[Five Days Later][Wisp Forest – Nighttime]The blood moon rose at the sky. An ominous and eerie presence when night finally came. With it comes the howling of the wolves and the laughing of the goblins. The screams of the dying and the sound of flesh being gnawed. The whole forest has turned into something unbecoming. Drunk with the color that the moon bathes it in…and illuminated by this same moon is the manticore, Samira.The creature floats above the sky. Its golden eyes changed color. The same color as the moon and, its mane has changed as well. Donning a darker shade of yellow. With streaks of red mixing within it. With this comes an aura of crimson mana. Not because she wants to release it but because she has too much of it. There is too much mana that it can’t fit in her body anymore. And more of it just keeps pouring out.“This is it Dirth.” She told her attendant as they both looked down on the forest. “This is the day I force that ent to fight me head on.”The goblin shaman
The clash of mana brought a renewed passion for Samira. Her eyes seemingly gleamed in excitement – the thrill of the hunt that cannot compare to anything else. And her prey for this evening has shifted completely. Not the ent who rules over the forest but this demon whose mana has clashed with hers.The first exchange between the two ended in a seeming draw. There is a graze that it left on Samira’s cheek but this got healed right away. Regenerating through one of her multiple passives that has been acquired from eating her prey. No matter what species these may be.Just like her, there is no damage sustained by her opponent. The armor of the demon seem to have kept it from getting a couple of scratches and, the face of the demon doesn’t have a single wound on it as well. This is a good start for Samira. Clashing their mana and not getting damaged is the least that her opponent can do to prove that he is in a standing to entertain
[Skill Name: Mana Drain][Skill Type: Active][Grade: D][Information: Drains 2% of a single target opponent’s overall mana every 5 second. This is converted to the caster’s own mana. This can only happen when the mana of the caster comes into contact with the intended target.][Information: The skill runs for 10 seconds and then goes into cooldown for another ten seconds.]This is the skill that Merlin used in the fight. A skill that he bought in the shop to ensure that he’ll gain a higher chance of winning. It may look like a simple skill but its efficiency cannot be doubted. Since the skill only drains a small portion of Samira’s mana, she doesn’t feel it happening. What’s more, even as the skill goes on cooldown, Merlin can continue draining the mana of his opponent with the use of an afterimage.As for how he’s doing it, Merlin covered the whole field with his dark mana. It’s the same trick that he showed to Sylvie but a more refined version of it. Caused by the fact that he also
Merlin continued the fight against the manticore without a second of hesitation. He can’t afford to have something like this. It will only breed trouble for him because once he begins thinking that the manticore is superior to him, then he’d already admit that he’s lost against it.It’s true that the manticore is stronger in terms of raw power. But they aren’t merely exchanging blows with each other. There are other variables to consider. And as far as battle strategy and wit is concerned, Merlin outclasses the manticore so badly that it won’t even be considered a fair fight anymore.That’s just the thing though. A battle involves multiple facets and the winner is usually the one who can capitalize on the most ones. Adding to one more element that plays a vital role in these fights as well – luck. But Merlin isn’t planning on relying on something as half assed as this concept. He has neve relied on luck and he won’t start doing so now. Though it can be said that meeting [World’s End]
“That’s more like it! Give it everything you’ve got demon!”Samira roared as she continued fighting Merlin. Her thoughts are a bit hazy now. Caused by her frenzy for battle that cannot be easily quenched. And this is being filled by Merlin to the brim. Making her drunk in this state as she continued to fight without thinking of anything else. The only thing on her mind is defeating the demon and eating him after. That is the only thing that is vividly on her head.Other than this, everything else is a big blur. Thousands of explosions hit her body every minute. She answers in kind by attacking the demon as well. Sprinting so fast that there’s no room for Merlin to make adjustments. She doesn’t even care to think about what strategy her opponent is using because, no matter what happens, she will be able to automatically adjust to it. Samira’s battle sense cannot compare to anything else after all. Her instincts for battle are so strong that she doesn’t need to think anymore. All she h
The fight between the demon and the manticore has reached its climax. Undoubtedly, Merlin will win this fight. Samira is already in a state where she’s waiting for the final blow. But there is still one more variable that can get in the way. Dirth. The goblin shaman is sharp as much as he is crafty. With all of his undying loyalty for Samira, he won’t let his master die just like that. He will do everything in his power to make sure that the manticore survives. Even if this costs him his life. Even if this costs him to be despised by his own master for the rest of eternity. That is how much he cares for the survival of Samira.However, there is something getting in his way.While Merlin fought with Samira, his allies, Sylvie and Teach were also busy. They are the ones who dealt with the goblin shaman Dirth.This is done under Merlin’s orders as well. He told them that the manticore might have allies nearby and that he can’t afford to lose his focus against such a strong opponent by h
Merlin sat with his back against a tree. He felt the exhaustion immediately rush throughout his body. The price that has to be paid for the second stage of demon’s rage is so high that his body began to tear apart because of it. This time around, health potions alone won’t be enough for him to recover. He will still die.What he has to use is an [Elixir].[Information: Restores both health and mana back to 100%. Removes all negative status effects and regenerates all wounds.]This is a high-grade item that not everybody has access to. The primary reason for this is the availability. The item cannot be easily found in any market nor is it a common drop for any monster that’s defeated. If it is, then that would be a cheat which can allow even the weakest of adventurers to go against a monster that’s three times more powerful than him and her. It is because of this potential exploitation that the item is not easy to come by. But other than this, even if somebody does come across it, an
Everything after Merlin’s last words is a bit hazy. Samira only saw a pitch-black darkness. That’s all that she can remember and, all that she expected to come across. But then, her eyes opened.It felt surreal, almost like it isn’t supposed to happen. It isn’t. She’s supposed to be dead. That is the only outcome that’s acceptable after a duel. One of the two parties need to die. And her, still being alive, is not an option.Is this a dream? She thought to herself as she continued to deny reality. The manticore tried moving her body and this gave her the idea that she’s truly alive. If she isn’t, then she won’t feel the pain that jolted through her entire body. Brought about by her mana veins that are still in the process of recovery.“Not a dream. Definitely not a dream.” Samira said as she slowly got up from bed. Everything after the fight is irrelevant to her. As far as she’s concerned, she’s already dead. There is no point to living now that she’s lost her purpose. Being the stro