-ROAR!
Deeper! Deeper!
I pushed my blade as deep as I could, my teeth stained red with my own blood. I poured Mana Strength Enhancement into my arms, burying the hilt against his back, as deep as possible. And..
Shock!
-Szz! Szz! Zzt!
-Roar!
I shocked him with lightning. I used my newly leveled Mana Control to treat his spinal cord like a copper wire, Sending Lightning through his entire Damn Body. I didn't just release lightning, I channeled it down the blade. I fried his lungs, his brain and the organs that i could reach through his spine and my blade, with my lightning.
I fried him from the inside out.
I poured almost all my mana into it! This is my chance! Perhaps the best chance!
-Roar!
Even if there is a chance that it's not enough, I will gamble! I have to gamble all my Mana into it! What choice do i have?!
For two minutes, the dome was lit by the strobing, blue-white glare of the Electric Shock execution. The Ogre's roars turned into wet, gurgling whimpers. I felt his muscles seize, his organs cooking under the relentless surge of my remaining mana. His Movements, his Desperate escape attempts going Slower and Slower.
-THUD!
Finally, after two minutes of continuous Zapping, the green mountain collapsed. The Ogre fell forward, hitting the floor face-first with a sound like a falling building.
"Ugh... huff.. huff.." I started panting frantically, finally taking a breath of relief after my Conquest.
The adrenaline that had been propping up my shattered ribs finally evaporated, leaving me with the cold, hollow exhaustion of a mana-depleted vessel. I sat there for a moment, my hands still white-knuckled around the hilt of the sword buried in his spine, as his Charred Body stayed laid on the cold ground. The silence of the dome was deafening, broken only by the ragged, wet sound of my own breath.
"huff... huff..."
The air felt like liquid lead in my lungs. I finally let go of the hilt, my fingers cramping into claws as they released the steel. I was still perched atop the Ogre's massive, motionless back, the silence of the dome punctuated only by the heavy thud of my own heart.
Each second felt like a Minutes. But I stayed seated for what felt like five minute while in reality even One minute had not passed.
Finally, I stood up and slid off the mountain of muscle, my boots hitting the cold stone with a dull slap. My legs felt like they were made of flimsy wooden stick.
-rattle...
-groan...
A low, wet sound vibrated from within the Ogre's charred chest. A twitch traveled through his massive, burnt arm.
"..Still not dead, eh?" I scoffed, though my voice was little more than a dry wheeze. I looked down at the blackened, smoking meat of his neck. "Seriously... you're a tough nut to crack, Grigga."
Coincidentally, I only have a little mana left, enough give One last Swing of Zes. So, I poured all my remaining miniscule mana into my sword and activated Zes on my blade one last time..
-Grrr...
"Sorry, ugly bro," I whispered, my eyes cold. "But, One of us have to die, You know.."
But.. at least, the dungeon will revive you again, once you die. But I don't get a 'respawn' button I don't have that option. So, Isn't my living more justified than Yours?
I swung the blade. It was a slow, heavy arc, but with the Zes concentrated on the edge, it cut through the charred muscle and bone with a final, decisive -Slash.
I cut his neck with one slash, severing his head from his body. There was no more movement left for this body.
The head rolled away, and the last of the Ogre's mana began to dissipate. The massive body didn't Disappear in one Go, it began to turn into fine, grey dust, drifting into the air like the remains of a burnt-out star.
[ABSORBING MASSIVE MANA...]
The system Window popped up, as if to Notify me that This time, This is Truly the End.
Finally, The End.
A strange sensation washed over me. It wasn't the EXP but rather a feeling. I had defeated an opponent that was beyond my reach. A Monster that wasn't meant to be killed by the current me. I Took part in a Life and Death battle and emerged Victorious. I came out on Top. I had hunted a giant...
And Most Importantly... I had survived.
Heh... Never thought killing a living being could give me this much pride and happiness....
I looked at the entrance barrier as it started to flicker and fade. It faded into a shimmering mist and then vanished entirely.
"Heh... finally, it's ov...er..."
My vision is getting blurry, ugh... Used too much mana...
The world suddenly tilted. The blue torches on the walls began to smear into long, weeping streaks of light. My vision blurred into a gray haze, and the strength in my knees simply vanished.
I lost my balance, my body tilting toward the hard stone floor.
"Tyler!"
The scream was distant, as if Vivi were shouting from the bottom of a well. I saw two figures, one massive and one slight, running across the room toward me.
And the last thing i saw was Vivi and Boran running towards me, and the last thing I heard was Vivi's worried voice, calling my name.
****
In a dark room or rather a Dark place, devoid of almost all light, A lone woman was seated. Seated on nothing, as if she is sitting on the air itself, in an elegant pose.
She had bright Forest-Green long hair, Long enough to reach the floor, if there was any. She had Brown eyes and was wearing an elegant flowing dress.
She was looking at what seemed to be Holographic Screen, with all her focus.
She had her chin resting on her palm and her elbow resting on her leg.
"My my, you never disappoint, do you ?" She said with amusement dripping from her voice.
In the Screen, a scene of a certain dungeon was playing.
A black haired boy, not even ten years old, fainted after slaying the dungeon boss and was about to fall when A white-haired woman—Vivi—had caught the small, broken body of a boy in her arm, before he could hit the stone.
The boy was asleep, his face a mask of peaceful exhaustion despite the blood staining his chin.
"That was an impressive show, I can't Deny." she murmured, her voice like the rustle of silk.
-Ripple
Just then, at a little distance from her, there was a ripple in the space. The space a few meters away distorted, a localized tear in the fabric of the void was created.
"Hmm... What a bad timing." she sighed, her expression shifting from amusement to a sharp, needle-like annoyance.
A man stepped through the rift. His hair was the color of fresh arterial spray—a deep, violent crimson that matched the urgency in his gaze.
"You know," the woman said, resting her chin on her palm, with the same annoyed expression "just because I have given you my permission to come to my place, does not mean, you can go come here whenever you want, without even a prior warning. This is not a public Tavern."
"Why did you do it ?" the man demanded. He completely ignored her reprimand, his voice tight with a mixture of fear and fury.