A great pressure from the combination of both Jurisdictions prevents us from attacking to interrupt the summoning. Captain Kensein activates several abilities in an instant and unleashes a massive fire spell to try to stop it, but his attacks fail to leave even a scratch.
“Kid… no, Maki. Because of the damage you’ve dealt to Quilo, I’m confident I can defeat him. It may take me around ten minutes.” I can hear the seriousness in every word. “Do me a favor so we can both leave this place alive. Could you handle that undead while I do my job?”
Face a grade 5 monster alone. I remember my battle against the Lich a few days ago. That creature was only a step away from becoming grade 5, and I almost died during that fight. I’ve improved since then, but I don’t know if it’s enough to face this massive skeleton nearly three meters tall.
I shake my head mentally to get rid of any negative thoughts or doubts. I’m not just going to survive those ten minutes. I’m going to kill it in that time.
“I know it’s a difficult request, but it’s the only option.” Kensein keeps speaking. Maybe my silence gave him the wrong impression.
A faint smile forms on my lips at the thought of testing my strength again. “Leave it to me. I’ll take care of it.” I release all the energy accumulated in my body to show my determination.
“Lady Mirtha has good eyes…” I hear him whisper very softly beside me. The bald guard also prepares himself.
The combined Jurisdiction tries to pierce through us like a spear. It is partially repelled by Kensein’s own Jurisdiction, and I’m not being affected much thanks to my ability to resist it. I can’t say the same for the other ruby ranks trapped in the chaos.
Kensein moves with some kind of enhancement skill. It’s difficult to follow his movements even within my Personal World. The grade 5 monster is clearly as intelligent as a human and reacts quickly to try to stop him.
The skeletal monster is interrupted midway through its movement because it has to defend itself from an overloaded Joyeuse aimed at its head. The monster’s spear turns black and crackles with dark lightning. A swift movement interrupts my attack, though I manage to push it back a few steps.
Kensein takes the opportunity to swing his massive axe at Quilo. I know I’ve heard that name somewhere before, but I don’t have time to focus on remembering where. I push every stray thought aside and concentrate entirely on my own enemy.
The skeleton wearing soldier’s clothes and carrying a long spear has also realized that I won’t let it act freely. Now I’ve become its priority as well.
I can’t hold back. If I reserve even a little of what I can do, I won’t have any chance of winning. The gravity around me increases to the maximum, and my body is surrounded by every kind of mana.
My first sword strike is blocked by the spear, and I grimace in annoyance. I’ve never used this much gravity before, and my shoulder nearly dislocates. The pain is almost nonexistent thanks to my mental and healing abilities. The irritation comes from making such a stupid mistake in such a dangerous moment.
My swords and its spear continue clashing again and again. I still haven’t reached my ideal distance. The length of the spear keeps me almost a meter farther away than I want to be. For now, I can’t overcome that barrier. I need to fully adapt to using this amount of gravity mana first.
The black lightning from the spear collides with my own electric serpents, and my ice armor is shattered and rebuilt repeatedly. After a few minutes, I realize a serious problem. I’m going to run out of mana if I keep fighting at this pace. I need to use it more efficiently.
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I reduce the intensity of the gravity around me and concentrate it closer to my body. Several electric serpents disappear, while the remaining ones become stronger. I also try to rely as much as possible on my ice mana. It consumes the least mana and is the affinity I’m most accustomed to using.
Finally, after hundreds or perhaps thousands of exchanges, I manage to enter my ideal range. I’ve become accustomed to using this immense amount of gravity to enhance my movements, and my advantage in swordsmanship has allowed me to close the distance little by little.
The skeleton in front of me is also highly skilled. The speed of its spear is the biggest problem. I fail to dodge the tip completely, and it tears through the space between my shoulder and neck. I endure the pain and focus on attacking.
At the same time, my sword strikes its right ribs. What the hell? Why is it so hard? Those bones are unbelievably tough with that strengthening ability. I’ve only managed to chip them slightly, completely different from the severe wound it inflicted on me.
After only a few more exchanges, my injury has already healed, while the monster still has the chip in its bones. That gives me a small hope of victory. I don’t care if I have to hit it a thousand more times. I’ll do it.
“If you need my help, just ask,” Glia suggests. I can feel my little sister’s concern through our connection.
“You could be a useful surprise factor. For now, keep helping me heal and strengthen my death mana,” I reply.
I have to dodge a sweeping strike from the spear. Since I’m crouching, I don’t have enough power to counterattack immediately. I reposition myself and continue trading blows. I need to take more risks.
The spear almost pierces my forehead. I can feel the tip passing less than a centimeter from my hair. The monster didn’t expect me to evade that attack and is left exposed for an instant. I seize the opportunity and land a powerful strike on its neck.
This time the wound is deeper, but it’s still relatively shallow. I don’t give up. This is the path.
The spear above my head releases stronger dark lightning. I focus on creating multiple layers of super-concentrated ice and death mana to protect myself as much as possible. Even so, the attack still injures me. I can feel my skin burning from the lightning.
I only heal the most critical injury—a hole above my ear. I leave the burns for later. I don’t have time to spend more mana than necessary.
The monster has never stopped trying to dominate me with its Jurisdiction whenever it gets the chance, and right now it tries again. I concentrate my Imra, gravity mana, willpower, and Dominion to repel the attempt.
The skeleton’s body is heavily damaged. Several of my strikes have targeted the same areas to maximize the damage, and it’s working.
As the minutes pass, the monster’s movements gradually slow down. I’ve also lost a great deal of energy, but I’m in a better position thanks to Glia’s support and my more efficient movements.
The fight drags on. Minutes feel like hours, and seconds grow slower and slower. My body moves only through sheer willpower and my desire to kill it. It’s in a similarly miserable state.
My body is covered in wounds. Blood runs from several openings, my skin is scorched in multiple places, and there’s a small hole in my abdomen where someone could see through me if they wanted to.
The skeleton is equally battered. Several of its bones are cracked, and it has lost half an arm in one of our exchanges—the same exchange in which it created the hole in my abdomen.
My face, covered in blood, keeps smiling. I’m happy that I’ve pushed a grade 5 monster this far. We’ve reached the final stage, where one wrong move could mean defeat, and defeat means death.
Even in such deplorable conditions, neither of us stops moving. We both know that a single hesitation means the end, and that giving up even a little ground will decide the battle.
My sword is knocked aside by the spear again, but this time something is different. Controlling the spear with only one hand is difficult. The monster has lost a great deal of precision, and the spear flies off to the side, leaving a huge opening.
“Now, Glia!” I shout to my sister. She’s in terrible condition as well. She’s spent almost all her mana trying to keep me intact, and her reserves are nearly empty. It’s risky for her to appear now, but I don’t need her to fight.
Her sudden appearance beside us distracts the monster for an instant. It can’t pull its spear back in time, and I slip inside its guard without much trouble.
I can feel death and lightning mana trying to form a protective layer around its body, but it’s too late. My sword is already moving. I hold nothing back in this strike. The blade sinks into its chest and drives it several meters backward. My arm disintegrates from the force, and I collapse to the ground.
“Damn it…” I need to get back on my feet immediately. My body feels as if every limb is weighted down with lead, but I have to move because the monster isn’t dead. I can still feel vitality within it.
The skeleton, pinned against a massive boulder with my sword embedded in its chest, refuses to die.