Apocalypse Unbound

Man and Beast

The new skill he had gotten will be enough.

The two stared at each other—man and beast—as if gauging each other's strengths.  

[Duskfang] was even more cautious as the human released a deathly aura that warned him to flee.  

[Duskfang] then used its clone ability to create another version of itself to tag Team Grey.

The clone looked exactly like the original, and Grey didn’t doubt it had the same power-up.  

With a deep exhale, he charged at the beast, who began to shoot [Abyssal Orbs].  

Grey dodged and parried with his sword, [Banesword], as he drew close, but they were just too much. The release rate had vastly increased, and Grey was still overwhelmed.  

The energy balls battered his body, tearing into it, but Grey kept moving forward.  

His bloodline had boosted his vitality to such an insane level that his wounds were starting to heal almost immediately.  

This advantage gave him the ability to push through the assault, but the closer he got, the more the barrage poked at his body.  

Grey grunted as a deflected ball brushed past his face, tearing a bit of flesh off. 

“Aargh!”  

Grey grunted, but it was bearable, as his regenerative ability eased the pain.  

He wouldn’t lie that the relentless assault from [Duskfang] and its clone was starting to piss him off.  

So much so that he was willing to try anything.  

He then raised his hands to receive an [Abyssal Orb] coming at him.

But instead of the ball tearing into his palm, the attack was stopped.  

Dark-like energy streamed out of Grey's arm, corroding the [Abyssal Orb] until it turned into steam, which his body swiftly absorbed.  

And then he felt it: a boost in energy.  

He had absorbed, or rather consumed energy from the [Duskfang] attack.  

Grey’s eyes widened in shock as he discovered an effect of his [Death Touch].  

Not only could he corrode the living using the skill but also energy.  

Like a gluttonous parasite, he could feast on anything and everything.

He grinned, and with the little energy he had gotten from the [Abyssal Orb], he used [Quickstep], appearing in front of the unsuspecting sabretooth boss, and swung down.  

He had targeted the original [Duskfang], but at the last moment, the clone swooped in, tanking the attack.  

The clome didn’t do a very good job as a shield though, as its body was almost split in two.  

The main body leaped away, and Grey was going to follow, but the clone, which he thought was defeated bit him on his arm to hold him back.  

This held him in place enough for the original [Duskfang] to fire another [Abyssal Orb].  

But Grey didn’t panic.  

He simply raised his arm using [Death Touch] to receive the attack and devoured the concentrated energy.  

Then, using his other arm, he activated the same skill, absorbing the life of the clone, whose body began to wither until it crumbled into ashes.

Watching this scene, [Duskfang] was even more hesitant to engage in close combat.  

If it got caught by Grey's hands, it would be its end, so it decided to keep its distance, releasing long-range attacks.  

Only Grey wouldn’t let it do as it pleased.  

He charged at [Duskfang], who fired a spray of [Abyssal Orbs].  

But Grey was able to evade easily compared to earlier when [Duskfang] had its clone to support.  

There was also the issue of [Abyssal Orb] consuming mana, which Grey was sure [Duskfang] must be running out of by now, even with the boost.  

Reaching [Duskfang], Grey sliced, but [Duskfang] swerved to the side and fired another [Abyssal Orb].

Grey spun, the [Abyssal Orb] moving past him, and then he released an attack of his own:

[Arc Flash].

This lightning blast hit [Duskfang] and delivered a shock that temporarily stunned the beast.  

Using this chance, Grey closed the distance, activated [Death Touch], and placed his hand on [Duskfang]'s head.  

[Duskfang]'s expression turned to panic when it felt Grey's palm touch its forehead and swiftly raised its claws to slice Grey's hand off.  

But before that could happen, a powerful dose of electricity escaped Grey's palm, hitting the beast.  

[Duskfang]'s numb body flew backward until it crashed into the wall with a loud thud.  

At the last moment, Grey had switched from using [Death Touch] to [Overcharge] tricking it.  

[Duskfang] coughed out blood, trying to get up.

Grey’s attack had severely weakened it, and worse, its power boost was coming to an end.  

Knowing that the threat still lingered, [Duskfang] hurried and tried to get up before Grey arrived.  

But Grey was already right in front of it.  

[Duskfang] stepped backward and lashed out, brandishing its claws.  

Desperate to keep Grey away.

But thanks to his enhanced agility from the awakening, Grey easily dodged the attack.

He then moved seamlessly towards [Duskfang]'s back and leaped onto it, wrapping his arms around it in a tight hug before activating [Death Touch].  

[Duskfang]'s danger sense flared, and it struggled to get Grey off by shaking and moving around.  

It tried whatever sharp feature it was endowed with to stab Grey, to get out of the hold, but all it was doing was spilling Grey's poisonous blood on the wounds, which made its condition worse.  

Grey, getting stabbed, ignored the pain, as he knew the battle was coming to an end.  

[Duskfang] roared as if crying out to escape, but Grey didn’t budge.  

Its movements were starting to slow as Grey continued to use [Death Touch].

[Duskfang] dying, suddenly felt regret for not taking Grey down sooner.

The advantage had been on his side earlier on, but he had held back, thinking Grey was weak.  

Now, the same weak human he had been toying with earlier was taking him down.  

With a final howl, [Duskfang] stopped struggling, and its movements halted.  

Grey didn’t get any notification from the system telling him the quest had been completed, so he kept holding.  

He knew [Duskfang] was intelligent and could be playing dead.

So to avoid risking anything, Grey kept hanging on, until:

Ding!  

============

[You have completed the quest: Kill the Sabertooth Boss]  

[Rewards now available.]  

============

Seeing this, Grey sighed in relief and finally let go of [Duskfang], rolling off its back.  

His chest heaved as he lay on the ground.

His body was covered in sweat and blood.  

Then Apollo hovered over him with a serious look on his face.  

He could see wariness and confusion, which prompted him to ask the question.  

“So, are you going to kill me now?”  

Apollo’s brow knitted, and Grey could tell the blue-furred monkey seemed to be considering it, more so than ever.  

But Apollo let out a sigh of resignation and responded.  

“Not yet. But soon. And like I’ve been telling you, when I am going to do it, you will be informed.”  

“Can’t wait.”  

Grey responded with a grin and sat up.  

He then turned his attention to his rewards.

What excited him most after defeating the [Duskfang] was the prospect of acquiring a new skill.

===============

[Congratulations, you have killed the Sabertooth Boss—[Duskfang].]  

[Rewards now available.]  

[You have been rewarded with a new skill...