FVN Chapter 203: Destruction and Debt
Chapter 203: Destruction and Debt
He could almost taste those memories; the bitterness on his tongue, the despair of having just lost a brother in all but blood.
Thoomp-thoomp. Thoomp-thoomp. Thoomp-thoomp.
Placed into a situation alone, separated from others, his heart thumped; it wasn't with fear, but a thrill.
'Come on, then–I'm ready for round two. The Furthest From God...I'll kill you again,' he resolved.
[New state temporarily acquired: "Adrenaline"]
[All skill cooldowns reduced by 100%.]
Each of the massive limbs began their assault, crashing down, sweeping through with their incredible reach as the sea rippled.
["Spring Foot"]
["Spring Foot"]
["Spring Foot"]
–Continuously, he sprung in different directions; a sharp left was taken, kicking against the unbreaking surface of water as he pushed himself out of reach from a crashing knife. As he flipped back with the colossal, black knife stabbing into the sea, he glanced back as one of the limbs was sweeping its blade from the left.
["Blink Slash"]
He warped himself just above it, evading it as he watched it pass underneath before landing. In the air, he was left vulnerable as the countless limbs set towards him.
["Blink Slash"] ["Blink Slash"] ["Blink Slash"]
–Repeatedly, he teleported, feeling the knives pass by his body, constantly shifting his view from normal, upright, upside down in a disorientating fashion before–
"Ghh!"
Squelch.
The overwhelming number of limbs broke through as he found one of the gargantuan blades passing across his chest before he could blink away.
Only then did he make out what led him to being struck; it wasn't miscalculating the limbs themselves, but he discovered the arm had sprouted more limbs.
A sort of killing creativity that wasn't present with the Furthest From God; this was the craft of the nameless murderer.
It ripped right through his coat, leaving him open as blood gushed from his torso.
Before he could focus past the sudden gash left from his shoulder to his belly button, a parade of fists slammed against him from every direction. It felt more cruel than efficient as the abyssal knuckles punched him from all angles, grinding against his body as he gasped for air.
'He's playing with me–trying to draw this out. That's right...somebody like this enjoys tormenting others. A real piece of work,' he thought.
For some reason, he remained calm even as he felt the integrity of his bones be challenged–
["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"]
—Hundreds.
The giants born of the abyssal sea rose from every direction, completely surrounding him. There were far too many; perhaps thousands, engulfing him in their colossal forms.
["Orcish Boost"] ["Orcish Boost"]["Orcish Boost"]["Orcish Boost"]
–Again.
["Orcish Boost"]["Orcish Boost"]["Orcish Boost"]["Orcish Boost"]
–More.
["Orcish Boost"]["Orcish Boost"]["Orcish Boost"]["Orcish Boost"]
Every instance of the strength-amplifying skill magnified the already inhuman power flooding his body, squeezing his bones and tugging at the integrity of his muscles. It felt as though his skull would be crushed by the pressure as blood gushed from his ears and nostrils, yet–
More.
["Supercharge"]
Against the army of abyssal giants commanded by the ["Devil"], he swung his blade, carrying with his simple movement an imperceivable wrath. The waves parted, pushing away in all directions as though they had been commanded away by a higher power.
The unseen flames ignited the air, atomizing each and every one of the abyssal giants that surrounded him in an instant.
A powerful counter, however–
Squelch.
From his shoulder, his entire arm flung off as though popping out like a bullet. The recoil of such a blow left him fortunate enough to feel he didn't have his entire body blown to bits, only discarding his right arm.
[Abyssal Agent Deactivated.]
The cloak dispersed from his bruised body as he coughed out, spewing blood from his throat as he gripped his shoulder where plentiful crimson poured.
"Nrrgh...!" Finn gasped, wincing as he glanced over at where his arm used to be.
The after-effects of [Shiva] were felt as his entire body ached, feeling as though his skull had been battered by hammers.
["Unbleeding"] [9:59]
He restricted the blood flow from the gnarly nub where his arm once was, breathing out as he found himself pressed with yet another side-effect:
[Mana Debt Incurred | All skills restricted until mana is repaid.]
It only seemed that the situation grew worse as he stood alone in the abyss, still unaware of where the nefarious man lurked.
'Mana debt...That' s new. No skills...If it only applies to my assassin abilities, I can work with that. If it's everything, I'm dead,' he considered.
A hoarse breath left his lips as he watched the abyssal sea; the ripples calmed, leaving it tranquil and unmoving once again. Searching the barren view, the last place he thought to look was straight down, discovering his late find–
Hands reached out from beneath the surface, grabbing into his ankles and yanking him right down. All he could do was suck in the largest breath he could, filling his lungs as he was brought down into the unforgiving, black depths.