I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 374

Crash!

The violet haze swirled violently as the activated Fangs of Heaven Defier shredded the melting flesh of the beast like jagged saw teeth.

Beyond that, the glowing red blade split apart the twisted muscles, cauterizing the cuts with searing heat.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

A throbbing weight surged through Ian's grip, followed by a sharp pain that pierced his mind. It must have been from the heat scorching his palms.

Ignoring the pain, Ian prepared to channel the newly finished spell into the black sword.

Screech!

A scream erupted from the gaping maw in the monster's abdomen, filled with the rippling force of magic.

Shriek!

At the same moment, the elongated arm on the monster's far shoulder fell off at an angle, a purely reflexive reaction.

Boom!

But before the giant claws could strike Ian, an explosion erupted from the blade, slicing through the monster's upper body—Pinpoint Explosion.

Crash!

The recoil sent Ian flying, slamming him into the ground, where he tumbled violently.

The impact rattled his entire body. The monster's torso was as hard as a diamond. Yet even through the chaos, Ian neither let go of his sword nor lost consciousness.

Grinding his teeth, he drove the Platinum Barrier onto the ground.

Scrape!

The edge of the shield scraped along the monster's body, slowing him down as golden-tinged sparks burst forth in a dazzling display.

Ian barely regained his stance, halting near one of the ridges along the massive beast's back—a bulging, coral-like protrusion.

Had he rolled just a few more meters, he would've fallen off the creature entirely.

Still?

However, Ian didn't look back. Instead, he spat out the blood welling up in his throat and fixed his gaze ahead, locking onto the monster still engulfed in flames.

Roaaaar!

An explosion utterly destroyed the beast's left side, including its two arms and half its torso.

Flames burned fiercely in the cratered remnants of its flesh.

However, it remained standing and alive. It only let out a howl, propping itself up on its remaining two elongated arms.

Whoooomph!

The beast's body heaved violently just then. Explosions erupted from the direction of its raised head.

Just as Yog had whispered earlier, it must have been Lucia's Fireball striking true.

Screech!

Near the beast's rear torso, another long-armed monster, still engulfed in flames, and the one Ian had been glaring at, both lost their balance and collapsed almost simultaneously.

Ian, however, was different.

Thud-thud-thud!

Rather than losing his footing or falling, he used the tremors as momentum, propelling himself forward with a burst of speed.

—Going for the eyes, huh? Not bad, Lucy.

Muttering to himself, Ian glared at the beast with magic flickering in his eyes. The monster, staggering, was already trying to rise again.

The moment its body swayed, Ian pushed off the ground, gripping the black sword raised above his head with both hands.

Whoosh—

Fueled by chaos energy, the violet haze erupted from the blade, carving a long, savage arc through the air as it descended.

The strike landed squarely on the exposed and burning upper torso of the beast.

Crackle! Sssszzz!

A force tore the beast's third eyelid, torso, and gaping maw apart in rapid succession.

However, the blade couldn't fully cleave the creature in two—it finally lost momentum at the base of the beast's lower jaw. Not that it mattered.

Boom!

Another explosion ripped through the air. The monster's body, already splitting apart along the blade's trajectory, was completely blown away.

Unlike before, the impact flung Ian back only slightly, and he rolled smoothly to a halt on the ground.

Thud, thump—

Meanwhile, the beast collapsed, its body now held together only by the stubby legs barely attached beneath it.

Its flesh no longer regenerated. A reddish haze rose from the unrecognizable remains, and the creature's body dissolved, melting away into a formless mass.

Hiss—

As the sound of steam erupted, a thick mist began spreading through the air.

The mist gushed violently from the ridges on the massive beast's back. Wherever the flames on its body met the mist, they extinguished almost instantly.

What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this now?

Ian grimaced as he staggered to his feet, his irritation clear.

It had extinguished flames created with magic. This mist clearly had some effect on dispersing magic.

—I get that you're excited, but calm down, kid

The whispers in Ian's mind faded into static and then silence, as if to confirm his suspicions.

Ian's gaze shifted between the black sword in his right hand and the Platinum Barrier on his left.

Though slightly weakened, the violet haze still poured out of the blade, while the magic circuits in the barrier's inscription drained faster than ever. It didn't seem to completely block his magic, at least.

Screech—

A piercing wail shattered the stillness, as though it could tear through the mist itself.

The final long-armed beast roared, pushing back the heavy fog around it. Ian turned to face it, his frown deepening.

The mist had snuffed even the flames clinging out. And that wasn't all.

Crunch, squelch—

Burned flesh sloughed off, revealing fresh muscles and skin covered in viscous slime as if the monster were shedding its old body.

Even its empty sockets began forming new eyes, like fruit sprouting from a barren tree. Soon, the beast blinked with three newly grown eyes.

The fresh, glistening orbs dropped pus as they glowed with a deep red light.

Shriek—

The first thing those crimson eyes focused on was the blazing violet arc slicing through the dense mist, closing in fast.

The beast neither flinched nor hesitated.

Boom! Shriek—

The monster thrust its legs on either side of its torso forward, clawing at the ground and propelling itself with a violent pull. Meanwhile, its two arms above swung in crisscrossing arcs.

Crash! Crack!

Its large, mucus-coated claws slammed repeatedly into the ground, chasing after the violet streak. However, the claws crushed nothing. The only remnants left behind were fading traces of Ian's violet arc as he twisted his body like a performer in midair.

By then, Ian, gripping his black sword, was already closing in on the monster's torso.

Boom—whoosh!

At the same time, a spray of thick, pointed spikes erupted from the monster's gaping maw. The spikes looked like they had formed from a tangle of thorny tentacles.

Ian's eyes widened as he reflexively raised the Platinum Barrier to shield himself. The tentacles smashed into the barrier with a heavy impact.

Though they couldn't pierce or break it, they were enough to halt Ian's charge midair.

The shock bent Ian's body forward, a spurt of blood spraying from his mouth.

Yet his eyes, burning with resolve, stayed locked beyond the barrier, fixed on the monster's open maw.

"----!"

With a roar that boiled up from deep within, Ian thrust his right arm forward. The black sword left his grasp, carving a straight path as it flew directly into the monster's gaping maw, right where the tentacles emerged.

Boom!

An explosion burst forth from within the beast's mouth. The force of the explosion shredded the tentacles battering the Platinum Barrier and hurled the monster's tattered, broken body backward.

Tap-tap—

Ian landed lightly, and without hesitation, launched himself toward the retreating beast again. Instinctively, he reached into his pocket dimension, pulling out a Truesilver Steel Sword stored within.

Shiiing—

The golden Mantra circuit flared to life along the blade's surface, followed by the eruption of a brilliant yellow magic blade that extended ruthlessly toward the flailing monster.

Slash! Crack!

The golden arc sliced into the beast's side, cutting through its torn torso and emerging on the other side. In the same motion, Ian spun his body in midair, drawing the Platinum Barrier close to his face.

Clang—

Ian's body collided with the monster's torso, and the upper half of the beast, swept up by the radiant blade, toppled backward in pieces.

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh—

As Ian landed from the impact, flames erupted one after another around him, swirling like a fiery storm. Before the mist could consume the flames, they surged toward the monster.

Boom, boom, boom—

The fireballs rained down on the severed stump of the monster's body, exploding violently. The searing heat cauterized the writhing stump that instinctively tried to regenerate, burning it down completely.

Squelch...

The monster, its tattered maw twitching weakly, finally collapsed. Red haze poured from its body as it dissolved into a formless mass.

Almost simultaneously, a quest completion window popped up in front of Ian's eyes. It was for a quest he had never accepted: Raiders of the Boundary.

The quest hadn't officially started because the battle had unfolded in a scenario not expected within the game's mechanics.

It was at that moment he became certain—these creatures were indeed field-named monsters from the game.

"Phew... Phew..."

Ian, spitting blood onto the ground, pushed himself up with a fist, clutching his sword. The sharp pain and dizziness that had momentarily struck him seemed to dull as though numbed.

With a slight tilt of his head, he approached the melting corpse of the beast.

Damn it.

After spitting out another mouthful of blood, Ian shoved his left hand into the oozing flesh, his Platinum Barrier sinking into the mass along with it. Soon, his fingers closed around a familiar hilt, and he pulled it free.

The black sword, drenched in the beast's fluids, emitted a low, guttural hum. The viscous liquid gleamed as it seeped into the blade's surface.

Whoooom—

The massive beast's body stirred again.

Perhaps it was because of the deaths of the monsters that had tormented it, or perhaps it finally realized its own end was near.

Behind Ian, the few remaining tentacles of the creature twitched weakly.

It might die on its own soon enough, but...

Leaving it was not an option. Ian tossed the black sword, which had been absorbing the fluids, into his pocket dimension. Raising his right arm, he reversed his grip on the Light Sword and dropped to one knee, driving the blade deep into the ground.

Crackle—

The brilliant yellow blade burned through the mist as it plunged into the massive beast's body. A stronger-than-expected resistance jolted through Ian's grip, causing his brow to furrow instinctively.

The blade, infused with the concentrated power of dragons, was so sharp that it usually didn't even feel like it was cutting through most things. This was more resistance than even the earlier beasts, or the smaller, condensed, incomplete avatar, had shown.

Well, back then, I had the Blessing of Battle. Aside from that, it should be the same.

Even so, it was still impressive. At the same time, the thought crossed his mind that he was fortunate not to have taken a direct hit from the claws of these creatures. Setting aside the impact, if it could leave a mark on such a tough hide, it would have torn through even a White Phosphor Armor.

Screech!

Th𝗲 most uptodate novels are published on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

Another scream from the massive beast echoed, this time laced with undeniable pain.

That damn snake's advice is actually useful.

Thinking this, Ian adjusted his grip on the hilt and moved forward.

Crrrkk—

The blade split the massive beast in a straight line. Ian's pace quickened with every step. Even in the heat of the moment, he was acutely aware of the rapid drain on the magic inscribed in the blade's Mantra circuits, and how little he had left.

With his magic and chaos energy nearly depleted, his only option to finish the massive beast was with the Platinum Claw.

Whooooom—

The massive beast's cry reverberated chaotically, and the draconic beasts that had scattered to avoid the earlier black explosion dove back toward him in a frenzy.

Ian paid them no mind. He was now sprinting low to the ground, toward the creature's neck.

Shhhh—

The mist expelled by the massive beast thickened rapidly, an instinctive response to disperse the magic radiating from Ian's blade.

It wasn't entirely in vain—the resistance in Ian's grip grew noticeably stronger.

Seriously, how far is this going to go?

Reaching out with his left hand, Ian gripped the pommel and counterweight of the sword, forcing his way forward.

The massive neck of the beast, towering like a pillar, was now directly in front of him.

Crash—Squelch—!

Ian came to a stop at the nape of the massive beast and raised his arm, slashing as he pulled the blade free.

Bwoooom—

The deafening roar of the colossal beast faded like a deflating wind. Its raised head collapsed limply to the ground, followed by one last shudder that subsided along with its futile thrashing.

Yet Ian didn't retrieve his sword. Instead, he stepped forward onto the massive neck of the beast, riddled with cracks both large and small. The monster wasn’t dead yet. Its thick, root-like neck was too massive to sever in a single stroke.

Crack-crack-crack—

As the sound of flapping draconic wings grew louder, Ian strode forward without hesitation.

He felt countless gazes bearing down on him.

The massive beast lay sprawled across the cracked ground, the back of the head exposed. Between the erratically sprouting horns, large and small eyes fixated on him.

Ian finally came to a stop, raising his glowing sword—its blade gradually shrinking—to meet the creature's gaze, though only for a brief instant.

With a quick twist of his body, he kicked off the ground and leaped downward, driving the Light Sword down with all his might.

Crunch!

The radiant yellow blade clove through the beast's neck.

Perhaps due to the cracks that had spread across its surface, the beast's hide couldn't resist the blade of light as effectively as before.

The fading glow caused the slowing descent along the blade's edge.

At almost the same moment, Ian's eyes surged with a storm of mingled magic and chaos energy. The dimming blade suddenly flared back to life with a brilliant glow.

Shit. Just a little more!

Gritting his teeth, Ian let out a stifled groan as he forced every ounce of strength into his arms. More of his teeth cracked apart beyond those already shattered. The blood vessels in his eyes burst, painting his vision red as his focus peaked.

Crunch, crack!

The thick blade of condensed light surged forward, piercing all the way through. The massive beast’s neck was finally severed.