Awakening Of The New Emperor

POV: Recruit 79

As I attempted to think of what to do—anything to do, my mind began whirling, not out of thoughts, but out of sheer pain.

It was unbearable.

How was I meant to get out of here in this state?

Or did I ever have a chance to get out?

I could barely keep my vision straight, the sheer pain radiating from every inch of my body threatening to pull me from reality, straight into unconsciousness. But despite everything, I tried desperately to hold on to any life I had left.

Because I knew if I had fallen asleep, I would not have woken up.

With no possibility of beating the statue head on, I knew I had to find some sort of way to win this if I wanted to get out of here alive.

And that's when my eyes darted over to the center of the room. The void.

The bottomless abyss that carved itself into the floor after the platform had lowered.

'I don't need to win. I just need to make it fall.'

Could I even do that though?

As I pulled myself from the rubble, the statue swung again, but I was able to use most of my remaining energy to throw myself to the side, barely dodging as the blade shattered the stone floor where I had been.

Dust and debris littered the skies, unable to see much.

Just as it had blinded me though, it seemed to also disorientate the statue.

That's it.

"Over here, you slimy dirt bag!" I yell, along with waving my hands. Anything to draw it's attention towards me is good, and I never thought I'd say that.

The statue followed the bait, as it proceeded to slam it's blade back down into the ground away from me. What I thought was a total lapse in judgement, perhaps the smoke still clouding his vision, was far from the truth.

With the blade slightly dented into the ground, the statue used both hands to begin dragging it across the floor, tiles shooting up.

"Shit!"

I sprint to the other side of the wall just as the blade had nearly reached me.

Using the last energy that I had, I jumped up onto the wall and boosted off of it. As the blade began passing just underneath me, time began to slow as it ran through the very tips of my hair, slight pebbles slamming into my skin at high velocity.

I forced my aching body into quick action, using the brief lag that followed the statue's heavy attack to position myself near the void.

While the attack was less favorable for my body, the amount of smoke and debris it lifted up was more that I could ask for, and the statue was moving straight in my direction.

'This was perfect!' I thought, trying not to yell out.

I had yet to figure out if it could properly understand my speech.

At this point, one wrong step and I would be the one that would get swallowed whole by this bottomless void.

I watched as the statue kept coming towards me, it's blurred silhouette having an overwhelming presence against the plastered smoke that remained between us. It was still very clear that he could not see the pit just in front of him.

Finally, I watched as the statue got closer and closer, to the cusp of it's fall.

One more step and he'll be gone.

However, he stopped. I was confused. Despite a lot of the smoke clearing, there was still way too much for him to properly gauge what was in front of him, even if it was a black void.

If I hadn't known where to be, even I wouldn't have known it was here.

I barely had time to process it before the statue had shifted. It's head, which was expressionless and unchanging, now slightly visible by the clearing smoke, tilted just slightly, like it had figured something important out.

Then it moved.

With a sudden push, the statue bent its legs and leaped—soaring through the air, bypassing the void entirely.

My breath hitched. "T-This can't be possible, how did it—" I stuttered, unable to hold my words.

Before I could react, before I could even think really, it was on me. A blur. A faint sight of a shiny blade slicing through the air around me, with my reflection shun upon it.

Instantly, a new flash of pain erupted from my side.

I've felt pain before, unbearable pain. But this was different.

The world spun as my body staggered backwards, my mind barely registering the odd sense of weightlessness I felt.

With my body attempting to resist, I looked over to my left. My arm—

It was gone.

Blood began pouring out of what was once my arm, now just... nothing, as it painted the hard stone floor in dark red, my knees buckling underneath me with more blurry flashes, just as before. However, that wasn't the last of it.

A crushing force, a kicking attack from the statue, came in hurling at my chest. I flew back as the loud sounds of my bones cracking upon every impact on the floor I made, leaving behind more paintings of my own, weak and pathetic blood.

The statue was already moving once more.

Another blur, nothing but an afterimage left in it's wake.

I heard something else break cryptically, like that one snap or twist that just doesn't sound right as I looked down, my rips fully shattered by the blow of the statue's fist.

Falling back even farther, I reached out with my remaining arm, trying to cling desperately.

To do anything... anything at all.

Anything besides dying here. The torture I've had to gone through exceeds anything those snotty nobles that sit pretty at the top of power ever even think about happening!

I watched as a foot came down, but thanks to my effortless crawl, I was able to avoid the impact.

Or so I thought.

Dragging my head, I looked over. One of my legs was now gone.

The pain didn't register, even seconds later. 

It was almost like I didn't have anything left to register. Everything was beyond a degree measurable, unimaginable.

My now tumbling body thanks to the aftershock rolled on over to the void.

Despite everything I tried, I couldn't hang on. My body was slowly slipping, as my last remaining leg was already beginning to fall over, and I had no strength left to pull myself away.

I really don't want to die.

Please.