Rise of the Devourer

Chapter 38: Scarlet Remnant

Noah's instincts screamed at him to move, and he teleported moments before the ground exploded as a spear embedded itself where he'd stood faster than he could see it coming. Panting, he looked up and saw the Valkyrie staring at him, before she extended her hand, and the spear flew back into it. Noah noticed the ground decaying where the spear had struck, as more of the oddly shaped red growths that littered the land began to rise from the ground.

Looking at the Valkyrie, Noah observed her armor absorbing these growths, red protrusions and mutations covering her battered and broken body. He used [Void Hunter's Eyes] and saw the woman's lifepool burning wildly inside her body. Her own lifeforce mingled with the Crimson Rot, attacking her insides as each limb continued to decay further and further. Noah glanced down and noticed her feet were bloody stumps, leaving black and red trails in the red sand with each step she took.

She was a corpse, a husk somehow hanging onto life and walking with sheer willpower. Yet, at any point, if Noah looked into her eyes, he would see the soul of a warrior, still burning with a single-minded purpose: to fight her enemy.

Golden light flashed around the Valkyrie's spear as she raised it to the sky. Golden spears manifested around her, glowing with a divine aura, before they shot towards Noah. Using Blink, Noah dodged out of the way as the rain of spears continued to strike at him. The Valkyrie moved, her broken and worn-out feet kicking the sand as she ran faster than Noah had anticipated, lunging at him.

With a Blink, Noah teleported behind her, striking at her sides as his spear slashed through her abdomen. Dark red blood erupted in a slow, aching flow, and Noah's fingers burned where the droplets had touched him, spreading the Crimson Rot even further.

The Valkyrie roared, turning before she leapt, as a golden aura gathered around her. The spear lit up with Power, a golden circle forming around the Valkyrie. Noah used Blink to rapidly teleport away as golden spears thrust upwards from the ground where he'd stood.

He took a stance, planting his feet in the ground, trusting [Spear Proficiency]'s guidance, as he pushed Bleed and Obliterate to the brink. Red and black mana mixed around the blade as Noah twisted his upper body, allowing the strength to carry upwards from his legs, through his core and into his arms as he threw the spear.

Shooting like an arrow, the spear moved, striking the Valkyrie as it pierced her side chest. Noah teleported closer, letting his claws protrude as he slashed at the Valkyrie. Blood sprayed, and Noah twisted mid-attack to dodge, using Dimensional Pocket to teleport the spear back into his hands. He spun the weapon around, using the base to strike at the Valkyrie's chest.

The Valkyrie growled, her limbs rotting and breaking apart from the attacks as dark blood dripped down. She twisted, drool dripping from her mouth as her mad eyes focused on Noah. A bright golden flash gathered around her, as Noah felt a divine aura descend. Lightning crackled before a burst of gold emanated from the Valkyrie's weapon. Noah screamed, using Blink to dodge, but the attack had struck. His body was singed, as if burned by the light. Blood flowed down his limbs, and he looked at the Valkyrie, noticing her wounds stitching themselves back together. Broken limbs mended, rotten flesh reassembled, and the woman's wounds faded as she pointed her spear at him.

"Fight me, warrior," the woman said, her voice soft but firm.

For a moment, she almost seemed lucid, but the intelligence passed, and madness returned to her eyes as the Valkyrie snarled before launching ahead.

Noah cursed as he rushed at the woman. Spear struck spear, thrusts and blows deflected off one another as the two warriors engaged in a dance of battle and skill. With each exchange that scraped Noah's skin, he could feel the Crimson Rot seeping into him. Every passing moment revealed the far greater skill of his opponent. The only reason Noah could keep up was his abilities and the fact that the woman's body was broken beyond belief, unable to respond properly to her movements.

Slowly but surely, Noah's health continued to drop, the bar at the end graying out as the Crimson Rot continued to eat at his lifeforce.

Golden aura surrounded the Valkyrie, and a sudden burst of energy had her moving rapidly. The spear struck Noah, cutting through his sides and tearing out a chunk of flesh.

Health: 42%

Max Health: 81%

Noah screamed, clutching his side as he blocked the Valkyrie's next strike with his claws. Metal clashed as the Valkyrie twisted, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up. With a thrust, Noah felt the spear pierce his midsection before he was unceremoniously tossed.

Health: 23%

Max Health: 80%

Noah coughed, blood flowing freely from his wound. Acting quickly, he pushed his mana. Within a second, he jumped into his dimensional pocket, creating an exit path behind the Valkyrie to appear from. From within, Noah let his spear fill with Bleed and Obliterate, pouring as much mana as he could before he threw the spear. The spear emerged from nowhere, striking the Valkyrie in the back and piercing her all the way through.

You've inflicted [Bleed] on [Scarlet Valkyrie Remnant]

Without wasting a minute, Noah used Blood Drain, drawing upon her injuries, and felt the very ground itself shifting as the soaked blood within the valley stirred, flowing into him.

Health: 61%

Max Health: 79%

Noah felt the lifeforce flow into him, yet a portion of it fed the Crimson Rot. The Rot grew faster, its destructive force eating at Noah further and further. Using Blink, he teleported out, pulling the spear through the woman's body.

The Valkyrie roared, golden light filling her spear as she thrust the weapon outwards. Blood poured from her wounds, the hole in her abdomen slowly stitching itself closed as the golden aura continued to heal her body.

Noah struck again, using his spear to pierce her shoulder. The Valkyrie roared, grasping Noah's spear as she pulled back, causing him to lean and go off balance as she reached out and bit. With a roar, she sank her teeth into a chunk of flesh at Noah's neck while he elbowed her skull, knocking her sideways. Clutching the wound, Noah jumped back, using [Blood Drain] once more, as the blood from the Valkyrie and the surroundings began to flow into him, healing his body even as it fed the Rot.

The woman growled, now lying on all fours as she chewed on the flesh she'd bitten. Blood dripped down her jaws, and her inhuman gaze looked at Noah with deep-seated hunger.

"Just what kind of monster are you…" Noah murmured, raising his spear and leveling it at her before teleporting closer.

The woman leapt, abandoning all human sense and form as she struck. Golden spears rose around her body like thorns of death as they shot at Noah. Flying projectile spears danced in the air, cutting through his body even as her own wounds continued to heal with each strike. Her spear swung, blocking Noah's as the blade cut through his wrist, severing two fingers.

[Lifeblood] activated.

"Fucking healing piece of garbage," Noah cursed, striking right back, as [Bleed] hurt his enemy and [Blood Drain] continued to heal his own wounds. Blow after blow struck between the two warriors, blood tainting the ground and chunks of flesh falling onto the sand, as both of them continued to heal themselves over and over, with each strike of the enemy fueling the other.

Noah watched his health, cursing as he saw the max health bar nearly down halfway. I need to move quickly. I'm dead if this turns into a battle of endurance.

Jumping back, Noah used Blink once, then once again to gain distance. Circling around and moving to keep the Valkyrie in his vision, he slowly began to form Dimensional Pockets all around the arena.

Warning. Low Mana.

Using Dimensional Pocket, Noah teleported a mana stone into his mouth.

[Mana Stone -F] consumed. Mana regenerated to 100%.

A surge of energy filled Noah as he continued to create more and more Dimensional Pockets around the Valkyrie, parrying her blows as he led her in circles.

Even with the mana stone, Noah felt his head pound, each new Dimensional Pocket creating a strain on his ability. Letting the number count reach the max it could, Noah teleported further away.

[Obliterate] and [Bleed] ran in a frenzy, as the spear in Noah's hand twisted. Void and Blood mana seeped through the weapon, changing its bright blood-red color to a darker, deeper shade, with lines of black running all across it. Noah let his mana fill the weapon until he was almost out of mana again.

Then, with a blink, Noah moved closer to the Valkyrie and shot his spear.

A Dimensional Pocket appeared, as the spear moved into one reality, vanishing from existence, before arriving in another. The weapon moved through invisible portals, cutting as it pierced through the Valkyrie. Noah flared his mana, shifting all the Dimensional Pockets in a twisting array. Blood dripped down his nose as space began to warp itself around the area, but Noah persisted.

Warning. Low Mana.

The spear continued to move without stopping, traveling through portals as it struck the Valkyrie repeatedly. Her abdomen split open, blood and rotten organs seeping out, before the spear pierced through her arm, severing the limb. The weapon in her hand fell to the ground, as the spear struck once more, piercing her heart and causing blood to pour freely from her body. Limb after limb broke, falling, leaving the Valkyrie lying on the ground, bleeding. Her left leg was severed, her right shoulder missing entirely, with gaping holes in her abdomen and chest.

Noah felt his mana backlash at him, causing his head to pound. The pain made him fall to his knees, as he took a moment to breathe through the agony.

Meditation picked up the sensation, allowing Noah to divert his mind from the pain in his head and rise once more.

Slowly, he walked toward the Valkyrie, looking down at the woman who was somehow still alive in her state. Her skin slowly turned red as the Crimson Rot began to take over, her resistance finally coming to an end.

"P…lease…" she breathed, and Noah looked down to see if she had something to say, but found her eyes already consumed by the Crimson Rot as it devoured her flesh. Whoever she spoke to, it was not him.

"Mother… I have... failed you," she whispered, her single arm reaching out for the setting sun.

Noah felt a strange sorrow fill his chest upon witnessing the woman's state.

Taking his spear, he pointed the blade at her, and with a swift thrust, he pierced her neck.

With a final gasp, the woman clutched his leg, before her breath faded, and the eternal rest of death finally claimed her.

You've killed [Scarlet Valkyrie Remnant (Rare) lvl - 127]!

Noah stared at the notification, acknowledging his kill. He sighed, feeling his body grow heavy as he finally realized how rapidly his heart had been pounding. His clothes were soaked in blood, his skin raw from the many wounds he'd regenerated from during the battle. He looked at his left arm, noticing two fingers with entirely new pink flesh near his knuckles. A moment later, he vaguely recalled losing them in the battle.

Lifeblood had healed the stumps back with [Blood Drain] fueling the rapid healing. Sighing, Noah waited for the trial to end.

Something stirred near Noah, and he looked down. A hand grasped his feet, as dark red blood began to ooze, flowing around him.

"Forgive me," the Scarlet Valkyrie spoke, rising from where she lay.

Before Noah could move, the woman lifted him up, striking at him before she threw him like a toy.

He screamed, flying across the battlefield before crashing into the deep red sand. The sky burned a dark shade of red above him, as Noah saw the sun had set. A single moon hung in the night sky, glowing an ominous crimson color.

Noah pulled himself upright, turning to face the Valkyrie. Red mist rose from the ground, Crimson Rot emanating from every inch of the battlefield as it flowed into the woman. Her spear was gone, broken, and she rose, with mutated crimson flesh forming new limbs and a blade of bone protruding where her arm once was.

Her golden armor had cracked and rusted from the rot, and she stood naked upon the battlefield, resembling a goddess of Death and Blood.

[Crimson Rot Valkyrie - ??]

Noah stared at the woman, his heart sinking.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.