CHAPTER 422: CHAPTER 219: END (PART 2)

The half-broken forearm slowly fell to the ground under the moonlight.

"Huff... Huff..."

Xia Nan panted, his dark eyes reflecting the strong and agile body of the bear man ahead, quickly scanning over the opponent’s arm stump and chest wound.

Another round of clashes, thanks to the surprise of [Gravity Control] and the force field damage from [Gravity Etching], he made good progress.

Though he hadn’t achieved a decisive victory with his trump card as expected, he inflicted considerable damage on the opponent, putting them in a severely injured state.

Xia Nan could sense the scales of victory tilting towards him.

Having lost half an arm and with serious injuries, Mint was no longer able to display the strength she had before.

What he needed to do next was to rely on [Teeth Hunting] to maintain mobility, while being cautious of the surrounding thorns and beast pack’s ambush, to find an opportunity to get close again. Utilizing the two remaining uses of [Gravity Etching] today, let the force field energy target the opponent’s head...

Xia Nan pondered in his heart, but his gaze suddenly halted.

"Hmm?"

He saw Mint, gravely wounded in front, not show any sign of defeat, but instead growled as her momentum surged.

The intense pain and the bloody air strengthened the beastly nature that had already taken over her body.

Her muscles swelled and expanded, even her thick, tough skin cracked and seeped with droplets of blood. Her already burly body grew and lengthened further, casting a shadow on the ground like a distorted monster.

Even the nearby beast pack sensed the frenzied aura in the air, roaring wildly amid the thorns that caused the ground to undulate like waves.

And the most suffocating sight was the water droplet-shaped pendant, gently swaying from her left ear amidst her growls.

An emerald glow filled with life subtly rippled around it in the air.

The gentle halo seemed to detect the wearer’s injuries, with emerald green dots resembling tiny fireflies, swaying and gathering over Mint’s left arm and chest wounds.

Near those wounds, sliced open by force field energy, flesh buds squirmed and multiplied like tiny synapses, merging and connecting under the green light.

The wounds visibly healed rapidly.

The severed limb might not be regenerated, but the vitality lost with the blood was replenishing her body at an unusual speed.

Xia Nan sensed the rapid recovery of the bear man’s stamina clearly.

He was anxious.

The original plan was instantly disrupted, his brain racing.

Undoubtedly, the pendant hanging from Mint’s earlobe, the magic accessory tracked by Cash and Vireis, possessed some healing ability.

Xia Nan wasn’t sure how many times this effect could be used, but he knew–

He absolutely couldn’t just sit and watch the enemy’s injuries recover.

He had to do something!

Roar—

The wolf head phantom, still lingering from the previous impact, solidified once more, sweeping up broken branches and dust from the ground, howling and blasting towards the burly figure engulfed in green light ahead.

Approaching lv4, the damage carried by [Teeth Hunting] during the impact shredded the thorns below, devouring them to become part of the wolf head phantom’s swaying mane.

And the razor-sharp winds kept the encroaching beast pack at bay.

Spatial barriers were crossed in an instant, [Gravity Control] was pushed to the maximum extent he could currently muster.

Two invisible limbs reached from beneath the earth, tightly binding the beastman’s feet ahead.

The Beheading Longsword, once again sheathed in red light under the powerful impact force of [Teeth Hunting], thrust straight towards the vital heart area of the beastman.

Sssss—

A momentary resistance came from the tip of the sword, the specific sensation of metal piercing flesh.

"Did it succeed?"

Xia Nan felt unexpected, [Gravity Etching] was instantly triggered.

Buzz—

A cluster of ochre-red light almost instantly engulfed the beastman along with most of its chest and heart.

He could even see through the wound, glimpsing the dimly lit bushes on the opposite side.

Surprised, his perception ability at a high score of 10 quietly detected something strange.

"Something’s not right!"

Xia Nan instantly turned, the Beheading Longsword already positioned horizontally in front of him.

At the same time, the burly body whose chest had been blasted by [Gravity Etching] transformed into a crude decoy made of thorny vines.

Mint’s true form quietly emerged from the blind spot behind him in the shadows.

The remaining right claw flashed a deadly cold light in the air, slicing towards the back of his head.

Luckily, Xia Nan reacted in time, turning around and using his longsword to block, causing the claw that should have pierced his skull to violently clash with the sword, failing to directly hit the vital point.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew!

Xia Nan felt a massive force crashing through the hilt, slamming him into the ground, while intense pain surged in his right hand.

The bear man, after beast transformation, was already much stronger in pure strength, coupled with the rushed turn, his legs were not fully stable, lacking enough power.

This resulted in his hands nearly losing all strength under the impact, and the longsword in front of him skewed slightly, causing the claw that fell on the blade to slide along the sword.

The three prominent toe claws left three bloody wounds on Xia Nan’s right arm.

Immediately after, under the effect of strong force, pain, and numbness, among other factors.

The heavy beheading longsword was also struck upwards, lifting his entire center upwards.

A sense of unease immediately arose in his heart.

Under normal circumstances, no adventurer would dare to give up their weapon amidst such fierce combat.

Yet, at this moment, his innate combat intuition told Xia Nan that if this continued, his arms following the longsword upwards would paralyze him for a short time, and even forcibly attempting to grip the sword again would leave just enough of a rigid gap for the enemy’s claw to pierce his chest.

He made a snap decision!

Determination flashed through Xia Nan’s sharp, dark eyes.

He loosened his grip.

The iron gray longsword gripped in his hands flew away, plunging into the ground not far away.

Meanwhile, his still intact left hand moved behind his head, and the wooden sword [Green Pine] was unsheathed.

The battle entered a white-hot stage, and his rapid movements left him no time to think.

Following his combat instincts, Xia Nan not only didn’t retreat but charged straight toward the massive figure ahead.

Buzz—

With a short, wiry howl, the dark brown wooden sword carved a crescent arc in the air.

Slightly forcing the beastman to retreat half a step forward, he adjusted his steps and moved to the opponent’s side.

Simple but firm, he held the wooden sword in one hand, thrusting toward the bear man’s neck’s vital point.

Sensing the threat, the beastman naturally couldn’t just let Xia Nan attack.

The arm, thicker than an adult’s thigh, swung fiercely toward Xia Nan’s chest.

Yet, unexpectedly, facing this blow strong enough to pierce metal and stone, Xia Nan didn’t dodge but stepped forward.

With heightened concentration, gray light flashed deep in his eyes.

At the instant the claw was about to touch his body...

His legs suddenly exerted force, slightly turning his body to reduce the damage, as both feet left the ground, his whole body jumping slightly.

The next second, the dark claws descended upon his chest.

Scrrreeech—

The plate chain composite armor protected his chest, and the matte iron plate was scratched with five deep claw marks in an instant.

The wooden sword slipped from his hand, and Xia Nan was flung away.

The mighty force surging from his chest made his vision go dark, but at this moment, his heart was eerily calm.

Not a hint of panic.

Only following the crazy plan set by his combat instincts in haste.

Fully focused, he pushed his perception and spiritual power to the limit.

[Tidal Shaping]... [Gravity Control]!

The air around his body suddenly thickened like water, suddenly slowing his backward speed.

An inexplicable gravity appeared in the void ahead, pulling his nearly suspended figure forward fiercely.

And the direction... was the bear man’s rear head, right after the attack, with no time to retract its force.

Leveraging this tightrope-walking maneuver, Xia Nan gained a precious chance from the enemy’s blind spot.

Both weapons were not in hand, and there was no time to draw the short dagger from his waist.

Only driven by gravity, he lifted his tightly clenched fist.

The next second, symbolizing the final [Gravity Etching], a condensed ochre glow erupted from his fist.

It imprinted against the beastman’s rear head.

Boom—