Salvation versus Abyss

"Ha. Ha." My lungs screamed me to breathe faster. Despite my bodies complaints I breathed deeply and controlled.

(Skill Weapon Aura became level 5.)

I didn't even notice the notification. I only focused my foe. Despite our fight been going around 30 minutes he still didn't even had a scratch on him. I other hand was covered with wounds from head to toe. If it wasn't for my already tough scales getting tougher with Beastification I probably would be dead already. Despite the difference I was calm. My wounds were nothing but experience. Despite getting pushed back I fell victim to less and less feints every passing minute.

(Skill Battle Sense became level 6.)

I never trained in weapon fighting formally. Knowing if my posture was correct, knowing if how I handled my spear was correct, I didn't knew anything about them. Only way I could see if things I doing were correct is to test them against a proper opponent. And now I had that chance. Fight, learn, absorb and overcome. I created magic circles while still attacking with my spear. Even with all the magic, fire breath and spear play I had in my arsenal I couldn't get past his sword play.

"A lot of weapons. All of them incomplete." He said as he blocked all of my attacks.

"Well sorry about not completing them. I am only been in this form for just several years!" I kept attacking him. As we kept clashing he spoke up again:

"Then let me show you a complete attack." Parrying me he jumped back. His weapon which was covered with red aura slowly shined gold. This is bad. His aura turned into a shining piece of gold that blinded me.

"This is the best attack I can make in this form. Keep your guard up." He raised his sword and released the golden light. I felt time slowing down. I created several layers of magic shields even though I knew that they wouldn't slow it down.

"Golden Salvation: Reaching the Truth."

I was blown away. My body hurt. I didn't knew how far I was blown away or where I was. Light blinded me. Only thing I knew was the fact that I took a lot of damage. Pain grasped my entire mind and I wanted to scream. I wanted to raise my body and realized that I was far to wounded for that. Understanding my condition, maybe I should be glad that I couldn't see right now. My body probably blow into pieces and I had some bones visible. I started to scream. Pain was too much.

"Boss!" I heard someone calling me.

"Jasper?"

"Are you okay? Shit, your wounds are too deep!" He was worried about me?

"Hey, bring me some bandages!" He screamed to someone.

"Okay, Boss I will patch you up!" I wondered why he cared about me. Maybe because of I was his ticket of getting out of here?

"He is here. Oh, shit he is here!" He screamed in terror. Did Armor came to here?

"Boss, you need to get up. I will hold him off." He will fight for me? That wimp? I felt pathetic. I heard noises of fighting. Someone I didn't saw as a warrior protected me. That and feeling of being defeated bubbled inside me. That sense of patheticness slowly turned to anger.

"Use Devourer on Beastificition."

(Skill Beastificition is evolving with the effect of Corruptive Evolution… Beastificition successfully evolved into active skill Demonic Beast's Outrage.)

(Demonic Beasts Outrage allows you to turn your entire body or a part of your body to off a demonic beasts. This skill will morph your body to be stronger, faster and tougher version. Natural weaponry and adaptations can also be gained while this skill is active depending on the level.)

"Use all skill points I have to level up this."

(Skill Demonic Beast's Outrage became level 4.)

My body painfully morphed. My body became taller annd larger. My claws grew. My tail and wings matured. I felt insane amounts of power rising from my body. As my body convulsed I wanted to quit using this skill.

"No!" I growled. I can't quit. I thought about Minerva. I thought of orc, goblins and lizardman watching me battle. I thought about Jasper who was blocking Armor. I thought of red-haired Goddess.

"I have to much to lose." Screaming is okay. Wiggling like a worn is acceptable. Quiting is not.

"You are still alive. Get out of my way."

Armor talked with a cold and disinterested voice. He didn't even looked at Jasper. Jasper gulped and tried to hide his knees shaking. Jasper should have felt angry. He was a vampire noble. A pure blood! He was strong. All other were under him. But that two beings weren't like that. They just overpowered Jasper and could easily killed him.

"I can't let you go. If he dies… If he dies I will be stuck here!"

Jasper hated demon Nox. Even though he called him Boss he still hated him. He forced him to servitude and nearly killed him. Of course he would be hating him. But he also told him that he will let him go. So he had to protect him. If he just block him for several minutes maybe Nox would heal and could get back fighting. He raised his clawed. He opened his mouth to show his fangs. Armor just kept walking. He even just passed Jasper. Jasper growled and swung his claws to Armor.

"I see. You really want to fight. I thought you was bluffing. I apologize." He said as he raised his sword to block Jasper's attack. Claws broke as soon as they hit the sword and Jasper howled in pain. He swung his sword and Jasper turned into bats.

"This annoying ability again." He swung his sword in empty air. Flashes of aura flew and hit to bats. Some of them were vaporized at instant. Jasper again howled in pain. Bats gathered in an area slightly further than Armor. They fused and a wounded Jasper appeared. He fell to his knees.

"It was that?" Armor asked as he slowly walked to Jasper.

"This time I won't let you. I will sure to behead you." Jasper started to crawling away from him.

"No, please. I don't want to die. Please someone." He begged as he crawled. Despite walking slowly Armor catched up to Jasper. He raised his sword up high. Jasper closed his eyes. He waited for sword to fall and chop of his head but only thing he felt were shaking ground and wind. He opened his eyes.

"What? What are you?" He blurted out without too much thought. Being growled to him.

"It's me dumbass. Now get out of here." Nox ordered in an annoyed tone. He now stood around 2.5 metres. His muscular body was covered with thick black scales. His wings were now fully grow and resembled of a dragons. His back was covered with spikes. His thick and meaty tail supported his thick yet agile legs. At the tip there was a sharp bony protrusion. His only arm now looked even more powerful. Red energy seeped from his arm. A reptilian looking head housed two horns and a mouth full of sharp teeth. His spear also grew with him. Armor walked slowly and dusted himself off. Despite Nox sending him to a wall crashing he didn't seemed to took damage.

"You survived." He said in a sense of wonderment.

"Only one person survived from that attack before. Him."

Nox growled to him.

"I didn't just survived. I got stronger."

"I can see that. But will it be enough." Nox charged to him while creating magic circles. While he swung his spear several dozens of magic missiles came out of circles. Same attacks which didn't succeed before were able to reach to him. Not just because of increased size and strengh of Nox. His magic output and aura control were also more refined. He also used Wrath to increase his power even more.

"I see. You saw and learned from my attacks how to conrol aura better."

"Yeah, I did." Nox replied while still attacking.

"But it is still not enough!" Armor exclaimed as he slashed Nox's chest.

"You are still green." His attacks slowly became more fierce as he adapted to Nox's new shape and strength.

(Skill Weapon Aura became level 6.)

(Skill Battle Sense became level 7.)

Even with his skills being upgrading at insane speeds Nox barely hold on. He pushed Nox back and his aura again turned to gold. Nox sweated as he saw golden light starting to shine. Could he block it with his form? Run away? Tried to stop him from firing him? He considered all of those options before discarding them. He readied his spear. His hand tightly gripped its shaft. He kept his posture as upright as he could. He spreaded his wings. His tail was slammed to ground to support him. He focused his aura in the tip of his spear. As Armor's sword shined a light uncomfortable to his eyes he got ready to launch his spear.

"Golden Salvation: Reaching the Truth."

(Black Abyss: One Man War.)

A golden light and pitch black darkness clashed in air. The moment they came into contact time itself stopped.