Chapter 25- Fetus Orc (Part 2)

'A boss?!' Arthru's eyes widened as he read the notification that just appeared in his retina. He didn't understand what was happening at first, but he started to realize the situation he was in.

The creature in front of him was not simple, and he had felt it from the very moment it emerged from that orc. Its aura, presence, and appearance were all so terrifying that Arthur's heart started beating faster.

He instinctively felt like running away. However, his curiosity was just that tad bit more powerful than his fear so he simply stood there, looking at the monster. 'It just came out of that orc's womb. Is that… Wait, could that be the young orc Nina was talking about?'

At that moment, the boy remembered what he was looking for and things suddenly linked together. Ever since he stepped into this place, Arthur had only been fighting old orcs. He didn't come across a single young orc which raised some questions in his head. But, he assumed that since they were young, those orcs must be hiding inside the settlement while the older ones take responsibility for protecting them.

However, even when he entered the settlement, he didn't come across any young orcs. Granted, he was too busy to actually think about that, but now that he was standing right in front of one, he could only think of one thing.

"How could it be… stronger than the older ones?" Arthur sucked in a deep breath. The creature was not only stronger than the other orcs, it was stronger by a mile!

There was not even a base to compare the two. It was as if this creature was something of its own and everything about it further proved that. 

A second passed just like that as all those racing thoughts passed through Arthur's head quickly. Meanwhile, the orc newborn was completely occupied by the orcs kneeling in front of him.

Their heads were looking down as if they feared to look at it. But, Arthur could see a deep respect in their kneeling too. 

'...' Arthur watched that scene with interest. Deep down, he feared that the creature might attack him along with these three orcs. In that case, Arthur readied himself to run away as that was a fight he simply could not take.

However, even then, Arthur's eyes were deeply focused on the monster. Not only because of its strength and his fear but also because he weirdly felt a rush of excitement course through his body. One thought came to his mind.

'I want to fight it.' He mused.

He knew that it was stronger than him. But, that didn't stop him from thinking that he wished to actually try combatting this creature.

'Well, the worst that could happen is me dy-'

Before he could even finish that thought, the infant moved. Its hand lunged forward like a flash, grabbing one of the orcs by the throat. The creature shrieked in pain as it started struggling. However, the infant ignored that and effortlessly lifted it up in the air with one single hand. Then…

*CRACK*

With a simple move, it snapped the monster's head as if it were a twig. The orc's body turned into a lifeless corpse instantly. But, as if it wasn't done horrifying Arthur, it pulled the orc in and opened its mouth, revealing a set of sharp teeth that looked like knives. Using them, it bit the monster's neck, taking a massive chunk of flesh in its mouth before throwing the monster away.

"..."

Then, it did the same to the second orc, and then the third. None of them dared to move as they awaited their fate. The entire area around them turned into a bloody mess of corpses. The infant looked down at the dead orcs for a second before it slowly lifted its eyes up and stared straight at Arthur.

At that moment, a long health bar appeared at the bottom of Arthur's vision. Above it, two words were written 'Fetus Orc'.

"*Gulp*..." Arthur's expression was completely frozen for a second. But, he didn't break eye contact with the monster. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before the fetus started moving forward slowly.

"..." The boy pursed his lips before he also unsheathed his sword and summoned his blood claws. He also started walking slowly toward the monster with his hand gripping the sword tightly.

The two closed the distance between each other in silence until they were eventually a few inches away from each other. Arthur had to look up at the fetus. But, he didn't show any intimidation anymore. Instead, his eyes were now sharp and focused.

The fetus on the other hand had no real emotion within its eyes. Only pure darkness that had no end. What seemed like an eternity passed as the tension reached the roof. It felt as if death was looming over the heads, smiling wickedly. All it waited for was a spark.

That spark came rather abruptly.

*Swish*

The fetus suddenly threw its hands forward considerably fast. Arthur anticipated that attack and quickly jumped back, avoiding it. Then, he dashed forward and thrust his sword, aiming for the monster's face. The latter simply tilted its head to the side as the sword barely passed it.

A small trickle of blood moved down the fetus' cheek as its gigantic health bar took a chip. But, Arthur's face grew darker as he realized the instant mistake he made. As he attacked, the monster's hand was already targeting his side.

*BANG*

"Ugh!" The boy grunted lowly as he was launched back, rolling on the ground. When he stopped and looked up, the fetus was already rushing toward him quickly as it slashed down with its sharp fingers.

'Fast!' 

Without wasting a single moment, Arthur formed two bloody arrows and launched them forward. 

*Cling* *Cling*

The fetus instantly shifted from attack to defense as it deflected both arrows as if they were nothing. But, Arthur wasn't looking for those arrows to deal damage, instead, they were but a decoy.

Using that opportunity, he moved around like a flash and stabbed the fetus in its blind spot. He was almost certain the attack was going to work. 

*Swish*

"Wha-?!" 

In a split second, and against all of Arthur's expectations, the fetus suddenly twisted its body to an unnatural degree, dodging the sword completely. Then, it returned the attack with one of its own, slamming Arthur down powerfully.

One single attack and 30% of Arthur's health were gone. Arthur was in a critical situation and he didn't have much that could save it. Even though he had just leveled up, and even though he was much stronger than before, it didn't seem to be enough.

Two instances of the fight were more than enough to put him in a horrible situation. Meanwhile, a looming massive health bar was right beneath, showing him that if he wanted to kill this fetus, it was far from easy.

It felt... crushing and yet...

"Haha..." Arthur slowly stood up and wiped the blood off his face. "You're nasty bastard, aren't you? So much for a newborn. Fine, I won't go easy on you." He licked his lips as he took a fighting stance.

Meanwhile, the fetus orc's eyes seemingly flashed with a weird glint. Then, the fight resumed.

A//N: Hand me all your PS!