Chapter 22: End Of The Vengeful Battle
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Hey, System, tell me this physique isn’t fucking with me right now, because trust me, I’m in no fucking position to handle any shit right now."
The system went silent for a moment before responding, its tone calm and somber. Host, note that the skill only activates when the host is one step away from death, and that has not happened yet.
Li Yu felt like facepalming if both his hands weren’t currently occupied in a deadly struggle against the Saber Panther. "So what you’re saying is that until I’m one step away from death, it won’t activate? What happens if I take two steps instead of one?
That means I’m dead long before that damn skill activates. That’s really disappointing as hell." Host, hang on. The poison is spreading faster and faster. It is only a matter of time before the beast is doomed.
Li Yu didn’t reply anymore. His mind was already starting to grow blurry as he continued exchanging rapid blows with the Saber Panther.
The amount of blood he had lost was massive at this point, and his consciousness was gradually becoming hazy. His vision would have completely blurred by now if not for the fresh pain the Saber Panther kept delivering to his battered body. The pain kept his mind awake. It kept his focus sharp.
The battle raged on. And as it continued, Li Yu began to notice something. The Saber Panther was growing weaker and weaker as the battle dragged on. More and more. Little by little. Until it happened. His claw tore into the beast chest, nearly reaching his very core.
And then... BOOM! Li Yu crashed violently against the mountain wall. His body slid down its rough surface, blood streaming from his head and dripping through his dark raven hair like crimson rain. Yet despite the pain, Li Yu simply looked up with a faint smile on his lips. "I’m getting close... really close to ending that bastard."
With that comforting thought burning in his mind, he shakily rose to his feet. His vision suddenly darkened. Then... WHUUSH! A sharp pain exploded through his nerves. His focus instantly cleared. He had driven his fingers directly into one of the ghastly wounds on his chest.
The terrible pain forced his mind back into clarity. "I will win." "I must win." Li Yu muttered under his breath. A grin slowly stretched across his face. He looked like a psychopath.
It was as though he had finally lost his sanity. Host, are you okay? You can still leave, you know. The Saber Panther can’t survive. Come back later and it will be dead by the time you return. The system’s voice echoed through Li Yu’s head, attempting to convince him.
But Li Yu wasn’t listening. He wasn’t listening to the system. He wasn’t listening to his own body. He wasn’t even listening to his own thoughts. Only one thing remained in his eyes. Murder. And the target of that murderous intent was currently staggering toward him.
The red eyes that once burned like volcanoes had already dimmed considerably. The Saber Panther slowly advanced. Li Yu’s grin became even more maniacal.
"I will win." "I will end you, damn bastard!" The instant those words left his mouth, Li Yu exploded from his position, forcing his battered and screaming body straight into another agonizing battle. Another round began.
But this one didn’t last nearly as long as the previous exchanges. Several minutes later... BANG! A deafening impact echoed through the mountains. WHUUSH! BOOM! Dust exploded into the air. When the dust finally settled, a single figure remained standing. Li Yu.
Both of his hands were bloodied. His white, razor-sharp claws had been ripped off during the battle. His fingers were drenched in crimson liquid. His own blood. Yet despite his miserable condition, he was firmly holding the massive Saber Panther claws.
The deadly claws were aimed directly at his head. But he had stopped it in midair. "You bastard... wanna kill me again?" Li Yu asked with a crooked grin stretching across his blood-covered lips. The Saber Panther struggled desperately to break free from his grasp.
But it couldn’t. Its strength was nearly gone. Its life was already close to being extinguished.
"Let me tell you something, pal." "That wouldn’t be happening." Li Yu’s leg suddenly moved. Strapped to his side was a rusty-looking sword. With a powerful kick, he launched it upward.
The weapon spun through the air. Li Yu caught the hilt with his mouth. Then, using all his remaining strength, he pulled the Saber Panther forward. And stabbed. The rusty sword pierced directly into the beast’s remaining red eye. The weapon was fragile.
It wasn’t particularly sharp compared to real swords. It couldn’t be trusted to do much. But piercing an eye? That was easy. The sword sank deep. Extremely deep. Straight into the beast’s skull.
The Saber Panther released a deafening roar of agony as it desperately attempted to pull away and remove the sword from its eye. But that was exactly the opportunity Li Yu had been waiting for. He released the beast’s claw.
Then charged backward. The Saber Panther didn’t even care about what the human was doing. All of its attention was focused on the unbearable pain. It ripped the rusty sword from its eye and hurled it away. The weapon clattered across the ground, several new cracks appearing on its already worn surface.
But it had accomplished its purpose. It had blinded the beast. The Saber Panther frantically looked left and right. Yet it could see nothing. Only endless, suffocating darkness. Then it heard something. A sound approaching rapidly. Extremely rapidly. The beast turned.
But it realized the danger a moment too late. A figure slammed into it with full force. The impact sent both Li Yu and the Saber Panther spiraling off the edge of the cliff. They plummeted downward. Falling endlessly toward the abyss below.
And during the fall, Li Yu unleashed a storm of attacks. His fists hammered into the beast’s neck. Its eyes. Its chest. Every vulnerable and injured part of its body. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! The impacts echoed continuously as Li Yu mercilessly thrashed the beast.
And the Saber Panther couldn’t retaliate. After all, it was taking the full force of the fall while Li Yu sat atop its body, raining down punch after punch fueled by pure rage and killing intent. Each strike carried everything he had left. Every ounce of pain. Every drop of blood. Every shred of determination. And Li Yu showed no signs of stopping.
And then, after a while, the two crashed downward into the spring beneath with a thunderous... BOOOOOOOOOOM! Massive waves of water surged high into the air due to the collision, spreading outward in every direction like a miniature tsunami.
Then, slowly, the waves settled. And when they finally settled, two figures could be seen floating within the water. One was a human figure who seemed to have been decimated and dissected several times over.
He looked more like a mutilated corpse than a living human being. On the other side of the spring was a large dark-furred feline beast. It was, of course, the Saber Panther in all of its glory. Or rather, in none of its former glory. It now lay battered, bloodied, and utterly ruined.
Its chest rose once in a while, as though the beast stood at the very edge of death. Its two eyes had been completely blinded. One by venom. The other by a sword. The Saber Panther couldn’t even move anymore. It was done. Truly done. Li Yu stared at the heavens for a while.
He was also done. In fact, he felt as though he was dying. The haziness that had attacked his mind before returned. This time it was stronger. Far stronger than before. Maybe this is for the best. Maybe I should just close my eyes and let this be over.
It seemed like the perfect choice to make. The cold embrace he was slowly slipping into felt comfortable. Peaceful. Free from suffering. He should simply end it and take a short nap. He had earned it after all.
Li Yu was just about to act on this thought that had begun dominating his mind when the system suddenly spoke. Its tone sounded unusually urgent. Host, the Saber Panther is about to die from the venom. Li Yu didn’t reply. His eyes slowly began closing.
Host, are you really going to go back on your words? Are you truly going to let this beast slip through your hands? What about your revenge? The system’s voice continued. It would all be for nothing if the Saber Panther was killed by poison instead of dying by your own two hands.
Those words seemed to snap Li Yu directly out of his comforting thoughts. His eyes shot open. A frown appeared on his face. "No." "I won’t let that beast slip past my hands." "I will kill it with my own two hands."
With that thought burning inside his mind, Li Yu slowly forced himself to rise. Weakly. Painfully. Every muscle fiber in his body screamed in agony. Every inch of his being begged him to collapse. Yet he forced himself to remain standing.
His gaze shifted toward the Saber Panther. The beast was too weak to move even a single muscle. If not for its chest occasionally rising and falling, one would have mistaken it for a corpse.
"Good." Li Yu spoke through his cracked lips. A haunting grin spread across his face. "Don’t die yet." "I’ll kill you myself." He began walking forward. One brutal step after another. Each movement felt as though knives were carving through his flesh. Yet he continued. Step. After step. After step.
Until he finally stood before the beast. Looking down at the monster that had once tortured and killed him so casually. So effortlessly. The same creature that had once viewed him as nothing more than prey had now been reduced to this state beneath his feet. And all because of his own efforts.
The sight filled Li Yu with an immense sense of satisfaction. Then he clenched his fist. And punched downward. BANG! The impact echoed loudly. The beast’s body trembled slightly from the pain. Yet it couldn’t even release a growl anymore.
It was dying far too quickly. Li Yu’s face was filled with vindictive joy as he spoke calmly.
"That is for the torture I suffered beneath your claws." Then another punch descended. BANG! This one landed directly on the beast’s ruined eye. Blood splattered outward, staining the surrounding water crimson. Li Yu continued in the same calm voice. "That is for the despair you made me feel."
Then it continued. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Each strike was followed by another sentence. Another grievance. Another piece of suffering. Pain. Fear. Despair. Hopelessness. Humiliation.
Everything he had endured was repaid through his fists. The beast’s final shreds of life rapidly faded away. Yet even then, Li Yu refused to grant it an easy passage into the afterlife. He clenched both hands together above his head. Then brought them crashing downward with every ounce of strength his battered body could muster.
BOOM! The strike landed directly on the beast’s chest. Where its heart and core were located. A sickening crack echoed through the air. Li Yu’s face became deathly cold. "That..." His voice trembled slightly. "...is for killing me." BOOOOOM! The water exploded upward once more. Huge waves surged into the air.
And following that final strike... The Saber Panther stopped twitching. Its chest ceased moving. Its life was completely extinguished. Then a familiar notification flashed brightly before Li Yu’s eyes. Ding! Level 2 Stage 10 Beast has been slain. 1,000 Essence Points have been received.
Additional 500 Essence Points have been received due to Host achieving victory against an Apex Predator for the first time. Li Yu’s face remained calm as he waited for the notification he truly wanted to see.
A second later... Another notification appeared. Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have successfully leveled up.
