Hit!
Regal Vagos opened his eyes when he heard his heartbeat. Everything was dark. His body did not move and he noticed a sticky slime on his skin, as if he were curled up in amniotic fluid.
Did I end up using this too?
It didn't seem like a waste. If it had been his head and not his heart that had been stabbed, whoever it was, he would surely have died. I only had one question: How did I get to this point? It reminded him of a conversation he had with a former companion, before he abandoned heavenly principles and placed a terrible curse on his body.
«Do you want to know why you always lose money? Just bet and continue as much as you need at that moment. Even when you need to win».
Of course, the card games and battles were different. The words themselves were absurd to apply to the current situation, but the context was similar. Until the five cards were gathered and completed, the winner could not be decided.
Hit!
Simply put, it was a lack of determination. Giving up one by one, he got here. He spent almost a year searching for the item he needed, and had to use the Dragon Speech. However, these persistent bastards did not give up. He brandished the dragon sword several times with the risk of it recovering for at least a year, but they persevered. Now he had even used the Second Heart.
Hit!
Vagos finally admitted it. By underestimating the enemy, and by not risking everything to confront them as worthy opponents, he had come this far.
Thump, thump, thump.
The heartbeat cycle of the regenerated heart shortened and the light returned. He removed the snot that was stuck to his body and stood up.
There was a barbarian on the other side of the passage. He was already walking there with a hole in his lungs and red blood dripping from his mouth, without even receiving the support of the dwarf warrior next to him.
Walk, Walk.
He walked desperately with a single objective: to kill his enemy.
Slide.
Vagos dropped the dagger he was wielding at his waist and reconsidered his judgment. The heart cursed for using the Dragon Speech had recovered to a certain extent. The remains of the curse remained intact, but his physical ability had returned to a certain level and the ability could also be used. This would not have happened if it had not been for the characteristic of the dragon people, that the source of power was in the heart. That was unexpected for him too. It was the first time he used the Second Heart. Should I say it was a happy miscalculation? Thanks to that, the chances of winning were much higher.
Walk.
Of course, they also seemed to have come out of the state of soul exhaustion, but that didn't change anything. All he had to do was defeat the dwarf warrior. Not even that barbarian would be able to stop him alone with a wounded body like that. That was what he thought, at least until he met her eyes.
It's like looking at some kind of immortal god.
Instead of a dagger, Vagos grabbed the long bow sword. Due to the remains of the curse that remained in his heart, as soon as he wielded it, atrocious pain came over him. He instinctively felt that using this here might mean he would never be able to use that arm again. No, I was sure.
But if I want to kill that persistent bastard, I'll have to take a chance.
Give up an arm to kill an enemy, to survive.
«Come, Barbarian.» He was determined to throw everything overboard.
***
I took staggering steps forward. Hikurod was next to me and behind us was Missha, who insisted on fighting herself.
«Good choice».
The dwarf said it as if he was worried about Missha, but that wasn't the only reason. Rotmiller hadn't gotten up yet. If he woke up from his dream, someone had to take out the potion and throw it from behind.
«So that man killed Dwalkie...»
«Hikurod, bring you wrath. Si mueres, we are all finished.»
«...I will.» The dwarf tried to swallow the burning emotion. He himself must have known how important his task was at this moment.
Steps.
We took more steps and closed the distance. It wasn't long before we could see each other's facial expressions. There was no need for long words.
«Come, barbarian». Vagos stared at us with the long bow sword in his hand again, apparently not fed up with this yet. Damn, what were the conditions for him to be able to take it out and use it when he needed it? Curses filled my throat, but there was no time to spit them out.
Run.
The bastard ran towards us when we didn't move. But what was this? It wasn't comparable to the first time, but it moved faster than the last time I saw it. In other words, his body condition had recovered quite a bit. As? He was sure it wasn't a short-term injury. Unexpected variables were appearing from the beginning.
King!
Hikurod's shield was cut like tofu as it stood in my way. I stabbed Vagos with the mace that had turned into a spear and drove him away, and then handed the titanium shield to Hikurod without any remorse. «Use this». My shield wasn't in perfect condition either, but I judged it to be better than a steel buckler.
¡Kak kak kak!
Vagos' next attacks penetrated deep into the shield. It was immediately repaired through Emergency Restoration, but Hikurod would not be able to use it again and again, as the soul exhaustion had just disappeared.
Nothing is going as planned.
The bastard woke up earlier than expected. Not only the heart, but its other parts had been restored. He even used skills he couldn't before.
[Regal Vagos has launched High Range Acceleration.]
As if ignoring the laws of physics, his sword cut off moments of time. The dwarf chose to avoid it rather than block it, but the distance was too great. Therefore, I sacrificed my left arm, which had no shield anyway.
Burst of Meat.
My outstretched hand exploded, spilling dozens of pieces of meat, but he didn't back away.
¡Chhhhhhh!
Covered in acidic blood and moaning, Vagos brandished his sword until it cut deep into Hikurod's thigh.
Hit!
The dwarf hit him in the jaw with his battle hammer even in the middle of that. Vagos stiffened to show that he had hurt her. I immediately jumped forward, grabbed his shoulder and rolled over him.
Burst of meat.
I stabbed my left arm, which had already become useless, into his open mouth and it exploded.
«Aaagh!» He screamed, pushed me, and at the same time stabbed me in the neck with his sword.
It shattered.
A glass bottle hit the back of my neck and broke, spilling its contents.
[Your body is regenerating rapidly due to the Recovery (advanced) effect].
This pain was that of an advanced potion. Wait, this meant Rotmiller had survived. I took a step back, pushing away the thoughts that briefly passed through my mind.
Stabbed!
The sword that pierced my neck came out, making me dizzy. This son of a bitch didn't leave a moment of respite. «DIEEEE!» The sword pierced my stomach and tore my intestines in an instant.
Applying to the dwarf's will, I took a step forward and stabbed the short spear.
Squeeze.
Vagos hurriedly drew his sword and opened the distance, and I used gigantization without hesitation.
Where the hell do you think you're going?
I stabbed Vagos in the shoulder and vomited a fountain of blood. However, this bastard also came prepared for an elimination round. He took a step forward and brandished his sword again.
It was too late to avoid it. I grabbed the sword with my tattered arm. The fleshless fingers came off and the sword stopped as it became trapped in the bone in my wrist.
[Your HP is below 20%. All stamina and resilience stats have increased due to the Path of Heroes passive ability].
This was the synergistic effect of Iron Skin and Path of Heroes. I raised the short spear stuck in his shoulder and shook it, but he persevered, applying force to the hand holding the sword. The power struggle began like this. Unfortunately, he was the winner.
[Regal Vagos has released Divine Blade].
His sword, which began to emit white light, cut diagonally to my elbow.
Burn.
The arm fell to the ground in a state of gigantization and I held the cut side so that acidic blood dripped towards his face.
¡Chhhhh!
«¡Aaaaaah!»
Oh, you bastard with no pain tolerance. How dare you hold on?
[The power of your soul is insufficient. Gigantization is over.]
Due to the lack of soul power, my body shrank to its original state in less than a few seconds. As a result, his feet, which had risen into the air, also touched the ground.
Run.
Had I underestimated this guy's determination? Instead of retreating, Vagos stabbed his sword once more.
Damn sea.
Didn't a ninth floor explorer have guts? Why was he so good at dog fighting? At this rate it would go through my head, so I quickly twisted my body and backed away. I lost the spike, the short spear that used to be a mace, as a bonus. To make matters worse, body regeneration stopped.
We're screwed.
Even an advanced potion had its limitations. It was not even drunk, but also poured. Since my arm was blown off and my organs shattered, it was discouraging just to maintain this state.
«My... victory!» In that situation, Vagos ran towards me. It really was exasperating. In my head I already imagined the worst: inevitable death.
But so what? I had no intention of giving up and accepting it. I stared at his sword with wide eyes until the end. As soon as he got closer, I rolled to the side. Regardless of whether he would be defenseless against the attack that followed, it was the best option in the current situation.
Burn.
Rolling on the ground, I got up with the recoil. His long bowed sword drew a gigantic figure before my eyes. That was the moment. As if an invisible force was pulling him by the neck, he fell backwards.
How the hell had they happened? When I looked up for an answer, the old man in the black priestly robe stood in the distance.
«Old! What are you doing?!» Vagos shouted.
***
Ludwig closed his eyes and ears. However, from the sounds it was clear how desperately they were fighting.
«So you don't run away».
«¡Protege a Dwalkie!»
At first, it was painful to watch. He thought that senseless resistance would only lead to greater despair and suffering.
«Why the hell...?» As their desperate struggle continued, Ludwig found himself constantly asking questions.
«This is our object».
Why don't they give up?
«Noooo! Dwalkie! Do not die! Please, huh?»
Why did they reject the expected results and maintain vain hopes? No, still, why?
«Can you... win?»
«Don't worry. We will definitely return alive.»
Can they still be so bright?
The answer was simple indeed: They were strong, unlike him, who did not have the courage to take on the sacrifice.
Ludwig also knew that no matter how long he waited, the day he wanted would never come. Returning to the city with his grandson... such a hopeful future never existed in the first place. He just didn't have the courage to accept it.
«May the blessing of the twilight star guide me». Ludwig made a brief sign of the cross. His eyes were open and no longer trembling with fear. He just looked ahead, more confident than ever. «I will follow your will».
The Star Goddess, Reatlas, was one of the three gods who presided over adventures and destiny. As someone who had served and followed her once, how could she dismiss it as a coincidence? Before someone who had renounced courage, the appearance of those who embraced such a bright light was the last grace granted to a wandering subordinate.
«Even though I can't hold myself in your embrace». The old man looked into space and shouted: «Karui, I offer myself».
At his words, the capricious god laughed happily. It was impossible for him not to know what Luis intended, as if it were the moment he had been waiting for. «What do you want?»
«Send me there».
«Your grandson will not be saved».
His heart trembled at those words, but it eased some weakness. He abandoned the idea of commitment. It was too late to turn back. «Doesn't matter.»
He learned from a young magician he met in a labyrinth that one can always be sublime and noble, if only one wishes.