Free Web NovelChapter 38: Chapter 38: First Blood (4)
The scarred leader cursed loudly, instinctively raising one arm to shield his face as the crimson aura around his fists flickered unsteadily.
The subordinates panicked and momentarily loosened their grip on Grace as they covered their eyes.
In that split second of chaos, Jake forced his broken body to move.
Gritting his teeth through the agony, he rolled toward the nearest fallen subordinate.
His bloodied fingers closed around the hilt of a dropped short sword.
The cold steel felt solid in his grip.
Then,
Using the last of his strength, Jake activated the skill.
"SLASH!"
A sharp, glowing arc of light burst from the blade as he swung with everything he had left.
The empowered slash cut through the air with surprising sharpness, streaking toward the leader’s neck.
The scarred man sensed the danger even while blinded.
He roared and instinctively brought his glowing crimson fist up to block.
SHIIING!!
SPLUUUURT!!
The empowered slash connected.
The glowing blade sliced deep across the leader’s forearm and the back of his hand, as blood exploded outward in a dramatic crimson spray as the reinforced aura around his fist was partially torn apart.
A deep gash opened from wrist to elbow, nearly severing tendons.
"AHHHH!! You fucking bastard!!"
The leader staggered back, clutching his heavily bleeding arm.
His face twisted in rage and pain as blood poured between his fingers.
The crimson aura around his fists weakened significantly.
Jake collapsed to one knee, the sword slipping from his exhausted grip.
His vision was fading fast.
Blood continued flowing from his mouth and the wounds on his side and chest.
"Haa... Haa..."
He felt completely drained after using the [Slash] skill and barely able to breathe through his broken ribs, but he still forced a bloody grin to mock the man.
"Hehe... looks like you’re not that tough after all, you overgrown piece of shit."
The taunt only enraged the Bone Crusher further.
The scarred leader, still bleeding profusely, glared at Jake with murderous fury.
Even with one arm badly injured, he raised the other glowing fist.
The reddish aura around it burned even brighter, fueled by pure rage.
"You... little fucking insect...!"
He roared and charged forward like a wounded beast, his remaining glowing crimson fist pulled back for a devastating strike.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The leader unleashed a savage flurry of punches with his good arm.
Jake desperately dodged and weaved, but his battered body couldn’t keep up.
One punch grazed his head, splitting his scalp open and spraying blood across his face.
Another slammed into his already broken ribs.
CRACK!
Jake coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered, but he refused to fall.
He snatched a dagger from a fallen subordinate and slashed wildly, opening a shallow cut across the leader’s chest.
The scarred man snarled and backhanded Jake across the face with brutal force.
Jake spun through the air and crashed to the ground, spitting teeth and blood.
"Jake!!" Grace screamed, still thrashing violently against the four men holding her.
One received a nasty bite on his cheek, another took a knee to the groin.
Meanwhile,
The leader loomed over Jake, breathing heavily, blood dripping from his injured arm and fresh chest wound.
"Haa... haa... I was going to bring you in alive... but now? I think I’ll just break your spine and carry you as a sack of meat."
He raised his glowing fist high for a final, crushing blow.
Jake’s vision faded in and out.
His body felt like lead.
But as the fist came down, he still manage to rolled desperately to the side at the last second.
BOOOOOOM!
The punch cratered the ground where his head had been.
And using the momentum, Jake stabbed upward with the dagger, driving it deep into the leader’s thigh.
"RRRAAAAAGHHH!!!"
The scarred man howled in pain and kicked Jake hard in the stomach, sending him tumbling across the dirt.
The dagger remained embedded in his leg.
The leader limped forward, blood pouring from his thigh and the deep gash on his forearm.
His face was a mask of pure, unbridled fury.
"Enough... I’ve played with you long enough, you fucking pest."
Crack!
He stopped a few meters away, planted his feet wide, and lowered into a stance.
His remaining good arm pulled back as the crimson aura around his body intensified dramatically.
The air grew heavy, and the ground beneath him cracked as destructive energy concentrated into his fist.
Bone Crusher – Crushing Rage.
"This skill once crushed a stone golem’s core in a single strike," he growled, voice low and venomous. "I’ll turn your entire upper body into paste!"
Jake lay on the ground, half-conscious, blood pooling beneath him.
His body was broken... ribs shattered, arms numb, vision fading in and out.
But in that moment of near-death, something inside him shifted.
His [Battle Adept] and [Instinct] skills flared to life like never before. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Time seemed to slow.
Every sound, every movement, every trace of killing intent became crystal clear.
A strange clarity washed over his fading mind.
’Not... yet...’
Jake’s bloodied fingers twitched.
With agonizing slowness, he pushed himself up into a kneeling position, then rose unsteadily to his feet.
His posture shifted naturally... low, balanced, sword arm slightly raised, the other hand guiding the short sword.
Tzz...
Tzz...
Tzz...
Golden light began to flicker along the sword’s edge as he subconsciously channeled [Light Manifestation], mixing it with the faint glow of [Slash].
The two abilities resonated and merged under the guidance of his heightened [Instinct] and [Battle Adept].
ZING!
Suddenly, a sharp, radiant golden arc of light formed around the blade, humming with power.
The scarred leader’s eyes widened slightly as he sensed the sudden change in Jake’s aura and saw that sword of light in his hand.
But he still smile confidently and laugh,
"Hah! Still trying to resist? Die!"
He exploded forward with his trump card, his glowing crimson fist tearing through the air like a red comet, aimed to obliterate Jake completely.
At the same moment, Jake stepped forward.
His body moved on pure instinct... smooth, precise, and filled with desperate resolve.
With gritted teeth and blood in his mouth, he swung the sword in a perfect, flowing arc.
"SLASH...!!"
The golden light concentrated and burst outward in a brilliant, razor-sharp crescent wave that fused Light Manifestation’s brilliance with Slash’s cutting power.
SHIIIIIIIIING—!!!
A dazzling golden blade of light shot forward, screaming through the air.
Time seemed to slow down as the raging crimson fist and the sword of light collided.
And at the same time, Grace’s golden eyes widened as she stared at the radiant sword of light in Jake hand and murmured softly,
"Father..."
Then—
The two ultimate attacks collided in a violent explosion of crimson and gold.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The shockwave blasted outward, uprooting nearby bushes and sending the weaker subordinates tumbling.
And the clash of destructive energies lit up the entire forest clearing as a brilliant golden pillar of light shot high into the sky.
