"You just won't die! Why won't you fall already?!"
Bringer quickly realized the two of them were still alive, and tried to crush them with all his strength, but he couldn't budge them an inch.
"What's going on?"
Bringer had no idea what was happening beneath his foot, but it felt as if a hydraulic jack were propping up his sole—no matter how hard he pressed down, it wouldn't give an inch.
"Let me fix that foot for you!"
Hugo's voice suddenly rang in his ear, and right after, Bringer found he could suddenly press his foot down again.
But it wasn't because he'd won the contest of strength—it was because Hugo had sliced his entire sole clean off. He lost his balance and pitched forward, crashing to the ground.
"Quit playing dead, Lycaon! Press the advantage!"
Blood still trickled from the corner of Hugo's mouth, but that didn't stop him from mouthing off at his old friend.
Lycaon didn't answer. He'd used an overload burst from his prosthetic to buy Hugo a sliver of a chance at survival, and now the prosthetic had gone into a brief shutdown.
Seeing this, a flicker of worry crossed Hugo's eyes, though he hid it well.
"Tch, useless thing. Guess I'll just have to handle this myself!"
With that, Hugo spun around, his scythe whirling so fast his opponent couldn't track its path, slashing again and again at Bringer's body.
Furious, Bringer lashed out at once, trying to crush Hugo in his grip, but Hugo dodged him time and again.
"Hmph, at that level, you're not even qualified."
Hugo's hands never stopped moving as he kept taunting Bringer, hoping to goad him into anger and expose an opening.
Say what you will, Hugo really had a gift for insults—he managed to run through Bringer's entire family tree without uttering a single curse word.
But Bringer came from Wanderer stock, and Hugo's tirade didn't seem to land on him at all.
Having dodged another of Bringer's blows, Hugo spun to deliver another slash—when his vision suddenly blurred, and Bringer's figure split into phantom afterimages before his eyes.
'Damn it! Is this from my earlier injuries?'
Hugo instinctively clutched his head, trying to ease the symptoms.
Unfortunately, it didn't help at all.
Bringer's massive hand was already descending—Hugo was about to be flattened into paste.
A flash of white suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Overload Burst!"
Lycaon raised his right leg high and slammed it in front of Hugo, forcing Bringer back by sheer force. Then he pivoted and kicked Hugo clear, sending him flying to safety.
"Damn it! What do you think you're doing?!"
Hugo cried out in alarm—Lycaon was going to sacrifice himself to save him!
How could Hugo possibly accept that?
"Quit yapping. I'll settle the score with you after this fight."
Lycaon's expression was grim. His stamina was nearly spent, and with that last burst, his prosthetic had already reached its limit.
But aside from his mobility being slightly hampered by his severed foot, Bringer showed no sign of weakening.
'His recovery seems tied to that phantom shape behind him. A Sacrifice's natural regeneration and strength alone shouldn't be this powerful.'
Lycaon made his decision fast—he stopped attacking Bringer directly and instead leapt past him to strike the phantom shape behind him.
Thud! A sound like a bird slamming into glass rang out. Lycaon's foot struck a hardened barrier—the phantom actually had a high-strength shield protecting it.
Bringer reacted at once, his attack so fast that Lycaon had no way to dodge it now.
"No choice, then."
Lycaon pressed his foot down harder. A grinding, creaking sound followed, and the acrid smell of burning rubber began to fill the air—he meant to gamble everything on breaking through the phantom.
But to Bringer, it looked absolutely ridiculous—nothing but a futile struggle.
Without slackening the force in his hand, he swung it down toward Lycaon—he'd finally be rid of these two annoying pests.
"Die, you bugs!"
The palm came down. Lycaon had reached the end of his rope—there was no escaping death now.
But just as the palm was about to land, Lycaon suddenly smiled—and then his whole body began to plummet.
Bringer didn't hesitate for a moment—he knew Lycaon's fall couldn't possibly outpace the speed of his strike.
Trying to run? Where could he possibly run to!
Smack! The palm came down again. This time Bringer was certain—there wouldn't even be a body left of Lycaon.
"Hmph, that's what happens when you cross me!"
"Oh? What happens? I don't recall."
Hugo's voice reached his ears, and only then did Bringer remember there was still a damned bug waiting to feel his wrath.
But when he turned to look, he found Hugo cradling someone in his arms—who else could it be but Lycaon?
Bringer froze in confusion. He was certain he'd felt his palm connect with something—so how was Lycaon still alive? How was he still alive?!
Looking closely, everything below Lycaon's knee was gone—the earlier explosion had been the result of him sacrificing his own prosthetic to buy back his life.
With a deafening boom, a searing pain shot through Bringer's hand, making him instinctively yank it back. At the same moment, a massive crack appeared in the barrier shielding the phantom behind him.
"Hugo!"
"No need to tell me!"
Seizing the opening, Lycaon shouted out. Hugo let go of him, snatched up his scythe again, and charged straight for the Fissure.
Lycaon, sprawled on the ground, ignored everything else and stared fixedly at Hugo's every move.
Hugo's own condition wasn't good either—forcing himself to move despite his broken bones was steadily building internal pressure, and his already-strained organs were now on the verge of rupturing.
This would be the only chance the two of them would get!
"Gaze into the Abyss!"
Hugo forced his body to hold on just a little longer, spinning his scythe over and over to gather power for this final strike.
Crack!
The scythe's sharp blade pierced through the crack in the barrier.
"Aaaaaargh!"
As Hugo roared, the scythe drove deeper and deeper, until it finally shattered the barrier completely.
"Go to hell!"
Hugo bore down on the phantom like an unstoppable force—this strike, he was certain, would land true.
Click!
Final Notice struck true, landing precisely on the phantom whose face couldn't be made out. An instant later, a burst of intense Filth energy exploded outward, sending Hugo flying.
Under Bringer's despairing gaze, the Filth phantom was finally shattered by Hugo's blow and slowly began to dissipate.
At the same time, the bright moon overhead gradually returned to its usual calm, and that eerie, dangerous sensation faded away with it.
And none of this was noticed by anyone except Bringer.
But one Ethereal did notice.
____
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