Kael tightened his grip around Elyndra's handle while watching the Minotaur King slowly advance through the cloud of dust and shattered stone. Every step the monster took made the ground tremble as if a mountain itself were walking toward him. Blood still dripped from Kael's body, mixing with the sand and forming small dark puddles beneath his feet, but even so, he did not step back.
Because he could feel it.
The next attack from that creature would not be something he could survive easily.
The Minotaur King slowly raised his enormous reddish axe. The muscles in his arms tensed while a savage smile appeared across his monstrous face.
—DIE, WORM!!
The roar shook the entire cave.
And the next instant, both of them collided.
The gigantic axe descended with absolute violence while Kael raised Elyndra to block the attack. The impact exploded like thunder inside the cavern. A shockwave tore through the area, lifting stones and destroying part of the ground around them.
Kael felt his arms tremble.
The monster's strength was absurd.
Every second holding back that attack made his bones slowly creak.
But even so…
He smiled.
Because the Minotaur King was enjoying this too.
His black eyes shone filled with savage excitement.
For the first time in a very long while, he had found something capable of resisting him.
Their weapons violently separated.
And barely a second later they collided again.
Once.
Again.
And again.
The metallic sound spread through the entire cave while red and black sparks illuminated the darkness. The monster's gaze and Kael's now looked identical. Both were filled with violence.
Filled with blood.
Filled with madness.
Then Kael spoke quietly while stepping back a few paces.
—Hey… can you change form?
Elyndra's voice echoed directly inside his mind.
(—Of course I can. Did you only just realize that?)
—I'm not really into swords.
(—Then what the hell do you like?)
Kael barely dodged the horizontal swing of the axe by mere centimeters while mentally answering.
—Knives.
For a moment there was silence.
And then Elyndra let out a small laugh.
(—Ah… now I understand what kind of monster you are.)
The Minotaur King frowned upon seeing Kael talking to himself while smiling.
—WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO, INFERIOR CREATURE?!!
The monster charged toward him again, destroying the ground beneath his feet.
But before he could reach him…
Elyndra shined.
Black light spread across the entire sword while its shape slowly began deforming. The long blade disappeared and the metal started splitting into two separate forms.
And seconds later…
The sword no longer existed.
Now Kael held two enormous combat knives.
The blades had a curved and aggressive shape, similar to monstrous fangs. The dark edge seemed to absorb the light around them while small crimson symbols spread across both weapons.
The blades were kukri-point type.
Designed to tear apart.
To cut flesh.
To kill.
Kael observed the knives for a few seconds.
And smiled.
—Much better.
(—I knew you'd end up using something like this. You've got the face of a killer.)
—Shut up.
And then he disappeared.
Kael's body shot forward at monstrous speed. Even the Minotaur King slightly widened his eyes upon seeing him move through the rocks like an impossible shadow impossible to follow.
Besides…
Kael had changed.
His body seemed lighter.
Smaller.
Now he was only around one meter sixty-five tall, but that reduction made his movements far faster and much harder to detect.
The monster began turning his head searching for his presence.
But Kael disappeared again and again among the cave's shadows.
—STOP HIDING!!
The Minotaur King roared filled with rage.
And slammed the ground with his enormous left fist.
BOOOOM.
The entire cave violently exploded.
The ground rose like a gigantic wave of stone and sand, destroying natural pillars and launching enormous rocks into the air.
Kael was struck by the terrain's explosion and sent flying upward.
And then…
He saw it.
From above, he could finally truly observe the place where he had fallen.
This was not simply a cave.
It was a gigantic abyss.
Immense.
Infinite layers of rock descended one beneath another as if the world itself were hollow inside. Every level looked darker and more terrifying than the last.
There was no visible end.
Only depth.
Only endless darkness.
—So this is the abyss… —he murmured.
But he had no time to think further.
He quickly stabbed both knives into the rocky wall before falling, leaving himself suspended at an absurd height where a fall would surely destroy his legs completely.
Stones began sliding beneath his feet.
Below…
The Minotaur King slowly raised his head.
And smiled.
—Now I know where you are.
Kael clicked his tongue.
—Great.
(—So what will you do now, tragic hero? You can't run forever.)
Elyndra's voice sounded amused.
(—Although I have to admit something… you no longer look like the pathetic crybaby from earlier.)
Kael let out a small tired laugh.
—Thanks… I think.
(—Don't get excited. You're still weak.)
Kael took a deep breath.
Pain still spread through his entire body.
His ribs had not fully regenerated yet and he could barely move his left arm properly.
But something inside him had changed.
Before, he only wanted to survive.
Now…
He wanted to win.
—Well then… let's keep going.
Kael ripped both knives from the wall and launched himself downward using all the strength in his legs.
His body rapidly descended from above directly toward the Minotaur King's head.
The air whistled around him.
The knives glowed dark red.
And the monster roared filled with excitement.
—ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME FROM ABOVE?! THAT WON'T WORK!!
The Minotaur King tensed his right arm and threw a brutal punch toward Kael.
The gigantic fist tore through the air like a meteor.
And although Kael tried to dodge it…
The blow grazed part of his body.
Just a graze.
But it was enough.
The air violently escaped his lungs while his body was launched through the air like a broken bullet.
The monster had not even hit him directly.
Only the impact of the wind caused by that overwhelming strength was enough to send him flying away.
Kael crashed violently across the ground until stopping several meters away.
He coughed blood.
His breathing was uneven.
Every muscle in his body screamed in pain.
The Minotaur King slowly began approaching while fully enjoying the situation.
—JAJAJAJA… LOOK AT YOU.
The monster raised his enormous axe while walking.
—YOU ARE FRAGILE.
Step.
—SMALL.
Another step.
—WEAK.
Kael remained bent over for a few seconds.
Breathing heavily.
And then…
He smiled.
The Minotaur King frowned.
He did not understand that expression.
Until he heard something.
Dripping.
Plop.
Plop.
The monster slowly lowered his gaze toward his left arm.
And then he saw it.
A clean cut.
Perfect.
From the wrist up to slightly above the forearm.
For an instant, the monster felt no pain.
He did not even understand what he was seeing.
Until…
His hand fell to the ground.
The arm had been completely amputated.
Blood violently exploded from the wound while the enormous Minotaur staggered backward in shock.
His black eyes slowly widened.
And Kael raised his gaze while holding both blood-covered knives.
—I told you… I don't like swords.