Defeat

"Guraaaaaaooooo!!!" The beast roared, sending waves of air all around it.

I stood my ground, bracing for the impact made by the Hell Kobold King.

"Keukk!"

Glaring at me, it pointed its fingers toward me and spoke in an unintelligible language. Its subordinates, the guardians, took the hint and lunged at me instantly.

Now I knew why his intelligence stat was that high… to an extent, this Demon was self-aware. Enough that he could even command lower beings.

I tightly gripped my sword, ready for the incoming wave, or so I thought…

>Kkkkrrrtttt<

My brain sizzled and pangs of pain suddenly coursed through my body.

"A-ah!"

My body refused to listen to me as I watched the monsters lunge toward me hungrily.

"N-no… not now!"

It appeared that I had reached the limit of my body. This whole time, even though I had been healed continuously through the effects of leveling up, my mind was not exactly being fixed...

Slowly, my mental strength had been wearing out. With every battle and movement, I exerted my brain and constantly burned through my thought process.

And now, it appeared to have finally broken down.

Before I realized it, the Demons were directly before me, ready to dig into my immobile body.

"Damnit! Move body! Moveee!!!"

My fingers tingled, flexing a little.

That was enough for me!

I tapped on my [Subspace], which appeared where my fingers were located, and quickly tapped on the reserve blades I had kept in store for the Boss monster.

>Splurge<

Blood splattered on my face as countless daggers tore through the Hell Kobold Spawns (Guardian) as they advanced.

As I used up my valuable resources, my mind pondered on what I would actually resort to when the time came for me to finish the Boss.

My efforts were in mere futility since the Gate spawned more Demons, and all my daggers couldn't automatically return to [Subspace].

"What do I do? What do I do?!" I asked in a panic.

I couldn't swing my blade if I wanted to, and every part of my body was dysfunctional. It needed rest, and I was sure I wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

"Guruuuuu" The King growled, finally moving from where he sat.

After watching me kill many of its subordinates, it must have decided to finally take action.

"It's about time…" I grinned nervously.

After carefully considering my options , there was only one thing that came to mind. It was a risky venture, and I only had one shot, but it was the only way I could win.

The Hell Kobold (King) glared at me and approached, shaking the ground with each step it took.

"Guruuuuuuukkk"

"Come on… Just come closer…" My mind pleaded as I desperately watched it.

The other Demons stopped their assaults and made way for their leader to deal with my motionless self.

The monster finally moved within range, a few meters from my location. A smile formed on my face.

"This had better work!"

If it doesn't… I'm screwed!

>WHOOOOOOSHHH<

The most powerful weapon in my arsenal, the Core-5 sword, lunged straight for the Demon's head in a flash.

Prior to the Demon's approach, I released all the stored-up Core Energy within it, making the aura multiple-fold the usual.

Of course, this meant the weapon would only last for a few moments before it used up the last bit of power it had, but at the moment I had no luxury of being stingy.

"The most powerful burst of power I can give… let's see how you handle that!" I grinned.

>BOOOOOMMM<

The red aura erupted, covering the entire area in smoke. I heard the clanging of shattering metal, indicating that the sword was done for. It's sacrifice couldn't have been in vain, since it would have-

"Guruuuuu…."

My eyes bulged upon hearing the sound of the Kobold King.

"Shit! Don't tell me…"

It emerged from the smoke, partially burned by the explosion, but nowhere near fatally wounded.

My eyes focused on the monster, once again generating its stats to see how much of its HP I shaved off.

[.]

[Stats]

- HP: 6,200/10,000

- MP: 800/1,000

[.]

"Fuck!" I spat out in disbelief.

Just 900 HP got taken away?! What a monster!

"W-what's this…?!" I muttered, looking at a part of its stat that had also reduced.

"MP… So it used part of it to protect itself from the blast… Shit. Why didn't I think of that…?!"

My head was dizzy, and I could feel my body losing all sense of self.

In a few moments, I would pass out.

The monster's glare pierced mine, making me slightly tremble in fear.

"N-no… not like this!"

I don't want to die! I don't want to die!

I can't die here… not here!

I was too impatient, I should have waited a little more. I was conceited in thinking I could go beyond my limits. Once again, I was on the verge of death thanks to my carelessness.

"I don't… I don't wanna… Please… Shit! Fuck!!!"

The Demon ignored my internal plea as it neared closer to my position , ready to devour me to satiate its hunger.

From the corner of my eye, I saw some of the few Guardians who were left sneer at me. They looked pleased by my disheveled and powerless state.

After killing several of their brethren, I was finally getting what I deserved.

Clenching my teeth in anger and frustration, I knew I would be dead in a few moments. Using the last bit of my strength, I used my fingers to select a few more of the projectiles I had and launched them at the Hell Kobold Spawn (Guardian)s before everything went dark.

Whether my blades hit them or not, I wouldn't know… since my consciousness faded away that very instant.

Yes, I knew there was no saving me this time… it was my loss.

I was really going to die!

Finally engulfed in the darkness of unconsciousness, my thoughts trailed to my past.

Just like in the final moments where one's life flashed before their eyes, mine did as well… and it was not a pretty one.