BOOM.
The Kraken's form twisted unnaturally, its massive bulk moving far faster than sothing of its size should be capable of. Its enormous tentacles lashed out in a blur of motion, cutting through the air with enough force to collapse the cavern walls.
SWOOSH!
I dodged.
My body moved instinctively, my feet barely grazing the ruined stone as I weaved through the onslaught. The tentacle struck where I had been a fraction of a second ago, shattering the ground into jagged debris. The air rippled from the sheer force of the blow, dust and ichor spraying in all directions.
Another strike.
Another.
SWOOSH. SWOOSH.
I bent backward, narrowly avoiding a crushing sweep that would've flattened . Another tentacle ca from above, a blur of abyssal muscle descending like a falling mountain.
This ti, I deflected.
CLANG!
I twisted my estoc, angling the edge to redirect rather than resist. A pulse of black-starlight flickered along the blade's surface, sending the Kraken's strike veering slightly off course. It wasn't enough to fully stop it, but enough to buy the fraction of a second I needed to shift my weight-
And move.
The impact missed by inches, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. The cavern trembled, cracks splintering across the already ruined terrain. The sheer force sent loose debris tumbling from the jagged ceiling above.
'It's fast.'
It was regenerating, too.
Every ti my blade carved into its grotesque flesh, the wounds stitched themselves back together. The black, brackish ichor spilled from its injuries, but it didn't weaken. If anything, it seed to be getting stronger.
Tch. Annoying.
I exhaled, rolling my wrist, my estoc humming with faint starlight energy. My body burned with exertion, the wounds along my ribs and arms throbbing, but I didn't stop.
This fight was dragging on.
'It's not good.'
And it was not. After all, the more this monster lived, the more it fought, the harder it would get for .
'I can't match its regeneration.'
Maybe, if there were other monsters that were around here, then it could have been possible. After all, I could utilize [Fla of Equinox] to absorb their vitality.
'Vitaliara would help as well.'
But, none of these two above conditions were t.
Hence there was not much that could be done.
I stepped forward, blade rising.
Void Starfall Blade: Starsurge
The air shuddered.
A deep pulse of black-starlight radiated from my weapon, expanding outward in sharp, crackling arcs. The energy around condensed, space bending as the technique activated.
And then-
I vanished.
Or rather, I moved too fast to be seen.
A streak of starlight tore across the battlefield, my figure blurring into a trail of pure, condensed energy. My estoc carved through the Kraken's defenses, the force of the strike expanding the mont it connected.
BOOM!
The impact was devastating.
The black-starlight exploded outward, carving through the Kraken's grotesque flesh in a spiral of obliterating force. A massive section of its body was severed, black ichor spraying into the air like a ruptured dam.
For a mont, there was silence.
And then-
Schlrkkk-
The sound of flesh reforming.
I watched, my smirk fading slightly as the severed wound stitched itself back together, the Kraken's body regenerating in re seconds.
My attack had landed.
But it hadn't worked.
My smirk twisted into sothing colder. I exhaled, adjusting my stance, but before I could
move-
BOOM.
A tentacle ca from my blind spot.
I twisted-too late.
The impact slamd into my side, pain exploding through my ribs as I was sent flying.
CRASH!
I hit the ground hard, skidding across the ruined battlefield before slamming into a broken pillar. Blood filled my mouth, the taste sharp and tallic. My fingers tightened around my weapon, my breaths coming out ragged.
"Tch... So it's like this, huh?"
I clenched my jaw, pressing a hand to my side, feeling the deep gash along my ribs. My mind was working, analyzing, dissecting. My technique had been perfect.
And yet, it wasn't enough.
Why?
What was I missing?
I gritted my teeth, pushing myself to my feet. My vision blurred for a mont before sharpening, my gaze locking onto the Kraken's writhing, abyssal form. The resonance between us was still there, pulsing, watching.
I exhaled slowly, the taste of blood thick on my tongue. My ribs throbbed with each breath, the pain sharp but manageable. I tightened my grip on my estoc, forcing myself to ignore the
lingering ache.
'Why?'
My technique had landed. It had cut through the Kraken. But it hadn't mattered.
I channeled my core, willing the Starlight Energy into my blade. A soft hum reverberated
through the air as black-starlight pulsed along the weapon's edge, flickering with celestial
brilliance.
At the sa ti, I let my [Fla of Equinox] surge through my veins.
WHOOSH.
Blackish flas coiled around , licking at the air with an eerie, consuming heat. Unlike ordinary fire, this was sothing more-sothing that straddled the line between life and
death.
'For now, I need to understand.'
It wasn't going to be that easy. I knew that.
I didn't expect a simple answer.
But I needed sothing.
I shifted my stance, my vision locking onto the Kraken once more. Its abyssal form pulsed, its
grotesque limbs twisting, shifting unnaturally as it watched .
It was waiting.
Almost as if it knew I hadn't figured it out yet.
Tch. Annoying.
BOOM.
I shot forward.
My movents blurred into streaks of starlight, the celestial energy crackling around my fra as I closed the distance in an instant. My estoc slashed out, carving through the thick
mass of flesh before twisting in an elegant arc.
SLASH. SLASH. SLASH.
Each strike landed with pinpoint precision.
Each cut was clean.
Each wound burst apart with black flas and searing starlight.
But none of them mattered.
Schlrkkk-
The Kraken's wounds stitched themselves back together before I had even finished my next
attack.
'Not enough.'
SWOOSH!
I twisted midair, dodging a massive tentacle that ca crashing down where I had stood. My body flickered again, moving with the montum of my strikes, my blade lashing out in rapid
succession.
SLASH. SLASH. SLASH.
Still nothing.
Fine.
I pivoted, pressing my free hand forward-
BOOM!
Beams of starlight surged from my palm, arcs of pure celestial force ripping through the
battlefield. They sliced through the Kraken's form, illuminating the cavern in a flash of
radiant destruction.
Then, I shifted my mana.
The [Fla of Equinox] flared up, black flas twisting into scorching waves as I unleashed them in rapid succession. Projectiles of death and fire shot toward the Kraken, consuming the
very air as they tore forward.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM!
The cavern shook from the force of the attacks.
And yet-
When the smoke cleared, the Kraken remained.
Untouched.
The wounds I had inflicted were already gone, the regeneration surging faster than ever.
I landed several paces away, breath steady but gaze cold.
'No. This isn't working.'
My flas weren't stopping it.
My starlight wasn't enough.
Even the combined force of my techniques-sothing that should have erased lesser
creatures entirely-was useless.
Tch.
I exhaled sharply, rolling my wrist, feeling the black-light flickering at the edge of my
consciousness.
There was sothing I wasn't seeing.
Sothing I was missing.
"Heh...."
But that was the fun part.
"Hehe..."
The answer was here. Right in front of .
"Stepping into the unknown."
I just had to figure it out.
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