******
"Dammit!"
Xylen spat forcefully, his heart nearly breaking out of his chest, and bolted away.
Luckily for him, he had rolled far enough just now before Kaelrik plummeted down, after unleashing Executioner’s Descent.
But even though he had moved far from the attack’s center and avoided taking a direct hit, he had still sustained tremendous damage.
What if the attack had landed squarely on him? He would have died immediately.
This thought caused Xylen’s back to break out in a cold sweat.
Just at that moment...
"Are you alright, my lord?!" Lilith, struggling against the restraints binding her from all directions, shouted, her voice strained as she barely evaded the lethal strike that had nearly ended her life.
But Xylen had no time to reply nor look in her direction—Kaelrik was already storming toward him like a raging beast, relentless and seething.
"Is that the best you’ve got?" His voice boomed like a thunderclap, his eyes practically ablaze as he hefted his massive, colossal sword, preparing to strike again.
Seeing this, Xylen, gritting his teeth, quickly somersaulted back onto his feet, and not allowing Kaelrik a chance to counter, he immediately activated Phantom Step again.
But this time, he did not appear near him, instead, he directly slammed into him with everything he had, forcing Kaelrik to stumble backward despite his massive stature.
Although the attack wasn’t enough to injure him, it still granted Xylen a fleeting but invaluable moment.
With this, he activated Phantom Step again, closing the gap and materializing behind Kaelrik in the next instant.
"Infernal Wound!"
He plunged the short blade straight for Kaelrik’s spine, and once again, black veins surged from the wound, slithering across his skin like living shadows.
-27 HP
-30 HP
-33 HP
The numbers climbed as Kaelrik faltered, taking a moment to react.
Then, his body jolted as if struck by lightning.
In the following second, his expression twisted with pure malice, his fury intensifying into a barely contained explosion as his glare fixated on Xylen, who had already distanced himself once more using Phantom Step.
"These two are the only revolting, infuriating skills you possess, no?" he snarled, his fists clenching so tightly that they cracked audibly.
At first, Xylen had no intention of responding, but his eyes suddenly gleamed.
"At least, I was able to keep kitting and chirping away at your HP," he smirked. "So yeah, I’d say they’re pretty damn effective."
As expected, Kaelrik’s face instantly contorted with a flash of insanity, his control slipping.
But then, just as he was about to completely lose his mind...
"Hahahaha!"
A booming laughter erupted from his throat, catching Xylen off guard.
"You want me to doubt myself, don’t you?" he barked, his voice sharp.
’Huh?’
Xylen’s brows rose, staring at the other party in a puzzle.
’Of course not! I’m just trying to push you over the edge!’ he sighed internally but kept his silence.
Kaelrik, noticing Xylen’s lack of response, smirked coldly, his eyes gleaming with an icy sharpness.
"You... are... simply... too... naïve!"
He spat the words slowly with venom, and in the next instant, he leaped forward with monstrous speed, ramming his shoulder into Xylen’s ribs.
Crack!
A split second too slow, Xylen was hurled backward like a shattered puppet, crashing into the ground and sinking inches into the dirt.
-45 HP
A massive chunk of his health vanished, sending his heart racing in panic.
He coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips, but he failed to notice.
’This... this is bad! Really bad!’
His pulse began to thunder frantically as he realized how rapidly his HP was dwindling.
He was already down to roughly 75 HP out of his initial 125 HP.
Without hesitation, Xylen clenched his fists, and in the next second—
"Corrupted Power!" He roared with everything in him.
And instantly...
[ Corrupted Power activated! ]
[ +1% Damage Boost to all attacks]
[ -1.1% HP per second. ]
[ Fear-based rebuff has reduced, and you have been granted 11% resistance to dark magic. ]
Hearing the system alerts in his mind, Xylen’s heart pounded even more painfully, fully aware that this skill was a double-edged sword—while it boosted his strength and damage, it also came at a steep cost—draining his already reduced HP by 1.1% every second until he deactivated Corrupted Power.
But what other choice did he have?
None.
Moreover, he did not have the time to lament the risk because— Kaelrik was already upon him.
"Hellblade Crush!"
Kaelrik roared, and his colossal, heavy sword came crashing down on Xylen like a guillotine.
Xylen’s mind screamed with alarm, and without having the time to think, he once again rolled to the side.
BOOM!
The blade struck the ground just after he moved, shattering the earth and causing a chunk of stone to explode into the air.
-5 HP (Debris Damage)
Xylen staggered upright, his vision wavering.
His body ached for rest, but Kaelrik wasn’t about to grant him the luxury.
"I’ll continue crushing you until you’re weak and defenseless," he growled, his voice brimming with hatred and rage. "Then I’ll make sure your death is as agonizing as possible."
Without pause, he charged at Xylen again, his massive frame a blur of sheer destruction.
Xylen quickly shook off his fatigue.
He wanted to dodge, but Kaelrik was already too close, and attempting to evade now would be nothing but a death sentence.
Having no other alternative, Xylen gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the short blade, summoning every ounce of his strength, and then...
Clang!
The small blade clashed against Kaelrik’s massive weapon in an attempt to parry, but Kaelrik’s sheer power was simply too overwhelming.
The impact directly sent Xylen flying backward, his bones rattling from the force.
-20 HP
His health bar flashed red, screaming danger.
’No...! no...!! no...!!!’
Xylen’s mind reeled in horror as his strength wavered.
He knew, even without needing to test it, that he couldn’t withstand another hit at this level.
One more blow... and he’d be dead—and this could never happen.
There was simply too much at stake.
Xylen’s heartbeat pounded so violently against his ribs that, had he been in his right mind, he might have feared it would burst free. But at this moment... his terror was beyond anything rational.
His gaze locked onto the towering, demonic figure looming over him like the god of death itself, his blade raised, prepared to carve him in two.
"As I said before," his voice slithered like the whisper of death itself, "you should never have woken from that coma."
Delivering this, his lips curled up at one corner into a cruel, smug, and triumphant smirk, and then his blade descended.
At that moment, Xylen’s heart stopped, his breath hitched, and even the world itself seemed to freeze.