NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52: Relentless
Nova tried to push forward, taking a deep, stuttering breath as he lunged at a drape. His dagger cut through its chest, but the creature barely flinched. Its eyes glowed with sadness as it charged, swinging its massive claws that he barely managed to block.
The impact forced him to stumble back, crashing into another goblin, sending them both sprawling. Pain radiated through his entire body. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself up again, but the dagger's aura was slowly fading away into oblivion, as Nova's stats dropped more heavily.
I can't take more of this. Nova thought, panting hard as he glared at the drape. If I continue to get beaten up like this, then I won't be able to save Adam. I need to focus more, I need to live.
Nova's mind raced. He had always relied on the power that had surged through him. Without it, he was just another man with two daggers, and he could feel the difference sharply.
The goblins began to coordinate, swarming in small packs, dodging his strikes and cutting off his escape. Each blow he landed now felt less decisive, less satisfying. They didn't connect like they had before.
The numbers were too great. His body was failing him, his arms were violently shaking like a magnitude nine earthquake, his legs threatening to kill themselves as the relentless pounding of enemy attacks was taking its toll on him.
Another drape swooped down from the sky, then another followed it closely after from the treetops. Nova barely had time to block with his daggers before the impact sent him flying backward, skidding across the mud and rubble.
He hit the ground hard, coughing, tasting the fresh and old blood in his mouth, mixing to make an unholy potion. Pain shot through his back and shoulders like an AK-47; his leging to obey completely, trembling even more violently with every attempt to rise.
He could see the monsters circling him, their grotesque faces illuminated by the dim glow of his fading red-black aura.
The second drape swooped in even faster, creating a small, golf ball-sized hole throughout his body, and this time he didn't even react, since it occurred so fast that he didn't have time to react. His body ignored the pain, thinking that the small holes never existed.
Nova tried to ignite his aura again, focusing with everything he had. The red-black flames glitched weakly, not making a comeback that he had hoped for. His daggers felt heavy in his hands as if he were carrying the entire world's troubles.
The daggers now felt more alienous and sluggish in his hands, as if the feeling of them being heavy changed their entire biological structure, for him.
He gritted his teeth, grunting as he rose from his trembling legs, but every movement demanded a strong sense of agony. He slashed at the nearest goblin, barely grazing its shoulder.
Another swipe missed entirely, and a club caught him squarely in the side of the head, sending him reeling back, as if a fisherman had caught him.
His vision blurred further, and blood mixed with sweat streamed into his eyes. He could hear the drapes circling, their wings stirring the air into a violent gust. Goblins surged from all directions, screaming tumultuously, their crude weapons faster for him to take notice.
He swung his daggers, which were slowly disappearing, desperately, spinning and ducking, but for every enemy he killed, two more took their place. His body screamed for the couch, for rest, any type of rest would be sufficient, but he needed rest.
Finally, he staggered to a crouch, his aura barely able to maintain itself. One dagger slipped from his massively, deep, calloused hand, spinning across the mud as he tried to lift it. Pain echoed through his spine, legs, and shoulders.
He was bleeding from countless small cuts, bruises forming across his chest and arms, muscles quivering violently with each breath. The monsters had begun to sense his weakness; their attacks grew more coordinated, more accurate, and most of all, more deadly.
Nova's eyes glowed faintly as the unknown celestial light hit them, but they also glowed from his sheer will to not give up, then his power.
He was panting much harder, his voice came out in a strident whisper: "I... won't... stop..."
But even as he declared it, he was forced to block another slash, the impact throwing him against a tree. The force of the hit pressed him to the ground, sap and mud covering his body, and for the first time, doubt crept into his mind.
He had been unstoppable once... but now? He was just a man surrounded by death in every corner, bleeding and exhausted, his power fading like a fire trying to ignite in the rain.
A drape landed in front of him, its claws annihilating the ground where he had just been. He rolled backward, barely avoiding the strike, and reached weakly for his remaining dagger. His aura flickered one last time, a feeble pulse, before dimming completely.
Nova's chest rose and froze as he realized the full extent of his vulnerability. The monsters pressed in, sensing his weakness. He fought, but each swing was closer, weaker, and less precise, wildly arching each swing.
He hit the mud, trembling violently, as the monsters closed in around him. Each goblin snarled and lunged, each drape shook his massive wings, shaking the ground like an approaching storm going to Florida.
Nova gritted his teeth, the ache in his bones screaming louder than his will. His hands were covered in blood, his dagger slipping slightly in his grip.
He thought of Adam, who none of the monsters had yet sensed, safely tucked behind a tree. And that thought alone reignited a spark of resolve deep inside him. It wasn't the aura, it wasn't the daggers, it was survival, pure and relentless.
He swung once more, desperately, connecting with a goblin's shoulder. The creature fell, but many more surged forward.
He forced himself up, one knee trembling, as the other gave out. And in that fragile, human defiance, the monsters paused for a moment, sensing a determination stronger than any magic.