Chapter 421: Killing bosses
'What the hell kind of rank is this bastard?' Rio cursed while panting heavily as he appeared right underneath the monster, placing one hand on the ground, forming a shadow and another on the monster's ankle.
The ground instantly turned dark and muddy as the giant felt itself getting swallowed into the shadows.
It looked down and noticed the 'bug'. Tyrothess tried to shake him off, or kick him away, but Rio put all his strength into that grip. Pouring heavy mana just to press it down and keep him locked in place. Until the shadow completely swallowed him.
Seeing that the bug refused to let go after much struggle, the monster threw the flaming serpent in it's hand like a stick right down.
This time, Rio failed to dodge as the dead monster hit his chest heavily, causing him to go flying, until his back crashed against the wall.
A stone broke and pierced his armor, stabbing a side of his stomach. Causing him to flinch in pain.
The monster and the mc were both incapacitated, unable to stand up and walk away. One trapped in shadows, and another in stones.
While Rio patted his chest to put out the hellfire, a hissing sound came from his left. The seemingly dead serpent, seemed to have shed it's scales and skin, and was standing in front of his face, with burning anger and rage in it's eyes.
Staring right into those eyes and poisonous fangs ready to bite his neck, Rio's eyes didn't show any fear. If anything, they didn't show any emotions. They turned dark, empty,_ almost inhumane.
[... Shouldn't have done that beasty. You made him mad.] System said in sympathy for the snake, who halted it's actions and just hovered along his body, probably sweating buckets in it's heart, wondering where this sense of dread and tsunami of bloodlust was oozing from.
For a second, the serpent hesitated. Cowering as though he was locked by the gaze of a predator. But then it took a gamble and hissed heavily.
And then it lunged, its fangs bared and dripping with deadly venom, aiming directly for Rio's throat. It was fast, far too fast for any human to track at this close distance, but Rio's body moved even faster.
His hand broke the stone shrapnel stabbing him, and plunged it upward.
Though the stone couldn't even break past the scales of Aikyaa, it made the snake miss it's mark by mere inches.
The hit at throat caused the snake's head to tilt up and before it could understand what hit him or look down, a firm grip tightened around it's head.
Rio held the snake in his left hand, his grip, along with threads of magic, keeping it's mouth closed.
The Aikyaa screeched, writhing and coiling around his arm, trying to crush him with its immense strength. Rio's face twisted in pain, but his eyes remained cold, empty, and devoid of mercy.
"You won't be slithering out this time." He said as the tip of his fingers turned darker, and corrosive mana started eroding the newly grown scales. Perhaps due to his mastery or madness, the effect of his abilities related to darkness had grown stronger.
Aikyaa hissed in pain as his fingers cracked the scales and plunged deep into it's skin. Threads escaped from his fingers, easily ripping apart the inside veins and tendons for Aikyaa.
The snake tried to wiggle it's tail toward his throat, trying to choke him to death, but Rio pushed his hand outward, causing it to miss before turning his face down and bit on it first.
Clenching the edge of it's tail in his teeth. He felt pain in his gems, but ignoring it he channelled his mana into the blessing of sin, gluttony.
His normal teeth suddenly turned sharper, their grip firmer. Strong enough, that it could even crack the tough scales now.
Poison mixed in the blood of Aikyaa dripped into his open mouth, some going down his throat and some slipping through his neck and then further down, dying his clothes. His throat felt like it was on fire, his head heavy and vision blurry, yet none of it, could force him to let go.
After all, how can the gluttony let go of a food stuck in it's teeth.
Without looking at the struggling worm in his hand, Rio placed his other palm on the stone floor, his aura shifting through his body and slowly manifesting into reality. The cave suddenly fell into an eerie horror as his shadow extended, creeping toward the Typhoress still trapped in the mud, but that wasn't all. From within the swirling shadow, something else began to take form too.
The darkness crept up, wriggling as if trying to stand up. And soon it loomed large. It's form was humanoid, just like Rio, but distorted. Shifting constantly as though it could never fully solidify in one shape. The dark figure had no eyes, but its gaze was piercing, locked onto the Typhoress with ravenous hunger.
"Kekeke," Though the figure had no mouth to speak from, the sound of it's teeth clattering against each other sent shivers across the spines.
The mutant chimera looked at the shadow in front of it, and reared both it's head, getting ready to bath it in magic.
The lava-headed beast spat molten fire, causing the aura avatar to flicker and distort like it would be burned away any second now. The Typhoress's other head sprayed its freezing jelly, but the end result was something it never expected— In front of stood the ever hungry avatar, even darker than before.
It gave the same crackling laugh and then charged forward blindly. Showcasing a barrage of punches and kicks on the trapped monster.
The bastard had tough skin, almost impregnable, but that didn't stop the aura avatar. It's form shifted again, its hands transforming into jagged claws. As it slashed at the Typhoress's stomach and thighs, leaving deep white gashes in the monster's obsidian scales.
Typhoress waved both it's arms and shook its head violently, still trying to break out from the shadow restraints, and squash this bug. But the avatar was relentless.
It ignored the monster's deafening roars and dodged the swaying fists that shook the entire cave upon collision. The beast had a large size, but was beaten in agility.
When the monster bent it's body to push it's arms against the ground, in a way to pull it's lower body out _ the shadow jumped over its arms and climbed on top of its shoulders.
One of its hands was holding onto an antler tightly, while the other kept punching and slashing the back of its neck. From where the two heads got divided.
The chimera howled in pain, its struggles growing more desperate, making the attacks even more fiercer.
The monster turned its flaming head, trying to bite the bug _ and when the shadow backed off to dodge, it's eyes showed a tinge of wisdom, before opening it's other mouth to spray the bone chilling jelly.
But just as it opened it's mouth, someone else came from behind and wrapped his arms around it's throat and pulled it upward. Causing the energy beam to hit the roof of it's cave.
Rio, who already killed the serpent by chopping his entire inside body into minced meat, hung himself on the Typhoress.
"Not so easy, bitch." He said, his mind forming a ball of black flames that floated right above its open mouth and fell straight down its throat. ?√&?#?М?¥?+
The shadow avatar also let go of the antler at this time and properly grabbed the freezing head from both sides, closing the mouth of it tightly.
The giant howled in misery, shaking it's head wildy to throw off the bug, or trying to look down and cough out the flames burning its throat, yet Rio waved his hand, tying a chain ankle around its neck, and then grabbing the other end of it in his arms as he flapped his wings and pulled back.
His other arm stretched outward where another chain rose from the tail-back of this monster and came into his palms.
"Arghhhyaaa" He screamed as he held both the ends of chains and kept pulling them closer. One tied to the monster's neck, and the other to it's tail.
His own body hung sideways on the giant monster's back like an arrow, while his arms were holding those chains like pulling on the bowstring.
If someone were to paint this scene for easy imagination, it would be like an angel with wings holding both ends of a curved moon and forcefully pulling them together. Trying to form a full circle.
(Ps of course it would crack, and that's exactly what Rio's doing now.)
Aahharrrooorrrrr
The monster head howled in pain and agony as it felt the burns in his throat, and an unbreakable chain choking it and breaking it's scales. It's hands flailing between trying to break the metal chain or trying to reach the bug whose strength was breaking the bones on it's back.
Rio saw an arm coming his way and kicked his body away, narrowly dodging it. Small jets formed on his shoes when he was falling back, and next second, the monster felt a powerful kick that nearly broke it's spine in two.
Aeghhhhhhhhah
It screamed madly before turning it's other head back and spraying lava on the bug who was getting ready to kick on it's spine again.
But before the burning flames could reach Rio, a large mirror appeared between them, blocking the attack and reflecting it back in full force. . (Spell - Reflection _ introduced in chapter 178)
"Die.." Rio shouted as he folded his legs and jumped high, before hitting the same spot with his jet propelled kicks. And then again, and then again.
Arggggghhh
This time the monster's back finally couldn't take all the pull and pressure anymore, and with a heavy creaking sound, it's body broke apart.
It fell down with a heavy thud and lay there on the ground with a broken spine. It's feet still trapped in muddy darkness. It's freezing head twisted in a weird angle with foam coming out from between its teeth. It's lava head burned by the flames it itself spewed out. Damaging both of its eyes. Nearly melting them, as tears of blood slipped through them.
It's hands were the only body part which weren't broken or burned in this fight, something which it could still move or feel, albeit the cracks and scratches from shadow claws. But what use were those hands, when it couldn't even crawl out.
Rio's body fell down over the monster too. He slipped and laid there, looking up at the frozen rooftop. His body feeling battered and tired beyond limits.
Yet the job wasn't done yet.
So he cancelled his aura avatar, making his shadow return to darkness, before forcing himself to sit up.
His ring flashed and a sword appeared in his hand, that he thrusted into the monster's broken back.
With it's scales gone, and skin torn to shreds, bones sticking out, the poisonous sword slipped right through those insides.
He felt the beast squirm beneath him, yet he didn't care. Turning around, using the sword's hilt, he forced himself to stand up, before slowly walking towards it's mouth.
"You should've listened _ when I asked you to let me go." Rio said, as he wiped the snake's blood off his lips, and conjured another sword. Thrusting it deep into the freezing head from behind the chain.
He poured his mana into the sword, and the magical artifact ebbed into the beast's body, started morphing into a new shape.
"Rest in piece." Rio said, as he pulled the handle up with both his arms, a weird jagged L shaped weapon broke both it's heads, and appeared in his hands.
A fountain of blood sprayed from the monster's necks, bathing him in red from head to toe.
With both it's head cut off, the headless monster shook for a few seconds, before turning into a corpse.
Rio, who was standing on top of it, felt the tremble, but his body was also too tired to balance itself. So he too fell down face first. The shifting sword in his hands came back to it's original shape as it lost its connection to mana.
[Rest easy host. You've earned it.] System said in his mind, eliciting him to give in and fall unconscious as it erected a barrier around the cave to ensure his safety.
Not far away from the cave, hidden amongst the dark clouds, a man covered in black cloak looked at his battle with fixed eyes. The unbelievable expression of shock+surprise still marring his mask.
[Still think he can't kill you?]
Nyx's words echoed in his ears once more, and the follower of night couldn't help but turn silent as he doubted the answer.
###
Author note - how was the fight? I might have had few gaps but overall I think it came out pretty good right? I kind of imagined it all in my head, happening in front of me, so maybe that affects me, but it was vivid, or was it not?
…
Also all this happened while Katherine is still meditating to recover herself, while being protected in a defensive artifact he threw at her.
So imagine her surprise when she wakes up, and sees his body drowning in the pool of blood, right between the two chopped off heads of dinosaurs. ??