‎Expecting to have landed a brutal strike with the high-tier daggers, Kyle was stunned to find himself kneeling on the ground several metres away from the being, a cut slashed across his chest and dripping with blood. Fortunately for him, it was not deep enough to be life-threatening. However, what truly endangered his life were the multiple shards of a certain orb that had shattered into fragments, drifting before his eyes where only he could see them, before finally dispersing.

‎***

‎[The Abyssal Orb has been destroyed]

‎[You have been severed from the Thread of Eternal Life]

‎***

‎Kyle's eyes widened in shock. Never had he thought it possible — to destroy an Item that was not even in his physical possession but secured within the Manual itself.

‎How could this being annihilate it without ever laying a hand upon it?

‎No, how did it even know he possessed it, and why did it target it first?

‎His eyes quivered with terror as he gazed up at the being advancing slowly towards him with murderous intent.

‎Did this mean he could truly die without ever reviving again? Was this truly the end...?

‎All he could wonder was what manner of monster this being was before him. It was this powerful, and yet it did not even appear to be exerting itself fully.

‎Why was it pursuing him alone?

‎It had passed by the others, leaving them to contend with its monstrous steed, and came solely for him.

‎...Just like the Demon had done. No, this was not because he was weak. There had to be something behind it... To even dwell on that was an irony now, for he was a sitting duck, awaiting death. A certain death, with no chance of return.

‎'No...' Kyle muttered inwardly, as his eyes trailed to where Orion and Na-Ri were battling the transformed horse.

‎From this distance, even with his heightened sight, he could not see much of what was happening, but he could tell they were losing terribly and about to fall.

‎'No.' He repeated once more, turning his gaze back to the being, which had arrived directly in front of him and raised its great sword to strike him down in a single blow.

‎Instantly, he remembered that he was not deemed worthy of death yet; he was not going to die. Survival... Survival... he had done so many things to ensure it. Just because his opponent was leagues above him in every aspect did not mean he would not stand against it.

‎Of course, he was weak now, having sustained so much damage that his Vitality had fallen below one hundred. The last thing he wished to lose was his life. More than anything, he had to survive!

‎As the sword descended towards his head, Kyle resisted with all his might, crossing the Twin Daggers to hold it above him. Slowly, with a grimace, he rose from the ground, pushing the great sword back with every ounce of strength until his muscles throbbed and veins bulged across his hands, face, and neck.

‎"Hey! Watch where you swing your shit. I am not a chicken, fucker!" he blurted out in rage, driving his legs into the earth.

‎At once, he redirected the weapon towards the ground and hurled himself backwards, far from the being, which appeared momentarily stunned, judging by the way it paused before fixing him with an unreadable gaze. Kyle dismissed his Daggers for the moment and stretched both hands outward. Black threads unravelled from his palms and fingers, surging towards the horseman in every direction, spreading wide. He channelled all his Spiritual energy into conjuring more of them, straining for leverage.

‎However, Kyle was seized with terror once more as the horseman effortlessly slashed through his attacks, calm and unmoving, before suddenly bursting forward with its great sword aimed squarely at both his hands.

‎'Oh. Not today.'

‎Kyle knew all too well that even his Primary Element, which granted him the ability to adapt to nearly any battle, was useless here. He wasn't catching up with this bastard, he was falling further and further behind. Instantly, he ducked low, hurling himself onto the ground and tumbling across the jagged earth before springing back up, teeth clenched. Summoning the StarGod Twin Daggers once more, he resolved to meet this being in a battle of blades.

‎That dream was cut short in an instant. The daggers were smacked from his grip with such force that he nearly lost his entire arm, escaping only by the narrowest of maneuvers. Before he could evade again, the great sword came down, hacking deep into his shoulder. Kyle cried out, blood flooding his vision.

‎The being wrenched the blade free, then swung to slash him down once more. Kyle, ignoring the agony burning through his shoulder, forced himself to move and caught the great sword with immense effort. In response, the being drove its foot into his chest, hurling him backwards.

‎The young man tumbled and tumbled until he rolled to a stop. His heart thundered with blood and rage, every vein in his body straining to its limit as exhaustion pressed down on him like a weight. One of his legs refused to obey him, and the broken bone in his hand, compounded by the deep gash on his shoulder, rendered that entire arm useless, leaving only one to fight with.

‎The being dashed forward, seizing him by the hair and lifting him above the ground.

‎'…Am I really going to die?'

‎***

‎On the other hand, Na-Ri was barely standing, leaning on her blade as though it were a crutch. Her head hung low, blood and sweat dripping from her face and spattering the ground. Her armour was shattered, torn apart until nothing remained of its former strength, and at her side gaped a wide, charred hole, burned there by the crimson flames of the transformed horse. Her Stamina had already dropped below fifteen, and her Vitality lingered on the edge of twenty after enduring relentless damage without inflicting a single wound on the monstrous steed, despite all her refined martial skill and battle efficiency.

‎At last, she collapsed, unable to hold herself upright any longer.

‎Her hair was dishevelled, strands falling across her face in a tangled mess. One hand slipped from the hilt of her sword as her gaze drifted upwards into the luminous sky, her expression clouded with exhaustion and the heavy weight of defeat. Despite everything she had poured into this fight, she had not been able to bring down a single beast. It was not an ordinary beast, but still, the fall felt bitterly different, even though logic dictated the outcome. The creature's strength vastly eclipsed her own, and the result was inevitable.

‎"Wow… it can be quite funny to be the one bleeding, and not the beast," she muttered with a low, breathless chuckle, watching as the steed hovered above, its form blazing with malice as it prepared to finish her off.

‎Orion lay unconscious against a stone, his body drenched in blood and marred by multiple burns. His hair had fallen forward, veiling his face entirely.

‎The shadow lingered among the stones, maintaining its distance from the battlefield. It observed its master already fallen and the comrades in no better state, and swiftly retreated towards the place where Adela remained hidden.

‎...Soon, something occurred.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.