A spectre appearing even in yang dense regions was not a new thing, though it wasn't exactly a common occurrence. If going by recorded counts, the rarity of such occurrences was even more than uncommon.
But no matter the rarity, if there was a possibility of it happening, then there was a chance it would happen.
When one took into account that this volcano was on an island, it didn't seem so odd anymore. Like fire was yang, water was yin.
And because the two natural phenomenons bothered each other, they were likewise, suppressed extremities. While the surface of the sea was quite warm due to the heat emitted from the volcano, its depth was freezing cold.
The perfect spot for a spectre to be born.
Orpheus could only curse his bad luck that he quickly ran into one, a First Circle spectre no less.
Thankfully, it had possessed a body, otherwise, he could kiss his life goodbye.
This didn't necessarily mean he was safe... if anything, the danger only intensified. A First Circle spectre in possession of the body of a First Circle beast... such combo was nothing to smile about, as now, each of its attack would not only damage his body, but also attack his soul.
Soul damages were very dangerous, and the reason spectres and many other yin entities, but still spectres most importantly, were feared.
His point of relief now, was that at least, it could be killed.
Like their names suggested, they could not be harmed by physical attacks, unless of course one possessed purified yang blades from the church. He had already lost his' to the seas, like he did his trusted sand gourd.
Some affinities as well, were ineffective against them, his sand affinity too for the most parts. If he was strong enough or talented enough, he could use his sand to kill a spectre... Unfortunately, he was neither.
Now that it was bound to a body, killing it was indeed possible. He just had to kill the physical beast, and the spectre in turn, would die.
If he didn't die first that is.
He crouched slightly, his gaze completely serious now. He couldn't allow this thing to land a single hit or cause him injury, or his life was basically forfeited.
The pain that came with soul damage was mind numbing and overwhelming. That moment of distraction even if it was just one second, would be enough for the beast to kill him.
If he could run now, he would have been doing exactly that, not stupidly standing to fight. But not to mention his condition, even if he was at full health and peak strength, the creature was a lot more faster than him, and could easily outrun him.
The creature did not waste any time. The moment it shook off the slight discomfort in its bones, it rushed at him again.
Orpheus too dashed towards it, intending to do the same thing again. Even if the spectre-bound beast was a lot more stronger, there was only so much its body could handle, before it caved.
At the last second however, Orpheus realized this strategy was not going to work.
The moment they got close enough, Orpheus noticed its body tense, its tail already prepared to be deployed. If he tried what he did last time, that tail would lacerate him, and that would be all.
With no other option, he was forced to jump away at the last second, watching as the thick tail cracked against the air like a whip... Just above the spectre-bound's body, like it was expecting him to be there.
A smirk threatened to curl up his lips. Months of constantly training and pushing himself, getting into constant scuffles with First Circle Witchers... His mates, finally showing results in what should have been a struggle for his life.
However, the creature's actions confirmed that it indeed was possessed by a spectre.
Hardly any species of malefic beasts, had even basic intelligence while they were low leveled. But as they grew stronger, they became more and more intelligent, even becoming capable of human speech at the more advanced Circles.
Low level creatures though? Those were usually mindless beasts with only basic survival instinct. Something like studying attack patterns was impossible for them.
Orpheus' foot kicked against the sand on the ground as he landed, throwing at least, a fist full of sand on the creature.
Killing the creature would be hard, but not impossible. He just needed an attack that could get through its tough skin.
Using his few arsenal of sand techniques to attack, was out of the question. They would barely do any damage for one, and he was almost depleted of malefic energy. It was the reason his expression had gone extremely pale after his first maneuver.
He needed a decent amount, to do significant damage, and spending them on weak attacks would be counterintuitive.
Normally, though his reserve of malefic energy was low, it wouldn't get depleted by just one spell.
He had blown through sixty percent of his reserve then at a go, because he had done something that should any of his arrogant and stuck up instructors have witnessed, their evaluation of him would see a one eighty degree turn.
In that moment when his life was on the line, he had thought through all his options, and found out he actually had none. He didn't know any technique that could have saved him then, nor was there any way he could have dodged.
So in that moment, he had reverse-engineered what was supposed to be a defensive technique, on the spot!
It was ingenious! It was maddening! But it was forced by desperation. Desperation to survive.
Right now, he lacked any technique with enough damage to kill this creature, and he didn't have any weapon to try and cause damage, but he didn't intend it to continue like that.
So far, neither him nor the spectre-bound had been able to injure the other... While he lacked the means to land a proper attack, the spectre-bound on the other hand, had failed to land a hit.
However, how much longer could he keep evading before he tired out? He was already not in good shape, his wounds were bleeding through his makeshift bandages and he was basically forcing his body to cooperate now.
Soon, adrenaline would wear off, and exhaustion would kick in, at that point, he would die. Before that, he could even die from blood loss.
He needed something, an attack, and edge... anything, against the spectre-bound and if he didn't have one, he would make one.
He reversed engineered a technique before, he could certainly do it again!
Right???