BXBX NOVEL Chapter 42: Ender (3)
He avoided all lethal arrows zooming his way.
Jake clicked his tongue and ran to the middle of the cave.
Odin also dropped flat onto the ground. Upon the fall, he received a temporary stun and three hundred health points loss.
That, however, didn't impress him, as he quickly rose to his four paws and shook himself to clear his mind. He proudly ran toward his master's side.
After that, the web of darkness so familiar to the two ejected itself from the bottomless shadows.
"So many of them, right?" Jake chuckled as he stared at the eagles of darkness zooming from one point to another, forming a net of darkness he'd never forget.
Odin nodded.
Jake was already in his Master Form, so he allowed himself to scratch Odin's head for the work he had done. He was happy that Odin had grown so confident in himself that he didn't let the first failure get to him.
Odin woofed contentedly before focusing on the shadow eagles.
Jake nocked the arrow and waited for the imminent clash as well.
Ender's voice boomed in the cave. "You two have gotten stronger… I'm elated to see your growth, my kin, despite you being corrupted and manipulated."
Jake narrowed his eyes, "Why won't you use his name? It's Odin."
Odin woofed in agreement.
Ender scoffed, "Odin… you really want to get yourself killed, don't you? I shall answer your wish, then! Regardless of how many times you dare to return here with that pointless trick of yours, I'll kill and kill you until I find my freedom!"
That declaration was the beginning of the second phase.
All eagles of darkness had locked their eyes on the duo while flying from one point to another. A few breaths later, one of them hurtled from the side, his target Jake's abdomen.
Jake, however, hadn't come to the middle of the cave for no reason.
The ancient writings formed a square circuit, with the four pillars being the corners. The light, which weakened Ender and turned him into a level ten legendary boss, played a crucial role in enabling Jake against the army of the eagles, as he could spot them emerging from the darkness much easier than before.
Jake completed his unique perception skill in that setting.
And now, he could see them just fine.
'I see you,' Jake whispered as he pointed his arrowhead at the incoming eagle. Before the creature could slam itself into him, Jake's arrow tore through his form, finishing him.
Because of the distance and Jake's skills, just a single common arrow was enough against those fellows. Jake understood this much, his lips curving into a sneer.
Whistles of arrows and eagles quickly stuffed the cave. Amidst those, Odin ran from one side to another to help his master and friend, headbutting and clawing eagles he could reach.
It wasn't a one-sided ordeal, however.
Jake received a few hits onto his head and torso, but those weren't lethal at all, which was because he had prepared himself to get hit and learned how to take them head-on, to say nothing of the wolf set protecting him and increasing his defenses!
Jake's legs weren't even wounded because Odin stood guard here!
'It's a battle against the time! Odin's time limit gonna hit the clock soon! This guy is still biding for time! Does he know about Odin's time limit? Did Odin lose against time in the first battle? I can't remember!' Jake thought as the adrenaline and the battle's flow filled him.
"Odin, go all out! Use your howl and get as many of them as you can!" Jake commanded once he arrived at the conclusion that this prideful eagle wouldn't come out at the perfect time!
Meaning Ender was quite lucky here as he didn't know about Odin's time limit!
Odin understood the command. He glanced at the flying eagles and positioned himself to hit as many as possible before padding the cave with his boisterous howl! A few eagles popped from the impact while the rest had their trajectories disturbed.
Odin was that loud!
'Perfect-, ' Jake thought as he imagined himself taking down many more eagles in this scenario. But then, suddenly, Ender emerged from the darkness!
He dashed at Jake from behind him, his body coated in darkness. That darkness took the form of an additional pair of wings and helmet, which turned Ender into an armored eagle. He didn't pay any price for that boost and was as fast as he used to be!
Jake noticed him too late…
Sinking into Jake's back, Ender drilled through the thick armor, making a see-through hole in just one move! He went deeper than that and pierced through Jake's flesh, drawing a fountain of blood.
"Ugh!" Jake groaned.
Odin whined with tears in his eyes. Alas, his time approached. He disappeared with a last, worried whine.
On the other hand, Ender didn't waste even a second of this precious moment. After distancing himself from Jake, he took over the ceiling again and turned his armor of darkness into a raw mana that sculpted itself into crescent blades.
With a flick of his dark wings, Ender peppered Jake with them.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Jake crumbled onto two knees and let his bow go. He stared at the ground with blood trickling down the corner of his lips and sweat dropping off his chin.
After grasping his bow, he gritted his teeth and crawled to the pillar…
Ender's voice shook the cave, "Crawl like the worm you are."
His blades hadn't stopped.
At the end of the struggle, Jake put his back to the pillar and checked his stats.
[Archer Lv. 10 HP: 31/470 MP: 54/340]
[Ender, The Eagle Of Darkness Lv. 10 HP: 710/2500 MP: 143/3500]
'Couldn't have been more excited,' Jake thought. 'A smart opponent can really drive me to the edge! Let's see… his mana is low…, and his health is not that big of a problem if I execute my arrows just fine. I have one element of surprise left… Wukong. I will do it… it's damn doable.'