Chapter 37: The Grim Reaper
1079 Words
The monster’s body was dark green, with two knife-like claws instead of hands. One claw was twice as long as the other. It had eight pairs of eyes down the middle of its body, each eye glowing bright green. Beneath it were four spiderlike feet. It seemed to move slowly, but its four legs, two meters each, gave it a wide range of movement, and it seemed to be right behind Eric no matter where he ran.
"It's Eric. What the hell is that thing chasing him?" Elena stepped back a few feet and nervously pulled out her gun, unsure of what to do.
"An apocalypse knight—The Grim Reaper," Luther said, "It’s a subterranean creature, which is why you haven’t ever seen one. Even before doomsday, there were thousands of creatures like that one living where we couldn’t see them. In the sea and underground.”
"After the doomsday, the whole world was changed. The earth's core emitted nuclear energy, leading a wave of mutants you couldn’t even imagine. Because of the radiation, a lot of those creatures were changed to survive on the earth’s surface.”
"The Grim Reaper comes from underground. It was once the size of a fingernail. Then it was irradiated and shaped into that giant monster. It's called the grim reaper because its claws are like sickles."
Oliver wondered why Luther knew this, but he decided against asking about it any further. Instead, he clenched his jaw and asked quietly, "What are we going to do now? Do we save Eric or not?"
It was difficult to have to watch a former teammate die.
Elena could not bear to watch, after all they had been through together.
“We shouldn’t be so soft." Luther drew his sword and said to the others, "The way a grim reaper attacks is very erratic, and they have extremely durable skin. They do have a big blind spot, but it’s very difficult to get to it. We should step back and get out of the way before any of us gets hurt."
"I understand, but can we save Eric first?" Oliver sighed.
Luther was silent for a moment before saying, "I'm only in charge of killing monsters. You can do whatever you want. But let me remind you, an apocalypse knight is a highly territorial creature, so it won't leave its territory unless it's looking for food."
Luther's tone was even and unfeeling.
But Luther had nothing else to do now, and the grim reaper was just around the corner. The park was now covered in dust that was kicked up by the monster’s four sharp legs.
It was particularly keen on the prey that had invaded its territory, paying little attention to Luther and his party.
Eric, however, ran towards them purposefully.
Luther looked at Eric and saw an evil twinkle in his eyes.
When the monster pulled back to strike with its claws, Luther rolled forward and stabbed it with his sword. The blade went straight ahead toward its eyes.
The creature quickly changed its stance to defend itself from Luther’s sword, and Luther nodded as he expected this to happen.
He waved his hand and shot forward three arrows made of ice, and the grim reaper swung his claws enough times to s***h them out of the air.
It let out a sharp chirp, angered by Luther's attack. It stepped forward, throwing its sharp limbs at the man with the sword.
Luther dodged them easily, but the creature’s legs stabbed half a foot into the earth, proving how fatal an attack like this would be.
Despite its grand name, the grim reaper was not a strong mutant. In doomsday, it was a nightmare for ordinary people, but a resource for more powerful people.
Its double-edged claw was a natural weapon, and its limbs were perfect for making spears. But its most important resource was its heart. After the nuclear radiation, the heart had a strong healing effect, which could quickly heal serious wounds of human beings. Even fatal wounds could be alleviated.
This monster was more of a gift than a curse.
Luther felt lucky to see such a strange beast. After all, there were many benefits to be gained from killing it.
The creature kept moving. Under the scythes on its claws, each stroke carried a strong momentum.
Its legs were three meters long and one meter wide, strong enough to snap through trees. If it landed a kick on a person, they would die immediately.
Its wide range of attacks was an advantage. Fortunately, the attacks were slow and took a lot of space, so Luther could avoid them easily.
He wasn't trying to save Eric, he was just interested in the value of this creature's body, and he wanted to scavenge it so badly. He knew that the grim reaper's heart would help Constance recover in only minutes.
Luther knew that it was only possible to attack its eyes. Attacking anything else would be like attacking an iron and steel structure. The eyes were weak points.
Luther tried several times to attack the eyes, but the creature’s attacks were too swift for him to break through.
"The grim reaper is the lowest of the apocalyptic knights. I didn't expect it to be so durable. I’m still too weak. If I was a little stronger, I could freeze it.”
Luther’s heart beat harder, and he felt his desire to regain power was being ignited.
But he had to focus on the fight. He had to defeat the grim reaper.
He knew how to deal with armored monsters. A technique he called "precision armor removal."
He had to attack the joints in the same spot over and over. Then he would have a chance to break the creature apart limb by limb.
Luther dodged as the grim reaper struck, then leaped up and slashed at its eyes. The blade was strong, and as grim reaper held out his claws to fend it off, Luther turned the blade to crack at the knuckles at the base of its claws.
The grim reaper, of course, did not know what Luther was thinking, but it did not have to dodge the blow.
"By removing the shorter claws, I can reach its eyes and kill it." Luther struck, retreated, and prepared for the next attack.
As time went by, the battle continued. The park was in a state of disrepair. There were fallen trees and upturned earth everywhere, and the whole park seemed to be dug up and destroyed.
The others had retreated to the rear, and Eric stood alone, his eyes full of panic.
"Oliver, I really..."
Oliver didn't say a word. He only shushed him with the wave of his hand.
- Writer
