Chapter 51: The Last Remaining Hope

Chapter 51: The Last Remaining Hope

Emily takes deep breaths and exhales as if she is venting heat.

“I’ll do more than challenge you! I’m going to kill you!” she declares, primal bloodlust in her voice.

“Give it your best shot,” Gorge replies in a cold tone before he uses his right hand to rip off a chunk of his remaining body armor. The armor liquifies, smothering all over his hand until it rehardens. “With my Armor Manipulation Magic, covering my fist in magic-affected armor gives me an even more powerful punch… if you’d like to try colliding punches again.”

Emily roars, “The only thing my fist needs to collide with is your face!!”

She jumps at an arching angle, tightening her fist with a deep desire to pound Gorge into dust.

“So be it,” Gorge says in a serious tone as he short hops back just enough to avoid Emily’s downward-thrusting punch. He smashes his armored right fist straight into Emily’s face with enough force that her face seems to crunch. But even through severe pain, she pushes forward, body slamming him to the ground.

She screams with primal energy as she repeatedly pounds her fists in Gorge’s face.

“I want you to die!!” she declares, her voice fuming.

Despite the beating he is taking, Gorge continues to stare in her eyes with cold sharpness, knowing this barrage won’t defeat him.

He grabs her by the face before thrusting his knee up into her gut, breaking through the blood armor. He slams his fist into her face, blowing her back until she balances herself on her feet.

She rubs her face as she winces in pain. Her face looks almost indented from the punch’s power. With very little time to react, she braces herself as Gorge rushes in. He slugs her in the arm with enough force to create cracking sounds. She clenches her teeth under extreme pain, but she fights through and counters with her own fierce punch to his chest, breaking more of his armor. He does not back down, slinging another punch of his own to her face. They both stand firm as they exchange blows back and forth, each strike seemingly equal in power.

The other heroes watch with nerves and concern etched on their faces.

“You know, I thought Blood Magic was supposed to be some kind of overpowered, strength cheat,” Joe says. “Yet, she seems evenly matched with him at best.”

“Not that we know the origins of Blood Magic, but it would be foolish to believe it is some kind of almighty power,” Kurt replies. “I’d imagine it does push her body to its current limits but it’s impossible to say for certain.”

Zeth holds out his fist, yelling, “Come on, Emily!! Destroy him!!”

Sasha gulps and rubs her fingers together to cope with her nerves. “I have a bad feeling…”

Soon, the back-and-forth brawl ends as Gorge grabs her arm with his left hand, punches her in the face with his right, elbows her in the gut, and then upper cuts her in the chin, knocking her upward. He jumps up, clasps his hands together, and slams them down on top of her, launching her down into the ground.

The other heroes all gasp, eyes wide open.

“And now for the finishing blow!” Gorge shouts as he dives downward with his foot leading the way. He stomps Emily in her back. Blood flies out of her mouth as she lets out one last scream of pain before falling unconscious. Her Blood Magic ends and her body returns to its normal state, including the punctures in her body from the Shadow Sword.

Gorge jumps off and lands in front of her unconscious body, staring down at it. He breathes heavily, having taken serious damage himself. His face and body similarly are covered in blood and wounds.

“Even the power of Blood Magic can’t take me down,” he says in a deep, cold voice.

Kurt trembles, his voice aching with fear as he mutters, “Guys, I think it’s safe to say that we are far overmatched in this battle. He’s taken on everything we have thrown at him.”

Zeth stomps the ground, shouting, “No! There has to be something! He’s not a god! He’s a human just like us!”

Gorge turns toward the four heroes, speaking in his usual deep, cold tone. “If you were smart, you would have run away while I was dealing with her. Who knows, maybe you would have escaped to safety. You have fumbled another opportunity to save yourselves from me. You will not get a third chance.”

“Sorry, but I disagree with that conclusion,” a woman’s voice says.

The heroes and Gorge all start looking around, trying to find the source of the voice.

Udana jumps out from an opening of trees, landing near Gorge.

“Udana…” Gorge mutters in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to make sure these five leave here alive. They’re too important to let you kill them.”

“Udana, surely you know that interfering with my business would result in our clan taking action against Kogen.”

“I’m aware… That’s why I won’t let YOU leave here alive.”

For the first time, Gorge laughs, even smiling, before replying. “That must be a joke. You are a D-Rank magic user. I am a C-Rank magic user. Challenging me will just get you killed.”

“True… but look at you. You’re all worn down. I must give credit to these five for pushing you this far.”

Gorge bends his knees slightly, clenching his fists tightly as he gets in a battle stance while charging his magic energy. “Let’s see if you can back that up!”

Udana unsheathes her sword, glaring at him with confidence. “Indeed, we shall.”

With Emily defeated, all hope seemed lost. But now, the last remaining hope, Udana, has arrived!

Chapter 51 END

To be Continued in Chapter 52: Udana vs Gorge. The Sword with Many Strengths!