Kensein's POV:
I never expected Quilo to be behind this attack. This monster wearing human skin has spent the last few years terrorizing countless villages and small territories. His experiments and massacres have been a headache for everyone.
This bastard doesn’t care in the slightest about anyone except himself. He has no problem experimenting on his own allies for his benefit, and killing them is an everyday occurrence if he happens to be in a bad mood.
There were rumors that he had joined a larger organization to gain more resources for his experiments involving undead, monsters, humans, and dungeons. Looking at him now, I realize those rumors must be true.
Being able to summon a grade 5 monster is not normal, especially one this powerful and with such mastery over life and death mana. Perhaps he raised it himself? It’s a possibility. This is a Skeleton General. It’s as intelligent as any ruby rank, and I doubt it would allow itself to be controlled without very specific conditions.
I couldn’t ask for better circumstances to kill him. Quilo is injured. He must have become overconfident because Maki is only a ruby rank and decided he could face him head-on. That arrogance has cost him dearly. This monster always relies on undead or long-range combat. That’s his specialty.
Maki is holding the monster off remarkably well. I shouldn’t be interrupted or caught by surprise if things continue like this. I allow myself a brief distraction to observe the high-speed clash between those two more clearly. Maki isn’t just holding it back, he’s forcing it to retreat.
What a monster. That boy, after fighting Quilo and injuring him, still has the strength to stand back up from a mortal wound and continue battling a monster a whole rank above his own. Not only that, he’s forcing it onto the defensive.
He’s paying the price every second. His body is severely burned and covered in injuries. I’m surprised by how efficiently he’s using his mana, healing only mortal wounds. He’s conserving his mana as carefully as possible to reach the end of this fight.
That smile on Maki’s face sends a slight chill down my spine. That boy is genuinely enjoying this fight and the injuries that come with it. The excitement coursing through his body is something I haven’t felt in many years, the certainty that any movement could bring victory or defeat.
I slam my axe into the ground, creating waves of fire to block several death mana spells in my path. My movement ability is quite special. Not only do I combine it with my fire affinity, but I also slow my surroundings using my minor affinity with time.
I dodge every attack I can. Others I have to break with my axe or simply endure with my body. I have no intention of stopping. The only path is forward. If I give Quilo even a little space, he’ll recover and everything will become far more complicated.
I position myself close enough to see the fear in his eyes. He knows it. He knows that a single tiny mistake will lead to his death, and I can force that mistake at any moment if we remain within the range of my axe.
Quilo doesn’t stop retreating and moving around like a rat, sending attacks at me from a distance. I can’t deny he’s slippery. He’s using his own companions as cannon fodder. My axe cuts them in half without hesitation. Every one of them deserves to die.
“Got you.” I accumulate time mana and trap Quilo.
The effect will only last a second, perhaps even less, but that’s enough for me to close the distance and attempt to pin him down with greater force. His movements are slowed enough for me to continue pressuring him with my Jurisdiction.
Quilo clings desperately to life. He’s resisting with everything he has, but after several minutes of playing cat and mouse, I finally get close enough to swing my axe. I was already getting tired of being bombarded nonstop without being able to do much in return. I have too many wounds on my body to waste time thinking.
His death mana is every bit as powerful as the rumors claimed. My defensive constructs are being devoured. Now it’s finally my turn to return the favor. My axe aims to split him in half vertically. He blocks awkwardly and is launched backward.
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I have to protect myself with my axe from multiple spells cast at point-blank range. Rats bite the hardest when they’re cornered.
I don’t stop my advance. Although my next swing is blocked again, I hear sounds of pain and breaking bones. His defensive spells were nearly destroyed by a single strike of my axe.
Quilo falls for the feint. I make him believe I’m aiming for his neck, then my axe changes trajectory downward. I feel it slice cleanly through his defenses, skin, and bones. Now he won’t be running anywhere with one leg missing.
This monster in human skin creates a construct to support himself and attempt to flee. I release a burst of time mana to restrain him. The ability is interrupted almost immediately, but it accomplishes its purpose. He couldn’t get away.
My movements become increasingly lethal, all aimed at vital points. Somehow, Quilo manages to stay conscious, receiving only enough damage to fracture more bones, while I watch more blood slowly trickle from fresh wounds across my body.
I find an opening in his defense and cleanly sever his remaining leg. A horrifying scream escapes the diamond rank. His eyes no longer show fury, all I see now is fear.
His condition continues worsening with every passing second. I cut off all of his limbs, and a massive slash across his abdomen becomes the final blow that leaves him unconscious.
I place an artifact resembling a gray plate on the right side of his chest. When I activate it, I feel his body stop receiving ambient mana, and his channels gradually become restricted. It isn’t just his mana. His Imra and his ability to use any other source of power have been sealed as well.
I have to pour a potion into his mouth to prevent him from bleeding to death. When I see his wounds slowly closing and his breathing becoming steady, I consider my task complete.
I never thought I’d be able to capture that bastard alive. I assumed I’d end up killing him. This is a tremendous achievement for our territory. Many important people have wanted to either kill or capture him.
I hurry back as quickly as possible. I spent nearly eight minutes chasing and trying to capture him, and I’ve moved quite far away. It’ll take me a couple of minutes to find Maki. I search quickly, focusing on the fluctuations of mana around me for signs of battle.
Once I’m certain of the direction, I move at full speed to help him. At this point, Maki shouldn’t have enough mana left to keep fighting at the same pace as before.
When I arrive, I’m greeted by an astonishing sight. Maki destroys his own arm to drive his sword through the Skeleton General’s chest. The monster is blasted backward and embedded into a wall, yet it still refuses to die or surrender.
Maki knows it isn’t over. He rises as quickly as his battered, wounded body allows. He gets to his feet and vanishes instantly. He used his space affinity to teleport directly in front of the monster as quickly as possible. He refuses to give it even a moment to recover.
His sword traces a beautiful slash from right to left and strikes the grade 5 monster’s neck. I can see the monster’s final resistance. It drives its spear into Maki’s leg and tries to force him away by destroying the limb.
The boy refuses to let go. He clenches his teeth with all his strength. His body receives another surge of gravity mana to force his sword through the final layers of the monster’s defenses. The blade slices cleanly through its neck, and the skeleton is decapitated.
The gravity impulse causes Maki to spin through the air. He tries to control himself as best he can and lands on the ground with very little grace. He remains kneeling, staring at the sky. He’s missing a hand, his body is a complete mess, and he probably shouldn’t even have enough energy left to move.
Is that his companion? From what we’ve been able to investigate, Maki has some sort of contract with a quadrupedal monster. The creature approaches, gently presses its head against Maki’s, and disappears a few seconds later.
The boy uses the last of his strength to pull the spear from his leg before collapsing face-first onto the ground. I can feel that he’s only a single step away from unconsciousness.
I move to his side as quickly as possible. “It’s all over now. You can rest.” I can feel the exhaustion and pain throughout my own body as I sit down beside him.
The boy turns his gaze toward me. “Old man, you look like shit.” His words leave me speechless. Then I look over my body again and realize I’m not in much better condition than he is. The only difference is that I still have my arm intact, while Maki destroyed his by overloading it.
“At least I didn’t lose any limbs.” I laugh softly as I answer him. A few seconds pass before I speak again. “You’re incredible. I never thought you’d be able to defeat that skeleton monster.” My praise is completely sincere.
“I’m pretty stubborn. I wasn’t planning to give up until I killed it. My body paid the price for being an idiot.” He makes a great effort to roll onto his back. “Give me thirty minutes to recover, and I’ll help heal your injuries.” The moment he finishes speaking, he falls into a deep sleep.
I look at him with immense admiration. “As long as you’re sleeping, nobody will lay a finger on you, little friend.” I send a message to one of my trusted disciples back at the wagons to inform him that everything is under control and that I’ll return soon. Today, I witnessed something extraordinary. This young man has carved an unforgettable memory into my mind.