Chapter 31- Draconic Priest (Part 2)

It only took a moment, for everything to change. The darkness around Malice grew far more prominent and the ominous halo filled his soul with dread. At that very moment, he felt the gush of wind slash through his face like a sharp blade, alerting him to the deadly attack.

With no time left, Malice quickly dashed forward. Even though he had killed many monsters in a short 30 seconds or so, he was still far from strong. However, that was all he had, and he was going to work with it.

'I can't let him keep showering me with these long-distance attacks!'

A moment later, he heard the whistle of the dark spikes as they launched toward him. All 15 of them cut through the air like arrows and their sole target was Malice. The latter quickly dived down, anticipating the attack. Many spikes flew over his head, barely missing him while some were able to reach him.

So, Malice quickly put his sword forward. 'I-I have to deflect!!' 

Even though he didn't know how to actually deflect, nor where the spikes were aiming, he decided to simply follow his guts. Swinging his sword around in a crazed tantrum, he heard the cling of the spikes smashing against the blade as they flew elsewhere.

However, he didn't have a long time before he felt a sharp pain assault his left thigh. But, he bit his tongue and swallowed the groan as he quickly pulled the spike out of his leg with a loud roar. Blood gushed out, dripping down his leg and soiling whatever was left intact in his pants.

'Dammit all!!' Cursing the hell out of his luck, he quickly dashed forward. He didn't want to leave a chance for the monster to attack him with a bunch more spikes or he was done for.

He heard a loud shriek coming from the darkness ahead which sounded like a maddened cry. With no time to waste, Malice looked at his sword.

'Would this work now?!' Channeling his Soul Essence, he passed his hand over the blade, turning it a weird shade of yellow. 'Please, have some effect!'

With all his ideas running out, Malice found himself face-to-face with the monstrosity. It seemed the fact that Malice was still alive didn't sit well with him at all. 

"Why defy death?!!! You tortured soul!!" The darkness around the statue seemed to grow heavier as a huge wave of darkness exploded from it.

"AGH!!" Malice felt his body getting yanked back from the sheer power of the explosion. But, he quickly regained his balance and moved forward. When he felt he was close enough, he slashed down, aiming for the monster's body.

*CLING*

Like before, the darkness formed into the corporal world, turning into a resilient shield of sorts that deflected the hit. But, the boy didn't stop as he rained down slashes at the monster, not leaving a moment for him to counter.

He was anticipating the same sneaky hit that almost blasted his face off so he kept himself at a range where he could react… probably.

Hit after hit, Malice poured down every ounce of strength he had in his body into each slash and stab. He didn't hold back at all. Even when his muscles were tearing apart from the sheer pain and exertion, he ignored it.

'Just die, you bastard!!' 

His body was quite literally working beyond its limit. He didn't even feel anything anymore, not even the cold wind that was hitting his skin relentlessly. He felt like he was nearing his end, and all he had was the power to swing a few more times.

What Malice wasn't aware of was that, with each hit of his sword that was deflected, a spark of yellow would ignite for a split second before vanishing into the dark shield. Each hit sparked a yellow light and each light seeped into the shield as if it was a sponge, absorbing it all.

The boy continued his assault. His face was already growing so pale from all the blood he lost and his eyes were turning hazy from the sheer exhaustion. It was a miracle he was able to even continue for this long.

'It's not breaking…' With a dazed look, he realized that his attacks weren't doing anything. 'Screw it… all…' 

His arms were unable to move anymore. Even just the simple thought of trying to move them was painful, let alone doing the full movement to deliver a hit with the sword. The idea of simply giving up started to become far more attractive than it should've been.

'Why am I… Even fighting?' He asked himself with his unfocused eyes still looking at the crazed monster. 'Oh right… better life… I think that's… What I wanted…'

This entire time, Malice was doing this just so that he never experiences the life of the slums again. He hated it, with every fiber of his being. He despised it so much in fact, he was ready to put his life on the line just to have a chance of leaving it.

Yet, at that moment, with all the suffering he was going through, was that really worth it? Was he really supposed to push himself to such a degree for something that was essentially not even guaranteed?

He wasn't some kind of hero with great conviction, nor someone who sought revenge, he simply was a little kid looking for warm food and a roof over his head for the rest of his life. Why did he have to go through all of this just to get such a simple request? He sees kids his age live life with a smile, eating whatever they want, going wherever they want, and simply accepting the care and love of their parents.

Yet, he had to worry about everything, even the place where he should sleep. They never struggled and he did, that was as unfair as it could get. Even when he had an opportunity to become like them, he had to feel such a horrible pain just to get it.

'Screw you all…!!!' But, still, he didn't stop. Maybe it was just pure resilience, or maybe it was simply because Malice was a spiteful, wretched piece of scum that wouldn't fall without a proper fight, either way, he didn't stop swinging his sword as if his life depended on it… Literally.

Moments passed and the monster was slowly regaining its balance after being defensive for a while. Malice felt that it wasn't attacking purely because he was going all out, the monster seemed to be under some kind of restriction that stopped him from using the darkness around him properly. Perhaps he had a limit to how much he could manipulate at once.

Either way, the dynamic of the fight was on Malice's side the entire time, even though he couldn't really take advantage of it. But, that didn't last long either.

Eventually, the abomination regained his powers and the darkness suddenly grew thicker again. 

'Oh no!!' Malice's eyes widened with a hint of fear as he sensed that the monster was about to unleash another attack on him. But, at that moment, his sword made contact with the darkness and suddenly, a yellow spark ignited wildly in the air.

Malcie's eyes widened as he saw the light travel through the shield, reaching the monster's body. Upon contact, the monster's eyes opened wide as he suddenly dropped the statue.

"AAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!" Then, he dropped to the ground, crying as he grabbed his face. His limbs moved everywhere in a maniacal way. Sparks of yellow moved across his body like electricity as it reached his eyes and then exploded there, turning him into an even bigger mess. He looked as if he was fighting demons in his head and losing horribly.

For a moment, the boy was stunned by what just happened, but he quickly shook his head as he lunged at the monster. 'This is my opportunity!!'

Thrusting his sword forward, he stabbed his enemy in the chest, right where he assumed his heart was. The monster's cries loudened, echoing across the massive chamber. His arms didn't stop moving as he grabbed Malice's arms and started scratching and hitting him.

"Just… goddamn… die!!!" With a horrifying look on his face, Malice pulled the sword out and stabbed again, and then again, and again. He kept stabbing relentlessly as he yelled. Blood splashed everywhere, across his body and all around them.

Eventually, the monster's tantrum started growing weaker and his arms that turned Malice's skin into a scratched, bloody mess, finally fell to the ground. Staring deeply into the boy's eyes, the monster opened his mouth.

"The… Dragon God… Curses you… Into eternity…" He uttered in a weak voice before he closed his eyes and stopped moving.

"Hah… Hah… Hah…" Heaving loudly, Malice stared at the dead monster for a few seconds, still in shock from what happened. Then, the sword dropped from his hand and he fell to the ground next to the monster.

"I don't believe in your god… fool…" He uttered with a tired look on his face.

[You have killed Neophyte Monster: Draconic Priest.]

[You have gained 30 Soul Essence.]

[Your power has increased greatly.]

[You have gained a Legacy Aura.]

[You have gained an item.]