Somewhere along the way, my serious expression has turned into the smile I wear whenever I'm enjoying something dangerous. It's a rather strange smile, if I have to judge it myself. How could I possibly enjoy a situation like this? Do I care so little about standing at death's doorstep?
No, that's not it. It's simply that the adrenaline makes me smile without realizing it. My somewhat twisted mind enjoys putting itself in situations like these. I've always experienced a rush of dopamine whenever my life is on the line.
I move my head just enough to avoid losing my skull. My reaction isn't quite fast enough, and I lose my left ear instead. Even with gravity assisting me, reacting to this Escamus' speed is difficult.
I'd like to regenerate my poor ear, but I can't afford that luxury right now. My mana is completely focused on my Rank V ability to keep the battle under control. The rest is devoted to all my other abilities so I won't die from a single blow.
Recovering from wounds that won't kill me is unnecessary. I learned that after reaching Ruby rank. Every battle leaves me more injured, and my opponents keep growing stronger, forcing me to prioritize staying in the best fighting condition possible rather than being completely healed.
The moment my ear disappeared, a massive slash opened across his body. He sacrificed far more than he gained. The pain doesn't concern me thanks to my mental ability, and my hearing doesn't affect my Personal World.
His wound isn't as deep as I'd hoped, but at least it'll limit his speed until his natural regeneration finishes its work.
I never stop moving. A massive metal spear attempts to pierce me from behind, but I avoid it with a slight sidestep. The leader Escamus grabs the spear, spins around, and tries to drive it into my shoulder.
With gravity reinforcing my body, I react in time. His speed has dropped, giving my sword enough time to block the strike. It's not just his speed—his strength isn't the same either. His attacks no longer carry the crushing weight they did before.
I manage to hold my ground after blocking his attack, while my free sword is already tracing a beautiful arc. For the first time, both his expression and his Imra feel different. There's a trace of fear on his face, and his Imra carries a faint breeze of nervousness.
Somehow, he manages to shift his body just enough. The slash that was meant to split his head in half misses its mark. Instead, my blade carves a path from the side of his neck down to his waist. I may not have split his head open, but the damage is still tremendous.
His leg comes straight toward me. I don't have time to pull my sword free from his body, and my other sword is occupied. I have no choice but to let them go and block with my body. The gravity, lightning, and ice surrounding me absorb part of the impact. My armor will have to withstand the rest.
His powerful kick crashes into my arms as I shield my abdomen, sending me flying several meters backward. My armor barely did anything. The impact shatters several bones in both my arms and my ribs.
One of my swords falls to the ground while the other remains lodged in his body. I force them to disappear through sheer will and return to my hands. I look at my little babies, who've been with me for so long. They're reaching their limit. Grade 5 monsters are simply too much for my twin swords.
We're both badly injured. I can taste blood in my mouth after that blow, and even several of my internal organs have been damaged. The same goes for him. His wound refuses to stop bleeding, he's coughed up a great deal of blood, and I don't see any sign of him regenerating his scales.
We're both reaching a critical point. As much as I'd enjoy fighting to the death, that would be selfish of me. I'm not going to throw all my efforts away. I still have fuel left in the tank—I can feel it.
My internal organs are healing, though my recovery speed has slowed considerably. My body is becoming unstable, and my mind is already struggling to keep up with everything happening. Wounds that should heal in an instant now take several seconds.
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We stare at each other. At this point in the battle, I have the advantage. I've healed my most dangerous injuries, and my mobility hasn't been compromised. The Escamus, on the other hand, is suffering from deep wounds, and his movements will never be what they were before.
Where I still can't surpass him is offensive power. A single clean hit could end my life, while I have to work far harder to break through his defenses. One mistake could bury all my efforts.
"Hey." For the first time since the battle began, I hear his voice again.
"What is it?" I don't know whether he's trying to buy time to recover, but if he is, then so am I.
"If I leave this place... would you let this whole matter go?" I can tell how difficult those words are for him to say. He's setting his pride aside.
For a moment I considered making some joke about his surrender, but I dismissed the thought immediately. This wasn't the time. "That depends on the conditions you have in mind. If they align with mine, we might be able to reach some kind of agreement."
I'm willing to listen. I haven't relaxed for even a second. My body remains strengthened to its absolute limit, and the Escamus doesn't seem to be letting his guard down either.
I feel a thread of his Imra reaching toward me without any hostility. It's the method people commonly use to determine whether someone is lying. He's a grade 5 monster. He could have some way of deceiving me without me noticing.
I shake my head inwardly. In his current condition, he wouldn't be able to hide such obvious lies. I connect his Imra with mine. Once the connection is established, I sense faint emotions flowing through it. One of them is relief. He's showing that as long as we keep talking, he won't try anything.
"You know, I've lived far too many years to throw my life away here just to prove how strong I am. I never intended to abandon my territory, but I'm not stupid enough to value a piece of land more than my own life." I don't sense the slightest trace of deception or malice in his emotions.
"What are you proposing? That you'll leave for another place?" I ask curiously.
"Yes. But before I explain any further, I want you to understand why my race has been attacking other territories so aggressively over the past year." The Escamus sits down on the ground and closes his eyes for a moment, exposing a rare moment of vulnerability. "By the way, my name is Edupe." He opens his eyes and introduces himself.
"My name is Maki." I sit down as well, though I don't relax my abilities. I remain alert to every movement around me. "That would be a good place to start. Your race has been unusually active lately."
"We've been harassed by a group of ogres for quite some time. Their territory borders ours to the west. We were overwhelmed by their numbers. We've only managed to survive because our average strength is higher than theirs, but eventually we would've disappeared if we did nothing. The only solution we could think of was growing stronger by attacking weaker territories." I see him click his tongue. His emotions tell me he's speaking the truth.
"You considered our territory weak?" I ask, not out of offense but out of curiosity.
"We did. According to the information we gathered, you didn't have any Diamond or Obsidian fighters, and your strongest people already had their hands full dealing with other problems. We knew it wouldn't be easy, but humans are the race most likely to carry monster cores with them." I understand what he means. He didn't underestimate us. He simply chose what he believed was best for his people.
"I never imagined an anomaly like you was hiding in this territory. A pup capable of fighting a grade 5 monster of my caliber... I never thought I'd see anything like it." I hear a chuckle, something I never expected.
"So... you're really planning to leave this place just like that? Are you going to seek revenge against those ogres?" Something doesn't add up.
"More than anything. I can't wait to take that bastard's head. But I understand it's just as dangerous—if not more so—than fighting you. That's why I want to propose something. I'll hand this territory over to you in exchange for your help against those ogres." His gaze and Imra both reflect the seriousness of the proposal.
"What do I gain from it?" My question is direct and honest. I don't gain anything from this. I could simply keep trying to kill him in the future or wait until someone else eventually advances in rank.
"You're quite a clever pup. You're not just muscle." Another chuckle escapes him. "I thought I might still have a chance to come out ahead after such an intense fight." I roll my eyes at his answer.
"I know humans have ways of creating contracts bound to the Cube and the Core. We can make a binding contract ensuring that my race, at least those under my command, will never attack your territory again. I hold absolute authority over them. They cannot disobey my orders."
My silence must've given him the wrong impression, because a few seconds later he continues.
"Think of us as a shield protecting your territory. Since we won't be able to attack you, we'll expand in another direction instead. Naturally, the arrangement would go both ways. We wouldn't have to worry about attacks from your side either. I know humans are more unpredictable, so we can work out the finer details if we sit down and negotiate." For the first time, he completely relaxes. His abilities disappear.
"Let me call someone who has the authority to make that decision." My answer makes him smile. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. I'm simply following my instincts, and they've never failed me.