1203 Catharsis
Luna could sense that this attack was not normal. The fox also saw that her master was in no position to fight back. He was not thinking clearly. He looked broken and lost. How would he be able to face this powerful attack?
She immediately blurred to stand before him but Liam's voice thundered loudly, stopping her in her tracks. "LUNA! Stand down. This is my fight."
The little fox growled in anger and sadness as she was unable to see her master like this but she did not dare disobey him. She stood aside as dense clouds of nether materialized around Liam. He was completely submerged in nether from all sides.
Though Luna was scared, in the end, it looked like all her worries were for naught. The attack got completely doused in the nether.
Crawford frowned. For a second, it seemed as if Liam had become stronger. However, nothing changed. After the attack got eaten, Liam only continued to barrage him with weak attacks one after the other.
These attacks were rife with nether but they lacked the intensity to hurt him. So even if he continued to receive several of these attacks, it would do absolutely nothing to him.
Crawford continued to watch the show in amusement. The enemy that had shocked him by suddenly appearing out of nowhere was actually self-combusting on his own.
He had thought that Liam had died and was in the process of trying to get complete control of the world tree but who would have guessed that this insect was alive?
"Good. Good. It is more entertaining this way. I can personally squeeze the life out of your body." He smirked and continued enjoying himself.
To his surprise, this show continued on for another entire hour when Liam growled like a madman and unleashed attack after attack in a blind rage.
The man's emotional state was also at rock bottom as he could clearly not understand something basic. None of his attack was going through and yet he was wasting his energy and throwing a tantrum.
Finally, after an hour, Liam stopped. He panted hoarsely, his chest heaving with every labored breath as he stared at Crawford with unbridled bloodlust in his eyes.
Crawford, still smirking, floated in the air with an air of superiority. "Is that all you have, Liam? Such a pitiful display. I expected more from you."
As the old man stared down at Liam, he did not know why but for some reason he felt an unsettling feeling welling up in the bottom of his heart.
Why? Why was he unnecessarily getting scared?
The guy was essentially a cripple. By now he had gathered a lot of information about Liam and knew all of his weaknesses.
The nether that made him strong was the same that acted as a poison and drained him. Considering that he had spent the last hour unnecessarily dabbling in nether, the current him should probably be just a husk.
There was no need to be wary of him. He couldn't even sense any mana from him. The thing that Crawford was rather wary of was the divine beast but thankfully the foolish human had ordered the beast to stand down.
Everything was completely under his control. Yet there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, his well-honed instincts telling him that something was wrong. Why did he appear now after all this time? Where was he until now? Was he really holed up in some rat's nest?
Hmmm. Crawford frowned. He did not like the fact that this crippled fellow was still making him anxious. It was time to end this fight and package his corpse to that priestess to get his year-end bonus.
Crawford, his frown deepening, prepared to launch a final, decisive attack to end the fight. He focused his mana, gathering a swirling mass of dark roiling energy around him that had a strange property.
Hmph. He snorted. This insect should feel proud to receive his attack. This was his special move after he had gleaned an insight into the space element. The attack was so powerful that it would rip apart the entire space itself creating a void tear.
The chances of this insect defending against such an attack were zero!
Crawford's eyes narrowed as he aimed at Liam, who still stood panting and seemingly defenseless and the blast shot forward.
"Enough is enough. I don't want to waste my time watching your pathetic attacks. You had a good run, boy. Now you can rest in peace leaving all of your treasures with me. I will take good care of them. Heh."
Crawford's eyes gleamed with cruelty as he unleashed the attack but just as he did, something unexpected happened.
Liam, who had appeared to be on the brink of collapse, suddenly moved with a speed and precision that seemed impossible given his exhausted state. It was as if the last hour had been a ruse, a way to lull Crawford into a false sense of security.
Liam's movements were a blur, a dance of agility and power that defied his earlier display of weakness. Crawford's attack hit him but some sort of a barrier popped up and the attack was eaten away just like that.
Not that just but he closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Crawford's eyes widened in surprise and a hint of fear - this was not the Liam he had been fighting. His eyes were like a predator that would not yield to anyone else.
There was also no rage or desperation on his face any longer. There was only an eerie calm.
Liam indifferently glanced at the man in front of him who had caused him so much anguish over the past several months.
His hour-long barrage, seemingly wild and uncontrolled, was an outpouring of rage and frustrations that he had bottled up for so long.
It was a catharsis, a purging of the overwhelming emotions that had plagued him for months. Now he was done venting. A bone-chilling aura erupted from him.
***
Mass Release Chapter 3~
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