Numbers x Casket-Chapter 13: Monarch’s Relic

Two humans dancing with a giant beast near the lakeshore. Their blades hummed and created a splash as they cut the water bullets coming after them.

"Damn it!" Efraim cursed, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

The monster's tail hit him in the abdomen and sent him tumbling to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Captain Zed yelled as soon as he leaped backward.

Efraim stood up and wiped the blood on the corner of his lips.

"I can't even come near its head," he said while staring at the lindworm.

"If I can give you an opening, can you kill it?" The old man replied with a question as he caught his breath.

Efraim glanced at Lindsay for a second, and upon seeing her still tending to Enrick's wounds, he diverted his gaze back to the monster.

"I don't know if I can take it down in one go, but it's better to try than die doing nothing," he answered.

"Great! Wait for my signal!" Captain Zed nodded.

Then he raised his weapon and charged towards the lindworm. While battling it for a little while, he already knew its pattern. It used water bullets as its primary source of attack while the water curtain and its enormous tail acted as its defense mechanism.

With a single sword slash, he sent a wave of energy, aiming at the lindworm's neck, and like what he expected, the monster didn't evade; it just summoned a thick curtain of water to block the incoming projectile.

Upon seeing this, the old man sprinted and proceeded towards the creature's tail. Blood flowed on its scales as he struck it with his sword. Then, he wrapped his hands around it and yelled.

"Now! Kill it!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

With both of his hands holding the blades in a reverse grip, Efraim lunged forward, leaving a gust of wind behind. He sliced the monster's neck, but the scales on that part were so dense that his black blade shattered into fragments.

"What the!" Efraim exclaimed.

Afterward, the monster leaned back, repositioning itself to counterattack. It opened its mouth and snapped at the appraiser, but Efraim managed to dodge at the last second.

He tumbled above and let his body reach the stalactites. With the help of gravity, he pushed himself, plunging downwards, the glass blade pointing at one of the creature's eyes.

However, despite his efforts, his attack still failed; the lindworm slightly moved its head sideways, causing him to strike nothing but water.

The next second, the monster swung its giant tail, sending the two people flying away. Their bodies slammed into the cave walls before falling on the ground.

Efraim coughed up a mouthful of blood while he felt his back numb due to pain. As soon as he opened his eyes, a water blast moving towards their direction came into his sight.

"Shit!" he uttered.

He raised his arm in front of his face and gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the impact, but the blast didn't come as a four-headed golem emerged in front of them and deployed a multi-layer barrier to block the attack.

Efraim glanced at Lindsay and saw her smiling at him.

'How I wish I could still smile at this situation,' he thought.

Then, he stood up and grabbed the unconscious old man. He went towards Lindsay and laid down Captain Zed next to the assassin.

"Any plans?" Lindsay asked, still smiling.

Efraim checked the glass blade and pointed it at the monster before replying.

"Take it down and use its scales to forge a sword," he answered.

A soft laugh escaped from Lindsay's lips upon hearing the appraiser's response.

"Sounds good to me," she replied, still giggling.

Afterward, she raised her hand, and a magic circle appeared above the lindworm.

"Hundreds of sparks, illuminate thy dark, incinerate!" Lindsay chanted, and lightning bolts plummeted at the monster. It let out a loud shriek as it got electrified. Being drenched in lake water amplified the spell several times.

"Even lightning can't breach its scales. What would you do now?" Lindsay asked, her eyes staring at the creature.

"Should I end it with lost magic?" she added, but Efraim disagreed.

He shook his head and stepped forward.

"Just assist me from this distance," he imparted with a strong resolve.

Upon hearing this, Lindsay couldn't help but smile. After all, using lost magic drained all of her energy, and each attempt at casting a spell shortened the mage's lifespan.

'Does he know about it?' she thought.

But contrary to her expectations, Efraim had no idea about it; he just wanted to kill the lindworm with his own hands.

Without hesitation, Efraim sprinted, but this time, he didn't charge straight at the monster; instead, he circled around it. Focusing some of his energy on the soles of his feet to stand at the top of the water.

Several afterimages were created as he reached his top speed. However, the creature didn't bother to follow him with its sight; it just stood there, waiting for what was to come.

The next second, Efraim began his assault; he attacked the lindworm at every angle possible, leaving surface-level cuts on its scales.

'Too shallow,' the appraiser thought, contemplating his next move.

The monster's claws stomped on the water, and torrents began to appear around it.

"Watch out!" Lindsay shouted, alerting her friend.

Efraim was forced to retreat; he leaped back while catching his breath.

"I'm too weak!" he murmured to himself.

Then he glanced at his chest; there were two strings circling around his heart. One of them had a bluish color, while the other had a dull gray hue.

'If not for this constraint, that thing would be slices of fine meat by now,' he said inside his mind.

After that, he closed his eyes for a second and exhaled a deep breath. Then, he sheathed his sword and folded the sleeves of his clothes all the way up to his elbow.

Once again, he ran towards the monster's direction while evading the water projectiles coming straight to his body. Upon reaching several meters away from the monster, he clenched his right fist and coated it with energy.

Then, he saw its tail coming at him, but he ignored it as he noticed a magic circle glowing underneath. Soon, the water turned into ice, and the tail was caught inside; though it couldn't tie it down, it was enough for the monster to miss its timing.

Efraim leaped above; the monster was looking at him with its mouth wide open. Then, he glanced at Lindsay and nodded.

Several seconds before he entered the lindworm's mouth, a magic circle appeared underneath him, and as soon as it glowed, he vanished, causing the monster to bite nothing but air.

Then, the same magic circle materialized above the creature where Efraim reappeared in an instant.

"If it cannot be cut, pulverize it into dust," he blurted out.

With all his might, he slammed his fist at the top of the monster's head. It caused a loud bang, enough to put the lindworm down.

The whole place trembled while ice crystals scattered as the frozen lake shattered the moment the creature's body fell downward.

Efraim landed at the top of the lindworm, his hand shaking and bleeding due to the attack. He looked at the part where his punch landed; the scales on it were now broken, and blood was seeping on its cracks.

However, despite this damage, the lindworm still tried to stand; it wiggled its body, shaking the equator above its head. Efraim clenched his fist once more, ignoring the pain from the torn tendons.

Several consecutive blasts reverberated in the cave. Efraim stood up, catching his breath during the process. His right fist was soaked in blood while the lindworm's head was burst open.

It lay flat on the lake, not showing any sign of movement.

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"Efraim! You did it!" Lindsay yelled from a distance, a wide smile painted on her face.

The appraiser looked at her; if not for the teleportation spell she cast at the very last second, he would be dead by now.

"Than—" Efraim was about to express his gratitude when the water splashed behind him all of a sudden, and something dragged him underneath the lake.

His clothes were tattered, and a large bite mark could be seen on his chest. Blood spilled onto the water, coming from the missing right arm all the way to his shoulder.

Then, a serpentine-like creature circled around him.

'So, there are two of them,' Efraim thought as he sunk deeper.

With the lack of oxygen underneath the lake, the appraiser gasped for air; he wanted to paddle above, but he was too tired to move his legs.

'Dying for a second time, what a pathetic fool,' he pitied himself.

He then reached the ground in no time, and the back of his head bumped into a rock covered with a thick layer of soil.

Afterward, that small stone emitted light, and the mud around it melted, revealing an orb glowing in a black hue. Then it shattered into tiny particles and was soon sucked by the casket.

'A monarch's relic was absorbed. A portion of the Ironclad Brawler's abilities has been granted access,' a voice rang next to him.

. . . . .