Mysterious Creature

The sand had scattered and a large crater had been formed at the spot Velios had launched the finishing blow. His usage of holy magic left him completely drained and his mana had been almost completely used up to heal him after the demon's first attack. Velios couldn't deny the fact that he felt a little sad deep within him. He fought a strong opponent, yes, but that opponent had no style, they didn't know how to fight. All brawl, no brains basically. Velios could have summoned him but in the state he currently was in, he would neither have enough mana nor the power to then fight back at him and seeing as the demon was stronger naturally, Velios couldn't use his skill to make the demon obey either way. In a way, Velios still felt accomplished. He'd never think he'd become so powerful that an attack that literally reduced him to atoms wouldn't be enough to actually kill him. 

Wha-? Velios felt all his energy suddenly leave his body. He was completely drained in blood and barely had enough energy to stand properly. He felt his legs try to buckle under him but something told him that he couldn't, that he had to stand up no matter what. Soon his senses began to falter, his vision narrowing and his sixth sense ability completely vanished, leaving him unable to sense what was going on around him. His breathing got more out of sync and it was as if he was struggling with each breath of his. He didn't see it as something bad, since it happened so often and regurarely, but something was different this time, he could feel it, but he wasn't sure of what it was. The curse on Velios' body had grown. It had transformed into a darker shade of it's previous color and grown in size, covering more of his torso and starting to cover his upper arm. It was as if it was reacting to something, warning him. 

A powerful punch suddenly connected in Velios' stomach, sending him hurdling back with no time to guard or even brace himself. A huge pile of blood exited his mouth as he was sent flying in the air, only after a few seconds colliding with someone. He was sent all the way back to the city and the thing he crashed into was the giant wall that surrounded and guarded it. His collision with the wall combined with the speed he was sent flying caused the entire wall to shatter and break. Velios was struggling to regenerate, his abiltities being forced to activate despite his already fatigued body. Blood dripping down his face, he quickly wiped it off with a single stroke of his arm, but that went on to cost him. The creature, whatever it was, was not the same thing Velios had fought earlier. It was not the same demon and he only managed to catch a glimpse of it.

Velios deployed a thick layer of mana around him right before impact, sending him flying to the other side of the side. He felt his organs being crushed and his whole body being deformed as the punch had landed, despite the layer of mana, which not even Shiva had got through, it was as if it was non-existent. Velios had no time to react after he collided with the wall before the giant creature came flying towards him. It was too fast. Way too fast. In a desperate attempt to minimize the damage in the short time before he got hit, he came up with a new technique. A barrier that was so complex in its design that it would be almost impossible to replicate if they didn't possess the level of intellect, the amount of free mana and the same amount of control as Velios possessed. But it didn't matter. The creature instantly adapted to it. It was as if the complicated structure of the barrier was an open book.

Velios was sent hurdling towards another part of the walls from having been punched from the side. His wounds weren't closing. His mana was working to its fullest to just keep him alive and he had to constantly think about his options. With the limited amount of power he had left, the only viable option would be to strengthen his body and hope for a literal miracle from having come to the conclusion that teleportation would be out of the question. Then the creature appeared before him yet again, already swinging his mutated hand, which had taken the form of a thick sword with a pointy end headed straight for Velios' head. In a desperate measure, all Velios could do was protect himself. He moved his arm so that his forearm would be the first thing to make contact with the blade but it was to no use. His arm was immediately decapitated and in sensing this, could barely avoid the strike through the help of the force applied to his arm before it was removed. 

It was in that moment Velios realised something. Or rather, he remembered something. Even as he kept on being punched around, every attack lethal enough to actually kill him if he didn't defend himself, his body kept on moving on its own as if it was muscle memory, etched into his brain. But, to himself, he was just thinking. I might have been a bit greedy this time... What can I even do...? I'm being flung around and I barely have any strength left. I can't use my mana dome, I can't cast any powerful spells and I can't magically alter any of our states... I only have my body to rely on, huh? It sure brings me back, memories of a time when I didn't have magic. But still... what's with this creature... and where did it come from? Velios got punched from above, using his remaining arm and pouring everything he had left into it. The surroundings were being constantly destroyed and the ground continued breaking under the sheer, brutal strength which Velios' opponent possessed. 

With his remaining arm and remaining spirit, Velios decided something. He had been too careful. The reason he didn't have fun was because he was both consciously and unconsciously limiting himself to not cause destruction on himself and more specifically, on others. The moment Velios decided that he wouldn't care about that, but that he would give it his all no matter what, to surpass his limits and fight like he once used to, it was like a lock that suddenly had been unlocked, a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders and somehow, despite still being constantly attacked, he felt more free. A lot more free than he has in a very long time. If he were to die, then at least, he would do so with his best performance yet. 

The mana which Velios had saved, the mana which he didn't even knew he possessed released around him, covering him in a dark aura. It was like an actual limiter had been removed from him. It almost felt like a dream, it was too surreal. Velios was beginning to feel emotions from fighting that he never had felt before and all of them mixed together, creating a concoction of the different emotions he was feeling. He couldn't even start to explain them if he were to get the chance. But now, Velios didn't have a responsibility anymore. He didn't have to protect anyone. He had no friends anymore. Vadh and the others were left on their own and he hade made sure to never try to create connections or friendships with someone that could easily die. He realised that his memories from back then, over six months ago, still haunted him, but he was proud of them, cause it made him who he was. He had survived so that he could carry on their legacy and the only thing that he had to care about in the present moment was to "just survive".

His mana surrounded the giant, pale white-skinned creature. Instantaneously turning everything around them into ice, severely slowing down the movements of the creature. Throwing punches precisely aimed onto the creatures body with everything he had. Leaving out not a single bit of mana and instead using all of it to make his attacks just a little bit stronger, strengthening individual fibers and things only seen at a molecular level, pumping all of them individually with mana, theoretically making his potential strength ever-growing, as magic itself doesn't have a limit. The current strength which he possessed would be enough to cause whole eco-systems to change from just a single punch. But, as he continued punching, something was off. The creature wasn't moving as much as before and Velios knew there was no way that the ice magic had affected it so much to the point where it wouldn't try to attack back. 

All of a sudden, a sound was heard. A quiet one but loud enough so that someone would hear it. Velios continued punching and defending but for some reason, the whole fight suddenly changed. The ice wasn't affecting the creature anymore. Trees had frozen to the point where a simple breeze destroyed it, grass had basically dried up from the cold temperatures and everything surrounding them had got major changes in not only appearance but durability and swiftness. For some reason, it no longer affected the creature. Not only that, but it hit stronger than before. Velios was yet again sent flying backwards, landing somewhat stable before being punched away again. He had to do something. His mana was constantly being burned away and none of his attacks seemed to work. Not only had it adapted to his ice, but it seemed like the creature was immune to physical attacks aswell.