A chilling realization dawned on Noah as the Ice Troll's wounds, though gruesome, began to show signs of closing. The Troll's roar, though tinged with pain, still held a primal ferocity. These weren't mere training grounds imitations; this was the real deal, a creature of legend with a legendary resilience.
A cold pit formed in his stomach. He had underestimated his opponent. This wasn't just a battle of brute force; it was a fight against the very biology of the Ice Troll. The Splitting Wave Slash, usually so effective, had merely nicked at the beast's phenomenal regenerative abilities. His initial burst of confidence threatened to evaporate.
But Noah wasn't one to give up easily. The thrill of competition, the core of his adventurer spirit, flared back to life, tinged now with a newfound respect for his monstrous adversary. He wouldn't just defeat this Ice Troll; he would learn from it.
A mischievous glint sparked in his eyes. The Ice Troll, this powerful D-rank creature, was now more than just an obstacle. It was a test subject, a living experiment in regeneration. He could use this battle to gauge the limits of its ability, to gather valuable information that could prove crucial further down the line. Well, this could help him understand better his ability.
With a newfound sense of purpose, Noah abandoned the direct approach. He danced across the bridge, his movements calculated and precise. Nemesis became an extension of his will, a scalpel probing the Troll's defenses. He inflicted smaller wounds, observing how quickly they closed, and how quickly the Troll reacted to the pain.
The Troll, enraged by this hit-and-run tactic, lumbered after him, its massive arms flailing wildly. The bridge shuddered under its every step, the tremors threatening to throw Noah off balance. But he weaved and dodged, using his telekinesis to enhance his agility, turning the bridge itself into a treacherous battlefield.
As the fight progressed, Noah started to see a pattern. The Troll's regeneration was indeed impressive, but it wasn't instantaneous. It took time, and deeper wounds took longer to heal. He discovered areas where the regeneration seemed weaker, targeting those with focused attacks.
He also noticed a correlation between the Troll's rage and its healing rate. The more enraged it became, the faster its wounds seemed to close. This gave him an idea. He needed to keep the Troll off-balance, frustrated, to disrupt its regenerative process.
The fight devolved into a strategic dance. Noah, a nimble shadow, landed precise strikes, studying the Troll's reactions, and the speed of its healing. The Troll, a raging giant, is every attack fueled by fury and the frustration of its failing regeneration.
The atmosphere echoed with the clash of steel and ice, the roars of the Troll punctuated by the sharp cracks of telekinetically manipulated bridge segments. It was a battle of intellect versus brute force, a dance of observation and calculated aggression. The bridge itself, once pristine, became scarred and slick with a mix of blood and ice.
The Troll caught mid-charge, stumbled as the darkness engulfed it, its roar cut short in a surprised bellow.
The 300-meter radius surrounding them plunged into an unnatural, absolute darkness. The Troll, its senses attuned to the glacial environment, was momentarily disoriented. Even the crimson glow emanating from its veins seemed to struggle to pierce the suffocating blackness.
This was Noah's opportunity. He activated his second exclusive skill, [Lord of Night]. A surge of power coursed through him, his senses sharpening in the darkness. He felt faster and stronger, his every movement imbued with the power of the night. He was a predator in his natural element, while the Troll was a blind giant fumbling in the unknown.
Seizing his chance, Noah darted forward, a silent phantom in the darkness. Nemesis, a beacon of flame in Noah's hand, hummed with a renewed intensity. The Troll, sensing movement but unable to pinpoint its source, thrashed wildly, its massive arms flailing blindly through the air.
But Noah was a blur of motion. He danced around the Troll, utilizing his telekinesis to create obstacles and disrupt its attacks. With each strike of Nemesis, fueled by the power of Night of Death and the Lord of Night, he targeted the Troll's glowing veins, aiming to sever the flow of the berserk energy.
The Troll roared in frustration, its blind fury escalating with each failed attack. The bridge groaned under its clumsy stomps, the tremors threatening to crack the crystalline surface. But Noah remained relentless, a whirlwind of fire and darkness chipping away at the Troll's monstrous resilience.
The battle raged on in the suffocating darkness, the only sounds were the clash of steel on ice, the enraged roars of the Troll, and the heavy thudding of its massive feet.
Noah, a wraith in the self-made darkness, weaved through the cavern, his movements a blur of dark energy and precise strikes. The Troll, a thrashing beast robbed of sight, roared in frustration, its attacks nothing but clumsy attempts to swat at the unseen menace. Each time it swung, Noah would appear like a phantom, leaving another searing gash across the Troll's glowing veins with Nemesis.
The bridge, illuminated only by the fleeting sparks of their clash, trembled with every earth-shattering blow. Noah knew this couldn't last forever. The darkness was a double-edged sword, and the strain of maintaining Night of Death was starting to tell. He needed to finish this fight, and fast.
With a surge of dark energy, Noah unleashed his final gambit [Blood Flowers]. Every wound he had inflicted on the Troll during the chaotic dance in the dark began to glow with an ominous red light. The Troll, sensing the impending doom, roared in terror, but it was too late. With a mental command, Noah detonated the Blood Flowers.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!