"KUACK!" Raymed flew away after a sword clash.
He hit the sand hard.
The Poison of Decarabia hissed beneath him.
His ribs contracted involuntarily.
The sky-sea above was a sheet of broken glass.
The island pulsed red.
His heartbeat staggered to match the chaotic situation.
He rolled to a knee.
Demon Lord Envoy Seere stepped out of it mid-kick.
Raymed brought Avalon up in his left hand.
CLASH!
The shock blasted a ring in the sand and sent him sliding backward.
Seere blinked away with his teleportation magic, leaving rotating orbs.
Raymed stood once more, dual-wielding—Blastur in his right hand, Avalon in his left.
Seere's voice came from behind his ear. "Still able to stand up? As expected of Mr. Hero."
The ground under Raymed's right foot turned slick.
He adjusted—too late.
A tall shadow stepped in.
It was Belial.
But the blade that met him was not Belial's.
Andromalius slid through Raymed's space with a perfect copy of Avalon and a perfect copy of Raymed's opening cut. "Split Flow—Star Striker," Andromalius chanted.
CLASH!
Raymed deflected it.
"Not that I need to say it, nonetheless—haha!" Andromalius laughed.
Raymed changed level and angle, trying to cut low with Blastur.
Andromalius matched the move like a reflection.
Same shoulder drop.
Same timing.
Their blades clanged again.
Andromalius smiled Raymed's smile—crueler.
Decarabia levitated closer, five star-limbs scissoring, a human silhouette splitting and folding.
Poison rolled off it in sheets.
The air thickened.
Every breath burned.
Pushing mana through his veins made the poison bite harder.
[Alert: You have been contaminated by Corrosive Mana]
Above, Dantalion hung upside down, decorative and lethal, blades dangling like jewelry. Her eyes flared.
"He wants Seere first. Kill the courier, close the exits," she said aloud, smiling. "Go left and he will—"
Raymed heard what she said and cut right.
"Teurt!" Seere teleported and was there anyway.
A red seal slapped Raymed's chest.
The sigil sent sparks through his body as Raymed gritted his teeth.
It was a debuff sigil.
Raymed could feel his weight double and his limbs dull.
"Courier service," Seere said before kicking him.
The world streaked: black sand, purple mist, a red heartbeat.
Raymed needed mana to do everything, and he was expending too much.
Even with his Chronic Eater ability.
It was still not a sustainable battle he could endure for long.
But at this moment, he himself didn't have a clue how long he had been fighting.
He tried to stay steady in midair but quickly got punished by the poison for absorbing mana,
He slowly wavered and hit the ground, rolling on the sand. As he saw Belial close, his instinct moved him and struck Belial using Avalon.
"Not a bad swing," Belial said.
He did not hit Belial's sword, but he hit Belial himself. Raymed's full-power chop with Avalon hit Belial's forearm and did nothing. The air shuddered. Raymed's wrists numbed.
"That kind of attack won't work—physical damage of that caliber," Belial mused. "Pretty. Useless."
Raymed tried to strike again on instinct—Blastur from the right, Avalon from the left—X cut at the throat.
But Belial parried and pushed him away with his sword. "Of course that artifact can hurt me—if you swing it hard enough."
Raymed got both blades up and still cartwheeled twice, skidding.
Blood bubbled from his mouth and steamed in the dead air.
He pushed forward anyway.
Attack again.
[Split Flow Activated]
He stagger-stepped with Split Flow, a wrong-rhythm dash meant to break reads.
Dantalion spoiled his movement. "Stagger, quickstep, stagger—pivot on three, hop on five. He always does."
Noticing the call, he inverted the pattern and reversed his grips.
Do it better Raymed. If I fail to rescue her, then all hell will broke lose.
"I can feel you thinking about Derashina," she breathed, and his own voice—his own fear—echoed through her mouth.
If I fail, Indonexta burns.
Andromalius slid in again.
Raymed met him with Blastur.
Andromalius met Blastur with another copied Avalon cut as if he had trained with it for years.
He noticed that Andromalius couldn't copy Blastur.
He could only do this with Avalon, which isn't an artifact but a pseudo-artifact.
Raymed's counter—heel tap, overhand—came up at his own throat from Andromalius.
He barely parried and took a cut across the knuckles.
Blood slicked Avalon's hilt.
Seere phased into being at Raymed's side and stamped another sigil between the shoulder blades.
Sparks appeared as his legs became heavier and his arms slower.
Decarabia exhaled.
The Poisonous Field thickened.
[Split Flow Deactivated]
Raymed tried to use his own mana to push away the corrosive mana, to flush it out.
However, the Field punished him.
"KUACK!"
Yet his output wasn't enough to flush it out.
His nerves lit as his ribs contracted again.
Belial stepped in without hurry.
[Split Flow Activated]
Raymed lifted both swords to block.
Belial swung his sword.
The hit was simple and perfect.
It hammered through guard and bone.
"KUH!" He tried his best to guard.
Something in Raymed's back went bright and stayed bright.
He staggered. Four red sigils locked in around him like a clock.
Dantalion's shadow crossed him. Her knives kissed his face and left a thin bloody smile. She leaned close, sweet scent masking rot. "He'll try to break right. He hates being boxed."
Seere put a sigil in Raymed's right knee as he shifted to break right.
The joint locked.
[Split Flow Deactivated]
Raymed expelled the sigils from his body using his mana.
He panted as he was given a moment.
The Demon Lord Envoys stared at him with a smile.
With red eyes, Raymed's fiery mana burned.
He opted to cut Decarabia to kill the poison first.
But Belial stepped between, not even raising a guard. Raymed's blades skated off.
Belial retorted with a straight, heavy shove using his arm.
"GHA!!" He gagged.
Acid and blood burned his throat.
Attack. Attack. Attack.
He would definitely like to.
But each step forward turned into a trap.
Every opening he made turned into their opening.
Andromalius copied his moves, adapting and exploiting his openings.
Dantalion broadcast his thoughts.
Seere moved away using teleportation magic.
Decarabia taxed his body for every spell.
Belial denied the only element he excelled at.
Raymed calmed himself down as he once again activated Split Flow.
[Split Flow Activated]
He stood.
Poison puddles rainbowed around his boots.
He raised both weapons.
But the difference was he wasn't moving.
Only his eyes were focusing on the opponents.
Belial slowly moved toward him, pace ticking up. "Giving up?"
Raymed spoke as if it were a matter of fact, "Fuck no."
Andromalius came first in a clean textbook line—high cut, short stop, low sweep.
In that split moment,
A similar battle came to mind.
As his mind was quite clear now, it was apparent what he had to do.
Gosh.
How could I forget.
It is so simple.
-~
"DON'T MOCK ME, HUMAN!" Focalors howled.
She came at him again, faster, slashing and stabbing from every direction.
Each attack was a storm, but Raymed's focus never wavered.
"PERFECT GUARD!"
-~
Using both swords, Raymed used that powerful move once again. "Perfect Guard!" A white shield barrier appeared, preventing the attack—this time expelling the attacks themselves due to how strong the shield was.
"What the hell?" Andromalius said.
Seere blinked in to try and stamp a sigil under Raymed's heel.
But unlike before, Raymed's stance was more flexible. Because to guard means to never glue your foot to the ground. He quickly moved out of the way as he evaded the sigil by launching himself into the sky.
His face met Seere's, who was annoyed.
Decarabia breathed deeper; the Field thickened.
Guarding didn't cure poison.
Every breath hurt.
But due to his minimal movement, he didn't expel too much mana.
Hence the hurt was less than before.
Probably still bad, but not as bad as before.
He accepted the hurt like a tax.
As he jumped into the sky he met Dantalion, who frowned. "He's quiet and so calm now. How annoying."
Belial jumped into the sky. He moved in and tested him with a quick strike, but—
"Perfect Guard."
It was ultimately useless, as Belial's weapon was also expelled away.
Andromalius also pushed harder, angry now.
Raymed sped up a little to match his attack.
"Perfect Guard."
Seere tried to yank balance with a sigil at the left hip.
But Raymed's hips had already shifted; he had prepared to guard against Seere and evade the sigil.
However, seeing the opportunity, he tried swinging at him—
Only to reveal it was a feint.
"Perfect Guard."
Dantalion slid her blade toward him. "You managed to trick my own mind reading? You can't keep this up! You hear me!"
Then the aerial battle began.
With a ridiculous number of attacks from the Demon Lord Envoys,
Raymed replied by guarding against them all.
He was still dying.
The battle was still unsustainable.
But the rhythm shifted.
Seere teleported to put the sigil, but Raymed moved faster as he slashed Avalon at him.
"KUUH!" Injured, Seere teleported away—even though it was just a graze.
Andromalius attacked Raymed in a frenzy using two Avalons.
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
He moved to turn his attention to Belial's strikes.
"Perfect Guard!"
Dantalion clicked her tongue. "He's… harder to read when he thinks smaller. How provincial."
"Don't worry," Seere said, shaking blood off his wrist. "He'll break."
***
BUK!
"What do you mean he's lost?" Kourin asked angrily at Suiko.
"I am still quite unsure about what happened, Kourin."
Kourin gritted her teeth. "Didn't you teleport him to the Fey Kingdom? How could he be lost!"
"That's the thing—the jester/servant who was left to guard Oberon's throne is sick. Raymed was spotted moving in the direction of the Dark Elf Kingdom."
"What?" Kourin asked. "It can't be that he's…"
"What are you suggesting, Kourin?" Suiko asked.
"Suiko. Raymed went to Oberon for one thing. It's to find out the truth about Derashina. What if…"
"That makes sense. But if it was really the truth, he would've made some kind of sonar if he was in trouble."
"That's also true," Kourin said.
Med. Where are you?
She remembered her last exchange.
-~
"Back then. I feel like I am not worthy or strong enough to shoulder the burdens."
-~
No, I will never let you shoulder your burdens alone.
"Suiko. I will go to the Fey Kingdom."
"Kourin, without a direct order from Morgwynevere, she might punish you again!" Suiko said.
"Suiko. Ray has always fought for us. This time it's our turn once again—to fight for him," Kourin said.
Suiko shook her head before saying, "I can't argue with that. But it's still not ideal for me to leave. In the meantime, you must go alone and do what you do best. Alright?" She put her hand on Kourin's shoulder.
"Of course."
"And be safe!" Suiko added, poking Kourin's nose.
"I will—I will!"
***
Raymed guarded against the attacks of the Demon Lord Envoys.
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
With the last guard, he jumped into the sky to disengage for a while,
inspecting the field while Blastur talked to him using the system message.
[Vitality at 20 percent.]
Compared to before, he was conserving more and more stamina.
As his mind became clearer, Blastur's system influence was more noticeable as well.
[Warning! Seere Incoming]
"Perfect Guard!" Raymed guarded against the magic attacks directed at him.
Before, Seere used sigils, but after the last exchange he opted to use magic attacks to guarantee his distance.
He moved closer to close the gap only for Seere to teleport again.
[Warning: Belial and Andromalius coming closer!]
Raymed turned around as Belial and Andromalius charged with their weapons.
"Perfect Guard!"
"Perfect Guard!"
He guarded again, deflecting their weapons away from him. He kicked at them to launch himself away. He flew, soaring close to the ocean's waves.
The five Demon Lord Envoys flew in pursuit of him, as Raymed chanted.
"Gargantua, Colossal, Abyssal! Surtur. Black Frost. Skadi. Solomon!"
Mana surged—flame and frost colliding.
A colossal spear, as vast as a mountain, took shape in his palms, swirling with crimson fire and arctic blue.
The air warped from its energy.
"Great Split Polarized Nova Javelin!" Raymed launched the move he and Killiar used to fight Vepar straight at the Demon Lord Envoys.
In retort, all the Demon Lord Envoys went away except for Belial.
He charged through the attack as it exploded.
"He took it straight on. That means, Perfect Guard!" Raymed guarded against Belial, who appeared from the smoke and tried to hit him instantly.
It confirmed to him that Belial was indeed a Demon Lord Envoy who is immune to any type of destruction spell.
[Didn't I tell you already?]
Dantalion then charged out of nowhere as she slashed her blade.
"Perfect Guard!"
SHURST
Mid-swing, Dantalion thrust at Raymed from another angle.
The mind-reading ability of Dantalion was the most troublesome.
Before, Dantalion didn't even bother to fight him, but now she also got serious.
Raymed turned his eyes toward Seere, who appeared close.
He launched himself again toward him, aiming to strike him down with Avalon.
Seere just smiled confidently in the middle of his teleportation spell before saying, "When will you learn, Hero? My teleport ability is no match for your—"
SHURST
Avalon struck his body.
"How the hell—"
Raymed smiled.
Only then did Seere understand: Avalon had grown longer when he pointed it toward him.
Both Raymed and Seere were teleported as they were now back to the island once again.
[Vitality at 17 percent.]
Raymed walked slowly toward Seere.
His vitality had been going down this whole time.
His energy was depleting.
"Huh! You are dying! It seems no matter how great your title is, in the end you are still a human."
Raymed stopped as he stood with the help of his two swords.
Blastur and Avalon.
He panted, breathing wildly.
His stamina was slowly running out.
He then finally looked at his bracelet.
The one that Thalamik made for him.
The prototype of this bracelet was used in the Funhouse event not so long ago.
The suppressor bracelet.
It drained mana from the user.
But that wasn't the only goal.
This bracelet had absorbed and contained seven months' worth of mana.
It worked as a container.
A one-time-use container, really.
He lifted his right hand and, with his left hand, cracked the bracelet.
The mana of Fey creatures from the time he visited Oberon.
The mana of the Demi-Humans from the time he visited Borreas.
The mana of the Spirits from the time he visited Alayars.
The mana of the High Humans from when he visited Morgwyn.
And the mana of the Demon Lord Envoys—Belial, Seere, Dantalion, Andromalius, and Decarabia.
Raymed took a deep breath.
Though he was aware there was a high risk in this.
The sheer raw mana that would be injected into his body would break it.
If—and only if—he didn't focus enough.
In order to control it, he needed to be in a state of high focus.
Hence why he didn't opt for this tactic from the get-go.
To properly activate his adrenaline first, before gaining it.
After getting pushed to a corner,
Raymed cracked the bracelet again as it finally broke into pieces.
The compiled swirl of mana entered his body.
But at the same time, the Demon Lord Envoys made their way toward him.
SHURST!
Once again, he was impaled by their blades.
"KUAAK!!!!" he screamed in pain.
Raymed lifted his arm to the sky.
"Nice try, Hero Raymed," Dantalion said.
"Well done, worthless Hero," Andromalius said.
"Die, asshole!" Seere said.
"KYAAAA!!!!" Decarabia screamed.
"Farewell, proud hero," Belial said.
He gritted his teeth before finally letting his muscles go.
Raymed closed his eyes.
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End.
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End?
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[Hero Raymed. Why do you still fight?]
[Why do you still persist?]
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[Isn't it the time to give up?]
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[Why are you constantly hurting yourself for the sake of others?]
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I have my ideals. I have my hopes for the future.
A future where everything is better.
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[Won't this way of thinking. Will bring more unfortunate fate for you?]
[Haven't you suffer enough?]
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[Hero Raymed. If you will it so. I can let you die here in peace.]
[No doubt, your sacrifice will mean a lot to your friends.]
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No.
I still want to fight.
I still want to chase my ideals.
I still want to protect others.
I still want to protect my ideals.
I don't want to give up.
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[Not so long ago. You almost decided to end it all. When fighting Vepar and Focalors]
[What's different now? Why are you trying so hard now?]
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Back then.
I didn't care enough for how many people who believed in me.
But now!
Now I know how much they believed in me.
Believed in my hope
SO NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY!
I DON'T WANT IT
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[Hero Raymed you are really idealistic]
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[Then again. Your hope is what I like. And my sole reason for chosing you.]
[Make sure you never lose it. Hero Raymed]
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End?
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End?
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No way!
[You are overflowing with Mana]
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[The Sword Blastur is healing you]
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[Vitality at 1%]
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No way!!!!
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[Vitality at 5%]
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NO WAY!!!!!
[Vitality at 20%]
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Raging mana began to encompass Raymed's body, sending the Demon Lord Envoys away from him. The mana exploded around him as Raymed's injuries began to regenerate. Each impaled sword was expelled from his body.
"What is this power?!" Seere asked.
"His mind isn't readable yet! He's not even conscious!" Dantalion said.
"High Human mana—it's been a while." Belial smiled.
"No way! That artifact must be healing him in his stead," Andromalius said.
Raymed walked, looking calmer.
He rips his broken torso, revealing his muscular body.
The system window pops up, telling him everything he needs to know.
[You are overflowing with Mana]
[Your 'Chronic Eater' has cleansed the poison in your body and successfully made it immune to high doses]
[You have developed an antibody to Decarabia's poison]
[Your 'Chronic Eater' has progressed your 'Evolution']
Raymed sighed and stretched, still holding his weapons in his grasp.
He looked toward the Demon Lord Envoys.
"Please, wait. I am still warming up," he said, doing jumping jacks.
Andromalius charged without hesitation.
BOOM!
His face hit the ground.
Raymed moved and kicked him to the ground.
"I didn't ask. I commanded you, the 'Please' was for courtesy." he said, staring toward the others, still holding Andromalius in place.
"Why the hell not?" Belial said before laughing, amused. He sat down.
Raymed kept stretching his body.
This entire time, Decarabia had actually been maintaining the poison in the air.
But Raymed couldn't even seem to care.
He just took in the air and breathed it out normally.
[Vitality at 35%]
[You are now 20% High Human]
He let Andromalius go.
As Andromalius rose, Raymed kicked him away, sending him crashing onto the sand.
He finally directed his weapons at the Demon Lord Envoys.
"I can finally hear his thoughts!" Dantalion said with a smile. "Blastur, I ask you to unseal two out of three seals," Dantalion said.
At the word, Belial smiled. "Now we are talking! Turn it up!" He rose and expanded his mana as the environment began to be influenced by his power.