Dungeon of Niflheim

761  Chapter 761: Beware of the skies (4)

Don!

A fierce gale of razor sharp wind infused with solid aura crashed against Frost's glaive sending both himself and Kiba reeling as his entire arm grew numb.

It felt like an entire mountain was smashing into him, even the wyvern's maw he generated exploded like an overinflated ballon the moment it made contact with the Zu's attack, an attack that for it was just something casual.

The difference was paramount, there was no possible way Frost could overcome the rank disadvantage.

With Bella he could endure and even carve out a few minor wounds but the Artic Zu, it took all he had just to not be knocked down from the sky.

He tried to cast magic, 3rd circle and even a 4th circle spell was fired into the distance but with a single flap of its wings the mighty Zu evaporated his efforts with a fearsome, spine tingling smile across its lips.

The more effort Frost put into his resistance the more excited it became, a prey that tries with all its might to fight is far more delectable than one that just gives up.

The Artic Zu was in no hurry to end this little game, it allowed Frost and Kiba to fly for tens of kilometres in search of a safe haven knowing full well that there was not a single place that it could not reach.

The Zu was the king of the skies for a reason, it had no equal in the surrounding regions, all paid homage to its rule and knew better than to interfere in its fun.

"Grrr!" Kiba lightly growled as sweat dripped down his forehead. He was growing tired, the hours of constant fighting and now the desperate flying for their lives while under the gaze of a superior predator had sapped him of all but the last reserves of his strength. @@novelbin@@

With stamina potions no longer making a dent Kiba was truly at the end of his rope.

And Frost wasn't much better. Though he wasn't expending his energy by running he was in charge of protecting them from the monster's gruelling aura and devasting attacks.

His arms had long become numb, and blood flowed down his body like a rampant stream. The gales and wing attacks cutting deep into his flesh whenever he failed to block them completely.

This was the first time Frost had faced off against a foe that was completely superior to himself that also held nothing back in its attempts to kill him.

He had sparred with Maya and occasionally endured her overwhelming use of aura but in the end it was just a spar, and she always held back, only using a level of strength which he could somewhat identify. A wall that seemed impossible to scale but with its highest point still being visible from where he stood.

The Artic Zu however was completely beyond his comprehension. He had but mere fractions of a second to react to its sudden moves and that was when they were at quite the distance between one another.

He could only imagine the outcome of their clash if they engaged in close combat. The Zu far surpassed him in terms of speed and sometimes that was the most frightening thing.

If his opponent merely surpassed him in defence or attack power Frost could rely on his speed to evade and perhaps even run away like with Bella but speed, there was nothing that could be done.

No matter how he moved or how he defended himself he could not escape the Artic Zu's grasp.

His glaive could not reach his enemy, his magic slow and far too weak to penetrate its defences and his aura barely endured under its relentless assault. The Zu surpassed him in every aspect and thus there was no hope in being able to escape.

Kiba could complain all he wanted and question his master on what they should do but Frost had no answers. He didn't have the time or the capabilities to think clearly.

His body was in pain, his vision blurring from blood loss and his once vast reserves of royal aspected aura running dry as the Zu's far more corporal A-ranked aura continued to press him.

Twenty minutes ago when he still had some strength he even tried to use the teleportation talisman, hoping that doing so would at least grant them a short reprieve, a moment to get their bearings and come up with a possible plan but unfortunately his attempt failed.

The Artic Zu with its powerful senses and penetrating eyesight locked onto the talisman the instant Frost retrieved it from his storage ring.

At first it didn't know what it was but the moment Frost starting to inject his energy into it, it attacked with a fierce aggression.

It used a skill in tandem with its aura to lock down the area around Frost and Kiba before sending down a terrifying wind blade that almost severed Frost's arm.

Luckily he pulled back in time but unfortunately the talisman was eviscerated thus depriving them of the chance to gain some much needed distance.

While Kiba was more exhausted, his muscles overworked Frost was in a truly deplorable state. His robes stained red with his blood and torn to veritable shreds from the many sudden attacks by the Artic Zu.

His aura was in a flickering state, so much so that Kiba who was once protected from the effects of the Zu's intimidation now felt a tight grasp around his lungs and heart, making every moment strenuous.

The chakra armour that he had repeatedly reformed was but a shadow of its normal prestige, patchy and thin, a poor excuse for armour.

While his ice fire, silver flames that lined the edge of his armour as well as his weapon had completely dwindled, he no longer had the strength to summon them.

His breathing was laboured, his vision blurring and his mana sense that used to stretch for hundreds metres was now restricted to a 10 metre radius and shrinking every second.

It was a miracle he hadn't fallen from Kiba's back by now, only his determined will kept him going.

He was so out of it that many processes were done automatically heralding the fact that despite the danger they were in his potential was alive and well.

His use of chakra was becoming smoother, more efficient and even his reactions had been forcibly improved due to the fast and sudden nature of the Zu's attacks.

As long as Frost survived this ordeal he was sure to rise in strength. Wherever danger is abound, opportunity lies.

"Kiba." In between heavy breaths that caused his entire upper body sway Frost sternly called sending a shiver down Kiba's spine, there was something in his master's tone that unnerved him.

"I don't see a way out of this partner." After trying everything he could think of Frost had accepted that there was absolutely nothing he could do. His attacks failed to reach the enemy, his defences were nothing but paper before its attacks and their speed nothing but a joke before the monster and its 30 metre wingspan.

What Kiba could cover in 10 seconds with multiple beats of his wings the Zu could do in one and with but a single flap.

In this dark moment his mind couldn't help but drift towards those that he loved. His strong yet cute and rather innocent Fenrir, Maya, his devilishly sexy temptress with a heart filled with love, Daki and of course the two children that he saw as his own flesh and blood, Nanna and Loki.

He may have only been alive for a year and half but despite that he had managed to foster a great many connections, connections that filled his heart with warmth and desire.

He didn't want it to end, he had too much too live for, too much that he wanted to do, to see, to experience.

Alas despite this fervent desire and rejection of death he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop the Artic Zu.

Maya could not rush to his aid anymore, there was no reinforcement on the way, nor did he have any viable plan or back up plan that could see their survival.

His eagerness, his impatience had led to this point and now after exhausting all of his measures he was out of options. His body exhausted and broken.

"Whimper." Kiba who continued to force himself to fly as fast as he could for as long as he could despite the pain and pressure sadly whimpered. He could hear the defeat in his master's voice, a man who was always so confident and determined.

His eyes reddened as he refused to accept such an outcome, there was still hope, he could still fly albeit barely.

"…..I'll try and draw its focus…in that time try to escape below ground. Survive and grow, and when you can return home." Frost reached out his left hand and lightly scratched the back of Kiba's ears before whispering an apology.

The next moment a determined look entered his eyes as he faced the looming monster high in the sky, still sporting a malicious grin on its ugly face.

Frost was determined to at least wipe off that shit eating grin in his final moments. He hated being looked at like that, like mere prey that was powerless in the face of an inevitable conclusion.