“Hah… hah…”

My muscles were contracting. Every single breath was a pulse.

I felt like my body was heating up. Steam slowly wafting out of my pores.

It’s the effect of having both [Limit Break] and [Speed Burst] activated.

In my current level, I am barely able to hold on. But how long is a different matter. I have 10 minutes left in [Limit Break], however, I can’t trust this number. Even now I feel like I will pass out at any moment. This is my only my second time using two buffs at the same time, moreover, with a body that is already in tatters.

Why did I use both buffs at the same time?

Heh.

Being confronted by two Blood Bears and a Lord class Kaiser Blood Bear, I don’t see any other choice.

Only thing is… I don’t plan on running away.

In this questionable 10 minutes, I will turn around this situation or die trying.

Truly an exhilarating situation.

If Shishou* were here, he would be writhing in envy. <Master>

“Hah~”

I take one deep breath, and look at my opponents.

The Blood Bear and Kaiser that were approaching me, are now standing in place, watching me carefully. The other Blood Bear in the back has a cut off leg so it is limiting itself to support with magic.

Determining my next target.

I burst out from my position, creating a gust of wind behind me. I bulleted directly onto the Blood Bear and…

Sliced off its head.

It was fast.

Too fast for even the Kaiser Blood Bear.

The Kaiser could only stare in blank shock as one of its brethren was killed in an instant. But I didn’t have the leisure to stand waiting.

The moment I reach the ground again, I dash from my position, heading directly onto my second target, the 3 limped Blood Bear.

“ROoooaar!”

A ferocious roar filled with rage and anger echoed from behind me and a giant boulder was heading my direction.

It was truly a fast recovery from the Kaiser, but it was also a tad too late.

The boulder didn’t reach me in time. No, I was too fast for it. The Kaiser Blood Bear couldn’t grasp my speed completely and missed its throw.

[Level up!]

Second down.

Both of the Blood Bears were eliminated and now only the Kaiser remained. Using the element of surprise proved truly effective. As I manage to somehow eliminate two of the threats.

I quickly turn and find cover in one of the boulders that were lying all over the chamber.

“Gahag! Hah… I somehow managed to do it”

I cough a mouthful of blood. My pulsating body seems to accelerate my metabolism, but it also reduced my recovery when injured. The harsh and overexerting movements were not only breaking my body, they were worsening my wounds. Just those movements alone made my body scream in pain.

But I managed to get the two minions.

There is only the Kaiser left. This is the best I could get from that moment of surprise.

“The real fight starts now”

I open my inventory and take out a healing potion. I quickly gulped the disgusting red liquid.

Not long after I finish drinking it…

“GROAaaar!!”

A massive roar that couldn’t compare to its previous roars. A roar filled with anger, wrath, not because its brethren were slain but because I ridiculed the Kaiser Blood Bear by killing them right in front of him.

It happened when I was going to turn and look at the Blood Bear.

*POOM

The boulder that I was taking cover in was sent flying along with me.

Eh?

Was that the work of the Kaiser Blood Bear? I didn’t hear any steps of him approaching though?!

No, I could feel remains of a strong gale. Did he cast a spell? A spell strong enough to blow away a giant boulder.

Stop, there is no time for me to think about this. Because I am actually hearing the heavy steps of the Kaiser Blood Bear approaching. Rushing directly to my body that was still in midair.

I can’t handle anymore rams, and less from the Kaiser. I quickly stab my long sword in the ground to stop my body and regain my balance. Then as soon as my feet touch the ground I quickly jump sideways.

Evading the Kaiser’s charge, it rammed its full body onto the walls of the chamber, generating a slight tremor that shook the place for a second.

That destructive power was on a whole different level from the Blood Bear. If the Kaiser were the one ramming onto me last time, I would most likely be out of commission.

I watch the Kaiser that was nailed on the wall.

My gamer instincts were telling me that I should take this chance and attack while the boss is ‘flinched’, but my real life instincts are telling me not to get close to him right now, because it felt like he was inviting me.

And just like that, the Kaiser slowly turns around. Showing me a distorted face filled with complex emotions.

At this rate I won’t be able to get close to him.

But I have to face it, my only chance of doing something against that is to fight him in close quarters.

“Come on! Let’s fight until one of us drops to the ground!”

I don’t know if he understood me, but he made one big roar and charged once again.

This time I didn’t take cover. I didn’t move a step.

With my eyes closed and sword sheathed, I wait.

The footsteps were my signal.

As soon as the massive 3m Kaiser Blood Bear reached my range, I do an abrupt turn, all my muscles contracting in that split second. My feet sliding the ground, I dodge the body of the Kaiser and grab the hilt of my sword. And swiftly pull it out.

All of the muscles in my arm were strained to the maximum, pushing all of my strength into this one clash.

*Clang!

A metallic sound rang out as both claw and sword meet.

The clash began.

Sword and claw collided one after the other, bringing out high-pitched sounds that echoed through the chamber and stung my ear drums.

Each sword met a claw, the process lasted for a good while, not a single one of us backing down.

The attacks of the Kaiser Blood Bear were, as expected, incredibly heavy, each one containing massive amounts of raw power. Its attacks were simple and straightforward, but what lacked in technique it compensated in strength.

I couldn’t continue the clash much longer or I would be the one wearing down first. But the Kaiser didn’t let me go so easily.

It wasn’t like I wanted each of my attacks to hit its claw. The claws were forcing me to use my sword. To block, deflect the claws that would surely gouge out a big chunk of my flesh if they were to reach me.

The attacks’ speed was not dreadful, but it was to a point where I couldn’t move from my spot.

Maybe the Kaiser felt something wrong about me stopping all its attacks.

He held both of his paws together and did one heavy blow in between, changing its attack pattern. A terrifying gust of wind could be heard clearly, telling me how massive of an attack it was. That one attack was aiming to crush my defense and go straight for me.

But I took that chance.

Putting the strength in my legs, I push my body to the side of the Kaiser Blood Bear, evading the heavy attack. Leaving the Kaiser wide open.

In this timing, I activate my ace.

“[HEAVY BLOW]!”

The moment I shout that, all the muscles in my arm, legs, waist, abdomen contracted explosively.

And one strike, a strike that had all of it, absolutely all of my self, was released.

*BOOM!

The attack connected. The instant it hit the body of the Kaiser Blood Bear, it made a terrifying sound that shook my body and everything in the chamber.

It was a hit…

The place where the attack connected, a huge chunk of the Kaiser Blood Bear was blown off. The attack was a complete hit. The Kaiser Blood Bear made a huge mistake, and yet…

*Snap

My long sword broke in half. But that sound was not from the sword breaking. It was my right arm.

“GUGH~!” I make a muffled cry.

The long sword that the Freyhart’s gave me couldn’t handle the tough armor of the Kaiser and broke in half. I got a strong sense of déjà vu from that. That long sword was actually already worn out. I have been using it frequently in this forest after all, I have tried taking care of it but I am no blacksmith and I could only do rough maintenance. However, in this cave I had to use it to fight the Blood Bears armor-like body. The already worn out sword finally gave out when faced against the Kaiser Blood Bear.

And my right arm. I still can’t calculate the strength I can exert and that destroyed my own body.

‘What a failure’, I internally thought this, as the Kaiser Blood Bear turns and grabs me with both of his gigantic hands.

I couldn’t react to the fast speed of his. No, my body couldn’t move properly.

That rash movement strained my muscles and I was temporarily unable to move. And I ended up in the hands of the Kaiser Blood Bear.

The Kaiser Blood Bear seeing that I couldn’t move at all. Lifted my body up and brought me close to his face. A wide mischievous grin showing perfectly in its face. It seems that the injury was not fatal enough.

Damn it, what a messed up situation.

I could feel the arms that were holding my body, slowly, slow~ly increasing its pressure.

“GAAAaaahh!”, crackling sounds of bones snapping were beginning to echo through the chamber along with my cries of pain.

“Huuurgh!”

I once again try to exert my strength. I had to free myself from his grasp!

The hands of the Kaiser Blood Bear began to separate little by little.

But.

The Kaiser Blood Bear didn’t let it run so smoothly.

He quickly wrapped his arms around my body. The hold increasing in pressure even more.

“AAAAhhh!”

I was now being crushed completely. My arms were sealed and my legs were dangling with no way to do anything, as my body kept getting pushed closer and closer onto its solid body.

I am locked in a bear hug.

What a befitting technique for this monster.

My enhanced body that was on the effects of [Limit Break] were still not enough to free me from the deadly embrace of these arms that were as big as logs.

As the clutch grew in pressure constantly. My bones began to snap and I felt like they were already hitting my organs.

I was trying my best to free myself, but my strength was not enough.

“So this is how it all ends?”

I had already begun despairing.

Various clips of my past were playing in my mind. The times when I went to school, the times when I trained with Shishou, when I lost my own body… and the times I saw my parents suffer when they had to take care of me.

I was experiencing the revolving lantern.

Am I going to die again? After I gained a new body?

“Don’t give up yet, there is still hope” those words echoed through my mind.

The words my dad repeated in my sickbed. Words that were aimed not only at me, but at himself.

Those words gave me that last push I needed.

“Youma Hiromi won’t fall twice!”

I shout whatever came to my mind.

The Kaiser Blood Bear was a bit confused by this, but his mischievous grin still hadn’t disappeared as the pressure continued to increase.

If [Limit Break] and [Speed Burst] are not enough, I still have one last skill left.

Even though it is supposed to be an attack skill. This is the real world, not a game. I don’t know if this will work, but it is the only option left.

I began winding up my muscles.

[Warning! Your body cannot handle anymore skill activations!]

A nostalgic warning notification popped up.

But I could only laugh at it.

“[HEAVY BLOW]!”

Once again, an explosive burst of strength filled all of my muscles, a crazy pain ran through my whole body as my muscles contracted as if wringing out every drop of blood I had in my self.

That explosive burst entered my arms and filled them with vitality. Without minding that they were already broken, I began pushing, forcing the hold of the Kaiser Blood Bear open.

“Gruh?”

It seems that the Kaiser noticed something strange was going on.

However, the hold was already loosened. And I was able to add my legs, pushing with all I had with my arms and legs, the hold that seemed to be impossible to free myself from, was surely being forced open.

Seeing this, the Kaiser Blood Bear placed even more strength in it, but the boost that [Heavy Blow] gave was way too much, more than what even I expected.

That temporal burst of power that destroys my body even faster than [Limit Burst] and [Speed Burst] also carried an instantaneous strength that not even both skills could match.

*SNAP

And finally, I dislocated both of the Kaiser’s arms.

“GROAAAH!”

A painful roar came out of the Kaiser as his two dislocated arms dangled. Moving a few steps backwards.

Being released from the embrace, I fell to the ground. My body was totally unresponsive and my vision was hazy.

But I know that it’s not over yet, so I squirm with both of my broken arms and barely push my body up with my legs.

My breathing was getting rough, I was coughing like hell. I think my lungs were also damaged as I constantly coughed out blood.

Checking my body, I saw my terrible state. My two arms that were bend, cuts in my chest, purple spots in several areas, my legs were probably the only part that was not that serious, but it was pulsating fervently as if telling me that the limit was already coming.

“Don’t go dying out on me yet”

Saying that, I look back at the Kaiser Blood Bear.

Our gazes met. The Kaiser was also glaring at me. Its yellow eyes carrying a tint of red. Its chest was heaving and the wound that I gave him with [Heavy Blow] was dripping with blood.

“Come, let me show you that I can do more than you without arms!”

“ROoooaaar!”

We both shout and dash forward for the last clash that would surely spell the dead from either of us.

“Okay, that’s enough”

But a shadow came in between us and with the lift of its hand, it smashed both the Kaiser Blood Bear and me away.

That blow was strong enough to send both of us flying and yet, I didn’t feel any pain from it. Though my body is already feeling pain all over it so I don’t know if I am just numb to it.

Anyways, there was a coated person in a place where there was nothing before.

‘Is that the Mystic Fencer?’

Did he finally decide to appear?

If that is so, this is incredibly bad. At least give me the chance to finish this fight before you appear, you bastard.

However, contrary to my expectations, the coated person turned into a blur and appeared right in front of me. I couldn’t even react to that speed, my eyes weren’t able to follow at all.

*Clap Clap Clap*

“Congratulations on passing the test, our Messiah”

An alluring voice rang out. The voice of the person felt as if it could penetrate directly into my mind. It was the voice of a woman.

She happily hugged my body and jumped in joy. My body was screaming in pain from that.

Huh, test? Me-ssiah?

Are you serious?

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