The hand descended upon the ship like the axe of judgment, intending to completely destroy it. Its might and power loomed over the entire world, loathing everyone who dared to defy it. Meanwhile, Arthur sent flying ice attacks left and right with every ounce of power he had.
All he wanted was to at least decelerate its momentum so that the hit wouldn’t split the entire ship in half. If that happened, Arthur truly didn’t know what he could do. He was stuck in the heart of the river, far away from the shores.
Even if he could swim there, the abominations lurking under the seemingly quiet and clear water would catch him immediately. In other words, the boy was trapped in every single direction like a mouse.
With each swing, Arthur sent a chunk of his mana into the attack. The layers of ice were thick with large spikes protruding from them that struck the stone hand in every spot. The moist nature of the stone made the ice catch into the hand.
The stone moaned and cracked against the nature of the ice. Like poison, the ice spread into every crack and corner of the stone hand, eating it from the inside out. It wasn’t destroying it quickly, but Arthur could see the devastating damage it was dealing.
Except, there was no time for the ice to slowly destroy the hand.
“COME ON!!!” He yelled as he sent the last layer of ice before he suddenly stopped and shifted his balance, grabbing the sword with both hands, he glared at the hand.
‘I have no other choice!’ He cursed as he dashed forward and leaped in the air. There was only one last option he had in mind.
“MORTAL SLASH!!”
Swinging his sword, the blade howled loudly as a red, bloody aura covered it immediately and then a large red sword attack launched out of the tip of the blade, flying toward the hand. The attack was terrifyingly large, almost double the size of any ice attack he used.
Its power alone shook the entire ship. The attack didn’t take long to find its target as it clashed with it in a violent festival of light.
*BOOOOOOOOOM*
The sheer power of the explosion sent Arthur flying back to the ground as he smashed into the wood and rolled a few steps.
Meanwhile, waves of energy exploded everywhere from the impact. The Mortal Slash assaulted the stone hand with sheer might. Its blood power makes it even stronger than anything else. The stone cracked visibly under the power of the attack.
[Ding!]
[Mortal Slash has leveled up!]
[Ding!]
[Mortal Slash has leveled up!]
[Ding!]
[Mortal Slash has leveled up!]
[Ding!]
[Mortal Slash has leveled up to level 6!]
The clash was so powerful that Arthur’s skill immediately blasted through four levels and reached a whole new level. Due to the lack of use, Mortal Slash had been stuck in level 2 for a while. Arthur avoided using it due to its extreme nature and his lack of control over the outcome of such a skill.
However, during that moment, he had no other choice but to use it. If Mortal Slash couldn’t stop the descension then nothing can.
Staring up in a daze, all Arthur could see were flashes of red light and waves of pure mana and energy. The sight was gorgeous in a terrifying way. It colored the entire dark sky in a set of unique shades of red and blue.
“Please…” He muttered as he stood up slowly, feeling extremely exhausted. He could see the mortal slash losing all momentum and energy rapidly. Even with the sudden burst of level-ups, the skill was struggling to keep the hand from falling.
However, at the same time, the stone hand was cracking violently, sustaining immense damage with each passing second. Arthur had no idea what the outcome of the clash was going to be but he had no other choice but to prepare for the worst outcome.
Putting his sword away, he channeled his mana into his body instead. Fueling his tired muscles, he used every single point of strength he had.
‘All out or nothing… I either drown here or save the ship… Hahaha, I like my chances.’ Arthur giggled coldly.
a second passed and the clash finally came to an end. Sadly for Arthur and as he expected, the Mortal Slash couldn’t stop the hand. It left a deep crater on its surface and large cracks everywhere. But, the hand didn’t break as it continued going down. There was no space left for Arthur to use Mortal Slash again.
“Gulp…” The boy gulped down a mouthful of saliva as he lifted his hands up. The darkness of the shadows covered his entire body as he met the inevitable with a smile. “So this is how a cockroach feels when they’re about to get squashed… I feel bad for them.”
*BANG*
A moment later, all the weight of the stone hand fell on Arthur in one sweep. Tons and tons of weight are all on his arms. Immediately, Arthur’s legs broke through the wood and he felt his entire body get slammed into the ground.
“HNNNG!!!” Clenching his teeth, Arthur put all his power into his arms and legs. His muscles expanded to a horrifying degree.
‘Lonesome Warrior’s Howl!’ Activating the strength-boosting skill, Arthur felt even more power accumulate in his muscles. He was now at least as strong as ten people combined if not more without counting the mana infusing his body with energy constantly.
However, even with all of that, Arthur felt an intense pain in every inch of his body. His bones shook and his muscles contorted.
“STOP!!!!!” He yelled at the top of his lungs as he dug his fingers into the stone and pushed as much as he could. Seconds passed like hours for him as the hand continued pressing down.
The sight alone was ridiculous enough to make a person lose their mind. A 15-year-old boy, carrying a hand that weighs tons and putting up a good fight. He wasn’t immediately turned into meat paste, and the ship was still intact against all odds.
‘Fuck… It hurts… It hurts so much…’ The boy was struggling to even breathe or think. His face turned completely red as his veins threatened to pop from all the pressure. ‘I really hate… this!!!’
Everything felt painful, from his head to the tips of his toes. It didn’t take Arthur a minute to question his decision and his attempt to stop such a behemoth of a creature. He wished he wasn’t there.
‘I could be eating caviar and fresh sushi in some luxurious hotel right now! I could never work another day in my life if I just accepted a random offer from any gaming organization!’ His subconscious mind fueled him with doubt.
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Arthur was the best and had been the best ever since the game started. He proved times and times again that no one can rival him. Why was he trying so hard in the first place? If it was money, he could easily get an astronomical number of it. If it was fame then merely revealing that he was Persona would skyrocket him to stardom in a second.
Why was he fighting?
The question, as complicated as it was, didn’t take a split second for Arthur to find the answer. Even when he was there, being crushed like an insect, he knew why he was doing all of it.
‘I… I want this life!! I don’t want money or fame! I’m in it for the thrill of a lifetime!!’
A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let’s keep it up!