Rise of the Devourer

Chapter 39: Resting Grounds

Crimson mist enveloped the Valkyrie, forming a strange living armor around her body. Thorny bushes of mutated plants climbed her feet, while a crown of red roses adorned her head. She stood upon the battlefield like the very image of an angel of death, here to claim his life.

Cursing, Noah reached into his inventory and bit into a mana stone. Mana flooded his veins, revitalizing and coursing through every inch of his body as strength surged within him.

You’ve consumed [Mana stone - E]

Mana regenerated to 200%

[Mana stone - E] has temporarily increased all attributes by 25.

Power increased to 105.

Agility increased to 107.

Constitution increased to 107.

Mystic increased to 113.

Crimson sand erupted around her as the Valkyrie charged toward him with far greater speed than before. Her bone blade jutted forth, glistening with a deep red shimmer as it struck. Noah blocked the assault with his spear, but the impact knocked him off his feet.

Using the surge of mana, he exploited the momentum, chaining Blink and Dimensional Pocket to appear behind the Valkyrie.

But the Valkyrie was prepared. She turned, her blade parrying his spear as her hand reached out and caught Noah, grabbing his throat.

Noah clutched her hand, feeling her fingers crushing his windpipe as she lifted him into the air. Kicking at her, he pushed at her shoulder with his feet, using his claws to slip through her fingers and free himself.

Dimensional Pocket thrust a spear out of reality at the Valkyrie's back, shooting through her midsection. The woman turned, growling as blood-red sand crawled up her backside, blocking the attack.

Noah coughed, teleporting away as he pulled his spear back to him. Even with his increased attributes, the Valkyrie was simply faster.

Stay focused. You've fought an enemy both stronger and faster than her, even if he was holding back considerably.

Noah thought back to Raesar as he gripped his spear tighter. Taking a breath, he teleported back in.

"Eat this!" Noah shouted, flinging sand from his spear at the Valkyrie's face. Pebbles shot from his dimensional storage as he struck within the chaos. The Valkyrie roared, stumbling back as Noah's strike drew blood, cutting across her bare chest, now covered in dark red marks that swirled around her body.

Activating Blood Drain, Noah healed himself, his eyes glancing at the health bar. Time was running out, each passing moment consuming more of his maximum health. He needed to act quickly.

Health: 46%

Max Health: 51%

Leaping forward, Noah let neurotoxins flow from his clawed hand as they dripped down the shaft of his weapon, soaking his spear. The dark poison slashed through the Valkyrie, hissing like flames as it ate through her skin. The woman struck back, her bone blade clashing against Noah's spear as she lunged and attacked faster than he could react. Noah ducked under the blow, turning his head sideways instinctively as the blade cut above his eyebrow. Blood flowed down into one eye, obscuring his vision as he was knocked off balance.

Noah roared, unleashing the full power of Obliterate. The void mana consumed his health at an alarming rate, faster than he could heal. Despite the risk, he channelled the energy into his spear. The once-red weapon turned jet black, as if cut from reality itself, its sharp edge extending outward. Noah struck with the transformed spear, arcs of void energy shooting out as they lashed forward.

The Valkyrie twisted to avoid the attack, but the arc sliced through her arm. Bone and muscle were laid bare, and Noah watched as the red flesh slowly stitched itself back together in a grotesque, mutated form. The Valkyrie stumbled from the impact.

Capitalizing on her momentary vulnerability, Noah rushed in and struck with his spear. The weapon pierced through the Valkyrie's midsection with ease, the void mana consuming her insides. Noah activated Bleed and drew upon her health with [Blood Drain], feeling his own vitality restored.

The Valkyrie growled, looking up at him before reaching out and cupping Noah's cheek. Caught off guard, Noah froze as the woman leaned closer, pressing her lips against his.

You've been inflicted with [Valkyrie's Curse].

Health regeneration reduced by 10%.

You are partially paralyzed.

Temporary Mana Buff has been forcefully ended.

Warning. Mana Low.

An electric shock coursed through Noah's body as his life force went haywire within him. His body refused to move or obey any commands, his own life force feeding the Valkyrie's power.

In a panic, Noah used Blink to teleport away, but the Valkyrie was faster, grabbing his feet and slamming him to the ground.

Her bone blade sliced through the side of his neck, metallic blood flooding Noah's mouth and flowing down his airway into his lungs. As he struggled to breathe and began drowning in his own blood, he tried to fight back. But the Valkyrie twisted, and bloody thorns emerged from her body, piercing Noah and pinning him in place as they seeped Crimson Rot into his very being.

Warning. Health Low.

Health: 11%

Max Health: 47%

Desperate, Noah struck the woman's hand with his spear, using Blood Drain to heal himself. The Valkyrie screamed, her red aura boiling over, and her blade slashed. Noah attempted to evade the attack, but he couldn't move as his shoulder was cut through. Pain finally shattered his willpower, and he crumbled. The Valkyrie showed no mercy, delivering another slash across his chest with her protruding bone blade, piercing his heart.

Warning! Health in Critical Condition!

Health: 3%

Max Health: 42%

Blood filled his mouth and lungs, a wheezing sound escaping through his clenched teeth as Noah's body convulsed, tensing against his will. Gasping for breath, he stared into the woman's scarlet eyes, a distant memory flickering across his mind.

To think I would die twice in the arms of a beautiful woman.

Noah frowned. He couldn't remember that memory. Was it even his? But the thought did not last.

The world began to darken, Noah's vision fading as his injuries took their toll. Blood flowed freely from his wounds. Closing his eyes, Noah let the weight of his body sink into the sand. Sensations faded, as the world slipped through his fingers, and a dark, cold dream drew him in.

Why was he fighting? Noah couldn't remember. It had been four years since his mother died, and everything afterward felt like a blur.

Mom's gone, my friends are gone, I don't have a job, I didn't even finish high school. What am I still fighting for?

As the darkness threatened to consume him, Noah found himself drifting in and out of consciousness. Scenes from his past life on Earth played out before him, like a nostalgic dream that refused to fade.

He saw himself as a child, sitting in the park with his mother, the sunlight filtering through the trees and casting dappled patterns on their faces. Her laughter rang in his ears, a sound that had once been a balm to his soul.

The scenes shifted, and he found himself walking the halls of his high school, the chatter of his classmates a distant buzz. In another moment, he was laughing with friends at a party, the taste of soda lingering on his tongue.

These memories, once so vivid and real, felt like a fading dream, slipping through his fingers like grains of sand. The line between his past life and his current existence blurred, leaving Noah lost and adrift in a sea of recollections.

But the happiness did not last.

Noah watched as his mother's health began to deteriorate, her once-vibrant smile fading as cancer slowly ravaged her body. The countless nights spent in sterile hospital rooms, the scent of disinfectant and despair clinging to the air, all came flooding back. He felt the crushing weight of her absence, an emptiness that threatened to swallow him whole.

He watched himself push his friends away no matter how they tried to help. Days passed in an alcohol fuelled blur as he sank further into depression. Conversations dwindled, laughter ceased, and eventually, they became strangers passing each other by. The friendships that had once been so important to him now felt like a distant, aching memory.

He watched the darkest memories from his past, feeling pain he’d long since buried rise in him. He wandered through those days like a ghost, detached from the world around him, as if his life on Earth had been nothing more than a dream.

Was his existence truly so meaningless, his story just another tragedy lost in the sands of time? Maybe he had done enough. Maybe it was time to let go, to find peace in the darkness that beckoned him.

The darkness was comfortable, cold but inviting. Sinking into its depths didn't seem like a bad idea right now. How long had it been since he’d simply been able to close his eyes and rest?

Maybe I can finally rest now.

Slowly, he sank, his consciousness fading. Memories came and went, passing thoughts that did not linger in his mind. Everything was a blur, even his own existence.

All that existed now was Darkness.

It was peaceful.

And quiet.

Noah could rest now.

He could finally…rest.

A shudder escaped Noah’s mouth, his last breath fading as the final point of health vanished. Two final words filled his vision.

And with those words, his second life came to an end.

You Died.