Chapter 92: Unmerciful Bloodshed
Leonard and Elizabeth put their backs against each other, minimizing their blind spots.
"I counted three on my end. How about you?" Leonard asked grimly, summoning Valor to his side.
"Four." Elizabeth replied in an even voice.
The Rotten Crows screeched as they all descended like a wave.
Valor’s silver armor reflected the sun’s light into one of the birds’ eyes, making the creature focus on him.
Leonard found himself under the onslaught of two Rotten Crows simultaneously. His title, Lone Diver, increased his defense by 20%.
Breathing deeply, he hurled Titanic Oath toward his adversary on the left and conjured a silver javelin aimed at the other.
However, both of his throws missed the mark. The birds flew staggeringly fast, opening their beaks filled with sharp fangs. They were ready to devour him.
Leonard recalled his axe at once.
Unaware that his weapon was capable of finding its way back to its master, the axe’s head caught one of the monsters off guard, opening a gash on its back. Neither the frost nor the hemorrhage affected the creature in the slightest.
At the same time, he used Draconic Eyes, eagerly searching for a way to avoid the crow’s hungry maw.
He managed to duck to the side and send a Fireball into one of their open beaks, yet the Rotten Crow remained unfazed by the heat, its body unable to feel pain.
[War Cry activated!]
Leonard used his Viking’s skill, trying to slow down the crows’ movement.
It worked, albeit it barely made a difference.
The two Rotten Crows behaved differently from how normal birds fought and landed on the soil. Their eyes shone with malice, intent on using their powerful beaks to pierce Leonard’s body until there was nothing left.
"They’re moving too fast!" He gritted his teeth, barely keeping them at bay.
Now that they had settled on the ground, the full height of his adversaries came into view. Their stature was at least three times that of a normal man.
They could easily bend their bodies and strike with their beaks while his options for retaliating were limited. Getting too close was dangerous.
[Dragon Slayer activated!]
He sent another javelin, hoping it would find its mark. The crows easily dodged the projectile with their thin yet swift legs.
Valor wasn’t doing much better. While the loyal knight had 200% of Leonard’s attributes, he didn’t possess a method of ranged attacks. The foe he fought used that to its advantage, keeping high in the air and constantly striking against his silver veil.
Sadly, the crows seemed intelligent enough to form plans and adapt to the situations.
Leonard knew that a drawn-out battle put them at a disadvantage. The undead monsters had limitless stamina, and they could simply bide their time, waiting for them to tire out. Not to mention, Elizabeth was fighting twice the number of monsters he was facing.
"They’ve landed on the ground, so they’ve deemed my ranged attacks the bigger obstacle. The only way to win is to surprise them."
His eyes narrowed. The realization of his impending doom spiked his adrenaline.
"Now."
In a blink, he shifted his strategy. Rather than backing away, he lunged forward with all the speed he could muster.
Caw!
The two Rotten Crows took a cautious step backward, uncertain of what he had in store.
One of them tilted its head forward, its beak aimed straight at Leonard.
"Please hold."
Relying on his increased defense, he used his free arm to deflect the strike.
His gamble succeeded. He managed to divert the beak and get near his adversary, though his arm began to tremble with pain.
[You have a buildup Hemorrhage!]
Ignoring the system message, he gripped Titanic Oath tightly. Lightning coursed through the weapon.
Until now, frost, fire, and hemorrhage had proved ineffective against the monsters. Then what about lightning?
[Lightning Strike activated!]
Faster than an arrow, his axe shot forward and collided with a crow’s leg, severing it in one blow!
Screech!
Even the undead creature felt the loss of its limb. The bird’s body tilted to the side, losing its center of gravity.
Leonard didn’t stop and summoned Joker. He condensed the mist into a wolf form, preventing it from being blown away by the strong currents, and made him pounce on the crow’s head, bringing it down even further.
[Lightning Strike activated!]
Seeing that lightning was effective against the foe, Leonard used it again. His axe shot above him and carved through the crow’s wing, robbing it of the ability to fly.
"One more!"
The next strike headed for the neck, and the Rotten Crow failed to react in time.
[You have defeated a Level 22 Rotten Crow!]
[All gained experience and Evolution Points have been doubled!]
[You have gained 1,400 Experience!]
Level: 13 [Experience: 2,000/2,600]
He had successfully decapitated the creature!
Although the monster wasn’t native to the Death Zone since its level was below 30, it still gave double the experience, as they had fought here.
He shifted his gaze to the second adversary, only to see that the crow was in the middle of striking with its beak.
Leonard wasn’t fast enough to dodge, and even worse, now that he was facing only one foe, the 20% increase in defense provided by Lone Diver was gone!
The Rotten Crow struck him on the side of the neck, drawing blood.
[You have been inflicted with Hemorrhage!]
"Gah!"
Leonard’s lungs burned, his vision blurred, and the veins around his neck erupted. He coughed hoarsely, blood coming from his mouth as the strength in his body faded.
One of his hands shot toward his neck, desperately trying to stop the bleeding, but to no avail.
The crow struck again.
Before the blow could connect, Valor intervened and collided with Leonard, sending him away from the attack that would have ended his life.
Gasping for air, Leonard took out his two remaining health potions and drank them.
The ruptured blood vessels began to stitch themselves together, filling him with hope, until the effect ended just a few short seconds later.
[Minor Health Potion is incapable of closing Hemorrhage!]
The two potions hadn’t been entirely useless. They lessened the rate of blood loss to an extent.
By pressing firmly against his neck, Leonard could have prevented himself from dying from hemorrhage for the time if he didn’t move around too much.
However, the dungeon wasn’t so merciful. The Rotten Crow strode toward him, eager to feast on his blood once more...