A stench like a corpse. Nauseating. It even dampened the flames.
Then, a knight.
A brass shield. Piercing straight through the liquid. White smoke. The steel, pitted and corroded.
Shield Bash!
Thorne slammed his shield into the Ulcerated Tree Spirit's head. All his strength. The behemoth barely lowered its head.
A longsword. Hidden under his ribs. Dazzling brilliance. It stabbed the monster.
Carian Piercer!
A three-meter magic blade. It pierced the Ulcerated Tree Spirit's skull.
Hanging in mid-air, Thorne raised his shield.
Woo — thud!
A shrill whistle. A dull collision. The dead-wood-like palm slammed into the shield. The swordsman flew. Rolled. Then, a backflip.
"Does it not have human vital points?"
Reality. No health bars.
Defeating the strong with the weak. Hit the vital points. The Ulcerated Tree Spirit had none. Its speed, just a bit slower.
Energy depletion?
Thorne wiped the black mud and blood from his face. Watched the monster roll toward him. Accumulated magic power. Rolled to the side.
Bang!
The tail. From above. Exploded mud. A filthy gust of wind scoured his armor.
Thorne covered his face.
The Ulcerated Tree Spirit. A hole in its head. It sprang. A windmill. Its tail lashed. Fluid. Natural. Caught him off guard.
Starlight movement.
The magic power. Used.
Woo —
A gust of wind. Another extreme dodge.
Thorne reappeared. Ten meters away.
The Ulcerated Tree Spirit rolled toward him. He turned to flee.
Clatter...
Squirming. Crawling.
The Ulcerated Tree Spirit, acting solely on instinct, didn't think much and lunged directly at Thorne. Its speed was extremely fast, far exceeding that of a human, but Thorne was no fool. Whenever he felt it approaching, he would dodge in advance. Facts proved that Bloodhounds Step and Starlight movement were very suitable for running away; the former was fast, while the latter, though having a pause, covered a long distance. An abrupt stop and turn dodged the bite, rolling to the side dodged the slap, and during the roll, magic power had already been accumulated.
The rot breath rolled over the ground. He teleported a dozen meters. Sweat slicked his back. The Ulcerated Tree Spirit grew wilder, beginning a straight-line charge. Iron boots crashed through mud and water, crushing bones. A thick stench bored into his nose. He jumped, snatching a grappling hook from the air. Swung several meters.
Bang!
A massive mouth snapped shut on empty air.
The berserk Tree Spirit kept coming. Its foot-feet tripped on the rope. A fire pot on the rock wall swung over, igniting its back. Fire on its head, fire on its back. Any other creature would be writhing. The Ulcerated Tree Spirit charged on, snapping ropes. Oil pots splashed, and the flames, briefly subdued, erupted again. Thorne glanced back. A huge fireball.
Its grey-white flesh blackened. Flames burned brighter. Thorne smiled, no shame. Humans had wisdom. If small tools were despicable, why not fight a Rune Bear bare-chested? The Ulcerated Tree Spirit could crush a phalanx, but it would burn to ash first. "Still a little off!" He didn't get cocky. He quickened his pace, lunging forward. A burning giant palm slammed down.
Boom!
Mud, flames, dead branches exploded. The Ulcerated Tree Spirit raised its left palm, wanting to crush its prey. Less than five meters away. Unexpectedly, Thorne spun, slashing back with his sword. Frost Slash! The ice meant nothing to the Tree Spirit. But the sword struck the ground in front. Its left palm pressed down. The slippery, frozen ground offered no grip. The body lost balance, falling forward.
It opened its mouth wide, wanting to swallow Thorne. This time, the swordsman didn't dodge. He tossed his shield, gripped his sword with both hands, and stared into the gaping maw. Inches away.
Whoosh—
A light orb, the size of a millstone, flew over Thorne's head. Trailing a long wake. Stuffed itself into the Tree Spirit's mouth. The compressed magic power expanded like a balloon.
Boom!!
Explosions of magic, blinding light. Burning wood chips, like celestial flowers, rained down, clattering against Thorne's armor. He didn't glance back. Instead, he channeled more power into his blade. His body dissolved into motes of light. No dodge. A teleport.
Thorne rematerialized at the cave's apex. He surveyed the burning wreckage below.
The Ulcerated Tree Spirit's colossal form had shrunk to half its original size, a charred husk crumbling into ash. Comet Azur had obliterated its head. Yet, it still rose, half-severed neck straining. It slammed its tail, then launched itself upward, palm raised, a crushing blow aimed at the falling knight.
"Still not dead?" A useless question. Gravity held him. No escape. Thorne plunged towards the onrushing horror.
*
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Light swords, arching from behind, illuminated his face.
Three Carian light swords, each over two meters long, struck first, grazing his body like fiery nails. They slammed the Ulcerated Tree Spirit back to earth. The path was clear. The swordsman descended, a meteor, his blade poised for the killing blow. Secret Sword: Starlight Falling Slash!
Crack—Boom!
Sparks erupted. Burned, brittle branches exploded under the Tree Spirit's weight. A loud crack. It split in two.
*
It wasn't done. The charred arm swung, attempting a backhand slap. A two-meter Glintstone Arc materialized from the distance. It sliced the arm clean, sending it crashing into mud and water.
Thorne pressed the attack. Thud. His sword found the spine. A magic crest bloomed within the Tree Spirit's body. Shattering Crystal! A low-level spell, for miners, to crack rock.
Thorne used it to carve into the Tree Spirit's flesh, legs driving forward, as if he were trying to bury himself in a stone wall.
Rumble—
Charred branches and dazzling sparks flew everywhere, turning into flying ash after being shattered. Thorne kept charging forward until there were no more obstacles in front of him. He looked back and saw scattered firewood everywhere. He lightly shook his long sword, and the cyan 'drill lance' lingering on the blade suddenly vanished. "Let's see if you die now!"