Monster Integration

one would die or immobilize.

‘Second Cleave,

I did not think, the moment I had sensed the attack; my sword moved, it had moved on its own, and it took me a fraction of a second to realize it was moving.

It is good to think my instincts took over before my thoughts could; otherwise, it would have been too late to react,

CLANNNG!

My sword stopped the attack before it could clash against me, but my happiness was short-lived as the explosive power crashed into me and sent me down like a comet, and the worse thing was, it did not even want to let me crash safely.

I had appeared below me and now and swinging its hammer up. If I crashed against it, I would not survive.

Seeing that, I had thought about summoning my shields but shook my head at the safest option. If I kept summoning my shields against every bit of threat, then where would I learn? This is a wonderful opportunity to learn.

The battle with Lizardmen twins and this battle had provided me with ample inspiration, and I want to actualize what I learn.

It is going to be extremly dangerous, but I had to take the risk, as it is the only way I would be able to increase my combat style, and looking at how badly my battle with the lizard twins went, I am in desperate need to improve and polish my skills.

So, I harnessed every bit of the strength I had and poured it into the sword, which was already moving toward the hammer coming from below.

CLANNNG!

My sword clashed against the hammer, and a huge force came at me, which clashed against conflicting momentum and rocked my body.

Puh!

It had shaken me so much that it had injured me despite the protection of my armor. My internals was injured, and I had to vomit the blood with the tiny pieces of my internal organs inside it.

The injuries healed in an instant with the strengthening energies in my body, but another attack came from behind me, and this one was even more powerful than the one before. I again had to use every bit of my strength I had to defend against it.

CLANNNG CLANNNG CLANNNG!

Our weapons clashed several times in a second, with each attack more powerful than before, a third of which would end up injuring me.

It seemed to have an unlimited reserve of power, constantly increasing its attacks power without stopping. Many times, I just wanted to summon out my shields and defend. As smallest mistake on my part will give it a chance to hit me, and that would be the end of me.

Still, I preserve it as it is the only way I can learn, and I am learning fast; I could feel the changes in the way I am wielding seven cleaving moves, getting more and more refined in using the wonderful moves I have got from my art.

Till now, I have got the seven attacking moves from my armor, from copper cleave, which I had named the first cleave, to searing cleave, which I had named the seventh cleave.

I had rarely used these moves, as I had always felt they were incomplete and hollow. I was quite right about that.

When I got the seventh cleave a month ago, I found out that this cleaving style is part of the combat style called the forge mountain cleaving style; it had twenty-one moves, which are divided into three parts of seven.

With the seven moves, the style had become complete enough that I could use it but still felt hollow in power.