Chương 75

Rudra stared at the frozen lake. Winfred said the seal was right under the ice. He didn't look for a hidden door or a magical keyhole. He just grabbed the Staff of the Fire Lord with both hands, lifted it over his shoulder, and slammed it down as hard as he could.

"Crushing Strike." [You have dealt 28, 400 damage!] [... The fiery explosion has triggered!] The heavy bone staff hit the ice. Orange fire blasted from the tip. The heat and impact blew a ten-foot hole straight through the frozen lake. Rudra dropped through the hole. He landed heavily on a floor of smooth blue ice, bending his knees to catch his balance. It was a massive, freezing underground cathedral. The walls were dark frost, and the air stung his lungs.

A towering guy sat on a jagged ice throne at the back of the room. He looked mostly human, but his skin was pale blue. Two curled horns stuck out of his forehead. His eyes were entirely black and leaked freezing mist. [The 14th Great Demon, Morax (Borrowed Body) - Lv. 250 has appeared!] [A demonic presence suppresses the area!] [All stats are reduced by 15%!] Rudra breathed out a cloud of fog. Level 250. Even in a borrowed body, the level gap was huge. A heavy, suffocating pressure pushed down on his shoulders.

He didn't flinch. The overwhelming weight of the demon washed over him, but Rudra just planted his boots. A wild, stubborn energy flared in his chest. He gripped his fiery staff tight, naturally taking charge of the space simply because he refused to be pushed out of it.

"So you're Morax," Rudra called out, shaking the frost off his coat.

"Winfred warned me you were tough. Good to see he wasn't joking." Morax stood up. The ice around his feet cracked.

"A human insect breaks my ceiling," Morax said. His voice sounded like grinding rocks.

"And you speak to me with such casual disrespect? Freeze." Morax pointed a pale finger. A thick spear of black ice shot across the room. It was fast. Rudra barely had time to pull his staff up.

"Iron Guard." CLANG! [Iron Guard (MAX) has absorbed 99% of the impact.] [You have suffered 3, 100 damage!] Rudra flew backward. Even with the skill absorbing the hit, the physical weight behind the spell was massive. He crashed into an ice pillar, breaking it into chunks. Rudra shoved a heavy block of ice off his chest, wincing as he forced himself up.

"Right. Level 250," he coughed, spitting a bit of frost onto the floor.

"Noted." He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a piece of fried swamp-croc meat, and popped it into his mouth. He chewed quickly. The rich, fatty spice hit his tongue, and a warm glow washed over his muscles. His health bar ticked back up, replacing the damage. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Morax frowned. He waved his hand. The floor under Rudra instantly froze over. Thick ice chains wrapped around his legs, locking his boots to the ground.

Morax walked forward, forming a jagged ice sword in his right hand. He raised it, aiming to chop Rudra in half. Rudra couldn't move his legs. He just pointed his left hand at the demon's face.

"Minor Tidal Push." A blast of pressurized water fired from his palm. It hit Morax in the chest. It didn't do much damage to a Level 250 demon, but the sudden push staggered him, shoving him a few feet back and ruining his sword swing. Morax stumbled. He wiped the water from his armor, his black eyes narrowing.

"That pressure..." Morax muttered, staring at Rudra's hand.

"The smell of the ocean. Asterion? You have the blessing of that washed-up ocean god?"

"He's a pretty nice guy," Rudra said. Rudra smashed the ice chains on his legs with the bottom of his staff. He kicked off the floor and charged. He swung the Staff of the Fire Lord in a low arc. The bone weapon crashed into Morax's ice sword. CRACK! BOOM! Fire exploded from the staff, hitting Morax in the face. Rudra used the recoil to spin, bringing the staff around in a continuous loop. He kept the swings coming, turning the fight into a messy, close-range brawl. Thwack! Clang!

But the level gap was a real problem. Rudra built up his momentum, but Morax was too sturdy. The demon casually batted the fiery swings away. Morax reached out and grabbed the shaft of Rudra's staff with his bare hand, ignoring the burning heat. He pulled Rudra in close and drove a knee right into Rudra's stomach. [You have suffered 7, 800 damage!] Rudra gagged, spitting blood onto the ice.

"Die, insect," Morax grunted. He raised his ice sword to stab Rudra in the heart. Rudra's mind raced. He was in deep trouble. [The passive skill 'Blood Memory' has activated!] [Your physical defense greatly increases as your health drops.]"Troll's Spite!" Rudra yelled. [10% of your current Health has been consumed.] [All incoming damage is reduced by 50% for 10 seconds.] Morax's ice sword slammed into Rudra's chest. The black trench coat hardened like iron.

Between the spiked defense and the damage reduction, the sword only went an inch deep instead of running him through. [You have suffered 4, 100 damage!] Rudra gritted his teeth. His health was sitting at a dangerously low 1, 300 points. He needed to break Morax's grip right now. He pulled a wrapped skewer of spicy murloc meat from his pocket with his free hand and practically bit the meat right off the stick.

The heavy food buff kicked in, stabilizing his flashing red health bar and giving him a quick surge of stamina. He stopped pulling on his staff. He took a breath and focused on his chest.

"Targeted Manifestation." [1% of your Maximum Mana is being consumed per second.] The Mana Heart flared. Blue energy flooded out of his core and pumped directly into his arms. His muscles tightened, reinforced from the inside out by thick bands of mana. His arm strength multiplied. Rudra yelled, ripping his staff right out of Morax's grip. With his arms buzzing with heavy power, he brought the bone staff around and hit the demon on the side of the head.

"Crushing Strike!" KABOOM! The hit landed hard. Morax's ice helmet broke into pieces. The demon was knocked off his feet, hitting the floor and sliding across the cathedral. Rudra dropped to one knee, panting. The mana drain in his arms was heavy. Morax sat up. He touched his bleeding head. He looked at Rudra, genuinely confused.

"This heavy mana..." Morax whispered, his voice shaking a little.

"A mortal body generating this kind of physical density? That's impossible. The Titans were wiped out by the gods eons ago. What are you?" Rudra wiped a streak of blood from his mouth and let out a sharp, excited laugh. The brutal scrape was pushing him exactly where he wanted to be.

"I'm just a cook," Rudra grinned wildly, the thrill of the brawl lighting up his eyes.

"But I've got a lot of mouths to feed."