Chapter 336 Orcish Fiends, I
Mark's eyelids wavered as steam was produced by the Commander's body.
Only then did he notice his mistake.
The exchanges were depleting his Endurance, Health, and Mana Points.
But what were such exchanges to a beast that fought him and Elisa, the Demon Lord's Pet, and countless Krishrens and other Monsters while crossing the Border?
While Mark's reserves had been decreasing, the Commander's had been recovering.
'Shit-'
As a Berserker, her Strength was incredible. But her Endurance and Vigor were her strongest points. Her stamina was extraordinary. And so was her ability to recover.
Only a Berserker capable of healing and recovering in the midst of battle can jump in headfirst without a care in the world.
"You killed him..." Ani's fist descended on her thigh. Perhaps a way to determine how well she had recovered. "Before I could rid his face of that smugness."
Mark instinctively stepped back.
Had it all been a bluff? A way to buy time and recover?
He didn't think so. But with the way things were going, he couldn't help but feel that way.
'Shit! I have to-'
No time to think. She was about to attack.
No time to heal.
Flames oozed out of the white-scaled Monster's right arm.
Frost was emitted by its left arm.
The time had come to use everything.
No need to heal now, or to think about the Mana Points necessary to heal later.
Death, or victory.
If victorious, Devouring her will allow him to heal, and much more than that.
"I bet he wore that smug face until the end, huh?" The Commander took a step forward.
Mark focused on her, on his vision, and ignored her words.
She launched herself forward.
The hits from his right arm left superficial burn marks on her body.
The hits from his left deposited Frost on her body which quickly hardened.
'Shit!'
'He noticed?'
Flames started oozing out of the left arm in place of the Frost.
Frost and Ice Magic in general were great weapons.
They could damage the enemy but also increase that enemy's Endurance Point Consumption by lowering the muscle's temperature, making them tight and stiff.
But when facing an enemy whose muscles were overheating to the point of producing steam, it could only act as a "Buff" for that enemy.
Had Mark failed to notice that, the fight would have gone completely differently.
With each hit, she cracked his bones.
With each hit, he burned her body.
He suddenly grabbed her wrist with both hands.
Her strength was still enough to free herself. But before she could, the white-scaled Monster opened its mouth.
And with a strident screech,
WIND BLAST-
Held in place by his grip... No. The Magic Skill wouldn't have been enough to move her from the spot she was standing on in the first place.
But the sudden shockwave did leave her temporarily stunned.
His tail circled around to hit her unprotected side.
Unfortunately, keeping her wrist between his hands made him unable to spin his whole body to further increase his tail's velocity.
The Commander freed her hand as soon as the tail landed on her side, as if the hit had freed her from the temporary dizziness.
An uppercut made Mark's feet rise off the ground.
But as he rose into the air,
Wind Blast-
The Magic Skill Activation Point was his ankle.
The Wind blew behind him, but this accelerated his foot manyfold, allowing it to land on the Commander's chin with great speed and strength.
Three seconds later, both fighters stood with a knee against the ground.
The world around them was moving quickly and erratically.
"I bet... He kept that bored expression on his face... Until the end. I bet... He didn't give you the satisfaction... Of begging... Of screaming... For his life..."
Mark focused on stabilizing his breathing.
"I BET HE DIDN'T EVEN CARE! I BET HE SPIT ON YOU WHILE HE DIED! I BET... I BET HE WAS BORED BY THE WHOLE THING! AS HE ALWAYS WAS!" The Commander shouted as she stood back up.
Both fighters raised their knee off the ground.
Both stumbled.
"THAT BORED EXPRESSION HE ALWAYS HAD! EVEN BEFORE WE BECAME FIENDS! I BET! I BET HE REMAINED..."
Mark had decided not to talk.
"TILL THE END I BET..."
He had decided not to answer anymore.
"EVEN IN HIS DEATH HE..."n((0velbIn
He had decided not to. And yet,
"I'm not sure about his death. But..." He clenched his fists and raised them. "He smiled a lot during our fight."
'Huh?'
The white-scaled Monster launched itself forward.
'Lin... Smiled? While fighting?'
Its right fist connected with the Commander's side.
'Lie. No. It's not... No. He lied. Lin wouldn't... He-'
A tail flick landed on the Commander's cheek, making the world spin once more.
A fist hit the Commander's chin, and everything disappeared.
***
No.
There's no way.
Why would Lin smile?
At him? At her?
No.
I tried so hard.
I could never...
I could never...
Even before we became Orcish Fiends.
When we were simple Orcs living in a Random Tribe in Sloth.
The most beautiful female.
The weakest male.
The most beautiful female.
The weakest male.
Abused by all the others.
In different ways, but abused nevertheless.
We suffered so much, for so long.
Then came the Demon Lord. Our Tribe was blessed.
Everything changed with a drop of the Demon Lord's blood.
My body, my muscles, everything.
I wasn't a weak female anymore. I wasn't weak anymore. Female, but stronger than all the others. Stronger than even the males who abused me.
I didn't need to hide anymore. I didn't have to bend. I didn't have to let them have their way anymore. Finally, I could stand in the way instead. I could decide what to do, what not to do. I didn't have to be scared anymore. I didn't have to endure anymore.
I had strength now. And so did Lin.
And with that strength, the first thing I did was wipe out all those who abused me. All those who hurt me.
I made them scream.
I made them cry.
I made them beg, as I tore their limbs and crushed their bones.
Revenge.
It was sweet. It was pleasant.
It felt great.
Years of silent suffering were taken out on those who subjected me to that suffering.
It was good. It was fun. It was fair.
In the middle of the village where I once lived, I sat surrounded by blood and corpses.
And it felt good.
But of course, I didn't kill everyone.
I kept some for you, Lin.
