Chapter 59: Battle to the Death
’This kid definitely isn’t your average F rank’ The psychopath thought as he relentlessly slashed at the neutral faced boy.
’His movements are far too measured and calculated to be a novice but he also has that....kick to him’.
Despite the fact that he acted like a maniac on the outside, his thoughts were surprisingly calm and collected.
His moves— although reckless, all served a purpose. Whether it was to push Clark back, make him flustered under his barrage of attacks or counter any of his devastating attacks. No swing was wasted.
At least that was what he planned to happen.
But the person he was fighting against moved like he had nothing to lose, and the expression on his face didn’t exactly deny that fact.
Every parry, counter or attack he made, up until now were all aimed to take his life and if not for his extraordinary regeneration skills, he would have died ten times over.
Then all of a sudden, he went on the defensive and barely counter attacked when he had the opportunity to.
He couldn’t understand why he would let go of such a stable ground and let himself be pushed to the literal edge.
’Did he run out of mana and doesn’t have any other trucks up his sleeve?’. He wondered, ’Or is he just stalling for reinforcements to arrive?’
’What are you planning, kid?....’
Clark’s POV:
’Keep pounding me, you sicko’
Circulating mana into my feet, I steadied myself on the absolute edge of the roof and continuously parried the attacks that I could humanly defend against.
My cloak had long gone and I was left with my robe which was almost charred completely. The heat had intensified to a drastic level and I could barely inhale any oxygen. My lungs felt like they were burning and my eyesight became blurry, the lack of oxygen caused me slight dizziness and despite [Killer’s Calm] numbing my emotions, I could still feel the pain of my skin being slowly burnt.
A feeling I was quite familiar with.
But I held on. The skills I activated giving me strength, I tanked two more heavy attacks on my shoulder and ribs.
’Two more’. I counted internally with gritted teeth.
My scythe had begun to bend slightly due to the intense heat it was faced with, but the ridiculous amount of mana I fed it kept it stable for a while.
"What are you planning, kid!?" The man shouted.
’Did he catch on to my plan? No matter, he can’t predict the future nonetheless’
Angered by my lack of responses, another blade materialized into his hands. The air temperature heated up to a higher level and I was forced to close my eyes momentarily to deal with the intense glow.
I made a big mistake by doing that.
Because almost immediately, I felt a searing hot sensation burning at my side, the scent of charred flesh assaulted my nose and the impact nearly shook my balance on the roof.
Swallowing the blood that accumulated in my throat, I dropped my scythe on the ground below and held onto the returning sword with my bare hand.
Surprise registered on the face of the man and he immediately swung the other sword to my neck.
Stopping the slash with my second arm, the flames still very active, I tightened my grip on the blade as I desperately ignored the sizzling of my blood on the blades.
"What a crazy man you are!!! HAHAHA! No opponent has given me such thrill!!"
’Sick bastard’ I cursed internally as my body trembled due to the sheer amount of force I was withstanding.
"But, yet again, all my opponents never live to tell the tale". He added with a low voice, almost reverent, "You were a worthy opponent and I can tell you’ll be a problem to us if you’re left alive..... So, I’ll take the burden of killing you!!"
His sword pulled free from my grip, two of my fingers flew alongside it and the other flame blade dissapeared into thin air.
Pain shot through my hand as two of my fingers flew, a sensation I’d never known, but my skills held back the fear that was slowly creeping in and dulled the excruciating amount of pain I felt all over my body to a level that didn’t make me pass out.
"This is the end" I muttered with a hoarse voice that surprised even me.
Watching the incoming blade, I let myself fall from the curved rooftop, the night air whistling past my ears as the world seemed to slow. My vision blurred with the cascade of system prompts.
*******
Skill: [Blood reckoning] is active!
Attack release evaluation: Comparable to an S-rank full attack.
Warning: Severe bodily rupture imminent. High risk of permanent limb loss and internal organ damage. Prolonged use may result in unconsciousness or death.
Remark: The Host is advised to cancel the skill.
*********
The warning sounds rang continually in my head, but I had come too far to turn back now. All the pain and attacks I had tanked were all for this moment and I’d be damned if death were enough to stop me.
*******
[The host will release the attack of an S rank at once]
[Y/N]
Warning: The host is advised to choose N!
********
’Yes’. I answered internally as I watched my psychotic opponent descend towards me with his trademark maniacal smile.
*******
[The host has picked his choice]
[Damage conversion in progress...]
[Damage conversion complete!]
[The host has been granted 1000% percent increase in mana attacks and strength]
[Chances of survival: 0.0002%]
[May the blessings of God be with you]
***********
Suddenly, the scythe I had abandoned during my descent flew towards me, sparks dancing on the edge of reality. My scythe thrummed with power, humming like a living entity desperate to strike. The very ground beneath me shivered under the sheer energy building in my veins.
I felt my body bend the laws of nature. Every fiber, every muscle, every heartbeat synchronized to the apex of destruction. The blade above me cut a swath through space, but I could feel it before it touched me—the heat, the momentum, the intent to annihilate.
And then it happened.
I swung.
Not a mere strike, but a hurricane of energy.
The Aether Scythe roared through the night, mana spilling from its edge like molten lightning. Flames, wind, and shards of the shattered rooftop exploded in every direction. The blade above me shattered midair, vaporized into a streak of fire meeting blue lightning.
The impact didn’t just break bones or cleave armor—it fractured the very space around us, a cataclysm wrapped in a single, impossible arc of death.
My scythe faded out of existence, my arms burst open with due to the behemoth amount of strength I harnessed, and my opponent....
Was as psychotic as ever. Even unto death.
His face was filled with tears— not of fear or dread, but of the sheer excitement and awe of the power he witnessed as he faded out of existence alongside everything else in the vicinity.
"YOU WERE A WORTHY OPPONENT, BOY!! IF WE MEET IN THE NEXT LIFE, PROMISE ME A BATTLE I WILL NEVER FORGET—"
His loud voice rang in my ear as he vanished.
My body fell with a dull thud on the shattered ground. The power I wielded proved too much for my skills to withstand and they all deactivated automatically.
"UwrawayaaaAHHaaaaawaaaaAAHHHH!!"
’Am I screaming? Is that my voice? Is this pain? Am I dead yet? Why am I not dead yet? I don’t want this damn plot armor! I want to be dead! I don’t want to feel all this pain any more!!!’
I felt my legs twitch endlessly in pain, the shattered cobblestone pierced into my legs and back, causing blood to flow endlessly and pool around me.
My consciousness flickered in and out of existence, but the pain was present regardless. My heart beat slowed down to a scary level and pieces of falling rocks fell dangerously close to me.
’Can’t I die already? My opponent is already dead, so let me die....all of this should come to an end....’
The cold air blew past me, the endlessly pooling blood surrounded me like a river, what remained of my arms tried moving in an attempt to evade the rock that slowly descended from above.
’Ah, yes....the sweet release of death is finally coming my way’
I felt my lips move in what I presumed would be a smile as the rock closed the distance between us, like a lover heading to it’s beloved.
’Mm...Laura and Miriam sure would be sad, but I’m just too weak to stay alive for their sakes’.
My mind wandered as the rock seemed to be falling at an excruciatingly slow pace, as if death was teasing me with it’s grip.
The pain never left during this time. No. It persisted, as if to remind me of my weakness, the repercussions for my reckless actions and the torment I would face if I slipped out of death’s sweet embrace.
A few more meters and the rock would hit me. I closed my half lidded eyes and smacked my charred lips in preparation.
One minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
Yet, the impact I was expecting never came. The cold wind blew mercilessly against my shattered eardrums in an effort to awaken my empty mind.
And a voice that I was terribly familiar with resonated in my ears.
"To think you were this strong. You have my respect, Clark Thompson."