The Primal Hunter

Jake kept Minaga at a distance as he continuously retreated and took potshots at the Unique Lifeform, who had no way of fighting at long range without his magic. At the same time, Jake heard from the Fallen King that the entire labyrinth Minaga had summoned seemed spatially expanded, making it a nightmare to get through. He did try to blast walls apart, and while he did have some success, it appeared slower than simply rushing through as fast as possible. Jake did want to simply summon him again, but doing so was a huge strain on the Fallen King. Doing it once was fine, but more than that could have less-than-desirable consequences. So he fought alone.

Minaga handled Jake’s barrage of arrows extremely well, but he still couldn’t block everything. Jake had gotten good at shooting tricky arrows that curved to hit where the Unique Lifeform moved to dodge or curve around the staff raised to block it. His opponent was obviously also aware of this as he stopped chasing and stood still while looking at Jake with raised eyebrows.

“Heh, while I can’t do normal magic right now… you do realize you are standing on the magic circle, right?” Minaga grinned as the ground below him began to glow, and the entire formation slightly shifted.

Just as Jake stepped down, he felt like the entire world had become heavier. At least when it came to using One Step, as he realized space had been constricted. What’s more, Minaga seemed to slightly shrink the arena, giving Jake less and less space to work with.

Minaga once more gave chase, Jake no longer able to teleport, making it significantly harder to get proper distance. Three times, Jake barely avoided getting caught until the fourth one forced him to switch away from his bow. Both katars appeared as the nature of the battle changed. Jake accepted this as he dove into melee, dodging under a staff sweep to go for a stab. Minaga was quick and stepped back as he countered, Jake countering the counter as the staff slammed into the ground.

He managed to land a quick stab on the Unique Lifeform’s arm but was hit with an elbow strike in return, making him stumble back. Gritting his teeth, Jake re-engaged again, pushing the Unique Lifeform even more aggressively than before. His strikes were vicious, and Minaga found himself getting slowly pushed back by Jake’s ferocity.

Several minor wounds were exchanged, but neither side could land any meaningful hits. Jake kept pressing, picking up speed as his katars struck dozens of times a second, putting Minaga more and more on the defensive.

“I do find it odd you are so focused on the bow… not gonna lie, you strike me as more talented as a melee fighter,” Minaga said, as he tried and failed to hit Jake with his staff. With his second staff, he did manage to force Jake to disengage for a brief moment as both of them jumped back, giving Minaga more space to talk.

“It’s like you’ve spent far more time training your melee capabilities than your skill with a bow. Don’t get me wrong, you are mean with a bow too, but you don’t exude the same kind of pressure as you do right now. This is like having a wild beast going crazy at you, yet without the usual downsides of such a bestial fighting strategy due to your ridiculous reaction times and pure instinct,” Minaga kept talking as he landed on the platform more than fifty meters away, Jake already charging over.

“I could see you walk the Path without having ever encountered the bow… perhaps for the better. Or not. Who is to tell?” Minaga kept pondering as he prepared for Jake’s attack.

Jake didn’t comment on anything Minaga said but kept sprinting. He knew there was some truth to Minaga’s words, but he didn’t have the time nor the desire to think about things like that in the middle of a fight like this.

“Also… you seem to be misunderstanding one thing. While it is true that I cannot use any magic right now,”Minaga began as he lifted his staff above his head. It began glowing with power as his aura spiked for a moment before he finished. “This isn’t classified as magic.”

Reacting to his danger sense, Jake leaped to the side just in time as Minaga smashed the staff down, the entire area he had just been in exploding from the sheer force of the Unique Lifeform’s swing. His eyes landed on Minaga just as the glow from his boosting skill seemed to change. Minaga smiled as he leaned forward and stepped down.

The ground erupted from his step, sending Minaga flying straight for Jake. Without hesitation, Jake bent his back as a staff swept over where his head had just been, a shockwave of pure force released from the swing. The other staff descended from above right after, Jake barely managing to slip by it.

He was still hit as the ground once more erupted from the sheer power of the blow. Jake flew through the air for a moment as he took out his bow and fired a single shot, hitting Minaga in the back, much to his opponent’s annoyance. He also had a good idea why Minaga had suddenly gotten stronger.

Pure stamina manipulation,Jake concluded as he blasted himself to the side using arcane mana to not land on the ground again, as Minaga had already charged towards his estimated landing location. He changed course for Jake mid-charge, resulting in the two of them clashing once more, Jake now purely on the defensive.

Minaga had gotten stronger. Faster. Yet Jake did not surrender or even try to disengage. He welcomed the pressure as he pushed himself further than before. He practically felt his own veins burn from Arcane Awakening as he did all he could to keep up with the Unique Lifeform.

His mind was fully focused as he dodged. He read the flow of the fight as he also felt the power surge through his own body. Jake knew he needed to do something. Wrest back some level of control. Land a big hit. But he didn’t have the tools to do so. He knew he lacked a skill for a situation like this, and Descending Dark Arcane Fang just wouldn’t cut it. The skill was difficult to use as he had to actively circumvent many of the skill’s functions – such as the requirement for it to be a downward thrust. That meant a longer activation time and less overall power.

But… if the skill wouldn’t cut… Jake would just have to make it into one that could. The current Descending Dark Arcane Fang was fundamentally flawed. It relied on dark mana, an affinity he didn’t really use for anything anymore but had replaced with curse energy when it came to Eternal Hunger. The entire method of delivering the blow was also flawed, as doing a downward thrust with a katar was awkward at best and impossible at worst.

So he rebuilt it from the bottom as he took inspiration from other skills and what changes he had already made to the skill after he began using katars. There was nothing truly new… he just had to combine everything.

Existing changes to Descending Fang. Inspiration from his curse energy. From his fight with sim-Jake. From the power of the Blackpoint Blade. His own arcane mana. From everything he had done to better his melee skills.

Eternal Hunger began slowly pulsing with energy as a dark mist surrounded the blade, but a faint layer of arcane energy covered it just as it appeared. Meanwhile, Jake only dodged and used the Blackpoint Blade as he prepared. Minaga didn’t seem to have noticed anything, or at least he acted like he hadn’t. The fight continued for a few more exchanges until Jake saw his opportunity when Minaga tried a slightly wider-than-usual swing.

Using Gaze of the Apex Hunter, he momentarily threw off Minaga’s flow as he interrupted him for a fraction of a second. Long enough for him to dodge a blow with ample space to launch his attack.

Jake stomped down, making the ground beneath him crack as he thrust Eternal Hunger forward. Minaga had not been ready as the katar hit him in the side, Eternal Hunger glowing with a deep purple aura as the cursed arcane energy stabbed into his body. The blade penetrated nearly all the way to the edge as Minaga’s eyes shot open, and swung at Jake hard, missing but launching himself away as Jake got a system notification.

[Descending Dark Arcane Fang (Rare)] – A fang that strikes from the darkness – one that clamps down with the fury of your arcane. Infuse your blade with a mixture of dark and arcane mana as you do a downward strike, significantly increasing damage done and penetrative power. Dark mana makes the wound harder to heal and drains energy until dispelled. Arcane mana creates a powerful coating and extends the edge while increasing all its basic capabilities. Damage improved further if the weapon is benefitting from Fang of Man. Adds a bonus to the effect of Agility, Strength, and Intelligence when using Descending Dark Arcane Fang.

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[Piercing Cursed Arcane Fang (Epic)] – A fang born from darkness, now having embraced the power of curses, kept in control by the Hunter’s arcane mana. Infuse your weapon with a mixture of curse energy and arcane energy as you do a thrusting strike, significantly increasing penetrative power and damage done. The curse energy will linger in any created wounds, the effect dependent on the nature of the curse energy applied. Arcane mana creates a powerful coating and extends the edge while keeping the curse energy contained. Significantly more powerful when used with Eternal Hunger. Damage improved further if the weapon is benefitting from Fang of Man. Adds a bonus to the effect of Agility, Strength, and Intelligence when using Piercing Cursed Arcane Fang.

Jake briefly glanced at the notification as Minaga landed a dozen or so meters away, a nasty wound glowing with an eerie light in his side. What’s more, Jake felt a brief burst of revitalization as Eternal Hunger fed on the energies of the Unique Lifeform.

He also took this brief chance to chug down a stamina potion as he was down below 15%, and it would soon become a major problem. Keeping up with the Unique Lifeform was not easy at all.

Minaga took a solid second to address the wound as Jake felt him flood it with vital energy, rapidly eliminating the curse energy. Jake also took this chance to properly observe his foe.

Despite his high-energy attitude and unbothered demeanor, Minaga looked like a mess by now. His entire body was covered in wounds, dozens of holes left by arrows lined his form, and this wasn’t even mentioning the deep claw mark all across his back or the frightening cauterized wound across his chest. This wasn’t even mentioning the fact that poison had repeatedly built up within the Unique Lifeform. His soul was also partly damaged from the King’s attacks, and he wouldn’t be surprised if a few seeds from Dina had managed to take root inside of him.

All in all… Jake felt that Minaga did not have that long left. He was on his last legs for sure.

“I said it… way nastier as a melee fighter,” Minaga spoke as he didn’t look to be attacking again. Jake also knew why.

Another aura entered the arena as the Fallen King had finally broken through. Sylphie was also close behind, with Dina and the Sword Saint quickly making their way through the labyrinth, their estimated arrival within the next half a minute. Minaga seemed to realize fighting the King and Jake without his magic wasn’t a good idea. He looked at them both as he sighed.

“Oh well… I guess it’s soon time for the grand finale… just a bit more… and there we go. I am now down to only 10% health,” Minaga’s voice echoed throughout the entire space as he lifted his hand, and a barrier appeared around him. Jake had no confidence in breaking it, even if he really wanted to try, as he got a very bad feeling the fight wasn’t as over as he had just begun to believe.

The formation below him on the platform stopped glowing as the entire labyrinth disappeared in an instant. Dina, the Sword Saint, and Sylphie appeared in the middle of nothing as they quickly got their bearings, and their party began regrouping. Dina went straight for Jake as he was hit by a green bolt of lightning, sending a wave of pure life energy through him. It was probably needed… his health pool was not looking good. Fighting Minaga alone for so long was not healthy, not to mention the constant drain on his health from Arcane Awakening.

Jake and the others kept looking on as Minaga smiled. “Remember when I called the third phase the final one? Yeah, well, what good boss doesn’t have a secret hidden phase, only activated if certain conditions are met!?”

Of course there is one, Jake thought just as he noticed something. The constellations above were still glowing.

They were never to summon more beasts… that entire thing was just misdirection.

The realization came just as Minaga spread out his hands, and the entire cosmos lit up. The stars above shone brighter than ever before as all the constellations released beams of light that descended upon Minaga as his aura grew.

“Hidden final phase: Cosmic Minaga!”

An explosion of bright light blinded them all for a brief moment as the Unique Lifeform was revealed. His entire body was glowing as the constellation covered his body like tattoos, his entire form emanating a staggering amount of power. Jake instantly knew when he felt Minaga’s aura that this ability was similar to his own Arcane Awakening in that it overflowed the body with far more energy than it could handle. Even now, Minaga’s wounds worsened by the second… the problem was what he could do until he ran out of power.

“Finish him quickly!” Jake practically yelled through the Golden Mark as he pulled out his bow, the others reacting instantly too. Attacks flew out from all of them as Minaga looked at them. Lifting his hand, a shockwave was released, blasting them all back… but Jake felt there was more in it.

A faint layer of dust had been included with the blast and was now floating in space. Jake didn’t even have to warn the others as they all reacted defensively as every single speck of dust exploded. As they were still reeling back, a light descended from above as beams of light shot down like falling stars.

Followed by actual meteors.

None of them held anything back as the cosmos lit up from their own respective magics. Minaga seemed to only grow more and more powerful with every passing second as his aura kept growing… making the final thing clear.

“We need to kill him now, or I fear he will detonate!” Dina warned through the Golden Mark.

They all knew as their attacks flew at Minaga. Jake hit several arrows as the Unique Lifeform simply stood there, blocking the hits or taking them with his body as the entire sky seemed to be falling down upon them. Pillars of light flashed down, forcing them to dodge or be struck with attacks even the Fallen King could barely handle, not to mention the constant meteor shower.

The situation was turning desperate as the Sword Saint proposed a solution.

“I can use my Transcendence fully… however, tha-“

“Don’t, not yet” Jake stopped him as he looked at Minaga and steeled himself. “I got one more trick ready… if that doesn’t work, feel free. However, I will need a moment to land a hit…”

“Simply give the word,” the Fallen King said.

“I will do my best,” Dina added.

Jake nodded to himself as he prepared a final trump card he had prepared for this fight against Minaga. Another kind of attack he had never used before, as it relied on something he seriously doubted the Unique Lifeform could predict.

With no hesitation, Jake took out five poison bottles and threw their contents into his mouth as he charged toward Minaga, his party ready behind him.