Chapter 99: PLAN B! (2)
Cain’s feet struck the road and slid slightly across the pavement before he turned around.
The Zombie King was approaching rapidly from behind.
"Keep going," Cain said.
Ron immediately understood what he intended.
Wind erupted around him once again before he continued down the road, giving Cain enough space to fight without worrying about him getting caught in the exchange.
Cain raised his sword as dark gray energy began spreading throughout his body once more.
The familiar pressure immediately returned to his muscles as Ruin Dragon Force increased his physical capabilities.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Let’s start the Second Round."
The Zombie King reached him seconds later, its fist immediately came toward Cain’s head.
Cain avoided the attack and immediately noticed something different.
The Zombie King still released terrifying pressure, but the explosive force behind its strike was clearly weaker than before.
The difference was small enough that most fighters probably would not have noticed it, but Cain had already taken far too many of its punches to mistake how much power they carried.
His sword immediately moved toward the Zombie King’s shoulder.
Energy Reinforcement gathered around the area while hardened flesh formed over it, allowing the creature to stop the blade after it cut several centimeters into the armor.
Cain immediately withdrew.
An elbow swept toward his face.
He lowered his body and let the strike pass above his head before attacking the same shoulder again.
Shhk!
This time, the blade entered deeper.
The previous wound had not completely regenerated during the chase.
Dark gray Ruin energy still remained within the damaged flesh, continuously interfering with the Zombie King’s attempts to restore the area.
The creature released an enraged roar.
Cain smiled faintly.
"Starting to hurt?"
The Zombie King answered by attacking again.
Their second battle immediately became violent.
The creature still held the advantage whenever they exchanged attacks directly. Its physical strength remained above Cain’s, and every reinforced strike carried enough power to break bones if he blocked carelessly.
However, the difference was no longer as overwhelming as before.
Cain could clearly feel it whenever an attack landed.
A punch that had previously sent him flying through trees now only pushed him several meters backward.
The regenerated flesh protecting the Zombie King’s body was slightly easier to cut through as well.
Even its (Flesh Armament) skill had changed.
The hardened layers forming across its fists and forearms were thinner than during their first battle.
More importantly, Cain could perceive the movement of energy throughout the Zombie King’s body much more clearly now.
Bottomless Furnace was still far from empty, but it no longer possessed the seemingly endless amount of energy Cain had felt at the beginning.
Cain changed his approach as he immediately became more aggressive.
He no longer focused entirely on killing blows. Instead, he deliberately attacked areas that forced the Zombie King to waste energy defending itself.
His sword moved toward its chest.
A large amount of energy immediately gathered around the area.
Cain changed direction before the blade landed and slashed across its thigh instead.
The Zombie King quickly shifted its reinforcement downward.
Cain immediately attacked the shoulder.
The constant changes visibly irritated the creature.
Every time it strengthened one part of its body, Cain attacked somewhere else and forced the energy to move again. If the Zombie King ignored an attack, the Ruin energy entering through the wound made regeneration even more costly.
Its growing anger also made its attacks more direct.
However, that only made Cain’s job easier.
A reinforced fist approached his face.
Cain moved barely enough to avoid the knuckles.
The hardened flesh scraped across his cheek and tore away a thin layer of skin, but Cain ignored the pain and stepped directly into its reach.
His sword entered the Zombie King’s side.
Shhk!
Dark gray energy immediately flooded through the wound.
The Zombie King grabbed Cain’s arm before he could completely pull away.
Faultline Vision instantly revealed Energy Reinforcement gathering throughout its hand and fingers.
Cain reacted before the grip reached full strength.
His foot struck the weaker section around its elbow.
The arm loosened slightly, but the Zombie King immediately responded as it drove its knee into Cain’s stomach.
Bang!
Cain’s stomach compressed beneath the impact.
Blood escaped his mouth as Cain was pushed several meters backward, but the damage had already begun repairing itself before he stopped moving.
The Zombie King followed without giving him any time to recover.
Cain met it again as he had no intention of allowing the creature to rest either.
That was the entire purpose of this round.
If it tried regenerating, Cain attacked again.
If it reinforced one part of its body, he forced it to maintain that reinforcement or shift it elsewhere.
Whenever the Zombie King attempted to overpower him directly, Cain gave ground just long enough to avoid receiving a fatal injury before returning.
Several minutes of that brutal rhythm gradually worsened Cain’s condition again.
He had never completely recovered during the first retreat, and the remaining injuries began accumulating much faster as his Mana continued falling.
Undying God Body repaired the worst damage almost immediately, but every recovery consumed more of the energy Cain still possessed.
The strain caused by maintaining Ruin Dragon Force at such a high output also continued building throughout his muscles.
However, the Zombie King was suffering just as badly.
A long wound across its left arm remained partially open.
The flesh surrounding its stomach had become dark from repeated exposure to Ruin energy, with several sections refusing to regenerate properly.
One finger on its right hand was completely missing.
Cain had already watched the creature attempt to regenerate it twice.
Neither attempt had succeeded completely.
His eyes narrowed as he thought to himself.
’Not much left.’
At that moment, the Zombie King’s aura suddenly changed.
Cain immediately noticed a tremendous amount of energy gathering inside its body.
Most of it rushed toward both legs.
His eyes widened when he noticed that the Zombie King disappeared from its place and appeared directly in front of him.
Its fist struck Cain’s face.
Bang!