We Hunt Monsters 14, page 36
Keith’s gaze flickered to the corner of his vision, where he no longer saw any damage notifications. That single attack should have been enough to finish Neander for good, especially given how much cumulative damage the Spirit had taken. The initial blast had shaved away over five million HP. Following that, it had sapped Neander’s health at over half a million per second. Given the damage he’d already sustained, the Spirit of Bitter Cold should be dead, yet no notification of his demise was forthcoming.
Keith flexed his arms, using Heatstance again as he tightened his grip on the handle of his hammer. He was sure Neander would break free or the spell would run its course, and when the Spirit emerged, he would be ready.
A scythe blade suddenly appeared from within the inky black, struggling to push out of the dense sphere of compressed gravity. This spell was supposed to be inescapable for both body and soul. Had Keith been trapped in this, it would have been his prison until he died of the pressure. Even after he came back, his body would be reconstituted inside. So, the question was, how could Neander escape?
Keith flew back a dozen or so yards, then tucked his legs beneath him in midair. He could see the struggle as the scythe pushed against the constraints of the spell. No attacks would make any difference. They would simply be sucked away. All he could do was sit there and wait for Neander to break free. Still, that didn’t mean he needed to be idle. Closing his eyes and trusting Tac to warn him when Neander was about to break free, he began meditating. Fatigue was already beginning to set in, despite the short battle. He knew that once Neander was out, he would need to finish this quickly.
He hated that time was ticking away on this quest, while the Spirit struggled to free himself from an attack that should have killed him. If Neander were still taking damage, Keith wouldn’t be so worried, but the damage had stopped after the Spirit had lost roughly eight million points of his health. Whatever he was doing to stave off said damage likely had something to do with his World Item. Nothing else Keith could think of would keep Neander safe from the effects of such a powerful spell, especially one whose power had been amplified by so much.
Though he could feel his time slipping away, Keith breathed evenly, clearing his mind of all worries and focusing on relaxing his breathing. Time ticked slowly by as he felt his mind grow sharper. It must have been a bit over three minutes when Tac warned him, as his mind felt sharp and clear, the effects of Judgment taking hold and sharpening focus by a whopping four hundred percent.
Opening his eyes, Keith saw Neander dragging himself from the black hole. His upper body was free, and the mad grin was no longer plastered across his face. Instead, an enraged snarl twisted his features as he struggled, eyes blazing blueish white as crackles of blue electricity danced around his form. The runes across the bandage wraps glowed as well, pushing against the constraints of the spell trying to drag him down.
Keith breathed deeply as he stood, his focused mind now seeing the warp of gravity affecting the area around the black hole. Any attack he threw would be deflected away before it could hit Neander, even now. His eyes flicked up to the timer. He was down to six and a half minutes. Nearly two-thirds of his time was gone, and he had the sneaking suspicion that the fight was about to become much harder.
He waited in silence, his eyes never leaving those of the Spirit as he inched his way free, his body blazing with power. It seemed like an eternity before Neander managed to drag himself from the field, leaving the pulsing black sphere behind him, confirming Tac’s theory that it wouldn’t disappear. He’d need to be careful not to get caught in it himself.
“That was clever of you,” Neander snarled, swinging his scythe, eyes radiating malice. “Very clever indeed.”
Keith flashed forward, swinging War’s hammer at the Spirit’s head. Neander’s scythe came up, intercepting the blow as it drove him back through the air and away from the black spot, toward a mountain that had yet to be destroyed. Neander’s face twisted in rage as Keith drew a fist back, slamming it into the Spirit’s gut. It felt like he’d made contact with a slippery wall instead of the Spirit as Field Leveler skittered off and to the side.
Neander gestured with his off hand, and Keith used Magician before the blast of concussive air detonated between them. He still took some damage as he spun away but managed to avoid the worst of it, squaring up against Neander as the clock dropped to five minutes.
The Spirit of Bitter Cold’s aura seemed to have grown, but even as he watched, something else began radiating from the man – an aura of red Keith recognized, both in feel and by sight as a pair of runed gauntlets appeared over the Spirit’s hands, as well as a pair of metal boots. The metal seemed to turn liquid as it flowed up over the Spirit’s arms and legs, stopping when the metal covered his shoulders and hips respectively.
Keith recognized this armor. After all, he’d killed the Spirit to whom it had originally belonged. He had no idea how Neander had gotten a hold of it, let alone how he was wearing it. War wasn’t his domain, yet there he stood.
The scythe in his grip glowed brighter as Neander’s snarl deepened. Then the Spirit swung his weapon in a downward arc, and the mountain below split in two.
53
It was all Keith could do to stay alive as the wave of invisible power slammed into him. He triggered the Ripper Progenitor’s Aura, giving himself a boost, but even that wasn’t enough. The raised haft of War’s hammer clashed against the attack as he was driven from the air and into the ground, colliding with trees and rocks as he plowed through them.
Neander was a speck in the sky as he slashed with the scythe again. Keith rolled to the left as he finally shattered the attack, only for the ground to split the spot his body had just occupied. Neander appeared before him, not through a rift, but via short-range teleportation.
“Well, I guess we now know that’s one power carried by the armor,” Tac said as the scythe slammed into his gut, the elongated blade flashing past the guard of his hammer and piercing clearly through his armor.
Burning pain radiated from the point of impact as the blade ripped into him. Neander’s grimace turned into an ugly grin as he ripped the blade to one side. Keith shoved out at the same time, using Stone Chucker to shift the ground beneath them. The blade tore free in a spray of blood, the damage notification flashing as he used Ancient’s Fury.
-290,600 damage, Stabbing
You are bleeding: -1,000 HP per second.
Blazing flames swallowed the Spirit for an instant, but Keith knew his attack hadn’t connected. He spun in place, his hammer deflecting the blade of the scythe as Neander had popped out behind him. The blade of the scythe slammed into the ground, cleaving a clean furrow. Neander’s grin widened as he used the momentum to close the gap, driving a gauntleted fist into Keith’s chest.
Red runes blazed across the armor as it impacted, and Keith felt a wave of heat crash over him as his ribs buckled and snapped. The air seemed to concave for an instant, then he blasted away, plowing through the mountainside and emerging out the other side in an explosion of dirt and stone. He coughed up blood as he crashed into the next mountain over, his lungs rattling in a way that told him they’d been punctured.
Righting himself, he used Total Recovery, regaining the lost health in an instant, only for a spell circle to appear above him, activating far faster than it should have. He used Lightswap, avoiding the full brunt of the spell, but didn’t escape entirely unscathed. His leg sported a gash that went down to the bone, and worse, Neander was there waiting for him.
The Spirit’s speed and power had increased by leaps and bounds, but he also had access to a new pool of skills and spells Tac was trying to decipher. Keith drove a punch into the Spirit’s gut again, only for his fist to slide aside for a second time. Only Magician saved his face from being caved in as Neander’s gauntleted fist shot through the air.
His cheek burned as he reappeared, throwing his hammer up in a block and using Overclock on Stone Chucker. A plate of stone appeared between them, throwing Neander’s aim as he leaped back, creating a bit of distance. The Spirit didn’t break through the stone, reappearing to his left, spell circle glowing in his left hand and scythe swinging with the right.
Keith used Icebound Rend, feeling his own movements accelerate, though Neander wasn’t slowed in the slightest. It seemed that the item wouldn’t affect the Spirit at this point. Still, the extra speed coupled with Speed Demon helped him to avoid the scythe, though not the spell, which caught his left leg, encasing it in a block of ice that weighed his movements and slowed him down considerably.
He tried to break it, but Neander went on the attack again, keeping up the pressure and forcing Keith on the defensive. With time ticking down and his options quickly running out, Keith knew this wasn’t where he wanted to be. He triggered his immortality for a second time. It had been reset after his time rewind, and for the next seventy-five seconds, nothing could hurt him.
Keith shattered the ice encasing his foot as the scythe slammed into his neck, blasting him into the ground and doing nothing whatsoever.
“Did you think that would stop me?” Neander’s voice echoed from above.
Clearly, the Spirit had seen the lack of damage as well. He didn’t seem concerned.
“Okay, I think I’ve got it,” Tac said as Keith dragged himself to the surface, then shot into the air after the Spirit. “He’s got access to three main new skills. The first is short-range teleportation, given by the armor. The second is Speed Casting, allowing for the instantaneous casting of a spell for five times the mana cost. The third is called War’s Blessing, which gives him combat ability on par with about fifty percent of Tenor’s maximum.”
Tenor was the Spirit of War, so even half his power was still a ludicrous amount to be swinging around in addition to his own. Keith almost felt like crying foul, but he doubted it would fall on receptive ears.
The power of the Brutality, Vanity, and Regality Avatars flooded through him, his aura expanding in an instant. He blasted forward, knocking the scythe aside and punching Neander in the face. The Spirit staggered back through the air, but not before casting a spell that blasted them apart. Keith flipped head over heels before recovering, pulling the cannon from his inventory and blasting the Spirit with Dragon’s Judgment.
Where all the previous attacks had failed, this one finally punched through the slippery armor guarding the Spirit’s body, the supercharged bolt of flame punching into his chest and leaving a visible scorch mark.
-117,000
Neander howled as Keith watched his health drop again. The Spirit was sitting at a bit over two million HP, and it didn’t seem to be recovering. Still, his defenses were so good at this point and the Spirit himself was so slippery that it was hard to make solid contact.
Keith blasted forward, rocketing through the air as he drew another hammer and threw it. It rebounded off a conjured shield, and Neander was gone again, reappearing to his right. His scythe crackled this time as it came down, cleaving into his shoulder and encasing half his body in red ice in an instant. Keith felt the weight drag him down, but he shattered it with a flex of his muscles. The power of three Avatars was flowing through him in addition to his own, and while the clock might not be in his favor, right now, he was strong and fast enough to keep up.
Neander vanished, and this time, Keith got the spacing right, hurling a boulder using Stone Chuker right as he reappeared. Neander didn’t flinch as the rock shattered on his shield, but he did when Keith appeared behind him with Lightswap, slamming a punch into his lower back as he snagged the Spirit by the shoulder, keeping him from fleeing.
Neander screamed as he punched through the slippery shield, and though Keith’s punch was blunted, it still did some damage.
-66,177
-78,100
-14,655
-65,192
Neander managed to throw himself to the side, blunting one of the blows further, and after Keith managed to land his fourth in a row, a blast of expanding air separated them. Neander reappeared a hundred feet away, and Keith found himself surrounded by spell circles. He tried to teleport, only for it to fail as the spinning runes turned red.
“Well, at least it won’t hurt you,” Tac said as red and white lightning flashed from all the spell circles at once, ripping into his body and locking him in place.
His immortality stopped him from feeling the attack, but it also prevented him from leaving. Keith knew that the instant he was mortal again, this spell would start hurting – a lot.
He tried to use Stone Chucker but again found he was unable to. Growling, he tried using Ancient’s Fury alongside Extender, and to his relief, it actually worked. Explosive flames blasted out of him in a wave, driving back some of the electricity and allowing him to move. He used Armageddon Spear then, targeting one of the circles, but even as it made contact, Neander floated to eye level, maintaining his distance as he raised his scythe again. Light flowed from his scythe, flashing into the spell circle he was trying to damage. It seemed to grow larger instead of shrinking or shattering, and the output increased.
In fact, all of the attacks became more intense as the output of the spell ratcheted up, forcing his arms to their sides momentarily.
“This is one of the effects of the scythe,” Tac said. “Spell reinforcement.”
“Just how many effects does that item have?” Keith exclaimed as he shoved his arms apart.
“You know, that is a good question,” Tac said. “So far, I’ve seen four different effects. I have a feeling there’s at least one more, not to mention the big boy effect he’s yet to use.”
Keith took a breath, then strained against the spell, turning rapidly in place as he fell into a combination of punches and kicks, unleashing an Overclocked Armageddon Spear with each attack, targeting the spell circles.
Twin blocks of ice appeared before him, then shot forward, flowing to liquid momentarily before solidifying around the spell circles, further trapping him. Keith growled as he finally shattered the final circle, then had to fight to free himself of the icy prison. He couldn’t Lightswap out because the ice wasn’t clear, blocking his line of sight. War’s Hammer cracked into the icy prison, sending a web of cracks spreading across its surface, only for the ice to heal as soon as he pulled back for a second blow.
“You can see what he’s doing here, right, bro?” Tac asked.
He would have been an idiot not to see what was happening. Neander was running out the clock on his immortality and Avatar skills, and it was working. He had less than fifteen seconds of the latter and about twenty of the former. The fight needed to end before that happened, or he was as good as dead. Keith wasn’t strong or fast enough to keep up with Neander now, nor could he block all of his spells. His items were of limited use, and he’d already taken some serious damage.
Just like when this had happened last time.
He could keep healing himself, but eventually, he would run out, having only prolonged his death. This really left him with only one option, but for it to work, the execution would need to be flawless.
“You know what this is going to cost, don’t you?” Tac asked.
Keith had an inkling, but he really wasn’t sure, and neither was Tac, for that matter. All they knew was that the price would be high. Still, it would be worth paying if they could make it out of this alive. With a concentrated effort, Keith used Ancient’s Fury, blasting a small hole in the icy prison. Then he was out, facing down the Spirit as his Avatar effects vanished.
54
“Looks like this fight is just about over,” Neander said, a wide grin stretching his face once again as Keith reappeared.
His breathing was uneven, and his Stamina stuttered before he refilled it, bringing it back to full with the use of Peak Health. There had been several notifications over the course of the battle, and another popped into the corner of his vision. He had to ignore it as he clenched his fists and allowed his shoulders to slump.
Unconquerable Aura still blazed around him, as did Heatstance and his own Avatar armor, layered over the damaged set beneath where the scythe had punched through several times. Keith was only half-faking his exhaustion. If need be, he could keep going for as long as needed, but he had less than three minutes before he was busted. In order for this to work, he needed it to be convincing.
He used Stone Chucker’s extra effect, Meteor Chucker, while using Chronosphere, hoping the skill would slow the Spirit down. The explosion of force from the detonating meteor did next to nothing as Keith shot into the air, catching a slash from Neander’s scythe in the process. It scored his chin as he spun, and a line of red appeared as his skin was cut.
Fine powder floated around Neander as he looked up, grinning madly as he clutched his staff a bit harder, crimson runes flowing across his arms and legs as the armor seemed to pulse.
“Looks like your little trick has run its course,” Neander said. “Now, I think it’s time we end this, don’t you?”
Keith dove as Neander grabbed the scythe with both hands, gripping it at arm’s length and concentrating. Icy runes flashed across the blade, the weapon beginning to radiate a far more dangerous aura.
“Okay, it looks like the big boy effect is active,” Tac said when Keith closed within a hundred feet. “If I’m getting this right, it can cut through anything so long as he has a visual on the target. It can’t be blocked or avoided. Armor won’t protect you, and neither will skills. If he sees what he wants to hit and swings, that attack will hit. I don’t think I have to fill you in on the rest, right?”
Neander’s grin was wide as he dragged the scythe back. Keith used Ancient’s Fury, the blinding light exploding between them obscuring his body from the Spirit’s view. Tac kept a bead on him, the Spirit’s aura bright to his senses, which was a good thing as unimaginable pain flashed across his face. He felt the blood spatter on his cheeks, though he didn’t quite see the attack hit, mentally triggering Total Recovery the instant he did.
