Chapter 124 - Rock Bottom

It seemed escaping the beast's malicious embrace sent him into a rage beyond the state he already existed in, veins bulging against his skin all across his body as his eyes seemed as if they were going to pop right out of his head from the raw anger he sank himself into. The augury of pain he unleashed from his throat shook the grimy palace to its core.

"Any chance we can resolve this peacefully…?"

Watching the beast emit steam from its pores from the raw heat it produced within its body, Ren felt a reluctance in himself to meet it in battle.

As the time came to clash once more, the minotaur moved with a dexterity that rivaled his own, swinging its fists rapidly with enough strength to shatter steel behind each thrown fist.

Being forced to such close proximity to the beast, the heat radiating from its skin felt as if he was standing in front of an open oven, working up a sweat within moments. Dodging frequently caused the pain in his side to sharpen, praying that his broken rib didn't pierce anything within him, twisting around to avoid the incoming flurry of fists.

Counterattacking was an opportunity given sparsely due to the rapidity of the attacks launched at him, forcing him to dodge, awarding him with only enough time to launch half-baked swings that barely nicked the minotaur's incredibly sturdy hide.

--I'll win. I have to. If I lost now--I don't know what would happen to my spirit the next time I come back. I'm running on fumes right now, all of this strength bringing me forward, all of this boisterous energy fueling me--it's my all-or-nothing assault. I'll win and find you, Iris!

Swinging his body around one of the incoming fists, Ren landed his foot atop the minotaur's hulking bridge of an appendage, striking down upon its head--swiftly departing its horn from the side of Asterius' head like a fountain of dark scarlet poured out.

For a moment, he had forgotten the beast's negligence to succumb to pain as it retaliated with a backhand landing directly against the young man's chin. The strike left all of his motor functions in reverse, as well as the world before him--what was up was now down, left was right. Having to divert all of his focus to maintain his balance, another impact collided against his sternum, blasting him backward against the solid wall behind him.

Somehow, two wrongs made a right as the impact brought his senses back into order--just in time to witness the minotaur bathed in its own blood stomp towards him with steam pouring out from its mutilated nose.

--I don't have enough time for great magic...I need somehow to halt it, something to give me some time to regain myself!

Pointing his hand towards the incoming beast, Ren muttered out the incarnation of choice as blood seeped down from his scalp onto his facial features, "Dunkel: Piercer…"

Before it landed against the minotaur's hide, it caught the spear of darkness with its bare hand, releasing a bellowing set of breaths that mimicked deep laughter.

"...Dumbass, you fell for it. Araphel: Detonation!"

Clenching his extended fist, he commanded the launched spear to dissolve into a volatile mass of dark energy, releasing its form into an explosion of bright, violet energy directly against Asterius. A cloud of dust filled the area of impact, obscuring the result of the blast.

"A dust cloud...If that isn't a red flag, then I don't know what is…"

--I'm all out of juice, I don't even have enough for reinforcement anymore. This is it, I've either won or I'm about to die.

Fears of his had been confirmed at the dust settled to reveal Asterius still standing like the bulwark he was, barring only superficial cuts on his skin and patches of fur missing from his body. Ren stepped forward, now slick with his own blood as he had nothing in his arsenal besides his natural strength and blade in hand.

As his own reservoirs of crimson life traveled down his body, his fingers were coated in its sticky essence, forcing him to grip Belus tightly with a resolve to never let go.

--If I'm going to die, I'm not going out like a powerless child again. I'll die fighting.

Stopping for a moment as the minotaur slowly approached, he looked at his sword with his groggy vision as it spun in his sight, returning it to its scabbard.

--No point in using it right now. Without reinforcement...It'd just shatter against him.

It was that same feeling all over again, driven by nothing grand or out of his scope, moving forward solely because that was his only choice. It was the principal lesson drilled into during his time in this world--to fight.

As Asterius pulled his unrefined club back to prepare for a devastating hook, Ren dropped his stance low, nearly falling over as he dodged the strike. Just the air pressure alone attempted to push him down against the stone, yet he stood himself back up. Feeling his heartbeat in his ears, everything was numb across his body.

--A straight-forward. Just like you taught me, Brahmi.

Ren sent his fist forward against Asterius' blood-soaked abdomen, hitting a wall that budged not a single inch. Brought within close enough distance to feel its breath, Ren took notice of the wounds he inflicted on the beast--or rather, the lack thereof now.

--Ah...So he's already healed. That's no good.

He could feel the change in air pressure as the minotaur reared his fist back to throw another punch down towards the young man only standing a fraction of his height. Only a few moments were spent standing in that spot, yet enough blood from both the boy and the beast had formed a slick puddle beneath. As Ren attempted to groggily pivot around the incoming attack, he rolled his ankle, inhaling sharply as he raised his guard.

--There's no avoiding this one. Bite down and prepare yourself, Ren.

Listening to his own advice, he bit down on his lip until it tore open and bled, being met with a world-shaking impact against his already battered side. Experiencing such force without reinforcement was an eye-opening experience, feeling as if the impact had completely reset his bodily functions, forcing a fountain of burning crimson to spew from his mouth.

Something in his body had been destroyed, or a lot of somethings from what he felt, the inside of his mouth was completely coated in exiled blood. The bitter taste was something he had grown accustomed to in his time here, yet as much as he adjusted to the taste, the bleak feeling that came with it never was mitigated.

Even as his consciousness began to flicker from the repeated blunt attacks thrown against his flesh-bound shell, the adrenaline coursing through his veins kept the pain from seizing his bodily functions.

--Why...

It was that feeling again.

--Even after all of this time, I'm powerless.

Running his hands against the cold, bitter ground that became painted in his spilled blood, it was the only outlet for his question. Watching it drip from his battered and shattered head, the puddle of crimson showed the man looking down at it.

The sight of his own bruised and broken face made him want to puke, his nose had been relentlessly battered to the point it became nothing but a heap of crimson, held together by tattered skin and fractured bones.

Each impact of the minotaur's hoof meeting the ground below sent ripples through the reflective puddle of red.

--That's right. This is how it's always been. After all my efforts, I'm as weak as ever. I was delusional to think anything had changed. It's a different world but I'm the same Ren. The same kid who couldn't even get through high school, now challenging a trial befit for only the strongest of wills, who was I kidding by coming here? Was it to prove something to them? To myself? Either way, I'm going to die here.

Whether it was from his head being battered too hard or his life flashing before his eyes, he saw her in that crimson reflection of his own lively essence. Even in the ocean of discarded life, her pearly blues held such kind radiance.

--No. Not yet. Not until I find her. Stand up, Ren. You can do that much.

--So blurry…

His own fists held out in front of him looked like nothing more than a pair of pale clouds, swaying side to side as nausea set in. All he could see approaching was a mass of black becoming larger and larger until his entire vision became engulfed in that sight--and then, pure darkness was all he was left in.

--Ah, I died again, didn't I?