Chapter 123 - Paramount Challenge

Familiar stomps became both audible and felt through the vibrations against the ground. Urgency became everything as he quickly attempted to prep himself for the next round against Asterius.

--I need to do something about my shoulders. I can kiss any chance of defeating that monster goodbye while I'm like this.

Just like that, a thought flashed itself across his mind as a smile followed from the sheer joy of the solution that made itself present.

"Araphel: Inverse Hand…!"

Summoning the hand of shadows, he guided it down to his left wrist--taking a deep breath before making the magically conjured hand tug his arm forward with swift strength.

A loud pop followed the action as he let out a sharp gasp, feeling the ball of his arm find itself back to its rightful place in his shoulder, clenching his fist before raising his left arm.

Doing away with the Inverse Hand, Ren then gripped his right wrist with his newly recovered arm, yanking it forward as another pop echoed to his ears. Adrenaline still charged his body like an amp, pushing past the sharp, constant pain throbbing through his arms.

--I'm running low on mana, I can probably use three more spells, seven if I restrict myself to Dunkel.

Coming into the dim light of the chamber, Asterius dragged behind him his trusty axe, steam fuming out from his flared nostrils. As always, it carried an air of untouchable strength around its massive body, hulking with muscles beyond a human's physicality.

In terms of pure power, the obvious one to bet on would be Asterius, Ren knew this fact well--however, there was one advantage he had.

"Come on, you shit-eating bastard! Yeah, I'm talking to you and your ugly mug! You're Asterius, right? The "Bull of Minos"! I know who you are, I know that you were abandoned by your own damn father!"

A simple taunt was enough to invoke an ear-piercing roar from Asterius before he charged forward, shattering stone beneath his hooves.

--He's a shit-for-brains half-man. Even if he is intelligent for a beast, at the end of the day--he's got nothing on a real human!

Waiting for the proper moment as the overwhelming force of raw strength tunneled towards him, Ren kept his hand hovering above the handle of Belus.

--He's not even attempting to be sly, it's clear as day by the way he is holding that axe--he's going to swing it overhead and attempt to split me in half right from the get-go. Now I'm ready for you, Asterius!

Just as he had predicted, the minotaur raised his axe straight into the air as its crimson eyes full of rage looked down upon him.

Kicking off of his left foot, Ren dashed forward with breakneck speed--drawing his blade and striking the beast's abdomen. This time, it didn't feel as if he was striking an unmoving mountain--he felt the fragile substance that was flesh meet the edge of his reinforced blade.

Rolling to the side and turning back to see the outcome of his initial attack, it had been a success. Blood spurted out from the fresh evisceration across the black-furred minotaur's abs, invoking a confused expression from Asterius as it halted its attack, looking down for a moment at its wound.

"--Yes!"

Thrilled with the sight of injury from the once immovable wall, Ren clenched his fists with excitement, letting out a yell of pure pride. It was a shallow cut, nothing that would bring down the beast of legend--but it was a start.

"I bet it's been a while since you've seen your own blood, bastard. I'll introduce you to a whole lot more of it soon enough."

Turning his head to face Ren's further taunts, Asterius moved with an unnerving calmness, simply turning to face his body towards the cocky young man. The man-beast loosened his grip on his axe, allowing it to fall to the ground as with a quake that shook the bones in Ren's feet.

--Huh? He's doing away with his weapon?

He didn't know what to make of this development, watching as Asterius cracked his knuckles, each being a blunt weapon of their own.

Raising his guard to prepare for the unknown offense his opponent prepared to take, Ren was already too late on the uptake as Asterius rushed forward with such swiftness it seemed simply illogical for a creature of that build to move like.

Watching an entity of that size rush towards him with such speed and intent to harm him, shifting its body weight side to side even to trick his reflexes--Ren once again experienced true despair in the face of the beast that didn't follow the rules of the world.

He attempted to guard his left, holding his blade like a shield--only to be met with an impact to his right side, feeling the beast's boulder-like fist slam against his ribs. Each knuckle could be felt so distinctly grinding against his bones, hearing a crack internally from his battered skeleton. Any air in his lungs was sucked out immediately as his body was sent flying to the left from the monstrous force behind the punch.

The impact sent him crashing into a pile of withered bones, experiencing a smell so rancid that there was little chance of falling unconscious from the pain. Standing himself from the coffin of those who had fallen to his opponent, something caught the corner of his eye as he groggily adjusted himself.

That object which caught his attention was the massive minotaur, who had leaped into the air--crashing down towards him with his hoof aiming directly for his skull.

"--Dunkel: Shadowstep!"

Flinging himself forward, he rolled across the grime-coated floor once again as Asterius missed his target, crashing down like a stray missile against his treasury of bones. Using Belus as an object for balance, he brought himself back to his feet to meet the enraged beast once again.

--He sacrifices his weapon in order to gain speed, even so...His physical strength didn't diminish at all as a result of losing that axe. Still, I don't have to worry about being split in half, for now, just my bones being crushed into dust.

Spitting out a lob of clumped blood from his mouth, Ren wiped his lips before rushing forward--taking the initiative for himself this time. Catching Asterius before he broke into a sprint was the right call, as he managed to bring his blade across the beast's hulking thigh, following up with an attempt to hit its head--managing to slice a section of its nostril off.

While he thought it was sizable damage, Asterius didn't even flinch this time, grabbing hold of Ren and lifting him into a bear-hug. The moment those massive arms clad in black fur had wrapped around him, he was completely secured in their unmoving grip.

--Shit! He's going to crush me!

Kicking his feet against the minotaur's body, it felt more likely he would just hurt himself. Belus was still in his hand, but there wasn't any room to commit to a proper swing. In essence, he had fallen to the minotaur's unfair strength.

It slowly began to squeeze, being engulfed in an all-encompassing pressure that etched itself into his flesh. Being forced face to face with the beast as it held him into this deathly grip, it gritted its yellow-stained teeth, blowing hot air from its nostrils as crimson seeped from the open wound inflicted to its flesh.

The breath that emitted from its mouth almost felt like enough to send him to his grave, releasing a stench so horribly rancid it would be classified as a toxin; stinking of the old, spoiled meat that clung between his teeth.

--Shadowstep requires me to be able to perform a step, so that's out of the picture...Come on, Ren, think! Think!

Panic came as his body recognized no avenue for escape, being tormented by the beast's slow, tight embrace as he finally felt the pressure reach his bones, invoking a pained yell that burst from his lungs.

--I don't know if it'll work, and if it doesn't--I'm fucking screwed! Blackout should nullify his sense of touch, maybe his grip will be overwritten by that!

"Araphel: Blackout--!"

The incantation was squeezed out of his lungs with the last bit of air rewarded to him before his lungs were compromised by the fleshy coffin. Darkness emitted from his body like a reverse flashbang, overwhelming the beast's senses temporarily.

As he had prayed for a thousand times within a moment, he felt the grip around his body loosen before he dropped down to the ground. Due to the nature of Asterius' innate ability, the potency of Blackout had been greatly reduced against him--causing him to snap back into his senses after only a few sparse seconds.