Moments earlier, Ed was stuck fighting against Samuel without being able to get an upper hand. With his current attributes, Ed was capable of keeping up with Samuel but… His swordsmanship was still too swift.
He was also trying to conserve the crystals he carried as they weren't unlimited. He planned to use them on the mass of adventurers. This had led to a very precarious situation.
'That blade is simply too sharp' Ed complained inside his mind.
Samuel's speed put him at a disadvantage in close quarters but if it was only that he was confident in eventually gaining the upper hand. Humans were bound to make mistakes when pressured for a large period. The problem was the sword he used which easily sliced apart anything he conjured.
Even his reinforced body was not enough to withstand it so he could only stay on the passive side.
Samuel's ranged attacks were also pretty deadly when boosted by that sword. There were many instances in which Ed received large or small cuts from a sudden blade of wind.
'Should I really try that?' Ed considered after propelling himself backward for the umpteenth time. Samuel's swift slash whistled as it cut through the place in which he previously stood.
The empty air seemed to have shifted as a result, painting a powerful image. Together with Samuel's determined yet bloodthirsty expression, it created a sense of trepidation.
Ed had foreseen a situation that might require the use of assimilation so he kept it in reserve. Nonetheless, he was afraid that the blade would slice his hand in half before he would even have a chance to activate the skill.
The amount of damage he had accumulated had barely reached 300 based on his quick mid-battle calculations. He still had some leisure but if he continued to stall things might get thorny.
'If I keep at it like this I'll lose a hand or an arm anyways' Ed thought as he cast a slew of fireballs. It was actually only one spell that he had split into multiple ones through his manipulation.
[Mana Manipulation has leveled up]
The firey bombardment kept the darting Samuel at bay. He had to deftly move around them before continuing his assault. He, like Ed, was thinking of ways to gain the advantage.
Ed then noticed that they were getting separated from the group of orcs and adventurers. They had run around the battlefield so wildly, that they were reaching the settlement's walls.
He could see Drake reaching the top of the wall. Once he did, he was bound to wreak havoc
'Hesitation…' It wouldn't help him out in this particular situation.
[Mental Fortitude has leveled up]
Ed charged forward with a resolute expression. His legs were charged with the element of the wind making his steps swift and breezy.
Samuel's serious expression twitched with a tinge of confusion after he saw Ed run towards him without his previous indecisiveness. He immediately became alert.
'You should try to help your fellow adventurers' Ed told Samuel mockingly in a cheap attempt to distract him.
Samuel would have fallen for it if it weren't for the fact that he decided to trust Clarys and her healing capabilities. As a man that preferred to handle things by himself, placing his trust in someone was a monumental occasion.
Samuel's blade shone blue. Water jetted out of the blade after he thrust out in quick succession. The torrent of water burst towards Ed. Its goal was likely to stop Ed while at the same time cover his vision. Samuel was trying to end him with a fast and well-timed slash.
[You've been dealt damage. -3 hp]
[You've been dealt damage. -3 hp]
[You've been dealt damage. -3 hp]
Ed endured the attack. What he planned to do didn't require him to be able to see things clearly.
Past the gushes of water that aimed to obscure his vision. Ed spotted a green sheen. This was naturally Samuel's blade. The slash seemed swift and domineering. But Ed didn't shirk away.
[You've been dealt damage. -42 hp]
Ed was guarding himself using his mana reinforced arms. He even made sure to use the earth element to mitigate some of the wind that the sword exhibited but the slash was still cutting through his arms.
'Assimilation!' Before his arms could be slashed in half, Ed activated the skill.
The sleek green sword trembled but…
[Assimilation failed]
'What!?!' Ed yelled somewhat fearfully inside his mind. What did it mean to fail? That the item was simply too much? But that wasn't the problem, his arms!
The sword easily continued to cut through his flesh. His thick bones seemed to form some small levels of resistance but…
His forearms couldn't resist and his hands fell. Blood gushed out of his injuries without restrain.
[A clean cut! -53 hp]
[A clean cut! -54 hp]
Ed was still somewhat disbelieving but… He had trusted the assimilation skill too much. This was his fault.
He now had to make up for it so he attacked in desperation. Ed delivered a quick sweeping horizontal kick. Samuel was hit on his waist, he tumbled sideways for a bit having resisted most of the force. Nonetheless, the spot had clearly become sore and painful.
[Blood loss -1 hp]
He was still content though as Ed's damage during this exchange outdid his own.
"I know you'll come back again, but for now, I have no intention to accompany you any longer" Samuel spoke quickly before lunging out at Ed again.
[Blood loss -1 hp]
Ed's heart thumped nervously. Survive. He wanted to survive.
Who cared if he could come back!? What exactly would he come back to if he died? Corpses? Nope! Even those would be gone!
Again. He could try again! He wasn't being stubborn. He was actually being even more resolute.
'Assimilation!' Ed yelled inside after reaching out towards Samuel's sword with one arm erm stump.
[<Thought Manifestation> is in effect]
The happiest message Ed could possibly receive. What was left of his forearm was being split apart but… the sword trembled.
[Assimilation on cooldown]
[Constituion +4]
The sleek green sword lost a small portion of its blade near the area of impact and Ed's bones suddenly toughened.
[You've been dealt damage. -23 hp]
Samuel was surprised as he suddenly felt the sword become stuck. It was stuck!
The bones suddenly toughened while his sword was slicing past them and somehow got stuck. He quickly tried to pull the blade back but Ed wasn't planning to let him go. He had no arms but there were certainly other means.
The ground swallowed his legs. Vines suddenly sprouted and reached out for his arms. The speed was unprecedented. It was almost as if both spells were cast simultaneously! But that seemed pretty ridiculous, right?
[<Thought Manifestation> is in effect]
Ed felt his mind painfully ache after hearing the second message. Nonetheless, this was the least of his concerns. His arms had already called dibs on feeling pained so his head would have to wait its turn.
Spikes started to protrude out of the ground aiming to ruthlessly skewer Samuel from various sides. Who made a tough decision and suddenly released a burst of wind. The vines that coiled around his arms were loosened.
He let go of his blade and fell backward to dodge the earthen stakes aiming for his heart and head. The others were a bit tougher to shake off…
"Urgh..!" His legs were punctured by the stakes causing him to visibly grimace. The second issue was that by falling on the ground, he was falling into Ed's territory! It was just asking to get skewered!
Samuel, therefore, released another burst of wind this time from his hands aiming to once more place him upright. Not only that but he also released jets of waters from his legs to weaken the ground and dislodge them.
Perhaps on pure adrenaline or thanks to his mana reinforcement, Samuel was still able to withstand the pain and launch himself away. He landed a bit further and nearly fell down from the impact. He staggered a bit but managed to stay upright.
Ed's concentration was then broken by both losing his target and the splitting headache.
'This pain!' He actually felt like splitting his own head to stop it! It reminded him of when he took damage in the dark abyss, though to a lesser degree.
'Does using thought manifestation too much damage my consciousness?' Ed thought with an anguished expression. Now he knew why the skill didn't have a cooldown, one of the side effects could be f*cking death.
The pain slowly subsided and Ed managed to regain his bearings.
'I have to kill him' This was Ed's first thought as he saw Samuel chug down a health potion.
His state was poor, arguably no better than his own. With Ed's high vitality, however, he wouldn't die from blood loss. His hands were the only things that were gone and he didn't really need them to cast spells.
So he began another chant. He was ready to kill Samuel, with or without thought manifestation ....preferably without.