The Color Purple

Aeon brandished his lightning-clad swords.

A successful weapon enchantment!

Even though it was the most basic one, it was still an achievement and something to be proud of. After all, weapon enchantment was not simply wrapping your weapons or clothes up using your element. It was making your element fuse with the equipment, allowing the object to take some of the element's properties for itself, and the other way around.

Aeon's slightly bent forward before disappearing from his spot. Rapid tapping noises soon followed and echoed throughout the cave. He didn't bother concealing his footsteps anymore. His lightning balls were too bright to hide his position anyway. Aeon didn't beat around the bush and headed straight towards the colossal beast's flank.

The beast had its usual aggressiveness. With every swing of its claws, an explosion would occur, making dust and dirt fly everywhere.

Its attacks were fierce and didn't lack power. However…

It was still an easy opponent.

What use is power when you can't hit your target?

If one ignored the rocks that hit Aeon after those explosions, then one could say that all of the beast's attacks missed.

Aeon attacked ferociously. His target was once again the monster's belly. He just had to see the difference in power now that he was using an enchanted weapon.

Amidst the chaos and the loud booming noises, Aeon reached the beast once more. He didn't hold back and immediately used Half Moon Blade. A phantom of half a moon momentarily flashed inside the cave.

Schick! Ksss.

Blood sprayed from the wound that Aeon sliced open. With his Tenro buffing the slash, it went deeper inside. Sparks could be seen on the opening of the beast's wound, electrocuting it. The cave immediately became livelier due to the beast's screams of agony.

Aeon followed up with more slashes! He had to. He didn't know how long his enchantment would last yet, so he couldn't be careless.

Attack!

Aeon went on a frenzy, his face full of passion. Despite his excitement, he didn't forget to pay close attention to the beast. Of course, with his Tenro activated, he wouldn't miss too many changes.

The body of the giant lizard was immediately filled with wounds. It was now covered in blood, just like Aeon. But it really couldn't do anything.

….

After a full five minutes, the wails of the beast transformed from being those of anger to those of demise.

It had already started to feel the curtains of death closing down on it. It attempted to escape seven times already but failed every single time. If it had done so earlier, it would've been successful. But now, it was just too wounded. Flying would've been its best option, but even that had been robbed away by the human.

Aeon still continued to attack even though he was already exhausted to the brim. The beast was still moving. So shall he. But the endurance… the gap was just too big. How could his body compare to that of a colossal beast's? Nevertheless, he was still calm. He couldn't see himself losing the battle at that point.

Drop dead already!

Aeon continuously swung his swords. Even though his arms and hands were already numb to the point where he couldn't feel that he was holding anything, he still kept going.

Hurl another storm of desperate attacks! Don't relent!

….

Aeon's enchantment finally disappeared. It lasted for seven minutes. A surprising amount of time.

But, it also cost Aeon a lot.

Throughout that duration, he had been fighting at full power. He overexerted himself even when it was clear that he shouldn't be fighting anymore. Thankfully, the job was almost done.

Aeon heaved a sigh of relief.

When he finally felt that victory was already upon him, he slowed down the pace. He moved less and attacked less. His slashes barely dealt any damage without the enchantment anyway. Instead, he traded speed for more focus so he could hit the beast's open wounds more accurately.

He just started shifting the rhythm when he suddenly felt like something was wrong.

Bang! Crack! Dum!

The monster's attacks came raining down on Aeon forcing him to hop all over the place like a grasshopper.

He was having a hard time keeping up!

Impossible! Even when Aeon slowed down, he still took into account the speed of the beast. Him barely being able to keep up meant that… the beast had a sudden breakthrough?!

Bang bang bang!

Dodge! Run! Aeon's movements immediately became hurried, the slow pace disappearing in a blink of an eye.

Instead of dropping dead as Aeon had prayed, the beast started to move even faster. The sudden rise in rhythm had really caught Aeon off-guard and his focus was momentarily shattered.

He was still running when a huge whip-like figure entered his vision. It was the beast's tail!

Aeon slowed down the pace. Naturally, his body failed to cope up with the stimulus. He determined that he wouldn't be able to dodge the sweep. All he could do in response was to take a single step.

Fuck!

Thankfully, Aeon's rationality remained and he did not panic. He chose to go left, away from the tip of the tail where almost all of the attack's force was stored. At the same time, he crossed his swords in front of him.

Tap...

BANG! THUD!

The tail connected with Aeon's weapons, throwing him straight towards the wall. The lights behind him disappeared instantly upon impact, giving him a mental backlash. He immediately felt a headache coming.

Aeon slid down the wall. When his face hit the ground, he coughed out a mouthful of blood, painting his jaw a fresher shade of red. He groaned in both pain and disgust.

He couldn't feel his body anymore. With the last of his strength, he lifted his head up and stared at the direction where the sounds of thrashing were coming from, though he really couldn't see anything because it was almost pitch black. His heartbeat was racing as he imagined the beast coming straight towards him.

Then, it would eat him.

And that would be the end.

….

Aeon thought that it was extremely anticlimactic. Just when he thought that he had already won, the beast awakened its predatorial instincts.

The reason why Aeon had thought that the beast was an easy opponent was that it lived in solitude. Inside that cave, it had nothing else to compete with for food and territory. It feared pain. It didn't know when to advance or retreat. It fought without the mindset of putting its life on the line.

It had lived a sheltered life, albeit lonely.

It wasn't a predator.

Moreover, it only had fruits as a source of nutrients. Despite its huge build and thick skin, its body was actually composed mostly of fat. It had no major source of protein.

It was strong. But only because its body was naturally so. If it had everything it needed, if it lived in the wild, maybe it would've been the lord of an area. Unfortunately, he was there—underground.

Aeon shook his head. He was beaten by a vegetarian lizard. How stupid.

But then, Aeon realized something strange.

He was still alive. Half a minute had already passed. On top of that, the noises that the beast was making was starting to die down.

Shocked, Aeon channeled his magic to summon a lightning ball, but…

Bzzz...

He couldn't do it anymore. Only sparks would come out. He was too mentally exhausted to completely focus. Failing to suppress his desire to know what had happened to the beast, he forced himself to move his arms in order to prop himself up and take a seat. After assuming a comfortable posture, he gingerly started rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to see better in the dark.

It was only after a few minutes was he finally able to see clearly. And at that point, it was already dead silent.

Peace. Calm.

About a hundred meters in front of Aeon, a big black shadow remained motionless on the ground.

It was the colossal beast.

Did it pass out?

Wait…

Chance!

Aeon supported himself to stand up using his swords. Although he was having a hard time, he forced his legs to move. Thankfully, his weapons doubled as a crutch, although a bit short. His steps were hurried and uneven. Nevertheless, he still advanced.

When he was finally midway, he started questioning his decision. Was it really the right choice to approach the beast at that time? His vision was already blurry and he might pass out any second now. Moreover, does he even have enough strength to deal the finishing blow?

Fuck it!

Aeon continued to move forward. After taking a few more steps, he was finally able to clearly see the features of the beast. It was still covered in its own blood and it had so many wounds. Unfortunately, it really wasn't dead yet. Aeon could see its chest slowly inflate and deflate. It was breathing. It probably passed out due to the increased rate of blood loss during its rampage.

Aeon laughed dryly. In the end, that final struggle that the beast made was actually a double-edged sword. But boy did it work.

Thud!

Even though Aeon's pat was quite strong, the beast didn't wake up.

Tenro!

Aeon rapidly swept his palm through the colossal beast's chest. He was trying to feel for its heartbeat. Even with Aeon's Tenro, he was still having a hard time. The beating was already extremely faint. Aeon wouldn't even be surprised if it suddenly stopped. Well, that would be just great.

But just in case it wouldn't, he had to make a few adjustments in advance.

Come on! Show it to me!

Five seconds passed.

Then ten.

He was clearly not in the condition to activate his Tenro, but he still pushed to do so. Earlier, he had kept it in full throttle for seven whole minutes. If that didn't take a toll on Aeon, he wouldn't be human.

Aeon groaned as he forced himself to continue. He was in great pain. It was even more painful than being hit by the colossal beast's tail. It felt like there was a mountain was pressing down on his brain.

….

It took Aeon 30 seconds before he was finally able to pinpoint where the heart of the beast was. The moment he deactivated his Tenro, he immediately felt the pressure disappear.

Aeon's head hurt, and he felt even dizzier. However, he still had a grip over himself. In such a desperate moment, he had to keep moving. He had come too far.

His consciousness was flashing in and out as he lifted both of his swords. He eyed the spot where he would stab the beast in order to attack its heart.

Just one more time.

I need strength.

Aeon's grip on his swords was starting to weaken and he felt like his arms had gone mushy. He lost his balance and he swayed backward, causing Verdure to fall down from his grip. A few centimeters of the sword's tip embedded itself on the ground, the rest of its body sticking out.

He couldn't attack…

He couldn't control his body anymore.

Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock...

Time slowed down for Aeon. The events of the battle flashed through his mind. To think that everything he had done earlier would go to waste just because his brain was failing to function at such a crucial time.

Aeon started falling down.

He was blacking out…

Oh. No. A deep purple hue colored his vision, not black.

What?

Kss…

The time went back to its normal speed.

Instead of falling asleep, Aeon's eyes shot wide open. His forehead was burning! He felt his body move and he instinctively took a step in order to keep himself from falling! His right hand reached for Verdure, pulling it out of the ground.

Energy!

Aeon was filled with energy. He was able to take control of his body once more.

Will he be able to attack?!

Yes! He would!

Seventy percent of Aeon's vision was covered with a deep purple glow, but he was still able to find the spot where he was meant to attack the beast.

Afraid that it was only a momentary boost in mental strength and energy, a rush in adrenaline, Aeon moved swiftly! He lifted his swords invertedly then…

Stab!

The tip of the swords fell.

Schick!

The colossal beast twitched once.

Aeon panted heavily as he tried to observe the rise and fall of the beast's chest!

Did it work?

The chest of the beast slowly deflated. After that, it didn't grow bigger anymore.

It was finally dead.

Aeon had succeeded.

Though it was lights out for him too.

Thud.

….