MM - Chapter 181 - MERCY AND DEDICATION

When Selena activated the statue, the Fetches waiting on the outskirts of the clearing scampered off into the jungle. It would hardly be fair to give him a chance to pick them off one by one, utilizing the protections of the shrine. The reaction was further proof that these beasts were little more than thralls of the entities. 

Raine had been convinced they were being controlled after the last ambush. In his opinion, it was a good thing. Directly striking the assholes who messed with his head was a pipe dream. With the beasts being extensions of their will, in a way, each one he killed would be little different than spitting in the eyes of his abusers, and he was all for that.

Selena called after him again as he dashed into the trees. “At least wait a knuckle to recover from the Primal Energy!”

Raine ignored her. He had no plans of wasting time or returning without his treasure. Currently, his muscles were approximately 70% full of Primal Energy. Lacking his equipment, the boost to his strength and speed was more than welcome. And so long as he didn’t get hit, he would have plenty of time to get the chest and return.

He found the first trio of Fetches within seconds, their stomping steps as they retreated from the clearing a dead giveaway. Guardians Embrace and Guardians Armament buffed Raine’s Defense and Attack Power. With fists wrapped in flames, he Lunged repeatedly, appearing in their midst before they could turn around. Bloodlust tore free, carrying every hint of the anger he’d been bottling up while on the run. Unlike last time, he wasn’t entering this fight on death's door. It was time for payback.

[Negative affliction applied (Enfeared): Enemy attributes reduced by 20% (Duration 6.04 seconds)]

A burst of Discipline enhanced his perception, but it wasn’t enough to perfectly combo Flurry of One with Rupture. The skills landed in rapid succession, still dealing significant damage to the primary target, but less to the other two who were caught in Rupture’s expanding waves. [-22,739] [Critical hit! -44,998] [-22,814] [-Critical hit! 28,444]

Raine waited until they were facing him to release Debilitating Crush. His knuckles shone with the brightness of a star before slamming into the closest beast's face. [-18,314] His perfect timing paid dividends. All three screamed, outraged by their blindness. Raine relentlessly hammered punches into the first, whose defenses had been reduced to a sliver of their former glory. Each strike blasted away chunks of vine and wood. [-2,921] [Critical hit! -6,013] [-2,909]

The combat standards of a tier two class shone through. Despite being unable to see, the beast shifted, backstepped, and weaved to evade. Had it been able to see, its efforts might have yielded some results. Raine’s attacks landed with pinpoint accuracy, repeatedly blasting apart the base of its neck.

Even with its attributes diminished, the beast had over 160,000 health. With his limbs boosted by Discipline and Primal Energy, and rebounding his elbows off Connection-solidified air to shorten the time between blows, Raine’s Attack Speed was nearly doubled to 7.3. Almost every other hit was a critical, meaning that within three seconds, the first Fetch’s neck exploded into wood chips. 

The primal energy contained in its chest erupted upwards through the shattered orifice. Raine’s boot struck its body, tipping it over to harmlessly spray the dangerous element across the nearby trees. The whole jungle seemed to pause in shock at the death of one of its residents. Raine doubted the Fetches dying in past ordeals was commonplace. The deck was certainly stacked against anyone who was sent here. Lacking weapons, against higher combat standards, outnumbered, and poisoned, there was little choice but to run and hide, to survive, and pray to these ancient piss-ant gods for survival and mercy.

Raine shook his head, disgusted.

No thanks. I’ll make my own path.

Powerful, amber lights within the Fetches’ eyes blazed as the death of their fellow registered. Raine didn’t need to see their heads swiveling directly toward him to know the entities had decided to stop playing by their own rules. Both ancients launched toward him, vines extending from their legs to propel them faster, while more vines launched from their arms to latch onto the environment, altering their paths mid-air. Their movements were perfectly coordinated, striking Raine from both sides simultaneously.

He jumped, lying flat in the air as two heavy limbs sailed harmlessly above and below. He grabbed the bottom leg on its way by, using its momentum to swing him around to the beast's side. With one now blocking the path of the other, his fists hammered away as he circled around to maintain the positional advantage. The second Fetch realized his plan, and its chest glowed with a roar ready to be released.

Raine ducked a follow-up punch and elbow combination by leaning so far forward his nose nearly hit the ground. A Lunge brought him under both their legs and safely out of the cone-shaped roar that tore into the first Fetch’s back. The use of Lunge coincidentally reset the cooldown of Debilitating Crush. There was no point using it again now that Raine knew the entities could cleanse their pets at any time. Better to save the Discipline for empowering his movements. Flame-wrought bare knuckles would be more than enough for these beasts.

By the time the Fetch finished its roar, Raine had opened the back of its neck to the not-so-fresh air. Vines exploded from its torso, whipping out in all directions. The attack was impossible to dodge from such short range. Several whips cracked into Raine, shredding his robes and breaking ribs. [-591] [-604] [-563] His meager 3,010 Maximum Health was halved in an instant. Raine’s next punch carried rage born from pain, along with a dose of Celestial Power. Life Drain restored most of what was lost, taking it from his enemy’s rugged hide. [-1,310] [+1,310]

Again, the Fetches paused as though shocked. Raine made the entities pay for their lack of composure. Seven brutal punches rocked its chin back until it saw only stars. The Fetch recovered, its snarl one of twisted roots and grinding wood. Raine ducked its expertly-delivered hook and twisted to avoid the knee that followed. Both fists flashed forward in a yamatsuki strike that shattered the last wood holding its frame together. It fell back in a spray of golden energy, leaving only one. Raine could feel the intense Primal Energy radiating from the liquid and could only imagine how bad it would be if any landed on his skin.

This last beast now presented an interesting challenge. Twice, it had been sprayed with the shimmering blood of its allies. There were precious few spots left on its body that were safe for Raine to attack. For the same reason, if he were hit by its vines, he would be in serious trouble.

With narrowed eyes, the Fetch advanced in a low, defensive stance. A quick jab was followed by two rapid kicks with the same leg, neither leaving an opening that Raine could exploit. He evaded both with minimal movements, then closed in for his own series of rapid punches to a bare spot on its shoulder. The Fetch weaved while stepping back, effectively neutralizing the combination. Within those lightning-quick exchanges, neither managed to land even a glancing blow. It was clear the beast's combat standards had evolved to the level 100, tier three standard—roughly equivalent to Master Jedidiah’s capabilities.

It didn’t matter. Raine had fought beasts even more cunning, and with the combination of bloodlust and the soul flame, the attribute advantage was his. Additionally, this wasn’t Earth. Rupture came off cooldown, and the next punch hit empty air, releasing dual shockwaves that the Fetch had no way to dodge. It fell back a step from the force, only to trip as Raine hooked the back of its ankle. Off balance and falling, it was helpless against the barrage of punches led by Uncanny Acceleration’s 600% bonus Attack Speed.

Before the beast realized it had been struck, its back was on the ground, and six more hits were crunching into its shattering joint. Vines exploded from its body, but Raine knew what to look for. Seeing their ends twitch, he triggered a Lunge that brought him to safety. Another Lunge brought him right back inside its guard when he found a gap in the chaotically whipping tentacles. Its arm was blown off by the first punch, and the following seven ate deep into the internals of its neck. A last-ditch kick was sidestepped with ease, and before it could rise to its feet, the last Fetch was no more.

Raine jumped back as brightly-colored sap sloshed from its body to soak the ground. The jungle was quiet as he took a full two seconds to release a long breath, fingers spread wide, reveling in the afterglow of a good fight and the ache in his knuckles. If that was what he had to look forward to for the rest of this ordeal, then Raine was more glad than ever to have accepted the princess’s quest.

Fighting multiple Jedidiah’s at once… Sure, why not?

Not once in the past had Raine faced enemies above level 100 without multiple allies at his back. The only difference between then and now was attributes. If the soul flame didn’t bring him just shy of matching the fetches, and bloodlust didn’t close the remaining gap, he would be forced to do as the entities wanted and spend the entire ordeal fleeing for his life. Further adding to the complexity and danger was the need to balance the Primal Energy inside him. Raine had all the pressure he could ever want to propel down his martial path.

If only I could practice with my weapons, then this ordeal would be a true utopia for sharpening my martial styles. What am I thinking? Since when do I need a weapon to practice?

The first two beasts had already decayed, and the last wasn’t far behind. Not one copper or item dropped, and the three identical notifications that accompanied their deaths were less than ideal.

[470,400 Superiority accrued for distribution (950% bonus for defeating an ancient monster 9 levels above you)]

[63% Attunement accrued for distribution (950% bonus for defeating an ancient monster 9 levels above you)]

Raine clicked his tongue. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen rewards delayed until after a trial was over. Usually, it was only done in exceptional circumstances where leveling before the end would be detrimental in some way. Likely, it had more to do with Selena’s artifact, or her bloodline’s covenant, than with him and his current level. Still, it was annoying. He was only two levels away from some massive equipment upgrades. Now, he might not get them until after the entire Primal Realm was concluded.

“You entities just keep messing with me. You know what? That’s fine. Do your worst. In the end, it’ll only make my rewards that much better.” Raine tore through the woods at maximum non-Discipline-burning speed. He planned to be at his peak for whatever that treasure chest had in store.

The Fetches were waiting for him at every turn. They came from kilometers away, feverish in their desire to throw themselves between Raine and his goal. Each and every one fought with the combat standards of a tier three, level 100 class, forcing him to pick his battles wisely. He avoided groups of three or more, as the only reason he won the first time was due to them starting off easy. 

Instead of brawling as usual, Raine adjusted his stance as though holding an imaginary two-handed sword. The movements were awkward only at first. The high-stakes combat had his brain more alive than ever, and he rapidly adjusted as his neurons fired on full blast. 

As Raine ducked and dash-stepped to evade and close the gap, epiphany struck like a thunderbolt. His fist flashed forward, yet his legs and torso twisted as if swinging a sword, exposing an awkwardness that had plagued him all along—no matter the weapon, some part of his body was always primed for a punch, betraying his divided instincts.

The epiphany's extreme manifestation of internal and external perception caused time to swell. Raine’s fist creeped forward, crunching deep into unyielding bark, inch by agonizing inch. Splinters erupted in slow-motion, drifting like frozen confetti, as he stared, transfixed. A question formed from his core, wordless yet demanding an answer: Was it truly a flaw that his every martial movement could end in a weapon's swing—or a devastating punch?

Obviously, leaving his attacks so ambiguous was suboptimal. But any competent opponent might mistake his gracelessness for a clever feint, potentially leading to an advantage. Still, clinging to indecisive actions would rob him of the explosive power and velocity born from flawless commitment. Meanwhile, Raine had many weapons to master. Was it foolish to cast aside so much experience from the past?

The tug-of-war raged within as a hard splinter sliced through the delicate flesh below Raine’s eye, drawing blood. Such was his focus that the lid didn’t so much as flutter. All within his sight fell before the moment, every moving leaf, every twitch of vine, and each muscle brimming with Primal Energy. Raine’s thoughts expanded into a cosmos of possibility. He didn't merely envision a thousand brutal clashes - he lived them, fists flying, blades whirling, or both in savage harmony.

One truth crystallized: conventional paths would never lead him to such broad weapon mastery. Each weapon had numerous styles for offense, defense, and everything in between. Worse, each required a lifetime of dedication to reach the peak: Raine was no genius, no prodigy, no savant. His one and only edge was the brutal, battle-honed expertise of his fists, now eternally guarded by the Soul Flame of Amanesh.

The choice was made. It clicked, sliding into place at the center of Raine’s being. He would push forward, down this awkward path that was his and his alone.

Time shrank back to the pinpoint of perspective where it belonged. The jungle accelerated into fresh activity as Fetches burst into view all around him. Their timing was perfection itself. Raine returned to his sword stance, but now his torso was angled forward even bolder than before, bringing his knuckles into range.