Chương 113: (B2) Chapter 40 - A fitting end

Energy coursed through Ethan unlike anything he had ever experienced. His mana felt far more powerful than it had in his previous life, even though he had been an entire stage higher back then. To say possessing a primordial affinity was an upgrade would be the understatement of the century. How he had gone so long without one and still managed to reach the end of the Trials was a mystery. More than that, it highlighted just how powerful humanity's strongest fighters had truly been.

Perhaps he had underestimated them more than he cared to admit. He flicked his blade, sending the monkey king's blood splattering across the ground. He could sense the others staring at him, their gazes practically boring into the back of his helmet, but he had no time to turn and address them. His immediate concern was the Wendigo watching him from across the ruined street, its twisted face somehow contorting into an expression of pure rage. Ethan felt much the same.

His armor was still scarred from their previous battle, deep grooves and dents serving as proof of just how brutal the monster had been.

"Come on, then," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Mana continued raging through his new channels like a dormant volcano slowly stirring awake. For a brief moment, he considered suppressing it. His original plan had been to limit his armored identity to aura alone, keeping his magic hidden and separating it from the persona he had created. Somewhere along the way, however, that distinction had stopped mattering. He was no longer trying to remain undercover.

More importantly, what use was there in sidelining his greatest weapon when the only people around were those he wanted on his side? Well, aside from Striker. Still, the boy had promise. Ethan dismissed the thought almost as soon as it surfaced. Holding back wasn't an option. Not with this monster. Mana flooded through the pathways he'd painstakingly rebuilt only days before. The familiar agony returned, but compared to the breakthrough, it was little more than background noise.

Heat roared through every muscle as impossible strength filled his limbs. Ethan exploded away from the group. His boot caught something stretched across the street. Must have been a trap. The realization came long after his body had already traveled dozens of yards. Behind him, an explosion ripped through the ruined town. He didn't look back. He couldn't. His sharpened hearing picked out the wet impacts of metal tearing through flesh, followed by dozens of agonized screeches.

Bonnie's trap had activated, launching spikes in every direction. A moment later came the sound of bodies collapsing. For a brief moment, he wondered if he had just set the trap off on the others. But he had no time to consider that possibility. His vision struggled to keep pace with the speed he had forced upon himself. Buildings blurred together into streaks of broken stone while every instinct screamed that he was moving faster than his own thoughts could process.

The Wendigo lowered its head, its antlers glowing once more. Ethan was moving straight for it. He twisted out of the way, [Steadfast] keeping him upright when he should have tumbled. White destruction roared past his shoulder, so close that the heat seared through his armor. It carved through three buildings as though they didn't exist, reducing timber and stone to glowing debris before continuing into the monkey horde beyond. The blast vaporized everything in its path.

Monkeys disappeared without even having time to scream. The beam sliced through another hidden wire, then another. Explosions thundered from every direction as Bonnie's remaining traps activated in rapid succession. Entire walls collapsed into the streets. Clouds of dust swallowed fleeing monkeys. Razor-sharp stakes burst from beneath shattered cobblestones. Ethan reached the Wendigo, ducking beneath its claws. His greatsword answered immediately.

Steel bit deep across the monster's ribs as he rose to his full height and brought his blade down again, [Mana Infusion] adding strength to his already powerful blow. Black blood sprayed across the ruined street as two large cuts opened across the Wendigo. The monster recovered annoyingly fast, spinning with a speed Ethan struggled to track as another claw ripped toward his neck. He stepped away, already prepared for the follow-up.

His body had become fast enough that instinct was carrying him further than conscious thought. That realization settled uncomfortably in the back of his mind, but he had no time to dwell on it. Not with the Wendigo looming in front of him. Mana poured from his core. And he opened [Worldfire]. The primordial affinity answered his call. The street beneath his boots exploded apart as the ground came alive.

Cracks raced through the stone in every direction, branching wildly beneath the ruined town like veins of molten light. His will crashed against the primordial mana. This was his spell to command, not the other way around. He couldn't allow it to behave as it had in Conevil, where it had caused mass destruction without actually damaging his intended target. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he could do it. The cracks spread wildly, arcing in all directions. Including toward Leah. Ethan's instincts took control.

He pulled his blade upward in an arc capable of slicing through both flesh and bone. Only nothing was within his reach. The earth exploded with the movement. A torrent of hellfire burst free from the ground. A focused fissure tore toward the retreating Wendigo. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. He watched as the wave of fire and magma shredded the street and reached the monster.

It dropped to all fours, claws digging into the ground as it launched itself to the side.

"Like hell," Ethan said, flooding his body with mana and charging to intercept it. The Wendigo evaded his initial strike while managing to slam into a stray monkey and roll to a stop. Ethan arrived before it, unwilling to let his window of opportunity disappear so quickly. He brought his sword down, the blade sinking into flesh. His senses caught up as he realized he had cut through the Wendigo's claws and deep into its gangly arm. Its lips pulled back in a snarl. Its foot shot out. Ethan had no time to react.

The claws clanged against his chest plate, and he felt [Steadfast] give. He was launched from his feet before rolling and coming to a stop against a crumbled wall. He looked up, only to notice the destruction his strike had caused. The earth had been gouged apart, fire still spewing from the opening as it traveled back toward the tree line. Sweat rolled beneath Ethan's helmet. He twisted as [Keen Sense] alerted him to an opportunist. He snatched the monkey from midair. It clawed at his arm and hissed.

"This is above your grade," he said, tightening his grip before throwing the monkey into the ground. The Wendigo had already climbed back to its feet. Its hand was healing, though it hadn't completely returned to normal yet. Just what level was this thing? He knew monsters could gain power after a dungeon rupture, but this regeneration…

"Let's see just how powerful it really is." Ethan called upon his aura. Only this time, he didn't use [Aura Field]. Instead, he activated his new skill. The skill he had gained by making his aura pathways solid. [Aura Manifestation] activated. He guided the energy out of his body before coating the blade of his sword in a visible emerald sheen. The aura ate at the steel, and for a moment, he wondered if it would devour the entire weapon. He could worry about that later. Ethan launched forward.

The Wendigo met his charge. He deflected its first strike before leaning backward as its damaged claw tried to enact revenge. The attack missed his helmet, the talons stopping just shy of his eyes. His sword flashed upward and cut into the creature's arm. It severed above the elbow, but Ethan wasn't satisfied. With his body heightened, he attacked again. The next slash opened its thigh, but still, he struck again. A thrust pierced its shoulder, a cut carved across its chest.

The emerald mist surrounding Ethan's blade wafted around them and seeped into the damaged areas. Its regeneration slowed. At least, it looked like it had slowed. By anyone else's standards, it was still absurd. The Wendigo continued attacking with a precision unfitting of a monster. Its arm reformed and joined the assault. Every swing flowed seamlessly into the next. Its claws blurred together in combinations that would have shredded Ethan's armor and flesh alike. However, unlike last time, Ethan could keep up.

His sword spun through the air with a grace that far outstripped how a greatsword should have been used. Every swing blocked, countered, or struck. He felt himself fall into the rhythm of battle, the outside world slipping away. The creature simply refused to die. He needed to incorporate his magic, but he had no time to call upon [Worldfire]. A split second of letting up would spell the end. Then another beam began charging. Mana gathered between the antlers. Ethan immediately realized he had to act.

He had to break the rhythm they had fallen into. Ethan pushed [Mana Infusion] to the brink. He could feel his new channels reach full capacity. He activated the skill, and the world fell away. He slammed into the Wendigo, his sword punching through its stomach. They slid backward, locked together, before finally grinding to a stop. The Wendigo's attack continued gathering between its antlers. Ethan released the blade and grabbed the side of its head, wrenching it aside so the attack missed him.

The beam carved across the battlefield instead. He could hear the screams of stray monkeys as the blast tore through them before finally coming to an end. Ethan glanced around only briefly. The monkey horde had broken. He could see Leah and the others fighting them off. Now, however, the monkeys had turned tail and begun fleeing toward the tree line. Panicked screeches echoed through the trees as the survivors scattered in every direction, desperate to escape the battlefield that had become a slaughterhouse.

Ethan kept twisting the Wendigo's head until he felt his muscles bulge. Then he threw it. His blade tore free as the monster sailed through the air. Ethan didn't stop. With the opening created, he activated [Worldfire] again. His mana pulsed outward and sank into the ground. He left it there, holding the spell back as the Wendigo climbed to its feet. It lunged toward him again. Ethan let out a breath. He could feel his mana extending beneath the ground. Everything felt like part of him.

Every heartbeat thumped through the soles of his boots and into the earth. It was exhilarating. He pulled his blade upward again. His mana responded, and [Worldfire] lashed out in a torrent of flame and magma. The creature twisted aside in the middle of its lunge, its speed and dexterity showing exactly why it had been the island's apex predator. But not any more. Ethan slashed again. And again. Each eruption carved devastating lines of pure fire through the street. The Wendigo dodged the first.

The second clipped its side, flames eating into its body. The third struck it head-on. The Wendigo was consumed by flame and magma. A scream tore through the air as it writhed on the ground. Ethan rushed forward, his sword falling like an executioner's axe. His eyes widened as he noticed another beam forming between its antlers. Fuck that. He changed the angle of his blow in mid-motion. His poisonous blade sliced through both antlers and sent them spinning through the air. The spell dissipated.

He kicked the Wendigo in the chest, flames licking across his boots. It slammed into the ground, half its body landing inside a burning fissure filled with magma. It raked an arm toward him, but Ethan had been in this situation far too many times. He met the desperate attack with the edge of his blade, slicing the arm away before sweeping the strike into a follow-up that removed the Wendigo's head from its body. It continued burning in the fire of his own making, its body charring to a crisp.

He watched it for a moment before checking his reserves. He still had a little under half his mana remaining. Ethan called upon [Worldfire] once more. He stepped backward and swept his blade upward one final time. Again, the earth exploded. Only this time, it happened directly beneath the Wendigo's body. Within seconds, nothing remained except a black scorch mark upon the ruined street. Silence settled across the town as Ethan dismissed his skills and watched the monster disappear into nothing.

The world lurched as his enhancement skills faded. A strange weakness fell over him, souring his mood slightly. Everything slowed back to a pace his mind could comfortably understand. Every breath felt like inhaling hot iron, but he pushed the discomfort aside as he felt a small influx of power and the System began begging for his attention. He ignored it for now and turned. Leah stood several streets away. So did the others. They were watching him like spectators in the stands. Well…

aside from the countless dead monkeys scattered around them. Their eyes were glued to Ethan's form, and judging by their expressions, he wondered if perhaps he had overdone it. But fuck that Wendigo.