Chapter 76: Chapter 76 - Despair
"Don't stop!" Leon rasped, his voice strained yet commanding. "Find the core!"
The recruits nodded, their faces pale but resolute, and hurriedly resumed their search. The chamber echoed with the sounds of their frantic efforts, the atmosphere thick with tension and the scent of dust and ancient stone. An almost palpable sense of dread hung in the air as if the ancient walls themselves were bearing witness to their desperate struggle.
Leon struggled to his feet, panting heavily. His armor had shattered into pieces, revealing his bloodied white dress beneath. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, the sting of his internal injuries burning through him.
"Damn, this brute," he cursed, staring at the blood on his palm. Although he knew the giant was strong, he hadn't expected it to smash through his enhanced stone wall and reach him so easily. He could only lament his current predicament, his mind racing with the grim reality of their situation.
The Asura's red eyes fixated on Leon momentarily before it turned away, completely ignoring him, and began walking toward the three recruits. Its movements were slow and deliberate, each step reverberating through the chamber like a death knell.
"This thing!" Leon cursed, frustration boiling over. "It's ignoring me."
As the Asura walked away, Leon raised his palm towards its back, preparing to attack.
"Stop, you brute, come fight me!" His voice echoed, a mixture of desperation and fury.
"Why are you hesitating?" His master, Merlin's, voice reached Leon through the voice transmission. The master's tone was sharp and insistent. "Destroy him."
"No... Not in this enclosed space," Leon gritted his teeth, glancing at the three recruits still searching. "Those three are here with me."
Light shimmered in the surroundings as Leon conjured multiple spells. With a gesture, he sent them charging towards the giant. The chamber was filled with the sounds of small blasts, each explosion sending shockwaves through the air. Dust and debris swirled around, creating an almost surreal battlefield within the ancient stone walls.
Yet, once the sound settled, the giant remained unbothered, standing tall. The small wounds around its body began healing at a visible rate, the regeneration ability working rapidly, knitting flesh and bone back together almost as quickly as they were damaged.
Leon's frustration grew.
"This thing is almost invincible," he muttered under his breath. He watched as the Asura's wounds closed, his mind racing for a new strategy. He needed to buy more time for the recruits, who were still frantically searching for the core that could potentially end this nightmare.
Leon threw himself at the Asura again, each strike more desperate than the last. His movements were becoming slower, his strength waning. The Asura, sensing his weakened state, swung its massive arm, catching Leon off guard once again.
The blow sent him crashing into the ground, the impact nearly rendering him unconscious. His vision blurred, and he fought to stay conscious, knowing that if he fell now, all would be lost.
As Leon struggled to remain conscious, the Asura turned its attention back to the three recruits.
With a mere stretch of its arm, it grabbed one of them by the torso with a massive hand, lifting him off the ground. The recruit screamed in terror, struggling futilely against the giant's grip.
With its other hand, the Asura grabbed the man's head and twisted, snapping it with a sickening crunch and separating it from his body.
Blood gushed from the severed neck, showering the Asura's face in a ghastly red. The metallic scent of blood filled the chamber, mingling with the dust and ancient decay.
The sight of their comrade's brutal death drained the will to fight from the remaining recruits. They dropped to the ground, their eyes wide with horror, legs too weak to support them. Their faces were masks of terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
The giant extended its arm, selecting its next victim. It grabbed the second recruit and bit off half of his body in a single, gruesome chomp. The man's screams were cut short, leaving only the sickening sound of flesh tearing. The chamber seemed to echo with the haunting silence that followed, the horror of the scene sinking into the stone walls themselves.
Just as the Asura turned to the last recruit, a powerful voice interrupted.
[Inferno]
Sensing danger, the Asura raised its arms in a defensive posture. A massive explosion rocked the chamber, and the giant was sent flying across the room, slamming into the far wall. Dust and debris filled the air, momentarily obscuring the scene. The ground shook from the impact, cracks spiderwebbing out from where the Asura had struck.
As the dust began to settle, the aftermath of the explosion became evident. The giant stood amidst the debris, its two arms missing and pieces of its flesh scattered around the chamber. Despite the destructive force of Leon's spell, the Asura remained standing.
"It managed to block?" Leon cursed, wiping blood from his mouth. Although he had controlled the spell's destructive capacity, it was still formidable. Yet, the Asura emerged with only its arms missing.
Before long, the giant's arms began to regenerate, the process visible from bones to nerves and muscles, everything returning to normal.
"Damn it!" Leon cursed again. "It can also heal its missing body parts."
He watched in disbelief as the creature's limbs reformed, his hope dwindling. No wonder his master had said the Asura's regeneration was their most troublesome ability. Unless he destroyed the entire body, including its heart and core, the giant would keep regenerating endlessly.
Leon knew he had to go all out, without holding back. Maybe then the Asura would finally perish.
Noticing the struggle in Leon's expression, the bald man steeled himself, his voice trembling. "Sir Leon, I know you've been holding back because of us. Please, don't restrain yourself. Use your full power."
"But—"
The bald man interrupted his voice firm despite the fear in his eyes. "As long as you kill this thing, I don't mind dying here."
"You can't hesitate now, brat," Merlin's voice suddenly reached Leon through their telepathic link. "You may not have noticed, but your body won't hold up much longer. This might be your only chance."
Leon swallowed hard and gritted his teeth, clenching his fist as he stared at the Asura. His body lifted off the ground, glowing with a radiant golden aura. The surrounding air grew hot as if a pool of boiling lava had suddenly appeared in the chamber, and the magical energy became increasingly chaotic.
Leon raised his palm forward as if delivering a final decree. "I don't care about this ruin; I don't care about anything here. I will destroy everything."
Leon glanced at the bald man cowering near the corner. In that brief moment, he conveyed his silent farewell. With this spell, he would obliterate the giant, the ruin, and everything within.
Just as he prepared to unleash his maximum capacity Inferno, the large chamber door creaked open. The shimmering barrier of light shattered like glass, scattering shards of brilliance across the room.
A group of white-armored soldiers marched into the chamber, their movements synchronized and precise. They cast a large, shimmering chain towards the giant with practiced ease.
Each soldier held one end of the chain, attaching it to the giant's body. The Asura seemed to freeze, the enchanted chains restricting its movement.
Wraaaaahhh!
The giant let out a deafening roar, trying to intimidate the soldiers. However, they remained stoic behind their armor, showing no signs of hesitation or fear as they continued to hold the chain firm.
Leon drained of all stamina and riddled with internal injuries from the giant's attacks, could no longer keep himself conscious. His body swayed briefly before falling from the air.
"Got you," a voice echoed in Leon's ear just before he lost consciousness.
Through his fading vision, he glimpsed a blurry figure surrounded by a green, radiant light. The figure's presence was calming, a stark contrast to the chaos of the battle.
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