Villain's Valor: A Noble Fantasy Resurrection

Chapter 85 : Despair

Performing an agile footwork, I disappear from my initial position in the blink of an eye. I concentrate my aura, enveloping my body with growing intensity as I prepare for the inevitable: the one-on-one confrontation with the demon looming before me.

In an instant, I reappear behind her, moving with an almost supernatural speed. My sword rises in a swift diagonal motion, aiming at her unprotected back. But before my strike can land, the demon reacts with astonishing quickness. The branches on her back morph into a dense lattice, forming a makeshift shield that halts my attack dead in its tracks.

Bang!!!

A deafening noise pierces the air as my sword clashes against the demon's shield. Her defense is as solid as steel, and the impact causes my arms to numb for a few seconds. However, upon quickly inspecting the blade of my sword, I realize with relief that it's completely intact, without a single scratch.

It's evident that my weapon is of superior quality; if it had been a lower-quality sword, it would have shattered on impact.

The confirmation that my sword has withstood the clash infuses me with a renewed determination. Despite the formidable defense of the demon, I know I must press on with my attack if I'm to have any chance of emerging victorious from this confrontation.

With renewed resolve, I prepare to unleash a new series of movements, determined to find a crack in her armor and seize any opportunity that presents itself.

The demon whirls around with a speed that defies perception, her movements so swift that my eyes can barely keep up. In an instant, her hands transform into a pair of grotesque, razor-sharp swords, emanating an aura of deadly danger. Her eyes gleam with terrifying intensity as her shrill cry cuts through the air, filling the space with a sinister echo.

Suddenly, she disappears from my field of vision, plunging me into an unsettling silence. But it doesn't take long for my sense of danger to spike, like a silent scream in my mind. Instinctively, I raise my gaze to the dark sky, raindrops continuing to fall from the sky like arrows aimed at my face, but I keep my eyes open, refusing to yield to the instinct to protect myself.

Then, like lightning descending from the firmament, the demon reappears. She comes at me like a bullet, hands clenched together, ready to unleash herself upon my position with devastating force. In that moment, I know I must act swiftly and cunningly if I'm to survive this surprise attack. I raise my sword to defend myself quickly, "There's no time."

The seconds stretch into minutes, and the minutes feel like eternities from my perspective as I watch in horror the two sharp points heading directly towards my head, like deadly spears ready to pierce me.

BOOMM! AUGE!

The explosion reverberates in my ears as a wave of pain shakes me to the core. I feel the bones in my hands crumble under the crushing pressure, as if the weight of the world itself were bearing down on my shoulders. Clenching my teeth tightly, a fierce determination ignites within me. I cannot afford to falter now.

With a wrenching effort, I angle my sword to the side, deflecting the lethal strike at the last moment. Every muscle in my body protests with agony, and blood gushes from my lips, but I cannot give up. I need to escape this situation, and I need to do it now.

Applying all the strength remaining in my arms, I manage to create a small opening for escape. It's a fleeting opportunity, but I cannot afford to squander it. With an almost superhuman quickness, I execute a series of footwork, dodging the imminent threat and escaping from this desperate situation.

Relief floods my being as I move away from danger, but there's no time to catch my breath. I feel as if my life is in imminent danger. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I spot the ground beneath me breaking, revealing a pair of gleaming eyes watching me with malice. With an agile movement, the demon emerges from the ground, her hands now transformed into glistening scythes.

A cold sweat runs down my body as I desperately try to defend myself, applying my footwork in the hope of dodging her lethal attacks.

Bang! Swooh!

The air is cut by the tremendous speed of her scythes, each strike carrying an overwhelming force that threatens to end me at any moment. I struggle to stay on my feet, but the power of her attacks is overwhelming. My bones, already fractured by the previous assault, shatter even more with each impact. No matter how hard I try to defend myself, the overwhelming force of the demon overwhelms me.

Finally, a precise blow reaches me, sending me flying through the air. I roll on the wet and muddy ground, pain turning into a silent scream in my throat as I groan in agony. I am wounded, disoriented, but I know I must rise and keep fighting. If I surrender now, I will surely die...

My sense of alertness skyrockets as I watch in terror as the demon charges towards me. Every step she takes causes the ground to tremble under her weight, and the water

and mud splatter with each step, leaving behind a grim trail. Her scythes rise threateningly towards the sky, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

I roll on the ground like a damn cockroach, dodging her devastating attacks with desperate movements. Every avoided blow is a momentary victory, a sigh of relief amidst the chaos surrounding me. My battered and aching body clings to life with all its might, avoiding the blow that could be fatal in my current state.

After rolling for a few harrowing moments, I execute an agile movement to stand up, but the nightmare is far from over. The demon stands before me, her body grotesquely trembling as a scene of horror unfolds before my astonished eyes.

With absolute terror, I watch as her form expands and opens up, revealing a twisted and grotesque interior, an amalgam of flesh and interwoven branches that defies all logic and understanding. The sight leaves me breathless, my mind struggling to comprehend what I see as terror seizes my being. The battle has taken an even darker and more terrifying turn.

The writhing flesh and twisted branches, as if alive, add a chilling level of horror to the already harrowing scene. Suddenly, a multitude of sharp and twisted teeth emerge from the shapeless mass, a sight so horrifying that it leaves me paralyzed with terror. She's trying to devour me alive!

The hairs on my body stand on end, and my mind snaps out of its stupor, urging me to action with a primal survival instinct. With a desperate movement, I try to free myself from this living nightmare, gathering all the strength I have left in my arms.

Despite the pain that consumes my mind and body, I channel more aura into my sword, causing it to glow with an ethereal light that envelops it completely. My mind, tired and fatigued from the pain, clears for a moment, focused solely on the task at hand.

Gripping the sword with both hands, I execute my attack in a matter of seconds. My mind processes every detail of what's happening in milliseconds, without losing a single moment. The demon is literally in front of me, my pupils dilate, my eyes reflecting hers, she can see the fear in the depths of my being, as time seems to stand still around us.

The sky shines again with a supernatural glow, creating another thunderclap that bursts a few kilometers away from us. In those fleeting moments of clarity, my sword makes contact with the demon's deformed body.

Bang! Boom!

The force behind my attack is overwhelming, creating a crater beneath my feet as the impact is felt in every fiber of my being. The bones in my arms crunch once again in protest, the excruciating pain spreading through my brain like a torrent of agony.

I clench my teeth harder, feeling the blood continuing to flow from my mouth, a grim confirmation that my body could collapse at any moment and I still haven't landed any significant blows on her armor.

Performing one last footwork, I position myself at a safe distance, but my movements are clumsy and slow, the effort is taking its toll on me.

Huuff... Hufff... Huffff... Hufff...

My breathing is irregular, my body burns with pain, and my mind is consumed by desperation little by little...

I stare fixedly at the creature, which now seems to be elegantly standing before me. Her body returns to normal, and she takes a step forward, but suddenly disappears, leaving my senses in chaos. I try to adjust my posture to defend myself, but my movements are clumsy and slow. My eyes widen with terror as I watch her sword travel directly towards my right arm. She wants to cut it off!

In the few seconds left before impact, I make a decision without hesitation. With a desperate, agile movement, I place my left arm in place of the right, sacrificing one limb to save the other.

Time starts flowing again and...

SLASHHH!!!

Tremendous pain courses through me, like a burning blade cutting through my flesh. My mind is plunged into a tearing pain I've never experienced before, and my consciousness threatens to leave my body. Glancing sideways, I see a clean, deep cut where my arm should be. I've sacrificed my left arm in a desperate act of survival. Blood gushes from the wound, flowing rapidly in a scarlet torrent.

My body can no longer endure. I collapse to my knees on the cold, damp ground, bowing my head in acceptance of my defeat. Strength leaves me as I feel my consciousness fading, accepting the bitter fate that has been imposed upon me. It's the end of the battle for me, but I can't help feeling a pang of resignation and hopelessness as I sink into the darkness that surrounds me.