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nThe gods were clearly laughing at me as I felt the woman’s heel crush harder and harder into the back of my skull.

n“I SHOULD LOCK YOUR SOUL UP FOR ALL OF THE ETERNITY! I SHOULD ALLOW THE DEMONS OF HELL TO FEAST ON THIS DREADED SOUL OF YOURS! DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD DEFEAT ME!?”

nMy eyes felt as if they were about to pop out of my head, and the blood that poured from my mouth nearly drowned me until-

nCRACK

n“Nah… but he can beat you….” I bubbled through the pool of blood, and as a flicker of lightning lifted me up, allowing me a chance to breathe, I saw the scarred back of a man who looked bigger than ever.

n“Has she been possessed by a demon or something?” The general asked, the two strands of hair dangling over his face glowing like two rods of concentrated sun.

n“Yeah… it’s a demon, alright,” I muttered before coughing up another pool of blood.

nMy mind was in a fog. A constricting and suffocating fog. It was tight, continuously wrapping around me. It was like a snake, using its long, slender, and powerful body to attempt to squeeze me to death.

nBefore I knew it, I felt my breath escape from my grasp, leaving me to drop limp onto the grass below.

nI attempted to choke out a few words, but all of the air in my body had been squeezed out. Everything hurt… the internal damage done to my organs had ravished my body to the point where I might actually die.

n“Hey, kid, you won’t die on me, right?”

nI couldn’t respond and instead used Influence of Battle to see the battle from above. It was almost as if my soul had ascended into the sky, taking the body of an eagle, allowing me to see the endless sea of grass surrounding the hill we were on.

nThe sight was a peaceful one that was slowly enveloped in an angry red haze. The influence of our battle was affecting not only each other but also the landscape around us.

nCLANG

nThe fight immediately started with the general whipping out a spear that I hadn’t even noticed was there, its red tassel connected to the end of the handle flying like a flag of war.

nCLANG

nThe tip of the spear clashed with the woman’s hand. It had been wrapped in the same ghostly substance that attempted to squeeze me to death, which the general knew to be wary of.

nHe was aware that she had masterful control of it, so he made sure to keep his distance with quick and stretched-out stabs that forced the woman to back up.

nYes, the goddess, who was so powerful that she could have crushed me with just a thought, was getting pushed back by the warrior who looked more relaxed than ever.

nHe was expressionless but wasn’t stressed. He almost seemed to let his spear carry his loose body till the ends of his stabs, where he would finally react and pull the spear back. 𝑶𝚟𝓵xt.𝐂𝑶𝓜

nThese moves were lightning-fast, literally. Sparks of lightning began to shoot from his toned and bulging muscles, light rubbing against each other.

nThese effects sparked a massive boost in speed and power that the general used perfectly in tandem with his stabs.

nBOOOOOOM

nEventually, the strikes had picked up so much electricity that one strike that the goddess didn’t think much of exploded with kinetic energy, sending her flying back and nearly off a large cliff face at the end of the hill.

nAnd despite taking so much damage mentally and physically, she refused to pull out of Wu… a mortal body.

n“GODDAMMIT! I HAVE NO QUALMS WITH YOU! HELP ME SLAUGHTER THAT BOY, AND I WILL REWARD YOU GRACIOUSLY!”

nThe sly woman attempted to make a deal, but her desperate attitude was enough to see through the lie… not that the general would have agreed to it anyway.

n“Uh huh…” The general replied bluntly before taking a massive lunge forward at the retreating woman and flexing all the muscles in his back and right arm.

nZWOOOOM

nWithout even using a skill, electricity followed the lightning strike known as the man’s spear. It had flung right at the woman, and even though she somehow managed to dodge it by just a hair’s width, I could tell she was now beginning to not underestimate this man.

n“My powers may be restricted in this mortal body… but taking care of things like you will be no problem.”

nSuddenly, massive angelic white wings sprouted from Wu’s back, creating a gust of wind so powerful that it shook my vision and sent the general flying backward.

nHis spear, which was nowhere to be seen as he chucked it so hard, was swiftly whipped back into his hand, which he used to stop himself.

nBy slamming the tip of his spear and even part of the handle into the fresh dirt below, he was able to slow down the momentum, allowing him to stop just barely before toppling down the steep hillside.

nCome on… you have to kill her now before she powers up more.

nAnd as if the general had heard me, a lightning bolt struck him from the open sky above. It infiltrated into his skin, muscles, veins, and then blood, pumping it through his body whilst he muttered the name of a skill for the first time since this fight started.

nHis eyes crackling with pure white electricity channeled into his spear. It absorbed it graciously, eating it up like it was the most delicious substance in the world.

nHe felt powered up. He smiled as if he had just grown ten times stronger, faster, and even smarter. He felt nearly unstoppable as the woman across from him summoned a massive lance of light.

nBoth sides looked so equal that my slowing heart tried to beat out of my chest. My nerves were sky-high as everything was riding on this. I wanted to win. I needed to win. I must win.

n“I’ll crush you out of existence itself.”

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