"Death Demon style, Second move - Annihilation Sword!"
Kurukaze was enveloped in an ominous aura as Shiva swung the blade with tremendous force, aiming to sever Typhon's main demonic head. However, the primordial beast's sinewy necks coiled and writhed, enabling it to evade the strike with unnatural agility. Shiva's sword merely grazed the scales of one serpentine head, causing a shower of sparks but failing to inflict any significant damage.
{That thing is too agile! Watch out!} The Old Sword warned.
Undeterred, Typhon retaliated with a flurry of attacks from its multitude of serpentine heads. Razor-sharp fangs snapped at Shiva from every direction, while gouts of searing flame erupted from the gaping maws, bathing the area in intense heat. Shiva deftly dodged and weaved, his agility allowing him to narrowly avoid the relentless onslaught.
"Tch, this is getting annoying," Shiva grunted through gritted teeth as he struggled to evade the lava spewing forth from the countless serpentine heads. It would have been a manageable challenge if there were only one or two, but the freakish creature possessed over twenty-five writhing necks, assailing Shiva from all sides.
Kurukaze grazed against the scales of the serpentine heads, causing showers of sparks as Shiva nimbly danced amidst the chaos, waiting for an opportunity to strike. That chance finally arrived.
"Death Demon Style, First Move - Death Pierce!"
This time, Shiva executed the first move in conjunction with Kurukaze's Reinforce skill. He could instinctively feel the difference in power compared to when he had previously used the move. Not only did he now wield the formidable Kurukaze instead of a mere skeleton's sword, but his strength had surged to an impressive 85 after the clear rewards from the ninth wave. On top of that, he was utilizing the Reinforce skill to augment his already formidable prowess.
Power welled within Shiva's sword, and one of Typhon's heads finally fell victim to his blade, the appendage almost disappearing entirely from the sheer force of the strike!
Yet, to Shiva's dismay, the pierced stump almost immediately began to reform, a new head rapidly taking shape to replace the one he had removed.
{What? That's not fair!} The Old Sword exclaimed incredulously, though it secretly rejoiced at finally tasting the blood of a primordial monster, no matter how fleeting.
While Shiva was content to see the blood smeared on the blade, which Kurukaze rapidly absorbed, he also clicked his tongue in frustration. He realized that simply decapitating the beast's serpentine heads would not be enough to defeat it.
"Looks like we need to find a different approach," he muttered, his brow furrowed in concentration.
As he maneuvered to avoid another barrage of attacks, Shiva noticed the corruption giant struggling against Typhon's onslaught. The undead behemoth, already severely weakened by the intense heat and corrosive effects of Typhon's lava, could barely stand its ground.
{He won't last much longer!} The Old Sword's voice rang out, its tone sharper and more vibrant than before, filled with a newfound sense of life. But it was too late for Shiva to intervene.
With a deafening roar that shook the very void, Typhon unleashed a devastating attack, a torrent of molten rock spewing forth from its countless mouths and engulfing the corruption giant. The agonized screams of the giant echoed through the darkness as its entire form began to melt and dissolve, reduced to a viscous puddle by the sheer intensity of Typhon's assault.
<Your summon, Corruption giant - Aghora has been destroyed>
"Fuck!" Shiva cried out, watching in horror as his first summon was obliterated before his very eyes, leaving only him and a few lucky summons that had evaded the beast's lava to face the primordial monstrosity.
{Well, it tried its best. It's a pity that it got destroyed.} The Old Sword remarked, its tone devoid of remorse and laced with sarcasm.
{You should give up now. Trying to defeat that monster is madness.}
It's already remarkable that Shiva can survive against this monster; there's no need to obsess over defeating it. A man should know when to back down
Shiva gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around the Old Sword's hilt until his knuckles turned white. "Give up? You think I came back in time to give up now?"
Shiva roared, his eyes falling upon what remained of the corruption giant.
"I am here to make that beast mine, and I will not rest until I do so. <Reanimate>!"
Mana surged forth from Shiva as he unleashed the skill he had been saving until now – a skill that could bring back one of his destroyed summons. With the restriction of being usable only once a day and capable of reviving summons destroyed within the last minute, Shiva had been patiently waiting for the perfect moment to utilize it.
That moment had arrived.
The molten skin of the corruption giant reformed, its arms and legs twisting and churning as they reassembled under Shiva's gaze. While the remaining skeletons tried to distract Typhon's attention, the corruption giant soon stood tall once again, letting out a defiant roar that caught the primordial beast's fiery gaze.
"I can't bring you back again, so fight with caution," Shiva warned, noticing that this time, instead of fear, only anger burned in the eyeless corruption giant's stance, its nerves standing taut.
"<Feast for the Dead>!"
Shiva invoked another skill he had been saving, sacrificing the last of his skeleton monsters to hasten the regeneration of his burn wounds, which began to close at an alarming rate.
"Let's start the second round!" he declared, Kurukaze gripped firmly in his hand, his gaze locked with steely determination upon the massive beast that glared back at him with fiery eyes.
If trying to defeat that monster was madness, then Shiva was ready to embrace it, for he is the Crazy Necromancer.
And the battle had only just begun.
---***---
Forsaken by the Gods, I made a contract with the Demon King