Chapter 89 - 89: « Blue Blood [5] »
Gunnar Volkov stood up. The pressure from the tiger's aura was still there. It pushed against his shoulders. Because of that, his knees made a cracking sound. But Gunnar did not stop. He looked at the tiger. He opened his mouth and laughed.
"Ha... Haha! HAHAHA!"
Blood leaked from his mouth. It coated his teeth. He gripped the handle of The Storm-Biter with both hands. Yellow-black electricity moved from his palms to the metal. The sparks hit the black sludge on the floor. The sludge evaporated.
The tiger watched Gunnar. It tilted its head. It did not understand how a human was standing. The tiger moved. It did not run. It disappeared.
[『Blink: Abyssal Step』 has been activated.]
The tiger appeared in front of Gunnar. It was three times taller than him. It raised a white claw. It swung the claw down toward Gunnar's head.
Gunnar did not dodge. He swung his axe upward.
CLANG—!
The claw hit the blade of the axe. The impact created a shockwave. The stone floor beneath Gunnar's feet turned into dust. Because of the pressure, the other players were pushed further into the ground. Minseok felt the wind of the impact. It was hot.
「Chat: WHAT IS HE DOING??」
「Chat: That's a Tank-Dealer hybrid build?」
「Chat: Look at the mana output. He's burning his life force.」
「Chat: Viking class is crazy. Seriously.」
Gunnar's arms bulged. The electricity on the axe became thicker.
"More! Give me more!" Gunnar shouted.
He pushed the axe. The tiger's claw was pushed back. Because the tiger was surprised, its balance shifted. Gunnar saw this. He stepped forward. He swung the axe in a horizontal arc.
The blade hit the tiger's ribs. The blue fur was tough. It felt like hitting solid steel. But the yellow-black lightning did not care about toughness. It traveled into the tiger's skin. It burned the blue mana inside.
The tiger made a low sound. It used its smoky tail. The tail moved like a whip. It hit Gunnar in the side.
Gunnar flew back. He hit the stone wall. The wall broke. Gunnar fell to the ground. He stood up immediately. He was still laughing. His ribs were broken. Because of that, his chest looked uneven.
The tiger did not wait. It pounced.
Gunnar threw his axe. It was a skill.
[『Weapon Throw: Thunder Clap』!]
The axe spun in the air. It looked like a wheel of lightning. The tiger swiped the axe away with its paw. This was a mistake. When the paw touched the axe, the electricity exploded.
BOOM!
The tiger's front leg was charred. It stumbled.
Gunnar was already running. He did not have his weapon. He jumped onto the tiger's back. He gripped the thick blue fur on the beast's neck. He began to punch the tiger's head with his bare fists. Each punch carried a small amount of lightning.
The tiger roared. It began to shake its body. It slammed its back against the ceiling of the cavern.
Gunnar did not let go. He kept punching. He was laughing into the tiger's ear.
"Is that all? Is this all the Abyss has?"
The tiger grew angry. Its eyes glowed a darker blue. It reached back with its mouth. It was a fast movement. It caught Gunnar's left arm in its teeth.
The tiger bit down.
CRUNCH.
The teeth went through the bone. The tiger pulled its head back. It ripped the arm off from the shoulder.
Gunnar fell from the tiger's back. He hit the floor. His left arm was gone. Blood sprayed out like a fountain. It covered the ground. It covered the tiger's face.
"Gunnar!" Leonhardt screamed. He tried to stand up. He could not. The fear aura was still active.
Minseok watched with his "Gifted Eyes."
「Internal Monologue: He is going to die. No human can survive that. The blood loss alone will kill him in minutes. Why is he still smiling?」
Gunnar looked at his empty shoulder. He looked at the tiger. The tiger was chewing on the arm. It spat the arm out.
Gunnar did not scream. He did not cry. He reached out with his right hand. The axe, which had fallen nearby, flew back to him.
He gripped the heavy double-sided axe with only his right hand. The weapon was made for two hands. It was too heavy for one. Because of that, the tip of the axe touched the ground.
Gunnar pulled it up. His right bicep grew larger. The veins looked like they were about to burst.
"I have one more," Gunnar said. He was panting. His face was pale from blood loss. "That is enough to kill you."
「Chat: HE'S STILL FIGHTING??」
「Chat: Look at his HP bar! It's in the red!」
「Chat: One-handed Viking... this is legendary stuff.」
「Chat: 10,000 gold sponsored! Don't die, Gunnar!」
The tiger lunged again. It was faster now. It realized Gunnar was dangerous.
Gunnar did not use his feet to move. He used a lightning discharge from his boots to propel himself. He slid under the tiger's belly.
He swung the axe upward. Because he only had one hand, the swing was shorter. But it was faster.
The blade cut into the tiger's belly. Blue vapor poured out. The tiger screamed. It turned around and bit at Gunnar's head.
Gunnar leaned back. The teeth missed his nose by an inch. He used the momentum to spin. He swung the axe again.
SLASH.
The axe hit the tiger's nose. It cut the flesh. The tiger was bleeding blue liquid now.
The fight continued for ten minutes. It was a cycle of blood and lightning.
The tiger swiped. Gunnar dodged or blocked with the axe's handle. Gunnar struck. The tiger moved its body to take the hit on its thickest fur.
The other players watched. They were helpless. Sasha Kim tried to raise her rifle. Her hands would not stop shaking. She could not aim.
Kim Jin's clones were all gone. He was watching Gunnar.
「Internal Monologue: This is the difference between a Ranker and a Hero. He is fighting a god with one arm. I am a coward on the floor.」
Gunnar was slowing down. His right arm was covered in small cuts. His vision was becoming blurry. Because of the blood loss, his brain was not getting enough oxygen.
The tiger saw this. It stopped its erratic movements. It gathered all its blue mana into its mouth. A sphere of sapphire energy began to form. It was an ultimate attack.
The air in the cavern began to hum. The pressure increased.
Gunnar planted his feet. He held the axe vertically in front of his chest. He closed his eyes for a second.
"Come on then," Gunnar whispered.
The tiger launched the beam of energy. It was a pillar of blue destruction.
Gunnar did not dodge. He swung the axe directly into the beam.
KABOOM—!!!
The explosion filled the entire cavern with white light. The sound was so loud that the porters' ears began to bleed. The shockwave pushed everyone against the walls.
When the light cleared, the tiger was breathing heavily. Its mouth was smoking.
Gunnar was still there. He was five meters back from his original position. His right hand was charred black. The axe was glowing red from the heat. He was still standing.
He was not laughing now. He was staring at the tiger.
The tiger moved. It realized Gunnar was at his limit. It jumped. It opened its jaws wide. It was going for the final kill. It was going for Gunnar's neck.
Gunnar raised the axe one last time.
Suddenly, the tiger's body stopped in mid-air.
Its neck jerked back. It was a violent movement. It looked like a dog being stopped by a leash.
CLINK.
A sound of metal hitting metal echoed.
A blue mana chain appeared around the tiger's neck. It was glowing brightly. The chain was connected to something in the dark corner of the room.
The tiger struggled. It clawed at the air. It could not move forward. The chain was pulling it back.
A figure emerged from the darkness.
It was a person. The person had long black hair that reached the waist. They wore robe-like clothes that were wide and dark. The clothes were floating as if there was no gravity.
The figure did not walk. It floated. It moved through the air toward the center of the cavern. Its hands were tucked behind its back. Its face was calm.
The figure floated higher and higher. It stopped ten feet above the players. It looked down at everyone.
The tiger, the beast that had demolished the elite team and defeated the Rankers, was now whimpering. It sat on its haunches. It looked like a frightened cat. The chain tightened around its neck.
The figure looked at Gunnar. Then it looked at the dead porters.
The pressure of the fear aura disappeared instantly. The players could breathe again. They looked up at the floating person.
The figure opened its mouth. Its voice was soft. It sounded like a melody, but it felt cold.
"Now now... we don't want to kill everyone... do we?"