Chapter 45

Cyrus Pov 

The only thing I could do in this moment was activate my ability to slow the release of the attack just enough to escape a fatal blast. Once its effect wore off, the attack was unleashed in its full fury. The plains were decimated by three massive columns of shadow energy, creating a deep crater several meters wide.

"If I get hit by one of those head-on, it's really going to be the end of me," I muttered as I dashed away, trying to create more space between myself and the Rift Guardian.

As I distanced myself, I glanced at the orb and noticed it was shrinking again. At this rate, I knew I would run out of energy before this beast did.

"How am I going to defeat it? It can heal from injuries, and one hit from its three-headed attack could wipe my astral form from existence. Think, Cyrus, think," I yelled to myself.

I had about six more uses of my ability based on my current reserves, and I needed every single one. I couldn't afford to waste them on evasion—I needed to use them for a clean, critical blow to the Hydra.

"But this damn thing is fast for something that big. What is it with these creatures moving faster than they should be able to?" I thought as the Hydra finally spotted me again after the debris settled.

Locking eyes with the hydra, I instantly tried to create more distance, hoping to buy myself some time to figure out my next move. But the Hydra was relentless. I could tell it lived for the hunt, defending its territory with unwavering ferocity. It was acting as if this opportunity were its last chance to fulfill its starving desires. 

With a meteoric impact, the behemoth exploded forward, closing the gap between us in just two bounds while I was running at full speed.

"Damn it, you really want me dead," I muttered, glancing over my shoulder to see the Hydra preparing to unleash another blast at point-blank range.

Without hesitation, I channeled cosmic energy into my first rune and launched myself backward into the air. With only a second left of my ability still being active, I quickly infused my arms with cosmic energy and with all my might, I unleashed a downward slash with my new weapon onto one of the Hydra's heads.

The horn fragment of the Void Serpent did exactly what I had hoped—it cleaved straight through the Hydra's head. As my ability faded, the beast let out a deafening wail of pain, thrashing wildly as it lost one of its limbs. The violent reaction caused me to lose balance and tumble off the behemoth, with the momentum sending me rolling across the ground of the grassy plains. 

As I steadied myself, I noticed a shift in the orb floating in the center of the Rift's environment. This time, the light within the orb began to take control, forcing the dark shadows to recede. With the light now dominant, the sky radiated with a blinding glow.

But that wasn't the only change.

The Hydra's scales fully transitioned into the shimmering ivory white color, no longer flickering back and forth between the dark charcoal color from when I first appeared. As my eyes adjusted to the intense brightness, I refocused on the Hydra—only to witness something that made my heart sink.

The head I had just severed was growing back.

And this time, two new heads replaced it.

Now, four pairs of glowing eyes bore down on me, each filled with an even greater resolve to finish what it had started.

"I don't know why I expected anything else. Of course, it grew its freaking head back," I sighed, bracing myself for the next bout.

As I channeled a layer of cosmic energy once again over my body, I took another glance at the orb. It had shrunken to nearly half its original size.

"So healing takes up way more energy than firing those blasts, huh?" I thought.

But before I could turn my head back onto the hydra, an immense force slammed into my ribs, cracking them and sending me hurtling through the air.

The onslaught didn't stop there.

Before I could regain control of my body and react, a massive claw struck me with a crushing force. I could feel the intent from the beast, and I knew that it was exacting vengeance from the blow I dealt earlier. The impact sent me crashing into the ground, causing blood to spill out from my mouth upon the impact.

"Were you upset I wasn't paying attention to you, little lizard? I'm sorry for that," I muttered as I slowly started pushing myself up to one knee and spitting out more blood.

"So you were holding back some speed, huh? Well, that's just great," I chuckled bitterly.

"I guess it's time I stopped holding back, too," I yelled out, knowing all too well there wasn't much more I could give.

The creature simply snorted in response, unimpressed by my declaration.

"Is this Hydra actually being honorable? Why is it letting me stand up?" I wondered.

"Did its personality change when the light side of the orb took control? These Rifts are crazy," I muttered as I walked over to retrieve my weapon.

After that brutal assault, I knew I couldn't take much more of this beating. I was vastly outmatched in both raw strength and speed. I only had five more uses of my ability left, and my body was battered and broken—yet the fight looked as though it had only just begun.

"Well, I guess I have no choice but to try the technique now, since I never got the chance to during my time in the Void."