Betting One's Life

The pale blue Arcane Energy flowing on the blade breathed like a living thing.

This faint light gave Xia Lin a phantom sense of confidence.

The Kobold God-Chosen moved again.

This time, it wasn't with its fists, but with claws covered in golden scales, which screeched as they tore through the air, lunging towards Xia Lin's neck.

So fast!

But Xia Lin's nerves were taut. The Ring of Swift Wind activated simultaneously. He twisted his waist and dropped his shoulder, sliding half a step back. His body skimmed the ground, narrowly dodging the attack.

The golden claw wind brushed past his cheek, severing a few strands of black hair that fluttered down.

The moment he dodged the claw strike, he pushed off the ground, shifting his center of gravity forward, his arm muscles tensing.

The longsword, infused with Arcane Energy, was no longer wildly chopping. Instead, it transformed into a precise blue lightning bolt, exploiting the opening left by the claw strike and thrusting fiercely towards the Kobold God-Chosen's relatively soft armpit.

[Pierce]

Ch-!

The resistance from the sword tip, the feeling of cutting through tough leather, made Xia Lin's heart leap into his throat.

It worked!

Dark golden blood, radiating heat, spurted from the monster's armpit like a small fountain, splashing his hands with sticky gore.

"Roar--!!!"

A deafening roar echoed through the cave, no longer just pure pressure, but mixed with clear pain and fury.

The Kobold God-Chosen stumbled back a step, showing a hint of instability for the first time.

It lowered its head, its eyes burning with Golden Flame fixed on the not-so-deep wound under its arm, which was now flowing with "god blood."

Then, its gaze, like two red-hot irons, turned sharply towards the longsword in Xia Lin's hand, which was flowing with pale blue Arcane Energy.

"Ha! Just as I thought!" Xia Lin's heart pounded. The adrenaline rush temporarily suppressed the burning pain from the wound on his right shoulder.

A smile, a mixture of madness and relief, involuntarily spread across his face. "I knew it! Your turtle shell isn't invincible!"

Although the wound wasn't deep and might even heal in an instant under that strange divine power, it undeniably proved one thing—this monster wasn't unbeatable!

He quickly reassessed the "God-Chosen" before him.

Its speed was indeed astonishing, and its strength was outrageously high, capable of crippling Barrett with a single punch.

But its movements... were wide and sweeping, full of primal ferocity and power, yet lacking any technique.

Straight punches, wide sweeps, claw strikes... it was the same few moves over and over.

The attack intentions were obvious, and so were the openings.

It was purely relying on the high stats brought by its divine power to crush him.

"All just stats..." Xia Lin panted, licking his chapped lips. "As long as I deal with it carefully and stall for a while, it should be fine!"

He needed to buy time for Kasimir, that ice-faced Duelist must be preparing some killing move.

However, just as Xia Lin made up his mind and prepared to engage in hit-and-run tactics using skill and the magic weapon—

The Kobold God-Chosen, after a low growl, actually... completely ignored Xia Lin in front of it.

Its eyes, burning with Golden Flame, suddenly shifted towards Kasimir, who was behind a stone pillar to its side.

Not good!

The monster's legs suddenly exerted force, and its massive body once again turned into a golden meteor.

It abandoned Xia Lin, the "minor annoyance," and charged directly at Kasimir, who was concentrating and preparing.

"Hey! Over here!" Xia Lin roared. Without thinking, he immediately abandoned the idea of hit-and-run.

He stomped forward, holding the Arcane Energy-infused longsword horizontally in front of him, forcefully blocking the Kobold God-Chosen's charging path.

He had no choice; Kasimir couldn't be interrupted!

BOOM!!! It was like being hit by a charging rhinoceros.

Xia Lin felt an irresistible, immense force transmit through the sword, numbing his arms. His tiger's mouth instantly split open, blood gushing out!

His body was forced backward, his feet plowing deep furrows in the ground, but he gritted his teeth and refused to let go.

"Come on! You mongrel!" Xia Lin's eyes turned bloodshot from the congestion and intense pain. The strong sense of impending death stimulated his nerves, instead igniting a fierce, almost crazed ferocity.

He stabilized his stance. The longsword in his hand no longer aimed for evasion but darted out like a venomous snake. Using the momentum from the opponent's charge, he entwined, blocked, and deflected!

This was the "entanglement" technique from Basic Swordsmanship! Using the sword body to control the opponent's attack path and find opportunities for counterattacks.

The Kobold God-Chosen's attacks became increasingly ferocious!

Golden fists and claws swung alternately. Each time they grazed Xia Lin's body, they tore through his Leather Armor, leaving behind bloody marks of varying depths.

Each time he parried with his sword, the heavy force made the blade groan. The vibration shot straight up his arm, his bones creaking. Several times, the longsword almost slipped from his grasp.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of steel clashing was incessant, sparks flying.

Relying on the reaction speed provided by his ring and the slight advantage from the Arcane Energy enchantment, Xia Lin struggled to hold on amidst the storm of attacks.

His feet moved rapidly within the confined space, his sword light flashing, stubbornly pinning him in place like a nail, guarding the sole hope behind him.

Every part of his body let out a pained groan. The wound on his right shoulder tore open again due to the violent movements, warm blood continuously flowing out, soaking his clothes, and his vision began to darken intermittently.

His mind was compressed to its limit, like a guitar string about to snap at any moment.

Any misjudgment, any missed block, would result in his body being torn to shreds.

Once again, after skillfully using the side of his sword to deflect a powerful straight punch, much like a bullfighter toying with a bull, the Kobold God-Chosen, having exerted too much force, revealed an extremely brief opening.

Its left knee—the spot Xia Lin had repeatedly attacked with his enchanted longsword.

The scales there were damaged, and dark golden blood was still seeping out!

He suddenly crouched, drawing the light hand crossbow from his waist with his left hand.

There was no time to aim; it was all muscle memory.

Whoosh!

The small crossbow bolt cut through the air, hitting the Kobold God-Chosen's only exposed, vulnerable left knee with pinpoint accuracy.

Squelch!

This time, the crossbow bolt plunged deep into the wound, previously opened by the magic weapon, without any obstruction!

"ROAR--!!!!!"

The Kobold God-Chosen let out a deafening roar of pain that echoed throughout the entire mine!

The golden flames in its eyes blazed wildly, seemingly completely caught off guard that this dying "insect" still possessed such a treacherous means.

Just as Xia Lin thought it would tear him to shreds like a wounded beast, its movements suddenly became incredibly bizarre.

A speed far exceeding its previous burst forth.

Xia Lin's vision blurred.

A large hand covered in golden scales, like a vise, suddenly grabbed his right ankle.

The next moment, an irresistible, terrifying force surged.

The world spun!

He was easily lifted by the enraged Kobold God-Chosen like a rag doll, swung in a desperate arc through the air, and hurled fiercely towards the bottomless dark cliff at the edge of the cavern!

Weightlessness instantly enveloped him, the wind whistling past his ears.

He looked down at the darkness rapidly expanding like a beast's maw, and at Kasimir's statue-like figure, along with the rapier that had finally gathered enough power and begun to emit an aura of destruction.

Just then, the Duelist's voice, devoid of emotion yet perfectly clear, rang out like a final ultimatum:

"Your sacrifice will not be in vain."