This guy is a real pain to deal with. Powerful self-healing, plus ferocious aggression... just as expected of a boss-level monster. It definitely deserves that deep-red danger marker.
"Looks like I'll have to get serious!"
Natsuki Subaru took a deep breath, his right hand tightening around Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger. He lowered his center of gravity slightly, every muscle in his body tensing like a hound poised to strike. He couldn't help but say, "Let's see just how far your regeneration goes! Can you heal even a fatal wound in an instant?!"
"—Bloodlust!"
Natsuki Subaru's eyes sharpened as a suffocating pressure erupted from his body, the powerful aura locking onto the Cerberus before him like a physical force.
This was his skill, Bloodlust. It cost 100 mana and could use a powerful aura to plunge a designated enemy into a state of terror for one minute, causing all of its stats to decrease by 50%.
The moment he activated Bloodlust, the very air seemed to freeze over with a layer of frost, and even the surrounding flames faltered for a second.
"ROAR!"
However, just as Bloodlust was about to hit the Cerberus, its middle head shot up and let out a deafening roar. The sound waves rippled out like a physical force, shattering Natsuki Subaru's Bloodlust.
A System notification promptly sounded:
"[Notice: Debuff has been removed]"
"What? The Bloodlust skill was completely useless?!"
Natsuki Subaru's pupils contracted slightly, a jolt of shock running through him.
This was the first time something like this had happened.
After all, the Bloodlust skill had always shown significant effects before, whether against ordinary Magic Beasts or powerful foes like the Sin Archbishop Regulus. Yet now, it was completely ineffective against this Cerberus.
"It seems this thing has the ability to be immune to status effects, just like the Great Spirit Candealar's Blessing that I have."
Faced with this situation, Natsuki Subaru immediately thought of the blessing he himself possessed.
It not only greatly enhanced his body's recovery rate but also provided resistance to all diseases, poisons, and various other status ailments. It could even dramatically accelerate the recovery of his life force while he slept.
"Tch, as expected of a boss-level monster. This physical resistance is absurdly high." Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but click his tongue.
His tone held a hint of resignation, but even more, it held the thrill of a challenge.
"Looks like normal control methods won't work. I'll have to find another way."
"Since skills can't control this gatekeeper of hell, I'll just have to meet it head-on."
Natsuki Subaru quickly retreated several steps, readjusting his breathing as he resolved this in his mind.
In the next second, everything changed!
The Cerberus suddenly charged forward, its massive body exploding with a surprising speed that defied its size.
All three heads opened their cavernous maws simultaneously, torrents of scorching flames erupting forth, tearing three searing-hot tracks across the ground.
BOOM—!
With a tremendous roar, the ground was instantly transformed into a churning sea of fire, a wave of scorching heat washing over him.
Natsuki Subaru had to raise an arm to shield his face, his feet tapping lightly as he swiftly dodged backward.
"Temperature's not bad, but you're a little slow!" Natsuki Subaru taunted the Cerberus while weaving through the sea of fire. "A flame of this level isn't even enough to warm me up!"
Just then, in the brief moment the Cerberus's flame breath paused, a glint flashed in Natsuki Subaru's eyes: "Now's my chance! Die!"
Seizing the opportunity, he leaped up, his body moving like lightning, and landed precisely on the central head of the Cerberus.
"Got you, big guy! Let's see how tough your neck is!"
Natsuki Subaru reverse-gripped his dagger with both hands, flexed his core, and poured the entire strength of his body into his arms, viciously plunging Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger into a vital point on the neck of the Cerberus's middle head!
Sssch!
Dark red, scorching blood immediately spurted out, splashing onto Natsuki Subaru's cheeks and arms, bringing with it a burning sensation.
"RAWR RAWR RAWR—!!"
The Cerberus let out a pained and furious roar, its massive body beginning to thrash and struggle wildly.
"This Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger has both Paralysis and Bleed effects. Even if you're immune to status effects, let's see if you can withstand continuous blood loss!"
Natsuki Subaru did everything he could to steady himself, eagerly anticipating the moment Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger's effects would activate.
"Once the bleed effect triggers, a 1% health drain per second... even a boss-level monster like you won't last long!"
"This battle is as good as won!"
So Natsuki Subaru thought.
However, the next second.
The System's notification once again rang out mercilessly:
"[Notice: Debuff has been removed]"
"What?... Still no effect?"
Natsuki Subaru knew this was bad, an ominous premonition rising in his heart.
In that instant, he noticed the Cerberus's other two heads had already twisted around, their six crimson eyes locked onto him.
"Not good!"
BAM!
Before Natsuki Subaru could react, the Cerberus's left head slammed into him, striking him hard in the side.
The next moment.
Natsuki Subaru was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing into a distant, dilapidated stone building and kicking up a cloud of dust and rubble.
All three heads let out an earth-shattering roar, the sound waves nearly enough to rupture a person's eardrums.
"Cough, cough cough..."
Natsuki Subaru struggled to his feet from within the ruins, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he looked at the seemingly unharmed Cerberus.
That attack had merely left a few faint white marks on the beast's tough scales, dealing negligible damage.
"Such tough defense..." Natsuki Subaru used the momentum to leap backward, putting distance between himself and the Cerberus, thinking to himself, "Its strength and speed are far beyond my expectations. This is going to be trouble."
At the same time.
The Cerberus's right head suddenly opened its maw, and scorching flames rapidly gathered and compressed in its throat, emitting an unsettling hum of energy.
The flames continued to condense, finally forming a beam of high-temperature fire so incandescent it was blinding, the destructive energy within it causing the surrounding air to distort.
"Sss-pa—!"
Accompanied by a piercing crackle, the incandescent flame shot out like a furious dragon.
"An attack of this power... I absolutely cannot take it head-on!"
In a flash, Natsuki Subaru's extensive combat experience had already allowed him to predict the attack's trajectory.
The moment before the flame erupted, his legs tensed, and his body shot into the air like an arrow loosed from a bow, the scorching flame barely grazing past beneath his feet.
And where the scorching flame passed, the ground instantly melted and boiled, forming a massive molten crater over five meters in diameter. Red-hot lava churned and bubbled within, emitting suffocating waves of heat and the smell of sulfur.
Natsuki Subaru adjusted his posture in mid-air, his sharp gaze sweeping over the massive molten crater below as he thought to himself: "This attack is too terrifying. If I'd been hit directly, it wouldn't just be half my health gone—I'd probably have been vaporized instantly!"
After landing, Natsuki Subaru immediately leaped back several times to create a safe distance from the Cerberus, guarding against potential follow-up attacks.
"This is no good. The Cerberus's health is too high! Combined with the all-stat bonus from its berserk state, a direct confrontation is hopeless."
Natsuki Subaru's mind raced, and he quickly formulated a new strategy.
"I have to wait until its berserk state ends, then look for an opportunity."
After all, the speed and defense the Cerberus displayed were far beyond his expectations.
He wasn't an idiot. Anyone who's played games knows you can't just rely on brute force to fight monsters; you need to use tactics and strategy.
Right now, the smartest choice was to adopt a kiting tactic.
By precisely controlling the engagement distance, using his speed advantage and the complexity of the ruined terrain, he could continuously inflict accumulating damage on the Cerberus while completely avoiding its melee attacks.
First, he would slowly wear down its stamina and health, and once its condition worsened, he would look for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
"The key to kiting is maintaining a safe distance and using a speed advantage for hit-and-run attacks."
While rapidly dodging the Cerberus's attacks, Natsuki Subaru's peripheral vision scanned the surroundings as he continued to analyze the tactical details in his head.
"The terrain of these ruins is complex, which is perfect for providing cover. As long as I get the rhythm right and counter-attack during the lulls in its attacks, I can slowly chip away its health."
"Sprint!"
With that thought, Natsuki Subaru activated the skill without hesitation. His movement speed instantly increased by fifty percent, his figure becoming a blur among the ruins, leaving only a series of indistinct black afterimages.
Since his opponent held the absolute advantage in its berserk state, he certainly wasn't foolish enough to clash with it head-on.
And so, a spectacular chase began amidst the ruins.
Natsuki Subaru moved like a phantom, weaving nimbly between the broken walls and rubble, at times using a toppled pillar for cover, at others using a crumbling wall for tactical evasion.
He precisely controlled his distance from the Cerberus, always staying at the very edge of its attack range while looking for opportunities to counter-attack.
The Cerberus, on the other hand, relied entirely on brute force, crashing through everything in its path and reducing it to dust.
Its three heads took turns spewing flames, further destroying the already dilapidated buildings.
But thanks to Natsuki Subaru's excellent distance control, most of its attacks hit nothing but air.
BOOM!!!!
Another deafening roar. A teetering tower finally collapsed under the Cerberus's savage charge, and countless fragments of stone and metal rained down like shrapnel, kicking up a sky-blotting cloud of dust.
"This gatekeeper dog is like a demolition crew!"
Muttering this, Natsuki Subaru weaved and dodged through the ruins, nimbly rolling to avoid the slash of its claws, then lightly leaping to evade the searing flames.
"Three minutes... it should be up soon."
Natsuki Subaru's gaze grew sharper. He gripped his dagger tightly, his muscles tensing slightly, ready to launch a thunderous strike the moment the Cerberus's berserk effect vanished.
Soon, three minutes passed during the intense battle of offense and defense.
The System's notification sounded punctually in Natsuki Subaru's mind:
"[Notice: Cerberus's skill, Berserker! Effect has ended.]"
Almost as soon as the notification faded, the ominous red glow around the Cerberus vanished abruptly, as if doused with water.
Its massive body visibly deflated somewhat, its once-bulging muscles receding slightly. Its charging speed and ferocious aura both dropped by a noticeable degree, and even the savage glint in its three pairs of eyes dimmed considerably.
"Heh... so the skill's duration is up?"
Seeing this, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but let out a cold snort, abruptly halting his constant dodging and planting his feet firmly atop a pile of rubble.
"I've been dodging for so long, now it's my turn!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Natsuki Subaru pushed off forcefully, the ground beneath his feet instantly cracking and collapsing as rubble flew everywhere.
"You've been hopping around for so long, did you really think I couldn't do anything to you?"
His body shot forward like a cannonball, charging straight toward the drastically weakened Cerberus!
Natsuki Subaru was so fast that he even left a faint black afterimage in his wake.
_____
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