Chapter 254: Triple Cross Attack against the Calamity
"-50! -50! -50!" and of course, he was still taking damage over time, blood pouring from his mouth as it had been around two minutes since the shadow tendrils immobilized him.
…
[Skill: Shadow Bind (MYTHICAL)]
[Description:] With a flick of his wrist, Reaper can summon tendrils of darkness from the ground, wrapping around the opponent\'s body.
This ability ensnares its victim, immobilizing them momentarily as the shadows constrict tight, making escape nearly impossible.
In addition to that, the tendrils stop any skill equal to or beyond legendary to be used as it absorbs them, and note that if a skill is absorbed, then it will be put on cooldown as if it was actually used.
…
A mythical skill that stops any skill that is legendary or beyond it to be used when the person was restrained.
"…"
"-50! -100! -100!" and the damage he was taking increased more and more.
"…"
"I can sense that your life force is weakening, it was fun while it lasted human, thank you for getting rid of the other," Reaper laughed, still invisible.
And yet…
"=)" Stark smiled: he had figured out a way to escape, "CRIMSON BALL TRANSMISSION!"
Without wasting time, Stark summoned the small crimson ball in his right hand, which was actually not restrained by the tendrils as Reaper didn\'t bother to do that, believing there was no chance the human could escape.
After all, for him, only a [Legendary], [Mythical] or above skill could allow someone to escape [Shadow Bind], anything below that was worthless to him, at least this is what he believed, and it had always worked, so why even worry?
And yet… it was his biggest mistake.
With a swift motion, using all of his momentum and willpower as his HP were decreasing so much he was on the verge of collapsing, Stark threw the crimson ball upward.
~FWISH~
The crimson ball floated just before Reaper\'s skeletal face, its glow illuminating the dark space around them. Stark\'s heart raced as he felt the tendrils constricting him tighten further, but he focused on the moment, on the energy thrumming within him.
And so… just as he was about to die from the suffocation and damage he had been dealt with…
He snapped his fingers.
In an instant, he teleported, appearing directly in front of Reaper\'s face as that was where the crimson ball was.
The darkness seemed to shudder as Stark materialized, the crimson ball hovering like a star at the peak of its arc.
"Time\'s up," he growled, unleashing the surge of power coursing through him, "Staring directly at Reaper, who didn\'t even have the time to react because of how fast the human was."
"You…" but even then, his eyes widened, the small dot in his eyes becoming almost invisible, not expecting for a human to be able to see him, "Shit," and he knew that this was bad.
Stark, not wasting a single second of that precious opportunity he had created for himself after acting as if he couldn\'t see Reaper, and also taking all that damage from that mythical skill, immediately decided to attack.
"DOUBLE ASSAULT," his aura exploded outward as soon as he activated the legendary skill, doubling in intensity, radiating with a fierce light.
Reaper\'s hollow eyes widened even more for a fraction of a second as he noticed Stark\'s growing aura, surprise mingling with the darkness, and Stark\'s grin widened.
This was his moment.
"Say goodbye!" he shouted, channeling all of his strength into his next assault.
Of course, Stark could definitely try to punch Reaper repeatedly, but not only was it ineffective, it also didn\'t guarantee that the damage output would be high, and what if the calamity apostle can still use a defensive skill?
No… Stark needed something better.
And so…
"WIELDING CROSS," he summoned the giant crimson cross with its strands of golden/holy aura, raising it above his head.
[3 Cross Strikes Available!]
The air thickened with tension as the cross shimmered, its edges crackling with energy.
"Let\'s see how you handle this!" he shouted, determination surging within him.
And so…
~FWISH~
Stark IMMEDIATELY swung the cross in Reaper\'s direction like a baseball bat, using his ENTIRE strength for that.
It was all or nothing now, either these next attacks succeed, or it was over.
Stark swung the crimson cross with all his might, a blur of red and gold that arced through the air. It collided with Reaper\'s skull face, a sickening thud echoing through the dark arena as the undead actually cheered.
The impact jolted through Stark\'s arms, but the satisfaction of hitting that little arrogant shit fueled him.
The moment the cross made contact, a surge of energy erupted from it, radiating the powerful essence of the [Exorcist].
~BOOOOOOOOM~
"-198372!"
Reaper staggered back, his hollow eyes wide with shock. Pain rippled across his skeletal visage as you could feel the force of the blow resonating through the air.
"You little—" Reaper growled, rage twisting his voice, but before he could counter, Stark pivoted and swung the cross again, this time in the opposite direction.
~FWISH~
"NOT TODAY," the apostle tried to position one of his hands right in front of the cross to stop it from hitting, "UNHOLY CONVERGENCE," he tried to activate one of his other legendary skills, the arm he positioned to block the attack glowing with an incredibly powerful dark aura.
And yet… even that wasn\'t enough.
~BAM, BOOM~
The cross absolutely destroyed the apostle\'s arm, like literally, it completely shattered, then struck Reaper\'s side, close to his shoulder, without losing momentum, sending him sprawling.
Stark seized the opportunity, a wild grin plastered across his face as he reveled in the excitement of winning. The energy crackled around him, an exhilarating rush that pushed him onward.
~BOOOOOM~
"-203485!"
Reaper\'s voice echoed through the arena, tinged with fury and disbelief, "YOU FUCKING LITTLE—"
But Stark didn\'t wait to hear the rest: he had one final strike left, and he was determined to finish this.
He drew back the cross, focusing all his energy into the last blow, and with a roar, he swung downward, aiming for the top of Reaper\'s head.
~FWISH~
The crimson cross descended like a guillotine, the force behind it fueled by Stark\'s rage and determination.
The cross met its target with a deafening crack, and massive fractures erupted across Reaper\'s skull face upon impact.
~BOOOOOOOOMMMMM~
"-257436!"
Reaper staggered, almost falling to his knees.
And Stark felt a surge of triumph as he witnessed the formidable apostle falter, the darkness around him losing its grip.
And yet… the calamity monster didn\'t give up.
[Reaper HP: 90707/750000]
Reaper couldn\'t bleed since he was quite literally a grim reaper, meaning that he wasn\'t alive at all, he was an undead as well.
But, even then, a black liquid was oozing out of his mouth and hollow eyes as he looked down, the liquid splashing onto the ground.
"YOU THINK, THIS, IS, THE END?" but even then, even with all these attacks, even with everything he had done… Reaper immediately stood back up as Stark was still in midair (when attacking with the cross, he wasn\'t falling).
And so…
"FATE\'S JUDGEMENT," he decided to use his second [Mythical] skill, which is also his most powerful one.
"…Try me," yet Stark wasn\'t scared.