Chapter 82: Frighten the Unknown
Even though Adyr had jumped back to absorb most of the impact, the pain in his chest still pulsed sharply and clearly. Aqualith didn’t rely on raw muscle strength, but when mass and movement aligned, the result was force. Simple physics.
That alone made it stronger than the wolf he had fought before, even without relying on the Sense Dull debuff.
But Adyr wasn’t the same either. He had grown. His boosted [Physique] played a part, but what truly mattered was the [Resilience] he had recently prioritized. It gave his body the durability to endure blows like this without breaking.
He wiped the blood from his lips and stepped forward with calm, steady movements.
This time, he slid the blade in his right hand back into the sheath across his back. His fingers moved over the row of throwing knives at his waist. Then he lowered his center of gravity, angled the blade in his left hand forward, and launched himself ahead with precise, controlled force.
Aqualith didn’t hesitate either. It surged toward him, even faster than before, leaving behind a trail of water bubbles and faint rainbow distortions in the air.
The Spark might have had the speed advantage, but Adyr had gear. Just before the clash, he snatched two knives from his belt and threw them at Aqualith, forcing it to dodge. That single action was enough to disrupt its acceleration.
He used the creature’s size against it, stepped in with perfect timing, and drove a powerful kick into its midsection. The strike landed clean. Too big to miss. Too close to defend.
Boom!
Aqualith’s body flew. It crashed into a tree at full speed, shattered the trunk, and came to a grinding stop in a spray of debris.
Its body looked massive, but it wasn’t as heavy as it appeared. By Adyr’s estimate, it weighed no more than a quarter ton. Its skin was also more elastic than expected, which made it oddly well-suited for being kicked like a ball.