Chapter 85 Salamander II
In a split second, Emir activated his time-slowing ability to its fullest extent, giving him a precious moment to gather his thoughts.
'Its pattern of attack had changed.'
The once-predictable monster had abandoned its usual tactics and now belched flames in his direction.
'But why?'
'...'
'Haaaa fuck it.'
He gave up on figuring out the reason as he focused on avoiding instant death.
The flickering flames danced in the air, creeping closer and closer to him.
Emir sprang up and scampered up the towering wall, his feet frantically clawing at the rough surface.
With a powerful leap, he soared over the fiery inferno, barely escaping the searing heat.
Mid-flight, he unleashed a desperate shot at the monster's eye, hoping to slow its relentless pursuit.
Alas, his attack had little effect as it was swiped away, and the monstrous creature continued its single-minded chase.
Desperation consumed him.
Emir realized that he had exhausted all of his options.
Dodging indefinitely was not a sustainable strategy, and even his trusty rail gun was ineffective against the creature's sturdy hide.
And its movements had become random too, so now he lost the only advantage he had over the monster.
Then in a moment of clarity, it dawned on him that the monster was evolving, surpassing the limits imposed on it by Arcadia and acquiring new capabilities on its own.
This added another layer of complexity to an already challenging situation.
"In what damn way is this fair, Arcadia? Damn you to hell!" He cursed, mumbling under his breath.
Emir gathered his composure and engaged his TDS power yet again, decelerating his time perception to the tiniest fraction of a second.
Gazing at the grotesque creature, he anticipated its impending assault, analyzing the orientation of its sinewy muscles and the positioning of its massive limbs.
Time went back to normal as the monster charged towards him.
With its sharp claws and blazing breath dangerously close to his face, he swiftly dodged to the side, evading its assault.
And without wasting a second, he leaped back, ensuring he was well beyond the range of its inferno-like breath.
Emir understood the importance of continuous movement, constant evasion, and an unrelenting search for a weakness.
With a sharp focus on the monster's every move, his eyes scanned its entire body, analyzing every scale and sinew for any sign of vulnerability.
And then, as if the heavens had parted, he saw it.
The middle of the monster's underbelly was slightly exposed, and its scales were noticeably thinner and less resilient than the rest of its body.
It was a small but significant weakness, and he knew that it was his chance to strike.
'If I could get close enough, I might be able to strike a fatal blow.'
Emir waited for the monster to lunge at him again and then dodged to the side, just as before.
It was up to him and his daggers to finish the job.
With his augmented suit's enhanced strength, he easily leaped onto the monster's back and plunged his daggers into its thick scales, anchoring himself firmly in place.
The monster roared and thrashed about, desperately trying to shake him off, but he held on with all his might, using every muscle in his body to maintain his grip.
Emir then took a deep breath and recalibrated his augmented suit, channeling all its energy into a single, devastating punch.
Whirrr... BANG!
The force of the impact sent shockwaves through his entire being, but he remained steadfast, determined to see this battle through to the end.
Yet as the monster bucked and thrashed, he lost his grip on his daggers and was thrown off its back.
Emir hit the ground with a thud but quickly regained his footing and charged back at the beast, refusing to give it the chance to breathe.
He leaped back onto the monster's head, deftly grabbing his daggers as he did.
Their sharp edges glinted in the dim light as he took a moment to survey the beast's movements, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
And then, as it blindly charged towards him, he deftly sidestepped and swung his daggers in a single motion.
The blades sliced through the air and dug deep into the left side of the monster's body, gutting it as it moved past him.
"RRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRR!"
Its roar of pain echoed through the air, but he didn't give it a chance to retaliate.
Emir swiftly moved to its back side, flipping and jumping to evade its sharp claws.
While summoning all his strength, he slid underneath its belly, his daggers plunging into the weak spot he had identified earlier.
He then propelled himself back up, pulling the daggers out and delivering a final blow by slicing across its neck with all his might.
The monster's body crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud, and he stood there right in front of it, panting heavily, his body covered in the creature's blood, his eyes were dazed as he eyed the dead monster.
Emir was victorious.
Or at least that was what he believed.
As his elation was short-lived.
'What?!'
He watched in shock as the monster's body began to burn with an intense red light.
The flames grew hotter and brighter until they reached a blinding intensity.
Emir shielded his eyes with his arm, trying to make sense of what was happening.
In a sudden explosion of heat and light, the monster's body was engulfed in flames.
He stumbled back, trying to avoid the heat as the flames intensified.
Then, to his horror, the monster rose to its feet, its eyes now glowing with an unearthly intensity.
The flames danced across its body, but he could see that something else was happening too.
The beast's wounds were healing at an incredible rate.
It was regenerating.
And it had returned to life.