Apocalypse Unbound

Last Option

Grey glanced at the new threat, and his expression turned serious. His heartbeat raced so fast that he thought it might explode.

Something stirred within him—he didn’t know what it was, but it filled him with adrenaline.

The monsters he had faced before, though challenging, were boring with predictable attacks.

The only advantage they had: their numbers.

But this... this beast was the real deal.

If he could compare it to anything, it would be the same chill he felt when he first faced the [Juggernaut zombie].

But there was a difference now: Unlike before, he was less hesitant and much stronger.

From the brief confrontation, it was obvious that the sabretooth's agility was higher than his, meaning he would be at a massive disadvantage in close combat.

This made him think he would fare better with his sword.

He glanced at it and saw it lodged in the skull of a dead sabretooth.

He knew he had to get it before the sabretooth made a move. But would he be fast enough to retrieve it before [Duskfang] attacked?

Grey returned his gaze to [Duskfang] and saw it watching him, its intelligent eyes telling him the beast knew what he had planned.

So Grey wasted no time.

He used [Quickstep], reaching his weapon in a flash, but [Duskfang] had also arrived.

Grey skin tingled in discomfort, confused as to whether [Duskfang] had a movement skill as well.

Not that it mattered—the sabretooth’s deadly claws were about to decapitate him.

Grey weaved, stretched his arm toward the sabretooth’s side, and channeled his energy into a blinding lightning bolt.

Ding!  

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[You have unlocked Arc Flash]  

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Grey would have been elated by the new skill if it had struck its target.

[Duskfang] evaded the attack, which gave Grey enough time to dislodge his weapon and parry the sabretooth's next strike. The force of the impact pushing the two of them apart.

They circled each other, eyes locked in a silent battle, each assessing the other's strengths and weaknesses.

Just as Grey was unaware of the beast's full strength, [Duskfang] was unaware of his. But one thing Grey knew was that he wasn’t winning without a power boost.

“[Lightning Enhancement],” he called, and electricity coursed through him, invigorating his entire body.

[Duskfang] attacked undeterred, and Grey moved in time to block the beast's assault. But the force was still enough to shove him backward despite the boost.

[Duskfang] attacked again, not giving Grey any breathing space, continuing to unleash a barrage of strikes that kept Grey on the defense.

This frustrated Grey, who thought his enhancement would make a difference, but it didn’t.

It was as if [Duskfang] had increased its strength upon noticing Grey’s power-up, meaning he was being toyed with. "Tsk."

Grey leaped away multiple times to create distance between him and [Duskfang] so he could catch his breath from the overwhelming flurry of attacks.

But strangely, [Duskfang] didn’t follow, and that’s when Grey realized he had made a huge mistake.

[Duskfang] used its special skill called [Abyss Orb] and a swirling sphere of purple energy appeared over it's head, which made Grey frown. 

The powerful bolt of energy was released, moving with an ominous hum at high velocity toward Grey, who could barely react. The orb slammed into his chest with an explosion, shooting him toward the wall. His body landed with a loud crash.

“Aaack!” Grey coughed out blood, his entire body groaning in pain from the impact.

He hadn’t anticipated that [Duskfang] could have a long-range attack.

He barely reacted by using [Iron Carapace], but [Abyss Orb] had broken through his defense, scorching his skin.

Grey got up, groaning, and as he glanced at [Duskfang], he saw two visages of the beast.

At first, he thought he was seeing an illusion since he had hit his head in the crash, but then the two attacked simultaneously.

Grey was able to block one but not the other and paid with his blood.

‘Note to self: the mirage is real.’

They looked almost the same, but Grey could tell the real one from the fake by their aura—one was more potent than the other.

"Shit!" Grey cursed, using [Quickstep] to flee from the attacks now raining on him from two sides.

The moment he stopped to attack the clone, the original released [Abyss Orb], forcing him to evade. And when he dodged the attack, he left an opening for the clone to tear into his body.

[Iron Carapace] was relied on in this unfavorable situation, but even the defensive skill wasn’t strong enough to tank [Duskfang]’s razor-sharp claws. Clone, or no clone.

Grey, having had enough, decided to fight the beasts instead of running.

He activated [Iron Carapace] and drew close to the fake [Duskfang], which retaliated by slashing, but the defensive skill enabled him to ignore the slashes to some extent.

Grey gritted his teeth as he saw an incoming [Abyss Orb], but instead of running, he wrapped his arms around the fake [Duskfang] and used its body as a shield to receive the incoming attack.

The energy beam exploded into the fake [Duskfang], and it grunted in agony.

Grey then charged at the original [Duskfang], still using the fake as a shield to absorb any attack the original might throw at him.

But Grey had underestimated [Duskfang] intelligence.

The original [Duskfang] decided to summon a massive [Abyss Orb], bigger than the usual one, and released it unto the pair, not minding if it damaged its clone.

Grey’s vision, slightly obscured by his meat shield, didn’t allow him to see the massive energy ball until it was too late.

Boom!

The massive [Abyss Orb] detonated on impact, unleashing a violent explosion.

The clone's body was instantly torn apart, its body sent into a flurry of scattered pieces. At the same moment, Grey was hurled backward, his body enveloped in searing heat from the explosion.

He crashed hard onto the ground, the impact reverberating through his entire body.

Despite the clone taking the brunt of the explosion, Grey hadn't been spared.

He grunted in pain as waves of agony surged through him, every muscle throbbing from the blast's devastating force.

His skin was scorched, and his clothes were torn. Grey feeling defeated.

"This isn’t working," Grey muttered to himself as he forced himself to rise. His opponent was just too strong.

He turned toward Apollo, who grinned at him as if mocking, which caused Grey to clench his teeth.

[Duskfang] was still unscathed while he was battered and bloodied. The beast having all the advantages.

‘So are you going to give up?’ Grey heard a voice in the back of his head. An ego he hadn’t realized he had, speaking.

‘Give up?’ Grey considered the question, but the answer came quickly. “Like hell.”

Strangely, the thought of losing scared him more than the thought of dying.

Though bizarre, Grey found he strongly agreed with it.

Besides, he couldn’t ignore the burning feeling in his chest.

It felt like anticipation like something within him wanted out.

Grey wanted to find out what that was, but he wasn’t going to discover it by giving up.

So he made a decision: Risk it all and go all out.

He caught his breath, his eyes narrowing with resolve.

And in a low, gravelly voice that barely masked the fury bubbling within, he uttered the words he had been saving for moments like this—his last resort:

“[Berserk].”