Vivian slid back, her heels creating furrows that packed dirt and grass alike. Her figure was bloodied; visible wounds that still seemed fresh plagued her fair skin. The blade of the rapier in her hand dripped with fresh, dark blood.
One Eye, who stood at a distance, was in a similar but worse condition. His bloodied figure had remained the same, but the defiled blood of beasts that had drenched his physique was now clearly mixed with fresh flows of crimson. He staggered slightly, his body drained of every ounce of energy he had left, solely functioning on adrenaline that was running out fast.
The wounds had piled to such an extent that they couldn't be ignored. And he was reaching his limits.
Both fighters were bloodied, their mana reserves had long hit a critical point, and exhaustion—exhaustion sounded like an understatement for how they currently felt. Their minds screamed for rest and their bodies ached from fatigue, and yet they still stood.
Bloodied, but not broken.
Their opponent stood in a far sorrier state; its purple coat could be mistaken for black with the amount of blood that had flowed through it. One of its four arms hung limp with a broad blade embedded in its shoulder, and a fresh scar ran across its left eye. The beast, just like them, was tired. Never had it met two humans that had been this determined to kill it.
One of them moved like a ghost, flanking its blind spots with deadly precision. Each strike aimed for a vital point.
While the other bulldozed through the chaos like a blazing storm that refused to be subdued; the human had gotten up more times than its mind could register him dead.
Currently, they stood at a stalemate. Its body was too battered to move and its bestial pride was too large to turn tail and flee. Turning its back meant creating an opening for an easy kill; it would see this to its end.
Plus, the predatory gaze it sensed from the humans said it all: no one was leaving until one party was dead.
A low growl rumbled in its chest—deep but strained, like it had accepted the inevitable but wasn't willing to go down without a fight. One of its arms moved towards the blade that had been etched into its shoulder. It gripped it tight and, in one swift motion, pulled it out.
A sharp roar tore through its throat, dark blood flowing from the open wound. It threw the blade to the side, its breath ragged and strained.
One Eye and Vivian took a short glance at each other. The calm in her eyes was still present, but he knew that behind them was a well of fatigue. The stubborn smile that had plagued his face for so long could barely be kept, now looking forced and crooked.
This was going to be their last stand.
They bolted forward, their speed lacking in comparison to what it once was. The ape-like beast moved in response, its three massive arms pummeling the earth.
One Eye darted to its left; two heavy arms mid-swing with enough force to completely damage the rest of his ribcage headed towards him. He slid underneath them both, finally reaching his desired location as he retrieved his broadsword and swung its blade towards the beast's legs.
The beast sensed the danger, but by then Vivian had already kicked off the ground, rapier in hand, aiming for its good eye. One of its arms attempted to intercept her mid-air, but she kicked off its shoulder, propelling her body back at the last moment.
A roar erupted from its throat as cold metal bit into its flesh once more. One Eye's blade had cleaved halfway into its heel; he knew it couldn't go any further as the beast's furry coat grew resistant.
Abandoning the weapon, he moved. The beast's aggression was clearly directed at him at the moment, and currently, he was within arm's reach. Two bulky arms shot towards him faster than he had expected.
He braced for impact, but the punch never came. Rather, a bone-crushing grip seized his body and brought him closer. The beast placed one of its arms on his shoulder and held the other by the wrist.
One Eye, realizing its intentions, sent a fist towards its head in a desperate attempt. Blow after blow was sent pummeling onto the beast's face; each came more frantic than the last.
Vivian was already in motion, bolting towards it for an attack.
But the beast didn't pay her any attention; its focus was solely on the human it had caught in its grasp. Its face was painted in blood, mercilessly tanking blow after blow. But it didn't let go.
A small, bloodied grin split across its face—the same motion he had seen the human do countless times throughout their battle. In that split second it grinned, its massive arm drew back.
An unfiltered, agonized scream tore through the space between them. Vivian, who was inches away from the beast, felt the pain behind it wash over her. Crimson droplets flayed in the air like a fountain.
One Eye dropped to the ground, a stump in place for where an arm had been mere moments ago. His other hand moved towards the stump to apply pressure and stop the bleeding.