As I was observing the fight, I saw it, the opening we needed.
Beth’s bullets weren’t piercing the orc lord’s defenses anymore, but they were forcing him to focus.
Every ti she fired, he had to deflect, his attention montarily locked on her movent.
It wasn’t much, but for ?
It was enough.
I instantly made my move.
The world blurred around as I dashed forward, my steps silent against the bloodstained ground.
My heart pounded in rhythm with Beth’s gunfire, each shot masking my approach.
Faster.
The mont his club swung again, knocking away another round, I was already behind him.
I reached out—
My fingers brushed against the cold, jagged surface of his armor.
And then, I drained.
I could have done this from afar, but I felt like it would be more faster doing it closely.
Suddenly a surge of raw energy rushed into , like a floodgate bursting open.
My veins burned as the orc lord’s strength poured into my body, his very essence being ripped away.
But, sothing was wrong.
I gasped, my grip tightening as a suffocating pressure wrapped around my chest.
It was like trying to drain an infinite ocean through a straw, his power was too dense, too vast.
It was too much for , I won’t be able to do it on ti.
It force was too strong, pushing to my limit, with a force that made my whole body scream in protest.
Damnit No, I don’t have a limit...
I just need more ti!
The orc lord suddenly stiffened.
His hulking fra tensed, his head tilting slightly as if he had just noticed sothing off.
Then, in an instant, his grin vanished.
I clenched my teeth, trying to pull, to drain him, but sothing snapped back.
A force, violent, unrelenting, exploded from his body.
It was like hitting an invisible wall at full speed.
One second, I was siphoning his strength, the next—
Boom!
A shockwave erupted, slamming into with bone-crushing force.
My vision blurred as my body was launched backward, as if an unseen giant had grabbed and thrown away like trash.
I didn’t even have ti to scream.
The world spun, sky and ground rging in a chaotic blur.
Then—
Impact.
I hit the dirt hard, my body skidding across the cracked battlefield like a ragdoll.
Pain tore through , sharp and unforgiving, every nerve in my body screaming in protest.
Dust and debris filled my lungs as I finally ca to a stop, my limbs sprawled out uselessly.
For a mont, I just lay there, gasping, my mind struggling to process what had just happened.
What the hell was that?
I had drained before, I had stolen life before.
But this... this was different.
My goal was to drain his life.
But that didn’t look like what I was doing.
Damnit, Ash of Nullification...
He possess it.
And that is what I was draining, that is why it was too much for ... it was endless.
It would be damn hard to drain him.
I coughed, trying to push myself up, but my arms shook under my weight.
My entire body felt like it had been slamd by a wrecking ball, twice.
A shadow lood over .
My breath hitched as I forced my gaze up only to see the orc lord standing there, his golden eyes gleaming with amusent.
He knew.
He knew exactly what I had tried to do.
That’s why he had thrown away with a force that made my bones shatter.
Although it had already healed.
The pain slightly still remained.
I gritted my teeth.
No. I wasn’t done yet.
I planted a shaking hand against the dirt, forcing myself up.
I wasn’t done yet.
Pain still thrumd through my body, my vision swimming as I struggled to push myself up.
The force that had thrown away still lingered, like an imprint on my bones, a warning that I had overstepped.
But I must succeed.
I must defeat him.
Suddenly a burst of gunfire split through the air.
I turned my head just in ti to see, Beth, her movents sharp, precise, appearing beside the orc lord, twin pistols blazing.
Bang! Bang!
The rapid shots rang out, the muzzle flashes illuminating the battlefield in harsh bursts of light.
Each bullet was aid at a vital spot, they was no slight gap in his armor, so she targeted his temple, his throat.
Which still looks like it wasn’t going to be be easy, because of how thick his skin was...
But Beth wasn’t just firing blindly; she was calculating, looking for any weakness in the monstrous being before us.
But the orc lord...
He didn’t flinch.
His massive club swung through the air with inhuman speed, the sheer force of it creating a wind strong enough to kick up dust.
And just like before—
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The bullets never reached him.
The instant they got close, his club intercepted every single one, sending them spiraling away, ricocheting into the broken landscape.
It was almost casual, like he was swatting away annoying insects rather than dodging lethal projectiles.
Beth’s expression didn’t waver.
She twisted her body, emptying both magazines in an instant, each bullet fired faster than the last.
Yet, every single shot was t with the sa fate, deflected effortlessly.
Then, a flicker of movent.
The orc lord’s club whipped through the air, aiming straight for Beth.
I barely had ti to breathe before—
CRASH!
The ground where she had just been exploded, chunks of stone and debris flying everywhere.
But Beth was already gone.
She reappeared a few feet away, her expression calm, her breathing steady.
There was no fear in her eyes, only focus.
She glanced toward , her gaze unreadable.
"You good?"
I forced myself up, my legs barely holding.
"Yeah, i am good,"
Her lips twitched slightly, then her eyes snapped back to the orc lord.
He was watching her now, that unsettling, amused grin still on his face.
As if she was interesting.
As if she was worth his ti.
And that?
That was dangerous.
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