The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 350: Through the layers (3)

Chapter 350: Through the layers (3)

Frozen Time!

Hex activated the Technique with the SpaceTime circle on the back of his hand flashing briefly. Against a Calamity it worked for one second. That’s it.

Though it wasn’t a lot of time, for someone like Hex it sufficed.

Blink Step!

Hex appeared above the creature in a fraction of a second. Ever since his soul underwent the refinement, he didn’t blank out after using this Technique. Hex hurried. The Earth and Ice element entered his heart.

Earth Punch!

Frost Dragon – Tailwhip!

He launched two attacks in quick succession. The massive strength unleashed by the punch bent Calamity’s body upward. Blood splattered out of its maws. In the next fraction, its body slammed into the ground. With the Ice Spikes standing upward.

The hardness of its body cracked the points of the spikes, but not all of them. A few still managed to pierce through the skin.

The Tailwhip’s effect was within expectation. But the Earth Punch surprised him.

The Earth Punch was a self-titled Technique he developed thanks to the circle completion. Basically, he wrapped the earth element around his arm, increasing the weight of it exponentially. He just swung his fist.

The impact of the punch was above what he had hoped for.

One second passed!

ROAR!

It roared in agony. Hex gathered even more Earth elements. He needed more strength. This time he focused on his feet.

Earth Kick!

Hex dropped from the sky. The impact sent tremors over the land, causing cracks and cave-ins in several places. A small crater appeared. But Hex grimaced and hurried to move away. His attack had been evaded by the Calamity.

Flex Step!

With a kick he jumped into the sky, keeping his eye on the creature inside the crater. By now it had pulled itself free from the spikes and was on its knees, its gaze locked on Hex. Hex’s attack hadn’t connected for one reason: the creature had slipped inside a different layer, utilizing its mastery over the Space element.

Seeing Hex in the sky, it flapped its wings, letting out a roar. Hex, who kept an eye out for its next attack while trying to sense the layer the creature had hidden in, noticed the effect of its roar. The space around him warped, trying to constrict his movement.

By keeping the Space element circle active, he also sensed the Space layers fold.

’Shit.’

Hex only noticed the creature reach him when he felt its hot breath and the moisture in the air vaporize. He didn’t turn. It would be a waste of time.

Instead of hurrying to counter the creature, Hex pumped even more Space elements inside his heart. His element sense stretched to its limits as he remained stuck in place, putting up an act to seem like he failed to break free from the constraint.

His current Stage – he had removed the Veil of Death as soon as the fight had started – helped him trick the creature. A Refined Knight breaking free from the constraint put up by a Calamity, which was comparable to a Transformation Knight, would be rare. Hex didn’t think the creature ever experienced a situation like that.

Hex focused.

Vaporized air brushed against his neck. A foul smell assaulted his nose. The air split. And the Space merged...

’Now!’

It was the moment he had been waiting for. As soon as the layers connected, Hex willed his heart to beat faster, pumping as many Space elements he could squeeze inside his heart in the short window of time.

Hot clay, fire, wind, everything poured onto his skin as he activated his Technique. He took the brunt of the attack, gritting through the excruciating pain of his back and shoulder being melted. Despite the pain, Hex didn’t lose focus.

Blink Step!

Again. He stood behind the creature. As the name of the Technique suggested, the movement occurred in a blink.

Time Distortion!

Time lost meaning. For the Creature only. For Hex, it moved at the same pace. Simultaneously, Hex launched his attack.

Frost Dragon – Blizzard Strike!

Ice shards melted into one and another, forming spikes. But Hex didn’t just throw them at the Calamity.

Frost Dragon – Tailwhip!

Just as the tens of spikes formed, he combined them with his other Technique. Using the whip-like Ice tail, he blasted the Ice spikes straight into the creature.

At barely a meter away, the attack didn’t miss. All the spikes pierced through its body. It tried to slip into another layer but it failed. The neighbouring layers were frozen!

As soon as the Creature tried to attack him and their respective layers started to fuse, Hex had not only discovered the location of his opponent’s layer but also marked the layers closest to it.

’I can’t let it slip away.’

Hex didn’t stop attacking. With the spikes lodged into its body, its movement was restricted. The perfect chance.

Earth elements filled his arms. Both of them this time. He added Souldust too. The power coursing through his arms was comparable to his Dragon Bear form. But without transforming this time.

Bam.

When his fists slammed into the Calamity, Hex felt its skin distort and tear apart, as the sound of bones breaking entered his ears. Crimson blood splattered out of its wounds and tears, causing the air to sizzle.

The creature slammed into the ground, creating another crater. The mud exploded high into the air.

"Not again."

Its presence disappeared almost the second the crater appeared. It hadn’t died. Calamity’s tenacity was perhaps its most irritating attribute. That meant but one thing. It had slipped into a different layer.

’It’s hard to kill as it is. With its ability to shift through layers of Space it becomes almost impossible.’

Hex cursed in his mind but it didn’t mean he had given up. No, far from it. He was having fun. The use of several elements, Techniques, and abilities freely had a different excitement to it.

’How do I chase it through the layers or how do I prevent it from going through them?’

Hex didn’t immediately start to pursue the creature. Finding the correct layer took some time and was a hassle. No, he had to find an easier way to do it.

As he pondered, his eyes landed on the back of his hand. The silvery circle representing the Space element shone brightly. But it should have been emptied by now.

As he thought of the reason why his circle hadn’t been drained of Space elements yet, a smile appeared on his face. It seemed the solution had been an obvious one.