The beast's road tore through the air like thunder. Obsidian skin cracked with molten light, it's towering frame shaking the ground with every step. Crimson eyes locked on Dream as it charged, burning with primal fury.
The ground split as the ape lunged. Dream's reflexes flared, rolling to the side just as a massive fist crushed the earth where he stood. Stone shattered. Dust burst into the air.
Dream countered, his blade slashed across one glowing vein along the beast's forearm. Sparks erupted, a line of molten blood hissing into the dirt.
The beast howled. Its other arm came swinging like a falling mountain.
Dream had no choice. "Wall!"
A translucent barrier shot up, gleaming under the crimson light. The ape's strike smashed into it, the wall splintered, cracked, then shattered into glistering shards. The force threw Dream backward, his chest slamming against the ground.
Blood sprayed from his lips. His HP bar nosedived.
[-170 HP]
"Damn it..." He coughed, pushing himself up. His arms trembled, his ribs burned. His body was reaching it's breaking point.
The beast advanced, slow and deliberate this time, crimson eyes watching him like a prey that couldn't run anymore.
Dream's vision swarm. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. He could feel it. The void stirring, the same force that had taken him before, whispers promises of power if he just let go. His eyes burned, th edges his vision tinged with red.
The void wanted him to go berserk again
...
The longer the fight went on the more bloodied he got, he di land some hit here and there but wasn't nearly enough to bring this beast down. His HP and void energy where also depleting at a very fast rate as he constantly took damage and defended with his glass wall.
However all hope was not lost, because he had noticed something as they fought. Whenever he attacked the beast would always guard its chest, neglecting the rest of its body. Almost as if that was it's vital point. It was only a theory, but was one worth testing.
The beats roared again, charging. Dream dodged left, rolling just under its massive legs. His sword sliced, tearing open another glowing crack across its thigh. The monster staggered but retaliated instantly, backhanding him again with a strike that nearly tore his head off.
[ -200 HP]
Dream flew through the air, slammed into a jagged boulder, and collapsed in the dirt.
HP: 12%
His body screamed to give in. His mind screamed to fight.
He pushed himself up with trembling arms. His breath came ragged, sweat and blood mixing on his. "I'm no dying here..."
The ape raised both arms high, molten veins glowing white-hot. A finishing blow.
Dream summoned another wall- the last one he had strength for.
He didn't place it to block, but to angle.
The fists crashed down. The wall exploded instantly, redirecting the strike just enough for the ape to stumble forward, chest exposed for a heartbeat.
Dream roared. He surged forward, every ounce of stamina, strength, and desperation pouring into one final strike. The golden sword pierced deep into the glowing vein in its chest. The light flared violently, burning his hands, searing his skin.
The beast shrieked, staggering, molten blood erupting around the blade.
[-50 HP]
It tried to crush him with its arms, but Dream twisted the sword and drove it deeper, screaming through the blood and fire. But as he went on his HP kept dropping .
[-40 HP]
[-60 HP]
[ -50 HP]
....
[ Host HP is about to drop below 2%]
[ Void Berserk will soon be activated]
Until.....
Crack.
The core inside shattered. The beast froze, crimson eyes flickering then collapsed with an earth-shaking crash that silenced the space.
Dream stood over it, chest heaving, vision tunneling, his HP hovered just above 1%. One more strike, one more second- and he would have fallen into madness.
The void inside him pulsed violently, angry, restless. He almost hasn't held it back.
His sword slipped from his fingers. He dropped to one knee, gasping, bloodied, burned, broken.
The system's voice cut through the silence.
[ Zone - Boss Defeated]
[ +40,000 XP]
[ XP: 45,800/18,000]
[ Level up!]
[ +1 to all stats]
[ XP: 27,800/ 25,000]
[ Level up!]
[ +1 to all stats]
[ Level 14]
[ XP: 2,800/ 30,000]
[ Available stats points: 30]
[ Reward: second fragment of the void core acquired]
[ Bonus: +3 to strength, inventory expansion]
The shard floated infront of him, pulsing faintly with dark energy. But he immediately collapsed fully, sprawled in the dirt, chest still rising and falling. He took a healing and stamina recovery potion from his inventory and immediately gulped them both. Now regaining full consciousness he stared at his reward properly.
"Huh.... 30?" Dream sat up "I should have distributed my stat during the fight... I almost died?!" He said angrily, he thought he had distributed all his stats point not remembering he was saving them for when he needed them the most and now he needed them, he completely forgot he had one. Facepalming himself "I'm such an idiot"
......
Meanwhile at another location the cocoon from earlier now seem to be at more violently as if about to explode but nothing happened.
.....
Looking at the map, the orange zone now turned green. Dream let out a satisfied smile but his expression soon changed.
[ Emergency Quest]
" ....Hmmm?
[ Quest: A king's return- Aid in the revival of the slumbering monarch]
".... Huh?"