“ Being ‘in the zone,’ or the ‘flow state’… It seems these are the terms modern people use to describe a state of psychological awakening through which one can attain extreme concentration. I believe this promising outcome is exactly that, Master.”
“I don’t care about the details. Call it an awakening, or the blood of my ancestors, or whatever the hell you want—if I can use it to get me through this, I’ll take it. We’re gonna win this fight. I’m gonna beat that prick if it kills me.”
You hear that?
Your hatred is never gonna beat my rage.
I’m seriously pissed off.
I’m a billion times more pissed off than you’ve ever been.
And there’s no way in hell I’m gonna lose to someone like you when I’m so much angrier.
I felt the spiritual power flowing through my body as I boiled and seethed.
I even used the recoil from Fourth Field to further enrage me. I wasn’t going to drop my defenses for anything.
I kept enduring, and enduring, and enduring… I endured until I completely lost track of how long I’d been going. And that was when I began to notice the beast’s power starting to wane.
“Just a little more, Master. You would look quite the fool if you collapsed now.”
“I…know that…,” I responded, almost out of reflex, before digging deep and squeezing out my last ounce of strength.
…I’m not down yet. I can keep going.
I repeated what I knew about the principles of freezing time over and over, almost like auto-suggestion, to try and encourage myself to keep going.
I wasn’t about to let up. I couldn’t let up.
Giving up wasn’t in this tutorial miniboss’s dictionary. I needed to keep my will to win strong without getting arrogant or prideful.
Keraunos’s spiritual power began to falter; the size of the black thunder began to dwindle.
Azure Skies began to dance as thermal blasts shot through the air.
After waiting for their chance, my friends had finally gone back on the offensive.
The Raging Dark wouldn’t last much longer. Keraunos started to lose control of its attack. It was clear the beast was beginning to panic.
What’s the matter, idiot? Can’t even handle your own skill?
I thought you were supposed to be a big, scary miniboss from the true route. If you keep wasting energy like that, all you’re going to do is knock yourself out faster.
Its aim became less steady as the blast began to dissipate.
As the beast realized its vaunted violence wasn’t having any effect, that knowledge began to eat away at its very identity. And so…
“It’s over, Master.”
…the time had come.
The black-lightning beast’s ultimate blast silently eroded into nothing.
“Keraunos’s spiritual power levels have dwindled to critically low levels. The likelihood that this is a ruse is less than one thousandth of a percent.”
“So what you’re saying is…”
“It’s time for you to punish the beast with extreme prejudice.”
I immediately dropped Fourth Field.
In an instant, color returned to the world around me, and I was assaulted by a wave of dizziness, stupefaction, chills, nausea, and exhaustion.
Damn, this is the worst the recoil’s ever been.
Despite the feelings ravaging my body, I pulled the trigger at the center of my shield and transformed Eckesachs once again.
I probably could have lain down on the spot and rested, and it wouldn’t have affected the battle’s outcome. I had Haruka and Szilard on my side, after all. Keraunos didn’t stand a chance against them in its current state.
But there was no way I could do that. That piece of crap had pissed me off, and I wasn’t going to let this battle end without getting in at least one good strike. That was my prize to claim, and I wasn’t going to let anyone else have it.
I’d decided that I’d only kill this loser after utterly destroying its pride.
I’ll kill it. No matter what it takes. I’m going to tear this asshole apart.
It was time to give Keraunos what it deserved.
“CHOKE ON THIS, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING ASSHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLE!”
I stacked multiple Stride and Hasten Time buffs to give myself superhuman speed and bolted across the area with so much fury that I smashed the ground as I went.
I was aiming for the beast’s jugular.
The tenth floor was small enough that I closed the distance faster than you could snap your fingers.
“’Sup, you piece of garbage? I’m here to kill you.” I greeted the beast by slitting its throat. Then I unleashed my Regalia. “Restrain it, Desmoterion.”
The space around Keraunos warped, and black portals opened up. The Dungeon Reaper’s chains of absolute bondage emerged from them and twisted around each of the beast’s limbs. Keraunos could no longer attack, defend, or evade.
This look suits you. You’ve finally been chained up like the dog you are. After years of being a figurative trash bag, how does it feel being reduced to a literal pile of garbage?
“RAAAA…OOOOO…”
Oh yeah? No clue what you’re saying, but…
“Time to die.”
I held Laevateinn in my left hand and Eckesachs in my right.
I used the demonic dagger, capable of slicing open any living matter, to chop and cut my foe and the massive sword to hit it where it hurt over, and over, and over again.
I gouged out its eyes, sliced open its jaw, and pierced its brain.
This was only the spirit’s external manifestation, so I didn’t get to feel the satisfying sensation of tearing through its flesh. But my attacks still had an effect—it writhed around and cried out in agony as I violated it with my blades.
How’s that feel? I get serious when I’m on the hunt for deadbeats. This is a shakedown, asshole. But I’m not here for your money—I’m here for your organs.
“But you’re totally hollow, aren’t you? All function, no substance. C’mon, man. You mean to tell me you’re literally just empty inside? What a snoozefest! You seriously suck ass, you know that?!”
I shoved my blade into the mess that used to be the beast’s face and sliced downward through its body.
I sliced through its trachea, spinal cord, esophagus, lungs, heart, diaphragm, liver, gallbladder, lower abdomen, stomach, intestines, spleen, kidneys, and every other part of its body. But it wasn’t enough.
I needed to teach this old dog a lesson. I needed to strike fear into its very soul to make sure it never wanted to torment Jupiter ever again.
Like they say—“when in Rome…” Actually, I guess that doesn’t really apply here. This is more of an eye-for-an-eye situation.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and for an abuser like you? You get the worst kind of violence imaginable.