MM - Chapter 184 - BEYOND FLESH AND BLOOD

The closer Raine drew to the boss, the fiercer their killing intent clashed. Unlike the previous noble, Raine was the one being pushed back. He growled deep in his throat, letting the killer free. Mental energy writhed in the air between them, an even match so long as neither erred. Raine was determined not to. 

Whatever the Patriarch’s mental ability was, it wasn’t one he was familiar with. Each mental ability carried a flavor, a hint similar to a passing scent caught on the wind. The Patriarch’s killing intent spoke of the yearning to deliver a gruesome end. A shredded corpse, long dead, yet still desiring to tear, cut, and drain, all in search of more. More of what, Raine had no idea, and he wasn't in a hurry to find out.

Along with the killing intent, thick roots rocketed from the Patriarch’s chest to intercept him. They coiled into thick arms, traveling at blistering speed. Raine’s fist glowed, flashing forward to release the second skill he’d upgraded: Flurry of One.

[Flurry of One: (Beginner > Adept) With any fist weapon, combine 12 > 15 strikes into 1, dealing 480% > 520% physical damage (Cost: 5 Discipline) (Cooldown: 5 seconds)]

Fist met roots and wood shattered into splinters, yet the damage that should have appeared did not. The lost bundle of roots was replaced in less than the beat of a heart. They swarmed him anew, splitting to encircle from all directions. Raine was forced to hop backwards off puffs of hardened air. The defensive roots became a dozen arms, each slicing through the air to grab or block. Not one of them was slower than Raine. It took his complete focus to avoid, and by the time he was out of their reach, the Patriarch’s next assault was prepared.

A mighty stomp cracked the ground. The fissure shot toward Raine, culminating in a spike of solid rock that shot up to spear him from the air. Its tip was not normal stone, reflecting the sunlight as only hard metal would. Even with Discipline enhancing his reaction speed, Raine was barely able to respond. The spike effortlessly punctured the solidified air he tried to slow it with, reaching his abdomen in the same instant. Parry pulled his spear into position.

The clang of metal on metal filled the air. This time, Raine lost.

Trying to parry an inanimate object like a hardened rock resulted in the force being distributed through the wielder. Raine shot in a random direction, thankfully not into the ground. He flew to the side, unable to see through the blurring of the world around him. Another stomp rang loud in his ears. Lunge changed his trajectory at the last second, and the deadly spear punctured only empty air.

Raine regained control of his moment and squared off with the Patriarch, clicking his tongue. He’d expected the world boss to be formidable, especially considering it was an Ancient with unknown combat standards. They had only just begun, and it was already exceeding his expectations. At the rate he was churning through Discipline for movement, reactions, and Lunges, he definitely wouldn’t be the victor. The resource needed to be saved for his most powerful attacks, as they were his only chance of overcoming the Patriarch’s insane regeneration.

Guardians Embrace, Guardians Comfort, and Guardians Armament coated Raine in triple layers of defensive and offensive buffs. They wouldn’t be the edge that won him the fight, but it was more clear than ever that if he didn’t use every tool at his disposal, winning would be little more than a dream.

If not for constantly practicing over the last few days, Raine would have died in the next second. True Connection was still beyond him. However, he’d begun to consistently feel a dull throb of pressure whenever he tried to push against solid objects within his range. When that throb came from directly behind, he acted on instinct with another Lunge to the side. Six coiled limbs of roots, each tipped by a metallic sheen, darted through where he’d just been. The air howled with their passing.

Glancing back, Raine saw where they had exited a nearby tree’s trunk. Apparently, the boss’s roots could travel underground, and the nearby vegetation to attack from unexpected angles.

“Slippery little insect. Die already!” Slamming both wrists together, the Patriarch presented its palms toward Raine. The hole punched through its left hand still sloshed amber-colored sap onto the ground. Except that sap was now glowing, and it was gushing out far too quickly. 

Raine’s eyes flew wide as dual jets of raw Primal Energy flooded from its outstretched hands. A single spark set both sprays alight. What could only be described as a waterfall of explosive napalm erupted outward. In a flash, the entire area in front of its massive body became a raging inferno.

Still flying to the side from his last Lunge, Raine hit the ground running. Choking smoke invaded his lungs, carrying with it a significant quantity of Primal Energy. The Patriarch swiveled its torso, annihilating flamethrowers tracking his movements. Nose nearly scraping the soil, Raine flooded his body with Discipline and ran for all he was worth. It would not be enough. The flames were right behind him and catching up fast. Being caught meant death. The heat felt greater than an erupting volcano, causing cataclysmic quantities of superheated air to billow outward in the form of raging wind.

Utilizing an old trick, Raine spread his Connection wide, anchoring to the rapidly flowing air like a kite. He shot forward at redoubled speed, running in a circle around the monster. By the time its skill ended, the Patriarch’s regeneration ticked, undoing the damage Raine dealt so far, save for the meager contribution from the soul flame. [+332,242]

The land around them was devastated. Even the black, choking smoke had been incinerated to nothing. The ground was glassy, crunching beneath Raine’s boots. At least the Patriarch wouldn’t be sending roots through the trees now that they were less than cinders.

“Do you see now, your folly? No? Then allow me to crystallize your understanding!”

In the distance, roots sprang from the ground to spear through a few waiting Fetches. Quick as thought, their bodies were drained of Primal Energy, leaving only shriveled husks behind. Almost comically, the clumps of absorbed energy were sucked through the roots and into the boss, whose chest began glowing just as fiercely as before its flamethrower attack. Raine felt the pressure building. There were hundreds, if not thousands of Fetches waiting, right out of sight at the distant treeline. Unlike his own, the Patriarch’s resources would be unending. 

Raine had already burned through 5% of his 1,976 Discipline, and for zero noticeable results. His current regeneration was a hair over 21 per 10 seconds. Flawed Conversion helped, but only added around 9 more Discipline per 10 seconds, even when spread across Demonic Power, Elemental Power, and Health. It would take nearly a minute without using a single point of Discipline to get back what he’d already wasted.

If I can’t sharpen my form and evade with minimal cost and effort, I’ll run dry before he’s anywhere near reaching a berserk state.

Raine shut down his thoughts. Stating the obvious was a waste of resources that he couldn’t afford. He dove headfirst into the raging rapids that were the Patriarch’s whipping roots. Each was the size of Raine, and there were two dozen in total. They hissed through the air like a nest of vipers. 3 from each limb, geared toward offense, and 12 from its torso for defense.

Raine’s focus was instantly stretched to the max as he sidestepped, weaved, and dashed through too many attacks to count. If they came from normal beasts, he would have stood a chance. The Patriarch was an ancient, and its combat standards were no less than the Fetches. Each attack chained into the next with flawless precision, forcing Raine further and further off balance until a perfectly timed strike slipped through his guard and crashed into his chest. [-2,512]

Blood shot through Raine’s lips as his lungs were crushed. He flew away, but not before Life Drain turned the offending coil of roots into withered dust. [-2,052] [+2,052] Despite recovering most of what he lost, Raine couldn’t help but feel like the fight had just turned against him. The 15 Celestial Power needed for the skill meant 2 less Discipline, and that was only the tip of the iceberg. He’d used much more to evade so many times in rapid succession, and if he used another Lunge, he would have been even further behind.

Knowing he was losing only inspired Raine to dive right back into the storm of whipping roots. The destroyed root had already grown back. Again, he faced 24 chained attacks, and this time, he didn’t manage to evade the first 7 before he was struck again and flung away with a broken leg. The Patriarch was learning. 

Raine gritted his teeth as Healing Burst painfully snapped his limb back into place. Looking ahead, the boss seemed further away than before. The only thing able to advance into that wall of thrashing roots was Raine's killing intent, and it was stopped long before reaching its destination.

“Weak… So pitifully weak. How dare you challenge me! Die!”

Even without the verbal cue, Raine knew something bad was coming. His senses were on high alert as the 12 offensive tentacles sliced toward him. Deep within each bundle of roots, a single vine pulsed with an amber glow. 

Raine jumped away, hopping off the ground and air to evade. The roots rapidly adjusted their trajectory to follow. The first closed in, and just before impact, exploded in a flashfire of Primal Energy no less deadly than the flamethrower. Not expecting an exploding, ranged attack from a tree, Lunge came too late to save him. Raine’s feet were caught in the blast. [-1,498]

[Blazing Legion Sabatons: Durability -11]

Raine bit his tongue as his flesh sizzled inside the heavy metal boots. There was no time for pain. 11 more roots were right behind the first. With no other choice, he triggered Lunge as many times as it took. Being hit by even 3 of the exploding whips would end him. They exploded one after another, each dodged by a slim margin now that he knew the timing. Unfortunately, evading took a heavy toll on his Discipline. Worse, the Primal Energy packed within his muscles rose to what felt like 90%.

The loss of its offensive limbs allowed for a precious moment of reprieve. Already, the roots were regenerating at a terrifying rate, forcing Raine to act quickly. Such was the speed of their movements that only 10 seconds had passed since the battle began. Prominence of the Fool’s damage and slow decreed that it was time for the spear to go. 

Fresh agony lanced through Raine, momentarily seizing his muscles. [-1,082] One of his better weapons—The Hatchet of Vile Pestilence—appeared in his grasp, though he doubted there would be a chance to use it. Losing 11% of his health was more painful than merely feeling like his body was eating itself alive: it was more wasted resources.

Raine’s Discipline plummeted to 60%. After adjusting his stance, he dove back into the thick of it, more determined than ever. His results were no different. 7 strikes and he was sent flying back by a hit that took a quarter of his total health. Raine kept his distance until Life Drain came off cooldown, then dove in for another go. The 7th root was turned to dust, the 8th cut in two, the 9th punched to dust, the 10th came in from an unexpected angle, stealing the little health he’d recovered and sending him flying to skitter across the glassed ground.

Now at 50% Discipline, Raine knew something had to change, or he wouldn’t last long enough to need to swap weapons again. The problem was the first roots to reach him blocked the view, allowing the ones that came after to appear from out of nowhere. There was only one thing Raine could think of that might enable him to do what would usually require an entire raid. If he could feel, not just see or hear, but actually feel where the attacks were coming from in advance, then he would have a chance.

Within 3 strikes, Raine was forced to use his hatchet and flaming fist. The 6th root came from below, blowing him away. Not only did his attempt at True Connection completely fail to detect individual attacks, but the Patriarch’s adaptation to his combat style was accelerating. Down to a sliver of health, Raine’s body was on the verge of collapse. Blood didn’t leak from his armor; it gushed. Both his heals were still on cooldown, and the roots racing toward him had a recognizable inner glow.

Thinking quick, he swapped the Heart of Plutus to a fraction he’d yet to use. Raine’s health shot back to full, then kept right on climbing as Soul of Reformation turned him into a living damage sponge.

[Fraction of Purity: (Celestial Power +20%) (PHY +20%) Upon command channel the Soul of Reformation to restore health equal to maximum health and further boost maximum health by 200% for 5 minutes (Cost: 200 CP) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

Raine’s Celestial Power plunged to 40%, matching his dwindling Discipline. He was out of time. If he chose to escape, it would take the last of his resources to do so. To stay was to invite death, to lose Bhima’s guidance, but also to abandon his martial path. The glowing tentacles closed in, and the choice was made. There would be no escape. No matter what he lost, it would not be as damaging as the mental backlash from abandoning his path.

Multiple Lunges avoided the explosive limbs, but by the end, Raine was breathing hard from the loss of Discipline. Exhaustion set in, pulling at his body, demanding he stop and recover. Raine's resistance to ZionLine's forced exhaustion was possibly the best on the planet, yet not even Old Monsters were entirely immune to the human condition. 

With a snarl on his lips, Raine dove toward the boss, attempting to gain an advantage before its offensive roots recovered. Even the 12 defensive roots were too much for him. He was knocked back twice more in the two seconds it took for the offensive roots to recover.

Instead of diving in again, Raine paused. With his Discipline running so low, it was more clear than ever that it wasn’t the most crucial resource in this fight. His focus was. Just detecting the numerous attacks and commanding his body to move took all the focus he had left. Constant activations of Flawed Conversion, Lunge, hardening the air with Connection, swinging his axe and punching, adjusting his stance, the darting of his eyes, and most demanding, fending off the Patriarch’s incredible mental bombardment; each and every one was a drain on Raine’s focus, focus that he simply could no longer spare with exhaustion banging on the door to his brain.

Raine knew he had to reduce the load. He had been cutting the roots, but what he really should have been cutting was himself. Diving in again, he systematically cut away all that was not required. His attacks went first. Arms falling to his sides, Raine hung motionless for a fraction of a second. Roots swarmed from all directions, and he dove through the enclosure with yet another Lunge. More waste.

“No. More.” Raine swore aloud, cutting all but his desire to see the monster bleed, and Connection firmed into a semi-solid bubble of force that wouldn’t protect him from a normal enemy, let alone the Patriarch.

“What was that, slippery bug? Did you finally awaken to your inevitable end? Allow me to hasten your demise! If you have to blame something in the afterlife, blame your impertinence!”

The roots came from behind. Burrowed through the ground, it was impossible to know they would explode. With everything else cut away, Raine felt the slightest spike of danger. It was the boss’s killing intent, concentrated ever so slightly on the centermost, glowing vines. 

Trusting his instincts, Raine jumped directly into the path of a random defensive root. The physical blow sent him hurtling away just as the real threats exploded in a flashfire that would have overloaded his body with Primal Energy, sealing his fate.

As he flew through the air, epiphany seized his being, and the Raine who was also Alaric ceased to be. He became a convergence of Connection and killing intent. His entire existence warped into distilled violence and the vague sensation that the ground was flying by somewhere beneath. The slight pressure felt, the need to draw blood, they were his everything. The physical body at their center was merely a source, a battery of energy that supplied him with further existence.

Puffs of Connection came into being, thudding into the flying battery at key locations. The flesh was righted, landing on its feet to slide through the glassed ground. Without thought, driven only by need, the body dove back into the whipping tentacles. 9 roots came in rapid succession. A subtle twitch of the neck, a lowered arm, a lifted boot, the roots slipped by with incredible speed, not one striking true. 

However, each of the Patriarch’s skilled attacks contained a deeper purpose, forcing the fleshy center of what Raine had become into a tighter and tighter predicament. The 10th root came in for the real blow. Instinct demanded a Lunge, but the need that Raine had become ruthlessly squashed the notion. Sensing the 10th root’s slightly more concentrated killing intent, the knowledge of where to strike was revealed.

Without looking, the hatchet lashed out, obliterating the root at the last second and unraveling the Patriarch's efforts.

Snorting derisively, the boss launched a spike from below. Raine’s body flipped forward, an outstretched hand was in position before the attack arrived. Strong fingers gripped the metal tip that appeared between them, right where he knew it would be. The impressive acceleration of the spike turned Raine’s flip into an all-out spin that would leave a normal person puking just from watching. 

Raine was not the body hurtling through the air; he was the air. Hatchet held out, the buzzsaw that his flesh had become sliced through the four defensive roots still in the way before wedging deep into the boss's shoulder. [-2,416] The attack was so much more than a number. Pure, unfiltered killing intent rode the edge of that blade. It invaded the Patriarch’s wooden flesh, plundering just under 2 million maximum health.

[Negative affliction applied (Enfeared): Enemy attributes reduced by 20% (Duration 1.47 seconds)]

Most importantly, the ancient world boss came to know fear for the first time in a millennium.