Dance with the Nightingale-Chapter 115 - 110: Ray Vs Varkain IV

"Let’s go."

With a simple remark, I started running, with a series of [Acceleration] circles appearing in front of me, I ran close to the ground, with the Abyssal Wraith in tow.

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With the [Lore of Elements], winds naturally assisted me, pushing me to go faster and faster with each step. Pairing that with the [Acceleration] circles, resulted in me crossing the kilometers separating us in seconds, with my each step being accompanied by a sonic boom.

Being stealthy was useless against the demon, anyways.

So, using the goliath’s thigh as a foothold I jumped, "VARKAIN!!", screaming my lungs out while gathering the holy and fire element in my sword.

The demon who was busy responding to all the attacks dished out by the Sentinel and Fostoria, belatedly raised his hand to block my sword, thinking that a single spell won’t change my strength by much.

And maybe he was right. Precisely because of that, I had kept one final card left exactly for this case!

So, just as I was about to swing my sword, I used it, [Enchant Overdrive], pouring all the mana that I supercharged myself with into my equipment.

Instantly, my presence spiked, as every piece of equipment that I wore, be it my armor or my sword, started crackling with magic, lighting the very air around me. On my command, each rune of every enchantment started vibrating with the same frequency, suddenly delivering 200% of their output, doubling the amount of stat boost I got from my equipment, finally taking my stats which kept increasing during the battle into B ranked territory!

With power greater than ever, I swung my sword at the demon who was half a second late to revaluate my threat and tried to erect a shield.

-CRACK…!

-BANNGGG…!!

For the first time, I overpowered the demon’s shield, the holy flame I unleashed burning his body while my sword, dug on his wrist!

The air exploded as soon as we clashed, shockwaves rippling through the atmosphere as raw power erupted from our clash.

"Know your place, boy!!", the demon hissed, his face convoluted with fury.

"Go to hell!!", I replied, channeling every ounce of power from my body into the swing.

-Screeech!!

Finally, with a screech of tearing metal, my sword severed his wrist, slashing through the demon’s metallic bones before smashing into the reinforced tail that braced his arm. The sword couldn’t cut through, but the sheer force of the impact sent the demon crashing into the ground.

Not missing the chance, the goliath who now had a single arm punched the demon deeper underground.

As for me, it felt so fucking refreshing smacking the demon down that I was barely holding back my tears of happiness.

Before the Goliath could land another punch, the ground in exploded with a purple light.

’Of course, he’ll recover right away.’, I sighed and hid behind the Goliath. But even the huge construct weighting ten thousand tons, was pushed back a little.

The explosion was just that powerful.

Just for context, Fostoria had retreated as soon as Goliath joined the battle, the elf was quick on her feet and didn’t miss the chance to create distance. That was the reason she was still alive.

Now standing in the middle of a massive crater, around 200 meters in diameter, the demon looked at me who was standing on the Goliath’s shoulder and shouted, "You thought these tin cans will help you win?!"

The demon was going on to say something else, but I interjected, "Yeah? Got a problem with that?"

Absolutely infuriated, the demon said through gritted teeth, "I’ll just show you how wrong you are!"

-Bang…!

With a sound akin to thunder, the demon launched himself at the Goliath, who just like the demon had recovered his lost arm.

(A/N: The arm that Rayne slashed just now.)

The golem crossed his hands to block, but the demon was much faster. He struck the golem right at his chest, using unbridled raw power to drag the Obsidian Goliath hundreds of meters back!

’Wow! He was totally holding back when he fought me.’, I who had jumped off just at the right moment thought as I pursued the demon. Someone was faster than me though.

Suddenly, a ghostly knight materialized right behind the demon, who had stopped after smashing the Goliath on one of the building tall roots in the forest, trying to change the angle of his grip. With a single hand the demon had no choice but to do so. Also, he had to make sure that he didn’t become a victim of the Goliath’s fists, so he climbed on the Goliath’s back when the golem was getting up.

As soon as the wraith appeared he slashed at the demon’s back with his ghostly swords.

Unfortunately, the demon had somehow intercepted the blow with his tail, bleeding. But the sword that dug into his skin shone brighter.

[Abyssal Sword], it was Abyssal Wraith’s ability. His sword injured both, the flesh as well as the spirit. Absorbing the mana of the opponent to make his swords even more powerful.

But the demon wasn’t an easy opponent, even for this creature who was supposed to be a tricky monster among B ranked magical beasts.

Like a snake, the demon’s tail coiled around the wraith’s arm.

Then, before the wraith realized what was happening, the demon flapped his wings.

With his single hand grabbing the Goliath’s magical veins, he took the air, all while dodging Fostoria’s and Sentinel’s cover fire, sometimes even using the Goliath to shield himself.

Just as I admired demon’s capability, he proved himself to be even more capable.

Slamming the wraith who had just recovered his balance into the Goliath tough armor.

It was like the Goliath was the bell and the wraith was the gong.

-Tang

-Tang

-Tang

Once, twice, thrice, he rang the bell made of my summons but before he could do it the fourth time, the wraith’s helmet opened at the center, his hideous undead mouth opening inhumanly wide as he let out a soul shaking shriek, quite literally.

-AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

It was [Abyssal Howl], the final ability of the wraith, along with [Abyssal Step], that allowed the wraith to stun, disrupt spells and deal soul damage to the enemies.

Using the brief period when the demon was stunned, the wraith executed a series of quick slashes with his twin swords to sever the demon’s tail before disappearing into thin air using [Abyssal Step].

I switched with the wraith as soon as he disappeared, assaulting the demon with a barrage of holy beams at close range.

(A/N: As in he started engaging the demon, he didn’t literally switch places)

With the demon’s spells being nerfed at 20%, along with my stats reaching the B- rank, meant I was finally equal to the demon, in the spells department.

So, while the demon could block one or two of my spells he couldn’t block the tens of beams I shot with a single shield!

With four beams assaulting his shield at once, it finally broke, the beams leaving burnt holes on the demons body, but nothing more.

Alas, the demon’s body was still too strong and regenerated too fast for me to slowly damage him.

But this time, I finally had a plan.

After the barrage, I rushed towards the demon, shouting ’Now!’, to Fostoria, who along with Sentinel sent a especially powerful arrow of hers towards the demon.

Of course, the demon sensed the spike of mana, and turned the Goliath towards her, to use it as a shield.

It was then that the railgun’s tungsten shot hit the demon straight on his face, cracking the horn around his cheek.

The railgun not being exactly magic powered, wasn’t easy to sense with mystical senses.

Using the small duration when the demon was still reeling from shock, I used [Acceleration] to rush in and stabbed my sword into his chest.

With both his hand and tail busy, it was too good of a moment to pass.

Unlike before, my blade pierced through his skin, its tip peeking out from the demon’s back.

"Argh!", grunting, the pain brought the demon back to his senses.

But with all his limbs occupied he couldn’t do much. So, he charged a beam of destructive purple and aimed it at me, but before he could fire it, the ghostly figure of the wraith appeared on his shoulders and stabbed his sword through the demon’s throat, twisting it forcefully to change the demon’s target.

But unlike what I expected, the beam was never fired, instead with his long tongue, the demon reached out to the purple sphere and gulped it down, even with his throat pierced with a sword.

Then with a creepy smile, he looked at me, saying, "Enjoy."

’Fuck! It’s a trap!’

In an instant, purple hands grabbed both of us, stopping us in place as the demon’s whole body glowed purple, the glow intensifying each moment before – it exploded in a raging ball of destruction!

Using [Split Second] instinctively, time seemed to stop for me. A horde of destructive energies along with the searing heat assaulting my body as purple took over my vision!

Once again, instinctively, I guarded myself, the [Lore of Elements] responding to my will as an earthen shield appeared right before me, seeing the shield I remembered to deploy my barrier to reinforce it.

In that stopped time, I saw the demon move. He wasn’t coming at me, nor at the wraith who had disappeared as soon as the purple hand restraining him did.

Instead, with his hand and tail, he widened the magical veins of the Obsidian Goliath, the black metal screeching under his strength, as he reached out, with the same mana construct made in the shape of a hand, towards the Goliath’s core.

’Goliath, expel 75% of your energy!’, I immediately ordered.

And needless to say, there was another explosion, this one being a pure discharge of heat and energy.

The temperature hadn’t stopped increasing just yet, and thanks to the Goliath’s discharge, it started soaring at a frightening rate.

I didn’t know how much, but my armor which could withstand a 1000 degrees easily, was getting hotter and brighter, and since I and my armor were one, I was actually the one getting hotter and melting!

It was then, that an arrow of void, made its way to the center of the blast. As soon as it hit the demon who was at the center of the blast, the flames stopped, retreated, as a vortex made of absolute emptiness swallowed them all.

It was Fostoria’s Abyssal Tempest, but this time it was much weaker, sucking only the flames of the all consuming blast.

Thanks to her arrow, the heat was concentrated at a single spot delivering all its heat to the demon, who was trapped in what looked like a small sun.

As for my melting self, it was Sentinel who came to my rescue. Firing at me a beam of cold energy that cooled me down to my toes.

It was a while before the vortex subsided, I took that opportunity to refill all kinds of elemental essences that my [Lore of Elements] used, along with drinking a mana potion.

Not before long, an object similar to a glass marble the size of a basketball fell from the sky, glowing a dim orange, burying itself into the ground. It was the Goliath’s core, with its lowest operating energy level being 25% and having 75% of its energy used in an instant, it had to bury itself into the ground to recover.

Following after it was a charred husk, barely retaining any resemblance to the demon.

But it was him, I knew it.

So, I didn’t show him an ounce of my mercy. I rushed again, hacking and slashing at a defenseless husk, which was tough despite what it’s appearance suggested.

Freezing it, burning it, cutting it, crushing it, dismembering it into pieces not bigger than a grain of rice… and yet, the husk kept getting bigger!

Even in that state, the demon was regenerating!

Hopeless.

That was how I was feeling as slowly, the demon perfected his form, despite everyone attacking him with full force.

Smiling at me, "Are you done yet, little puppy~?", the demon provoked.

"Sorry, it was so fun killing you in different ways, I forgot to end this. Don’t worry, I’ll end you soon. Killing you is getting boring after all.", I replied.

But instead of getting angry, the demon laughed, "Hahahahaha! You’re really a dog! All bark no bite! If you’re so confident, then come and try to really kill me!"

"That’s what I was gonna do!", I said, as I rushed at him again.

With the Goliath gone, I was the only one in the group that could take the demon’s hits, growing stronger with each time I regenerated.

Of course, I didn’t like my position, but as I said, I had a plan, and for that plan I had to take this position.

Being the strongest, most persistent, and most annoying fly in front of the demon’s face.

I took the most hits, but I wasn’t as powerless anymore, with every hit I took, I returned something in kind, exploding spells on the demon’s face even when they did little damage.

And when the demon turned to counter the others was when I unleashed the really devastating spells, taking a huge chunk of his flesh each time.

Thanks to that and the fact that I knew that this was going to end soon, my will didn’t break, I kept trying, kept getting hurt and kept hurting, continuing a vicious cycle that kept wearing me out.

I kept doing this for four minutes, it didn’t sound like much, but these four minutes might as well be one of the worst four minutes in my life.

But that was all behind me, cause now was the time I finished this, only one minute was left before the [Enchant Overdrive]’s effect was over after all.

With enough [Accelerations] that it cracked my bones, I jumped into the air, thrusting my sword at the demon who was trapped with the wraiths howl.

The demon, faked it pretending to be stunned longer as he swiped his claws covered in a dark energy towards an uncontrollably accelerating me.

At last moment, I fixed my posture, barely dodging the demon’s claws as a powerful double kick landed on his stomach launching him high into the air.

Several lasers, arrows and energy beams were fired at the demon as he went higher and higher, the wraith appearing behind his back as he slashed at the demon’s wings while he was dealing with the projectiles, before disappearing as he turned.

As soon as he turned though, I reached him, swinging my sword at his back with full power aiming at his wings.

Once again, the demon erected a shield, blocking my attack as he was launched even further into the air.

Of course, I pursed, beams of holy light gathering on my blade as I exchanged blows with him high in the air.

Suddenly, the wraith appeared beside me, throwing me sideways, as a continuous barrage of railgun shots rained on the demon, causing him to retreat higher to react better to the shots.

As soon as the shots stopped, magical arrows took their place, along with us rushing in, as Fostoria could control her arrows way better than the Sentinel to avoid friendly fire.

Once again, we were aiming for his wings, one of us distracting him while the other damaged them again and just like we had been doing for these past four minutes.

***

[Varkain’s POV]

[A few minutes earlier]

"Just what are you going accomplish aiming after my wings?!, Varkain asked between blows, truly curious.

Of course, he ignored the brat’s reply that said, "Your wings look too ugly, so we want to trim them!"

’Do they want to restrict me the ground? But their attempt is too obvious, maybe they want me to think that and fly high?’, Varkain thought, ’But the brat isn’t shy about fighting me in the air either. He won’t do that if that was his goal.’, Varkain kept pondering as he fought, pushing back the brat before grabbing into thin air.

Or what was supposed to be thin air, but on that exact spot, the Abyssal Wraith appeared.

Grabbing the ghostly knight’s helmet, Varkain tried crushing, it but a series of well placed arrows on his wrist prevented him from doing so.

"You’re getting predictable!", Varkain exclaimed, deflecting Ray’s sword without even turning, once again the sword was aimed at his wings.

Flying in the air, the demon kept wondering, ’What is trying?’, before spotting it.

A shiny orange orb hidden in the soil, ’That’s the Goliath’s core. Is the brat trying to do the same trick again?!’, the demon thought, before the ’brat’ slammed his sword on him from above.

During the barrage of the attacks that followed, the demon noticed it again, the orb was shining brighter.

Especially, after that damned drone fired those annoyingly fast mundane shots of his.

Then came the brat, fighting on grit alone that made the demon like him more and more with each passing second.

Yes, the brat was foul mouthed but his personality just ticked all of the Varkain’s boxes. The demon huffed, but didn’t lose the sight of the battle, noticing right away as the orb finally shone with the glow of a star while the brat yelled, "Restrain him!"

Unfortunately for him, the demon had already planned this through.

Now that he knew the brat’s plan, he didn’t need to limit his flight height.

Still, not underestimating Ray, he used a spell he hid till now, turning into a shadow of darkness that flew so fast that as soon as the beam was fired, he was already out of its range, flying kilometers high in air.

’Of course, the brat pursed me.’, the demon smiled, looking at the Ray’s blade that shone with six colors, ’And his new spell seems quite powerful as well. But it’s not enough. Still there is no need to take it. And the higher we go the better it is for me.’

Both the tin can and the elf girl wouldn’t be able to keep firing with such timing and precision at this distance.

Ignoring the brat who shouted, "Take this if really don’t fear death!", the demon flew even higher, dodging the net made of elements that the brat probably prepared to pin him down.

"You! Don’t keep running face me!"

Somehow, Varkain liked the Ray’s expression more and more, that pissed but determined expression really tickled his heart.

"Stop!", he growled cutely again, glaring as the demon didn’t.

Just as the demon was going to state some terms in exchange for sparing his life, the brat stopped mid air, "Phew, all that acting was really tough, but I nailed it, didn’t I Amy?"

"I must say, you exceeded my expectations this time, Young Master.", the demon heard from behind, before he could turn though, his head rolled.