Chapter Seventy Six: Revival

“So you can revive…………………..?” 

The first thing I saw after opening my eyes was the figure of a tall skeleton with a cape hanging from his shoulders. His eyes sockets were looking at me.

I opened my eyes immediately after the girl in black, or should I say Hope said to me {Stronger……..}

The king was less than five meters away from me when I revived. My face was planted on the destroyed ground. Fragments of the floor were scattered all over the room. It was unbelievably dark. Without my night vision, I wouldn’t be able to see anything.

Right next to me was my sword lying on the ground to my right. That was where it must have fallen when he forced it out of my hands.

I immediately leapt like a frog towards my sword. The king didn’t do anything to me as I jumped.

“Now I see how you were able to get this far on your own. You can keep on trying any number of times you want. I commend you for not giving up after experiencing death countless times………. you are the first opponent that has challenged me by his lonesome. Most adventurers fight in groups to increase their chances. Even the heroes who challenged me before you had a hard time against my death cage. It’s impossible to escape once the cage has been made…………”

“Is that so? Well, I’m going to be the first person to defeat you alone so prepare yourself.”

Having revived, all my strength was returned to me. The hole my lance made on his ribcage earlier was still there. The core was not protected with anything.

“Death lance!” I created the lance from my right and and threw it after aiming at the core.

The blue ring on his hand glowed. My lance hit an invisible wall and fell.

I see. The blue ring must be making the barrier. The red ring glowed just before the death cage. Are they related?

Now that I know the barrier around him has been reinforced, I can’t get close to him like I want. The barrier serves to protect the area from his body to the elbow where his sword wont reach.

In order to destroy the barrier again, I’d have to use the spinning drill again. It takes time to gather momentum. He wont stand still while I do that anymore. My sword alone isn’t strong enough to shatter his barrier as well. What do I do?

That’s it! If my sword wont do, then I just have to………!

Having made my plans. It was time to execute them.

I dashed off at him holding tightly onto my sword. 

“Lance barrage!!”

I shot a barrage of lances at him.

“Useless!!” he didn’t flinch when they got repelled by his barrier.

His sword was held tightly in both hands. He plans on striking the minute I’m within striking distance.

“Swift turn!” I changed my direction to his left side.

It was open without any weapons waiting for me. I planned on circling around him to escape the attack that was waiting for me.

“360 spin!!”

Having circled around his back, I was sure I had escaped that attack when he spun very fast. The sword was just centimeters behind me when I felt its vibration.

It was another ability I didn’t know he had. He always rotated quickly, but I didn’t think he could attack like that.

“Clear light!” “Swift return!”

The first counter measure was the clear light. After blinding him, I used the swift return to go back to my initial position. That meant that I had to go back in the same direction the sword was coming from.

What I did was duck really low until my chin was about to touch ground. Then in that position, I flew backwards to the position I was before. The swift return enables me to return to the last position I was.

A 360 spin means he’ll return to the exact position he started. The spin cannot be stopped halfway otherwise he would have changed the direction he was swinging. 

By the time I returned to the position I changed my movements, he was just a meter to making a complete circle. I was already prepared for that.

Returning to my position, I moved anticlockwise to counter his clockwise spin.

“Clear light!” to blind his sights on me.

I then strengthened my sword by sending all my energy to it.

“HIYAAH!!” as the wave from his sword divided even the distant walls in two, I aimed my strengthened sword at his wrist.

“KAAM!!” The collision echoed. That was immediately followed by a crushing sound. It was the sound of his wrist bones being crushed.

With his own momentum and mine, my counterattack was twice its strength. I avoided hitting the sword at all cost. He may have many special attacks, but in the end he is all bones.

My counter attack proved very effective. My sword slashed both his wrists simultaneously. His huge sword left his hand dropping to the ground.

Still spinning back to his starting position, I let go of my sword and grabbed the handle of his sword.

“What the hell!!” 

The sword rejected me. A strong burning sensation passed from the handle onto my hands.

I’m not about to let this chance pass me when I’ve come this far. I’ll sacrifice my hand if I have to!!

I grabbed tightly on the sword despite the pain I was in. It was heavy. Too heavy. With my full strength, I was barely able to lift it up.

I had an ace up my sleeve for situations like this. Just like I strengthen my sword, by sending a lot of energy to his sword, it will become half mine. Before the energies could repel each other, I’ll use that opportunity to wield it.

By sending my energy to the sword, I was able to lift it up better than before. I picked it up and aimed towards him.

“Clear light!!” to block his vision again. I have no idea how many tricks he has up his sleeve.

I sent the sword aiming for his neck. The barrier would have stopped me, but it had no reason to. Just like my sword doesn’t trigger my barrier, his sword wouldn’t until my energy takes over completely.

“KAAM!” the head rolled over in the air.

I successfully took it off.

With no hands to wield a sword, I was at risk of facing another “Undead cry.” the tides will turn immediately.

The clear light bounced off his barrier and faded. The rolling skull was met with his left wrist. He tried catching it as it flew. Luckily, I had already removed his hands.

The skull bounced off his wrist bone. It changed direction to a distant spot.

Having severed the head, the heavy sword pulled me along with its weight. Just like he spun before, I tried using the momentum from the sword to land another hit. I allowed the weight to pull me when I spun 360 degrees. My rotation was slow compared to his. I would have been in danger if he was in top condition.

I planned on slicing him horizontally in half with all my strength when his cape moved on its own until he was covered like a blanket.

Planning to defend yourself!? too late!

I thought that the cape was supposed to add to his defence when I slashed just like I had planned.

To my surprise, he vanished not a second after the cape covered him. The sword sliced the air then split the ground. A wave of energy burst out and the floor split like an earthquake had hit.

“What!?”

He was no where to be found. I searched all around the dark room with my night vision but found no trace of him.

I flew all over searching for signs of movements. That was when I remembered the parts I had severed. What happened to them?

The floor was a mess. It would be hard to find them if they were buried in the rubles. But then a voice beckoned.

“Human……… not bad. Not bad at all.”