Grey Swordplay 2

Wielding the translucent purple leg like a lance, I tested out my new weapon. The conductivity of it wasn’t as strong as the chimera’s weapons but it would be sufficient. It had to be.

Dodging the serrated mandibles that the millipede struck me with, I looked for an opening.

I had to land a clean hit on the wound at the back of its head where I had struck with Gauntlet Form, but it wasn’t easy as it flailed its head like a deranged bull.

Twice had I missed my target, scraping the exterior shell of its head as it dodged just as I was about to attack. Without the help of Regis drawing its attention, it was attentive to my location, rhythmically thumping its legs on the ground to find my location.

How do I get it to stop? I pondered, running circles around it as I absorbed the aether from the crystals lying about.

My mind spun until the memory of when the chimera had first fused together popped into my head. It was able to release this concussive aura that knocked us back that was almost able to knock me unconscious.

It was uncertain if I would be able to replicate its effects but I was running out of time and my options were limited.

Gauging the amount of aether I had left in my core, I figured I could spend about seventy percent on trying to stun it and the rest on landing the attack.

Steeling myself, I yelled out. “Over here!”

Noticing that I had stopped running, the millipede furiously made its way towards me, scrambling through the piles of aether crystals within the huge cavern.

“Please, let this work,” I mumbled as I began releasing the aether from my core. My aura flared purple at the sudden discharge of aether, but I didn’t stop there.

After waiting for the millipede to draw near, I allowed the aether within me to tear through that thin threshold that was my body, unleashing it in a translucent dome of tinged purple.

Immediately, my legs felt heavy from the exertion, but the effects were more than I had hoped for.

Compared to the concussive force that the fused chimera had released, my attack felt more like the manifestation of an aura—similar to Kordri’s King’s Force. Even I wasn’t completely unaffected as I felt the very air grow heavy.

The millipede stiffened from the effects of my attack and slumped down. Tightening my grip around the impromptu weapon in my hand, I rushed forward with the remaining sliver of aether left in me.

Veering right to avoid the millipede’s sluggish attempt in pincering me, I used its own mandibles as a foothold to launch myself high up into the air.

Utilizing the speed of my fall along with the force of my swing, I drove the lance deep into the epicenter of the crater on the back of the aether beast’s head. The satisfying crunch of the millipede’s exoskeleton shattering was followed by the sensation of penetrating flesh.

The giant millipede let out a pained roar, this time more guttural and raw before its body crashed onto the ground.

Taking out a crystal from my pocket and consuming a bit more aether, I struck the back end of the millipede’s leg once more, driving it deeper into the aether beast’s head.

My body felt like lead and my core ached upon depletion. But I felt good—better than I had in a long time.

“Stay down,” I huffed, collapsing on top of the giant beast.