The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 351: Through the layers (4)

Chapter 351: Through the layers (4)

Space.

Layers were just mirrored realities.

Hex wasn’t taught this. He discovered it. The advantage of seeing the complete path ahead became apparent as Hex battled the Calamity.

The solutions to obstacles came almost intuitively.

The building blocks were the same across every layer: the Space elements.

’I bet the circle is refilled while I move through the layers.’

Every layer he moved through suffered cracks due to him forcing his way in. The cracks released the Space elements it was built from. His elemental circle absorbed the free elements passively.

Hex understood this rapidly.

Despite pondering all this, his eyes never left the creature. Nor was the creature waiting for him to understand everything. That would be stupid. And it wasn’t. It was a Calamity for a reason.

Even through the layers, its intentions were clear. It was absorbing large amounts of elements and chaotic energy.

’It’s preparing a powerful attack.’

Even knowing its intention, Hex didn’t lose his calm or take any action. He already had a plan. A plan he was certain would work. Almost certain.

The only reason he didn’t take immediate action was that his body took a little time to heal from the injuries he sustained in order to force the creature out of the hidden layer.

’I am too used to the potent air of Wrixia. Without it, the recovery feels too slow.’

Hex smiled wryly. Inside the alternate space they were in, the lack of nature elements impacted the rate with which his body healed tremendously.

But the creature seemed to have completed its preparations. It ignored all the injuries and wounds inflicted by Hex and only focused on increasing its attack power.

Their gaze met.

Growl.

The creature set off. Hex sensed Space bend and adjust.

At the same time the creature moved, Hex sprang into action.

Second Blessing – Space Burst Fist

Hex felt his heart go wild in his chest. It pumped every bit of Space his body toward his fist. Energy, mixed with Space, wrapped around his fist.

The Bearhanded Sword – Controlled Blast

As the space bent and fused, the creature appeared inches away from his face, Hex sensed tremendous heat and destruction coming off its body. It attacked as soon as it laid eyes on Hex. As did he.

Boom!

Its attack scorched the space. Hex’s attack destroyed it.

The creature sensed it at once. Its affinity with Space was high after all. Its eyes widened in terror. It scrambled back. Layers upon layers of Space wrapped around it.

But the blast of Space had bloated the initial layers between Hex and the creature beyond capacity, destroying those layers completely. The huge release of Space elements was suctioned off as soon as they freed up.

Hex’s dried-up Space elemental circle thirsted for the elements. Hex groaned a little as his heart went into hyperdrive, helping the elemental circle absorb every ounce of elements it sensed.

The instant refill of his elemental circle sparked his next attack.

Second Blessing – Ice and Space Frost Dragon Blizzard Strike

Hex rained punches like a blizzard hitting a floating piece of glass. The release of Ice elements froze space, turning it brittle. The increase of Space elements shattered them by bloating them. The released Space elements were again absorbed, creating a perpetual cycle.

The creature shrieked. It stopped relying solely on Space to shield itself. Layers of thick, viscous lava encased it. It even splattered around. The Ice elements blocked the heat and destruction, though.

In fact, by introducing extreme heat to extreme cold, the creature inadvertently helped Hex. The layers of Space shattered continuously.

Soon, Hex gained the upper hand. A battle of attrition against an instantly healing and replenishing person like Hex couldn’t be won by a creature that relied on brute force and perhaps its species’ abilities to do so.

Boom!

Frost Dragon – Avalanche Strike

Empowered by the Second Blessing, his avalanche strike hit the glowing blob of lava in which the creature tried to hide itself.

The extreme cold clashed with the extreme heat, causing the air to vaporize and explode. The cooled-off layer of lava cracked as soon as the crust formed.

The Bearhanded Strike – Extreme Dark Earth Smash

Hex slammed his palm straight at the crust, turning it to dust. His palm, empowered by the gathered Earth elements, chaotic energy, and Souldust, tore through its last line of defense and struck the shrieking creature’s chest.

Blood splattered. Its bones cracked. And it slammed into the ground, causing even greater damage. The crater formed was easily twice the size of the previous one.

This time, Hex didn’t wait. He followed up his attack immediately.

He repeated his attacks, freezing the Space and destroying the remaining layers behind it. The mass destruction was causing this separate Space to turn unstable.

Hex could sense it. He knew he had to leave the area. The collapse of a Spatial realm wouldn’t be easy to deal with. His intuition screamed warnings.

The creature growled and tried to move. Its broken body didn’t help it, though. Hex showed no mercy.

He rained punches and kicks, each empowered with Earth elements. The Calamity struggled but its resistance grew weaker and weaker, until finally it stopped moving.

Hex stood up. His breath was erratic, and despite using Ice element, he was drenched in sweat. The hyperactivity of his heart took its toll on his body. He noticed the loss of muscle as soon as he stood up. But there was no time to dwell on all this. He had to get away.

He leaned over to pick the corpse but he stopped just before he touched it. He retracted his hand lightning fast. Just in time.

A serpent-like beast, not larger than a finger, wriggled out of the mangled flesh and jumped toward his outstretched hand. Two more followed behind it.

Hex reacted faster than the beasts.

Frost Dragon – Tailwhip

Three spikes, controlled and accurate, struck all three beasts, impaling them. They didn’t make a sound. But they seemed to be screaming. Hex hurriedly unleashed massive amounts of Ice elements, freezing them completely.

He picked the corpse and the three frozen beasts, just as the cracks deepened. He held the corpse in one hand but stored the three beasts away inside his robe, feeling deeply unsettled.