Chapter 97: Life Link
Dark flesh enveloped its fist as a tremendous amount of energy gathered throughout the arm.
Cain immediately turned and crossed his sword in front of his body.
Bang!
The armored fist struck the blade.
The impact traveled through both of Cain’s arms before his feet left the ground.
His body was thrown across the road.
Cain hit the pavement and slid for several meters before driving his sword into the road to stop himself.
His shirt had been torn across the back, while a large portion of skin had been scraped away from one shoulder. Before he could completely stand, a warm current suddenly entered his body.
Pale green Mana spread across the damaged area.
Cain immediately looked toward the rear of the formation.
Evelyne stood behind several fighters with a serious expression. A faint connection formed entirely from Healing Mana stretched between them.
Life Link.
She had followed his instructions.
The torn flesh across Cain’s shoulder immediately began closing, and he could clearly feel that the recovery was no longer coming entirely from the Undying God Body.
Healing Mana continuously flowed through the connection and entered his body.
Cain immediately noticed the difference.
His Talent still repaired every injury naturally, but it no longer needed to redirect as much of his own Mana toward the damaged areas. Evelyne’s healing was carrying part of that burden for him.
’Good.’
That changed the situation considerably.
The Zombie King charged again.
Cain ripped his sword from the pavement and immediately moved forward to meet it.
Flesh Armament shifted toward the Zombie King’s right arm. Its forearm thickened as layers of hardened flesh enveloped the limb before it punched toward Cain’s chest.
Cain avoided the first strike.
The second came from below.
Faultline Vision warned him early enough to twist his upper body, but the fist still scraped across his ribs and sent his body spinning.
Instead of resisting the rotation, Cain followed the momentum.
His sword moved with him.
Shhk!
A long wound opened across the Zombie King’s back.
Ruin energy immediately entered through the cut.
The Zombie King roared as the flesh around its back contracted. A tremendous amount of energy rushed toward the wound, forcing the damaged tissue to regenerate despite the Ruin energy continuously corroding it.
Cain watched carefully.
Another portion of its reserve had been consumed.
The Zombie King turned around, but Cain had already attacked again.
This time, his sword moved toward its left thigh.
The creature immediately reinforced the leg in response.
Cain changed the direction of his attack halfway through, his sword swept across its stomach and opened another wound.
More Ruin entered its body, causing it to spend more energy to repair the damage.
The Zombie King’s fist struck Cain’s shoulder before he could completely retreat.
Crack!
The joint collapsed and Cain was sent backward.
However, before his body even finished sliding across the ground, Evelyne’s healing had already reached the damaged shoulder.
Pale green Mana gathered around the injury.
Cain stood and forced the arm back into its proper position before Undying God Body and Evelyne’s healing quickly handled the rest.
The difference in their strength remained large.
However, Cain no longer cared about winning every exchange.
Every wound mattered.
Whenever the Zombie King shifted Flesh Armament toward one part of its body, energy was consumed. Energy Reinforcement required even more whenever it concentrated a large amount into a single limb.
Regenerating tissue damaged by Ruin was even more costly.
Cain’s own expenditure was still substantial.
Ruin Dragon Force continuously drained his Mana, while Undying God Body still consumed energy whenever his injuries became too severe.
However, the rate at which he had been approaching exhaustion had slowed considerably.
Evelyne had deliberately preserved most of her Mana for this exact moment.
Now, almost all of it was being used on him.
Doctor Owen handled the injured survivors instead, allowing Evelyne to maintain Life Link without being distracted.
Cain’s breathing gradually became heavier as the battle continued.
Its fist slammed into his stomach and lifted him from the ground.
Cain coughed blood.
Another punch immediately followed toward his head.
He twisted away, causing the strike to hit his shoulder instead. His bone broke beneath the impact.
Cain counterattacked with a thrust beneath the Zombie King’s ribs.
The sword penetrated deeply, but before Cain could press the attack further, the Zombie King grabbed him by the throat and lifted him from the ground.
Flesh thickened around its fingers as Flesh Armament strengthened the grip. The pressure around Cain’s neck rapidly increased until breathing became difficult.
Cain did not struggle blindly. Faultline Vision immediately revealed the concentration of energy throughout the Zombie King’s hand and wrist.
Most of the reinforcement had gathered there.
Its elbow was considerably weaker.
Cain immediately ripped the sword free from its ribs and slashed upward toward the inside of the arm holding him.
Shhk!
The blade cut deeply into the elbow joint.
The Zombie King’s arm jerked from the damage and its grip loosened enough for Cain to drop back onto the ground.
He immediately kicked its knee, but the Zombie King barely moved and its other fist came down toward him instead.
Cain crossed both arms above his head.
BOOM!
The road collapsed beneath his knees.
Pain exploded through both arms as several bones fractured simultaneously.
The Zombie King raised its fist again, but Cain had already rolled away.
A second punch smashed into the pavement where his head had been moments earlier.
Cain immediately stood and created some distance.
The pale green healing entering his body became stronger.
He glanced toward Evelyne.
Her face had already become noticeably pale.
Sweat covered her forehead, yet she continued maintaining Life Link without lowering the amount of Mana flowing toward him.
She was already consuming an enormous amount.
Cain returned his attention to the Zombie King and noticed that its right hand had become badly deformed from the repeated attacks.
Several fingers had been partially destroyed by Ruin energy earlier.
However, they began regenerating again.
Cain narrowed his eyes and noticed that it was slower than before.
The difference was small, but he could clearly see it.
At the beginning of their fight, an injury like that would have been repaired almost immediately.
Now, the newly formed flesh required noticeably more time before stabilizing.
’Your reserves are finally starting to run dry, huh?’
A smile appeared on Cain’s face.
Then the Zombie King suddenly rushed him again.
The next exchange immediately erased that smile as its fist struck directly into his chest.
Bang!
Cain flew through the side of an abandoned car.
Metal folded inward around his body as he crashed into the interior.
He coughed violently.
His chestbone had fractured.
Several ribs had broken again, while his internal organs had suffered enough damage that the Undying God Body immediately redirected a large amount of Mana toward them.
The Zombie King approached the wreckage and grabbed the twisted door.
It ripped the entire piece of metal away.
Cain forced himself out from the ruined vehicle.
His legs felt heavier than before.
Even with Evelyne continuously healing him, maintaining his (Ruin Dragon Force) skill at such a high output was beginning to catch up with him.
Life Link could reduce the amount of Mana his body needed for regeneration, but it could not replenish everything he had already spent.