its eyes flickered before slowly fading away.
The massive armored body froze in place for a brief moment before finally collapsing onto the battlefield with a deafening crash that echoed throughout the ruined gate.
BOOOOM!
For a brief moment, complete silence filled the battlefield.
Dust slowly rose around the fallen corpse of the Undead Warrior, while the remaining vines around its body loosened lifelessly.
Then the familiar notification of the world echoed inside Reigns’ mind.
[You have killed Lv18 Undead Warrior.]
[You have gained 3000 days of tradable lifespan.]
[You have slain the boss monster and cleared the gate alone.]
