Every muscle in my body screamed for rest, but surrender wasn’t an option. This wasn’t a battle I could win. Not with strength. Not with skill. Survival was the only thing that mattered now.
“You’re persistent,” Varak said, his voice a guttural growl that reverberated across the battlefield. His lips curled into a cruel smirk, revealing sharp teeth. “I’ll grant you that. But persistence without power? It’s meaningless. I’ve seen your tricks, boy. Now let me show you why none of them matter.”
He shifted his weight, planting his massive boots into the earth with a resounding thud. His hands gripped the haft of his monstrous axe, and the air rippled as he raised it high. The malevolent red glow emanating from the blade intensified, illuminating his twisted grin.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my knees from buckling. Focus. Stay upright. One step at a time.
“System,” I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible. “Any ideas? Please.”
“Analyzing opponent… Combat success probability: 3.7%. Recommended action: immediate evasion until environmental advantage or reinforcements are available.”
The monotone voice of the System was as cold and clinical as ever. My heart sank. “Evasion? Seriously? What do you think I’ve been doing?!” I hissed.
But Varak’s booming laughter drowned out my whispered frustration. “Talking to yourself won’t save you, boy,” he sneered, taking a step forward. Each of his movements carried the weight of inevitability. “You’ve pushed me further than most, I’ll admit. But tell me… do you truly believe that desperation alone can close the chasm between us?”
I gritted my teeth, forcing a shaky smirk onto my face. “I don’t know,” I said, my voice laced with defiance. “But for someone so powerful, you look a little winded.”
His crimson eyes narrowed, his expression hardening. “Watch your tongue,” he said coldly. “Mockery doesn’t suit the dying.”
“Oh, I’ll remember that,” I shot back, even as my legs threatened to give out beneath me. “Assuming I survive.”
Varak’s patience snapped. He let out a thunderous roar, his massive frame blurring as he lunged forward with terrifying speed. His axe descended in a deadly arc, a blur of crimson and shadow. Move! My instincts screamed, and I barely managed to activate Void Step. The world twisted around me, and I reappeared just as his blade shattered the ground where I had been standing moments before. The resulting shockwave rippled outward, throwing me off balance even in my new position.
“You’re getting predictable,” he said, spinning to face me before I could recover. His hand lashed out like a battering ram, catching me in the ribs. Pain exploded through my body as I was sent flying, crashing into the rubble with a sickening thud.
“Health: 67/343”
I coughed violently, the taste of blood filling my mouth as I tried to force myself upright. “You’re running out of tricks,” Varak said, his tone tinged with frustration. “Stop hiding in the shadows and face me like a warrior.”
“Yeah,” I rasped, clutching my side as I staggered to my feet. “Because that’s been working so well for me.” My vision blurred, but I tightened my grip on Shadow’s Sword. The weapon’s cold weight was the only thing keeping me grounded.
Varak didn’t bother with a retort. He charged again, his axe a streak of deadly crimson. I activated Phantom Feint, creating a shadow clone that darted forward to meet him. He cleaved through it effortlessly, but I was already moving, circling to his blind spot. My blade lashed out, aiming for the exposed seam in his armor.
The impact barely scratched him. Varak twisted, his elbow slamming into my ribs and sending me sprawling once more. I hit the ground, gasping for air.
“Health: 39/343”
“Pathetic,” he spat, towering over me. “You’re not even worth killing anymore. You’re just a waste of time.”
I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to my knees. “Then why haven’t you done it yet?” I croaked, glaring up at him.
He paused. For a brief moment, something flickered in his crimson gaze—curiosity? Pity? It was gone as quickly as it came. “You remind me of someone,” he said, his voice quieter. “A fool who thought defiance could bridge the gap between power and weakness.”
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My hands curled into fists, and I forced myself to stand. Every movement was agony, but I refused to stay down. “Then you already know how this ends,” I said, my voice shaking but resolute.
“Yes,” he said, raising his axe. “With your death.”
He swung, and I activated Shadow Blink, teleporting out of range. My vision swam as I reappeared several meters away. The strain of my skills was taking its toll.
“Mana: 18/411”
Varak turned slowly, his steps unhurried. He knew I was running on fumes. “This game is over, boy. You’ve fought well… for an insect. But it’s time you learned your place.”
I steadied myself, raising Shadow’s Sword despite the exhaustion dragging at my limbs. My body screamed in protest, but I ignored it. “Not yet,” I said.
He laughed, the sound rumbling like thunder. “You can barely stand. What can you possibly hope to achieve?”
I didn’t respond. Words wouldn’t save me now. I tightened my grip on the hilt of my blade, focusing every ounce of my remaining strength. One chance. That’s all I need.
Varak roared, his axe slicing through the air with devastating force. My body moved on instinct, diving forward to meet him. His crimson aura clashed with the shadows of my sword, and the battlefield erupted in a blinding burst of light and chaos.
The battlefield stretched endlessly before us, a grim expanse of shattered stone and ash. The oppressive air, thick with the acrid tang of burning mana, clung to my skin, making every breath feel like inhaling fire. Varak stood across from me, a monolith of malevolent energy, his crimson eyes blazing through the murk like twin beacons of death. His towering frame radiated a suffocating presence, the dark aura around him sparking and hissing as if the air itself rejected his existence.
This wasn’t a fight anymore—it was a slow, deliberate execution.
“Persistent to the point of lunacy,” Varak growled, his tone almost pitying. He hefted his massive axe, the blade glowing with a seething crimson light that pulsed in rhythm with my hammering heartbeat. “You stand before me, trembling, broken, and yet you refuse to submit. Admirable, perhaps, but ultimately pointless.”
“Yeah, well,” I forced out, wiping blood from my mouth with the back of my trembling hand. “Pointless has kind of been my brand lately.”
Varak tilted his head, his expression a mix of amusement and disdain. “Is this humor? Defiance, even now? Tell me, boy, do you think your wit will protect you from this?”
He raised his axe, the air around it distorting as raw power gathered at its edge. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but my legs felt like lead, my mana reserves a dry well. Void Step and Shadow Blink had drained me to the brink, and every muscle in my body throbbed with the aftershock of their use.
“System,” I hissed under my breath, desperation creeping into my voice. “Anything. Give me something.”
"Analyzing… Combat success probability: 2.9%. Recommendation: escape route unavailable. Survival probability near zero."
“Well, aren’t you just the bearer of great news,” I muttered bitterly. My fingers tightened around Shadow’s Sword, the weapon feeling heavier than ever. It wasn’t just the exhaustion—it was the crushing weight of inevitability.
Varak’s gaze sharpened, his lips curling into a feral grin. “You talk to yourself in the heat of battle? Or is that the voice of some unseen savior whispering lies in your ear? I wonder, will their whispers comfort you as I cleave you in two?”
He charged without warning, his massive frame moving with unnatural speed. I barely activated Void Step in time, the world snapping around me as I reappeared a few meters away. The ground where I’d stood exploded into a crater, shards of rock flying in all directions. One sharp fragment grazed my cheek, drawing blood.
“Your little tricks are losing their charm,” Varak snarled, turning to face me again. “You can’t outrun me. You can’t outlast me. Do you truly believe you have any chance of victory?”
“I don’t have to believe it,” I shot back, swallowing the lump of fear in my throat. “I just have to keep trying.”
Varak paused, his crimson eyes narrowing. “Trying? You think effort alone will bridge the gap between us?” His tone shifted, a strange mixture of anger and curiosity. “You’re not the first fool who thought that. But unlike them, you’ll die without leaving a mark on me.”
I didn’t reply. Words felt hollow, and every second I spent talking was another second closer to death. Instead, I activated Phantom Feint, sending a shadowy doppelganger sprinting toward him. Varak smirked, his axe cleaving through it effortlessly, but I used the distraction to circle behind him.
With a desperate yell, I swung my sword at his unprotected side. The blade connected—but instead of the satisfying crunch of armor giving way, there was only a dull clang. My weapon barely left a scratch.
He spun faster than I could react, his elbow slamming into my ribs with bone-crushing force. The impact sent me sprawling, the world a blur of pain as I skidded across the ground.
"Health: 39/343"
My lungs burned as I gasped for air, the taste of iron sharp in my mouth. Every movement sent fresh waves of agony through my battered body. Varak strode toward me, each step deliberate, his axe resting casually on his shoulder.
“Pathetic,” he spat, stopping a few feet away. “Even insects put up a better fight when cornered. Perhaps I overestimated you.”
I pushed myself to my knees, every fiber of my being screaming in protest. “Then why… haven’t you finished it?” I managed to croak out, glaring up at him.
For a moment, Varak said nothing. His crimson eyes flickered with something unexpected—pity? No, it was closer to recognition. “You remind me of someone,” he said finally, his voice quieter. “A man who thought sheer will could defy fate. He, too, stood before me with that same fire in his eyes.”
“What… happened to him?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.
Varak’s expression hardened. “I extinguished that fire. And I will do the same to you.”
He raised his axe, the ground trembling beneath us as raw energy surged through the weapon. I forced myself to stand, my legs shaking under my weight. Shadow’s Sword felt almost useless in my hands, its power dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of Varak’s presence.
"Mana: 18/411"
I was out of options. No more teleporting. No more tricks. My only chance was to stand my ground and hope for an opening, a miracle, anything.
“Come on, then,” I said, forcing my voice to steady despite the terror clawing at my chest. “Let’s finish this.”
Varak’s lips curled into a predatory grin. “Gladly.”
He lunged, his axe carving a deadly arc through the air. Time seemed to slow as I raised my sword, every instinct screaming that this was the end. The battlefield faded into silence, the world narrowing to just the two of us. My heart pounded in my ears, the weight of fate pressing down on my shoulders.
If this was how I died, then I would make sure my death had meaning.