"Evelyn, stay back!" Claude shoved his maid behind him as he launched himself forward, sprinting toward the Bloodborne.
'Let me see how strong I am with just my Vitalis…' His eyes narrowed, his body enveloped in a deep azure hue as the energy coursed through him.
This was the most primitive application of Vitalis—coating oneself in it to temporarily enhance physical capabilities temporarily.
He could end this quickly with Mental Energy, but in such an unfamiliar world, exposing his true strength was a risk he wasn't willing to take. That would remain his greatest trump card.
And, that was not even considering the strain Mental Energy places on his body.
"Ha! Bug scared. Bug fight." The Bloodborne hefted its unwieldy greatsword like a child playing with a toy. "But Rukk happy!"
Swiish!
A crimson arc carved through the air as the blade hurtled toward Claude.
"Eeeek!" Evelyn shrieked, covering her eyes, unwilling to see what fate awaited her master.
Clang!
The impact rang out like the clash of steel, followed by—
Whoosh!
Crash!
The force of the collision sent Claude rocketing backward, his body slamming into the bark of a felled tree, shattering it on impact.
"Heugh!" He coughed, the Vitalis coating his body flickering for a moment before stabilizing. 'This was within my calculations, but… the Bloodborne's strength still exceeds my expectations. How did Peter and the others even confront them head on without something like Vitalis?'
Still, now wasn't the time for such thoughts.
Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up just in time to see a looming crimson figure. 'Not again…'
"Bug not dead. Bug fun. Rukk want play again!" Rukk's excited cry was the last thing Claude registered before—
Krssshhhh!
Thwang!
A second devastating blow sent him flying, skidding across the ground before he finally came to a halt.
"Cough!" Blood dribbled from his lips. He barely had a moment to react before a burning pain flared across his back. But despite the overwhelming force, he was still alive.
Normally, such an impact would have shattered bones, yet with Vitalis, he had suffered little more than friction burns—and even those were already healing.
'Vitalis is even more potent than I anticipated…' The realisation only deepened his hunger to understand it further.
His aura flared once more, a brilliant blue overtaking his form as his eyes locked onto the lumbering beast ahead.
Whoosh!
In a blur, Claude launched himself forward.
To him, time seemed to slow.
He could see the glint of madness in the Bloodborne's eyes as it gripped its greatsword with both hands, preparing a sweeping horizontal slash.
Claude shifted his weight, ducking beneath the massive blade. In an instant, he was beneath his foe.
Exploiting the opening, he coiled his legs and sprang upward, his fist driving into the Bloodborne's exposed elbow.
Crack!
"Raaargh!"
The Bloodborne reeled back, thrashing wildly. Its sword dissolved into a puddle of ichor as it clutched its broken limb, stumbling back.
Claude did not press the attack. He had no intention of engaging a panicked opponent recklessly. Instead, he observed.
'All those years…' His sharp gaze studied Rukk as the creature writhed. 'Did not go to waste.'
His research had paid off. While Bloodborne could rapidly heal flesh wounds, their ability to recover from blunt trauma was significantly weaker.
Of course, by human standards, even that weakness was nothing short of extraordinary.
"Bug hurt Rukk!" The beast bellowed, snapping Claude out of his thoughts. "Rukk angry!"
Already, the creature's body was mending. The fractured bone had realigned, and its movements grew steady once more.
"Haaa…" A soft sigh escaped his lips as he readjusted his stance. 17 seconds. That's how long it takes for a Bloodborne to recover from such a blow.
Thump-Thump!
Thump-Thump!
Each step shook the earth as Rukk charged forward.
Claude tensed. He was not well-versed in close combat, nor could he fully capitalize on his opponent's lack of technique. Had he been more skilled, he wouldn't have needed to retreat earlier.
A roar erupted from Rukk as the beast suddenly crouched—then, in an instant, propelled itself forward.
Claude's pupils contracted.
Thwum!
Bang!
At the last second, he dodged, throwing himself aside as the Bloodborne's strike carved into the ground.
But this time—
There was no room to breathe.
Thwomp! Thwomp! Thwomp!
Blow after blow, Rukk's brutal onslaught left no room for Claude to retaliate, forcing him to attempt to dodge the flurry of blows.
The creature's fury was unrelenting, each strike pushing further towards the brink of defeat.
"Ha!" Rukk's triumphant laugh echoed through the air as a powerful blow finally landed.
Thud!
Claude crashed to the ground, the impact rattling his bones. His once-vibrant coating of Vitalis flickered weakly, now little more than a dim glow.
His body screamed in agony, each muscle aching with the strain, his bones groaning with the weight of each blow. The protective energy that had shielded him was no longer enough.
"Bug weak! Rukk strong!" The beast bellowed, pounding its massive chest in victory.
Claude's fingers twitched, his mind racing.
'Do I have to use Mental Energy here...?' He clenched his teeth, reluctant to tap into the latent power within him. After all, the consequences of such a rash action were rather obvious to him.
Whff-whff!
Interupting his churning thoughts was a red and white checkered cloth. It fluttered down from above like a leaf caught in the wind, landing across Rukk's eyes.
"Huh?! Why Rukk no see?!" The creature stumbled back, clawing at its face. "No! Rukk no play hide and seek! Rukk want fight!"
"MASTER, NOW!" A familiar voice screamed from nearby.
Claude didn't need another word.
Summoning the last of his strength, he surged forward, his Vitalis flaring in his right arm as he drove it into Rukk's abdomen with all his remaining force.
Splutch!
Time seemed to slow as the impact reverberated.
His hand sank into the creature's flesh, as though plunging through wet clay.
Squelch!
A heartbeat later—
Shluk!
Claude's jaw clenched in determination as he pushed his arm deeper. He needed to find it, the small organ sitting inside them that bestowed their powers.
Shluk!
Chlkk!
Bit by bit, his arm was swallowed into the hulking mass of Rukk as the creature's vast form heaved and pulsated with unnatural force. It convulsed violently as though fighting against the intruding limb with its weakening strength.
Squelch!
Unfortunately for Rukk, Claude soon found his target.
Thwump!
With one final, guttural shudder, the Bloodborne collapsed to the ground, its monstrous body quivering in defeat.
"Hhhah… hhah… hhah…" Claude's breaths were labored, ragged gasps that scraped at his throat. His chest burned with each breath, his vision swimming and fading in and out of focus.
Schliik!
With a grunt of effort, Claude wrenched his arm free from the Bloodborne's grasp, his body trembling with exhaustion. He staggered, his legs refusing to hold him, and collapsed beside the fallen creature, the weight of his body too much to bear.
"Master!" A voice cut through the haze, frantic and full of fear.
Claude's consciousness flickered at the sound, but his body was already slipping into the inky depths of unconsciousness. Whilst Vitalis would not harm him like Mental Energy, the battle itself had placed too great strain on his body.
And soon... darkness took him.