The fox looking beast glared at me with an intense gaze, before seemingly howling - its voice so loud that it eventually left my hearing range and went silent. Then, the creature leapt at me with its claws wrapped in the blue flames. I just barely managed to leap out of the way, before the beast landed in the spot I was standing just moments prior.
I shed a sweat, before quickly slithering off and into the nearest shadow.
“Ain’t no way, I can beat that thing!”
I thought, before slithering away, remaining inside of the shadows. The beast looked around, before looking towards the way where Faofa leapt to and then leaping after the snake - pursuing it. I dashed as fast as I could away from that spot, before eventually leaping out of the shadow and pressing myself up against a tree trunk behind me.
Jesus..
I think I got away from it. Thank god - who knows what would have happened to me if it had landed an attack on me.
Then, as soon as I relaxed my muscles for just a second, the tree behind me suddenly was sliced in half, before igniting an ablaze with the same blue flames. I looked up above me with a terrified expression, while the massive beast stared back down at me with an intense glare.
After narrowing its eyes, it attempted to chomp down on me - though, I managed to barely slip into the shadows before leaping back out a bit away and then beginning to slither away as fast as possible once more. I needed to be careful with how much I used ‘Shadowman’ - If I remain inside the shadow world for too long, my magical energy will be drained fast. But - how do I lose this thing that is literally on my tail right now? If it keeps pursuing me, I do not think I will be able to survive.
I threw a gaze behind me as I fled, seeing the beast still chasing after me - dodging trees and burning bushes that were in its path. This thing was like an unstoppable tank that was locked onto its target was going to get to it no matter what stood in its way.
It was terrifying…
How the hell do I shake it off and get out of this alive?!
As I continued to flee, I spotted a group of direwolves led by a larger and darker wolf. Perfect! A pack led by a Greater Darkwolf - that can act as my distraction! These packs I have seen before and the Greater Darkwolf was a creature that I could not beat last time - being very powerful and its level showing up as just a ‘?’. I know that thing chasing me is level fifty, but not even it could beat something that has its level unknown - right?
I dashed towards the pack, before leaping into the shadows right as I made it to them, before leaping back out of them behind the pack, underneath the tree line. Looking back, I watched as the fox beast ran up to the pack and the direwolves all immediately began growling and approaching the beast from all directions - surrounding it.
Perfect!
Please, take that thing out for me Mr. Wolves!
As the direwolves surrounded the beast, it looked around at them, before putting one of its front paws down onto the ground and howling loudly again - once again, leaving my range of hearing. Then, the direwolves surrounding it all suddenly were sliced apart with one swing of its tails.
My eyes widened. It was instant - the wolves had no time to react to or even process the attack that the fox had just thrown at them - they were just all annihilated in the blink of an eye. After the direwolves, or at least what remained of them, fell to the ground, the Greater Darkwolf stepped up against the beast and growled. It was almost the same size as the fox - surely this thing was a match for it!
Then, after a moment of locking eyes, the Darkwolf leapt back before howling - the shadows around it rising up before shooting towards the fox. The fox seemingly exhaled, before leaping up high into the air, before charging up a large blue orb of flames and then throwing it down at the Darkwolf, who simply howled, causing several black circles to appear in the air around it - before sword like ‘weapons’ began to fly out of the circles and towards the orb of flames.
However, the swords did nothing to the flame orb - as it approached the Darkwolf, which just stood there in one spot. The flames erupted once they hit the Darkwolf, creating a large area of blue flames - where everything was burnt to a crisp. Once the smoke and dust subsided - the Darkwolf was still standing, though it was very much visibly injured. Its fur was singed and the skin beneath the fur was burnt, really, really badly.
The beast looked up at the air with a shaking body, however before it could do anything, the fox appeared behind it - then, the Darkwolfs head just fell off of its body, hitting the scorched ground before its body collapsed.
My eyes were as wide as they could get, my pupils shaking and my entire body just frozen from fear. This thing, it just took down a Greater Darkwolf with a mere two strikes… What on earth is this thing?
After the Darkwolfs death, the fox looked at me once more. Immediately my body moved on its own - with me desperately beginning to flee once more.
Forget fighting it completely - What the hell was that just now!?
It two shot an enemy whose level was unknown and potentially ridiculously high! How the hell was I ever supposed to face something like this? I thought the troll was horrifying when I saw it for the first time…
But this - monster.
This thing was on a different level.
I was fleeing as fast as I could, but even then, it felt like it wasn’t fast enough. The fox was hot on my tail, chasing me like there was nothing else for it to do. There was nothing I could possibly do against this thing - it was so much bigger than me, its power was unlike anything else I’ve seen up until now and it’s bloodlust… It was off the charts. If I stopped for even a second… even for a moment - I was done for. I had a zero percent chance at victory against this thing.
I slithered and slithered, and slithered…
The forest around me began to feel like it was starting to get darker and darker. I did not see a single other living creature inside it as I fled and the beast chased me. The only thoughts coursing through my mind were that I needed to escape.
Blood was rushing through my body - adrenaline levels were starting to reach what I bet were unhealthy levels. I know I said I didn’t want to reincarnate in the first place, but I would also prefer to try and not waste this miracle! After all, if I die now, that would be disrespectful to all the unlucky individuals who didn’t get a miracle chance like this.
Eventually, after fleeing through the woods for what felt like forever, I entered into a large clearing, where there were a bunch of rocks in a strange formation that blocked my way.
A deadend.
“Why now?!”
I shouted in my mind as I heard a rustle behind me. I threw my head back and saw the fox slowly come out into the open field, it growling lightly as it glared at me with flaming eyes.
This was it… I'm going to die.
This thing will end me here…
As the creature slowly approached me, I slithered back, until my scaly back was pressed up against the rocks behind me. As soon as I hit the rocks, I panicked and closed my eyes — hearing and feeling my heart beat so unbelievably fast, it felt like it would blow out of my chest at any given moment.
But then, I heard rustling to the side, followed by slow footsteps.
I opened my eyes, before looking at the beast in front of me, before noticing another individual to the side — one who was hidden underneath a dark red and black cloak, not even his face visible, as it was obstructed by a mask.
“Sanguinis Puppet.”
The individual stated, before lifting his head up slightly and looking at the fox with a shining eye. From behind the man, suddenly, three large, dark red circles appeared before firing off these rope-like things that seemed to be made of… some liquid. Red liquid.
The fox howled at the man, before leaping back and firing off some of its blue flames at the red ropes, seemingly trying to incinerate them — but the ropes easily tore through the flames before approaching the Fox and quickly catching it — wrapping all around it and binding it midair.
I shed a sweat, throwing a look at the man, before slithering a bit closer to the wall.
[Presence Erase] has been activated.
Couldn't have done that earlier, could you?!
The cloaked man remained silent as he approached closer to the fox, keeping his head down, before stopping and looking up towards the beast. He then lifted up his right hand, before gripping his mask and taking it off, breathing out heavily as he looked up with bright red eyes. Then, the man smirked before exhaling and placing his arms behind his back.
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“Denique... unum genus tuum capere non facile est.”
The words that the man spoke I did not understand at all, however, whatever he was saying, most likely was directed at the fox - which tried to struggle and wiggle its way out of the bindings wrapped around it.
The fox looked at him with a wrathful glare, before suddenly being enclosed in a large orb of blue flames, which burnt through the red ropes before dissipating. In place of the fox now was a seemingly small girl with the same six tails behind her. The girl fell from the air and landed onto the ground with a small thud, before looking at the smirking man with a stressed and intense glare.
“Unus ex illis es, annon?”
The girl asked, in the same language that the man had spoken before. I seriously wish I could understand what on earth they were saying - but alas, I suppose I will have to just interpret this encounter without being able to understand what they are saying and just go off of their body language.
The man's smirk grew larger as he lifted his arms up into the air and looked at her with his bright red eyes.
“Quis scit?”
He replied.
The girl scuffed before leaping towards him with immense speed - blue flames wrapping around her left hand, before forming into a sword. As she approached, she leapt into the air, before crashing down onto the man - kicking up a large cloud of dust and dirt that cloaked the two of them.
As the cloud dissipated a little bit, I got a few glances at the stalemate the two of them had come to - with the man having blocked the young girl's attack with his bare hand. The man laughed a little bit to himself, before picking up his other hand and taking off the hood that was on his head - pulling it off and revealing short white hair and his face with more detail. I could make out an elderly face with a small white beard on his chin from the distance I was watching them both at.
The girl shed a cold sweat, as the man looked at her with his eyes shining.
“Quam rude puella es… Te docere debet aliquis mores aliquos!”
He replied, shouting at the end before knocking her back. Afterwards, large tentacle-like appendages shot from his back - all of them also in the darkish red colour and dripping - as if they were made of condensed liquid.
Would you like to use [Erudition] to analyse the appendages?
I can do that?!
Then what are you waiting for? Yes! - I want to analyse them!
I looked at the appendages, with a menu of information appearing in front of me as I looked at them more intensely.
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- Blood Magic ( Appendage )
A special weapon-like limb that is made using the blood of the user. The spell to create this kind of weapon consumes minimal magic, but requires the user to sacrifice their own blood to keep it active.
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Jesus Christ… This guy is using something like this? Just how much blood does he have in his body to be able to sustain such a thing…
The girl scuffed again, before charging at the man, who simply used his appendages to start attacking her. The blood made appendages shot towards the girl, trying to pierce through her, however, the girl managed to dodge or slice through the incoming attacks using her sword - avoiding taking serious damage. The man looked at her with a more sharpened gaze, before leaping into the air right as the girl landed onto the spot he had stood on moments prior.
The girl then quickly looked up towards the man, who simply snapped his fingers, with the appendages shooting down towards her - before splitting apart into even more appendages - with the only difference being that they were much thinner than before. The girl quickly leapt out of the way as the first wave of the appendages hit the ground, before her six tails ignited with blue flames, before increasing in size. Then, she extended her right arm out towards the man - with the flames shooting from her tails towards him as beams. As they approached the man closer and closer, they condensed more and more before eventually becoming thin, thin and extremely fast beams of what looked similar to lasers.
The man didn’t move at all and simply allowed the incoming attack to connect, piercing through his arms, shoulders, right leg and even the left side of his head - seemingly going through even his brain.
Then, before the man could do anything, the girl suddenly began what I could guess was some kind of chant or something, mumbling to herself before looking at the man with her eyes igniting with white flames - before a large white circle appeared above the man in the air. He looked up at the circle, grinning even wider as he exhaled lightly.
The girl then took in a light breath, before extending her arms out in front of her and then towards the man in the sky.
“Obliterate!”
Wha-?
That word just now - I… I understood it!
After she had announced the single word, the circle in the air above the man began to shine brightly, before shooting down a large pillar of white flames, which instantly engulfed the man, before hitting the ground and causing a large stream of wind to be blasted from it across the ground - sending dust, dirt, pebbles and rocks flying everywhere from it.
The wind was so powerful, I was barely managing to stay in one place - having almost been blown away and my ‘Presence Erase’ skill deactivated by the intense wind. The pillar absolutely decimated the ground it touched and even scorched the trees that were the closest to it. It was an attack I had never seen before - this girl… That thing could do something like this. I knew that I was no match for it, but my goodness - I could have never expected something like this!
She’s like an unreal monster!
The scorpion I faced in the dungeon even seems like nothing big after seeing her in action…
After the pillar of flames dissipated and the wind caused by it ceased, there was not a single trace of the man left over - most likely having been completely burnt to a crisp, before his ashes were incinerated. Such a devastating attack it was… I most definitely had to find a way to get the hell away from her. My entire body was shaking from fear as I was paralysed in the spot I was in. Luckily, my ‘Presence Erase’ was still active, as I had managed to not move from my spot, but my god - I do not know what I would do without it.
The girl breathed heavily, as she collapsed to her knees and exhaled. She looked relieved and glad that the man had been destroyed by the attack - but at the same time, I could tell she was completely exhausted and tired from that attack. I will guess that it must take a great toll on the one who uses it.
I exhaled lightly, my body eventually ceasing the trembling and my heart slowly returning to a normal heart rate. It seemed like I was beginning to calm down from the shock I had after witnessing such an attack.
“I will just wait for her to leave… then I will head back in the direction I had come from - I am not strong enough to be in this part of the forest yet, that’s clear as day.”
I thought, before looking at the tired girl, who was just standing there, breathing heavily as sweat drops fell from her face. The only thing I was now wondering was when she would leave - Hopefully soon, since the ‘Presence Erase’ skill does drain Magical Energy rather quickly.
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Remaining Magical Energy:
5455 / 9000
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“If she doesn’t leave in the next few minutes, I’ll run out of magical energy and the skill will deactivate - afterwards, she will most certainly end my life.”
I shed a sweat.
Then - a sudden shiver was sent down my spine.
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- W A R N I N G -
High Density magical energy presence has been detected.
It is advised you avoid encountering its source.
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Wait what?
A high density presence? - But I don’t see anyone around-
Then, an ominous laughter filled the air suddenly, as the girl's eyes widened and looked at the spot that had been scorched by the pillar of the white flames. From the ground, blood began to slowly spew out, before forming into a body, with bones and organs also forming - it was an honestly disgusting sight.
“My…my - what a devastating attack…”
A voice spoke - and once again, I could actually understand what it was saying. But, how? I didn’t spend even a minute learning the language I was hearing - how come I was suddenly able to understand what someone was speaking?
[Erudition] Has successfully analysed the language ‘ Common ’.
The language has been added to your language repertoire.
I gained an understanding of a language just through my skill? I guess there are things about it I am yet to discover…
The blood eventually formed back into the man who had been caught in the giant pillar of flames just moments prior, before he adjusted his lower jaw with a horrific sounding crack coming from it. The man grinned and looked at the girl, who was staring at him with a horrified expression.
I was also absolutely shocked and horrified - the man, he managed to survive that attack?! How in the world?!
“Impossible… How did you live that?!”
The man snickered.
“Please - I am a Blood Mage… I can revive myself without much trouble and from even the tiniest bit of my blood.”
He stated with a deep, ominous voice as his bright red eyes shined. Immediately afterwards, he vanished from view before appearing in front of the girl, grabbing her by her neck and picking her up into the air, with her struggling to try and break free from his grip. The man laughed, his expression that of a maniacs - with his wide grin twisted into a psychotic appearance.
“I will admit, that attack and your power are promising - however, unfortunately for you, you’re simply not strong enough to face me. That’s all.”
He stated, tightening his grip on the girl's neck. She struggled more and more, swinging her legs and trying her hardest to break his grip around her neck - however the man simply smiled more and more widely, before eventually snapping her neck, causing the girls eyes to widen for a second, before all life faded from her eyes and her legs and arms stopped moving - her arms dropping to her sides and her tails sloping down.
The man laughed before letting go of her, dropping her body to the ground before kneeling down and flipping her body onto its back.
“There it is - just the item that he wanted.”
He stated, taking a hold of and ripping off a necklace that was around the girls neck. Afterwards, he stood back up and looked at her dead body on the ground, before laughing and turning around, walking away from it for a bit, before stopping and suddenly looking my way.
My body froze as my heart rate increased once more and I began to breathe heavily. I was praying in my mind for him to not notice me. The man looked around the area that was around me for a bit, before looking away and walking off into the forest, throwing his hood back on, before placing his mask back on and then vanishing into a black mist - his presence completely disappearing.
