Chapter 410: A Slain God? (1/2)

This fast creature stood on the riverbank, its sharp teeth grinning at Arthur. The creature looked like a humanoid sailfish with pale blue skin, eyes of red spheres, and a long pointy nose. Instead of hair, the Mernar had a giant fin covering its head. It seemed to have a basic level of awareness as it giggled at Arthur before attacking again.

”Cling!”

The dagger and sword collided, and the two contenders were pushed several meters back. Then, as Arthur glared at it, the fast Mernar disappeared.

'Fast,' Arthur felt the air change beside him and had to duck to avoid the sword passing over his head. If he had a lapse of judgment and chose to dodge, a severed head might not be out of the question.

Arthur teleported away as the sword struck the ground to create a deep gash on it. As he appeared on the cliff a distance away, Arthur thought he obtained a moment of rest, but the creature was in front of him in an instant.

Despite not being a lot stronger than Arthur, a rei-ranker, the monster was a lot faster. As a result, Arthur had to use his perception to simply dodge, not even thinking of outrunning the fish monster.

'I might need to teleport away,' Arthur thought to himself, but his hand tightened around the dagger as he remembered Miko's words:

Only through hardships can one utilize their full potential. When one is placed in a disadvantageous battle, their survival instincts allow them to grow stronger to survive.

Arthur knew he could grow stronger than anyone with his runes and legacy, but he only needed the singular goal to do so. He needed a deep-rooted devotion to this goal, and he needed to stop at nothing to achieve it.

”An absolute pursuit of strength,” Arthur muttered as his body glowed blue and his mana was restored. As soon as it did, his release rune amplified his agility and perception while ignoring everything else.

Arthur felt his perception of the world slow down, and he grew faster beyond comparison. There was no increased strength behind his blows, but he can deliver them more quickly than ever.

It was the first time that Arthur used his Release Rune in such a way, allowing him to consume less mana than before. Then, as the sword was about to slash his throat, the golden dagger he had flashed before a resounding clinking sound echoed in the cliff.

The monster seemed surprised that its attack was blocked, and Arthur used that opening to strike. His dagger turned into a golden flash that passed through the Mernar, and violet blood gushed out across its abdomen.

”Ga,” the monster coughed blood on Arthur's robes, but it was nowhere near dead. Arthur felt a burst of mana as the monster backed away in retreat.

”I guess you have your skills,” Arthur muttered as he stomped on the cliff, destroying it, to launch himself after the monster. The sailfish Mernar kept retreating as Arthur launched attacks at it.

The monster's fin began to glow as mana got into it. Then, water poured out of its legs to make it fly upward and away from Arthur's attack.

”I can do just the same,” Arthur's fire exploded below him, and he followed after the fleeing monster. As he did, the water surface broke again as countless other sailfish Mernars appeared.

The injured one tried to get away, but Arthur knew it was his chance to decrease their numbers. His fire pushed him further as he passed by the monster, severing its head.

Before he could celebrate his victory, Arthur had to dodge from the countless swords that arrived to strike him. Five more sailfish Mernars came to attack him, and his odds were growing slim.

'This is abnormal,' Arthur thought to himself as each strike threatened to end his life. However, he had no thoughts of retreating. Instead, the slim chances of survival ignited the bloodthirst within him as a wild and unrestrained madness overtook his mind.

As the sword slashed at him from above, Arthur's used his barrier to block, but their combined attacks sent him crashing down toward the ground.

His body slammed into the riverbank and created a giant carter as he coughed out. In his moment of confusion, he could see them descend from the sky to attack him. Arthur waited until the last moment before he teleported to appear above them, and his liquid fire exploded in his hand.

”Turn to toast!” Arthur grinned as he slashed down with his only arm, and the liquid fire rained down to turn everything to ashes. The monsters who fell for his trap screamed before flying, and several of them lost their limbs as a result.