The Gods’ Gacha Game: Return of the God-King

Chapter 63: Fighting Eikthyrnir Part II

Instantly, I landed hard on my feet and tossed what remained of the sword aside with a grimace. “Tch…”

Without hesitation, I turned tail and sprinted toward the forest, the divine stag’s enraged bellow ringing behind me. Tall trees loomed ahead, and their gnarled roots and tangled underbrush would now serve as our greatest advantage. If there was one place where a creature of its size would struggle, it was within this dense woodland.

Branches snapped behind me as I dashed through the treeline. The thunderous steps of the beast weren’t far behind. Lightning flashed and scorched the ground just meters from my heels. Even with Uldrek’s power surging through me, Eikthyrnir still had the edge in speed.

“Maxim, over here!” Michelle’s voice rang out from ahead.

I vaulted over a fallen log and ducked beneath a hanging vine just in time to see Boris standing in front of a moss-covered boulder, ready and waiting. Michelle stood beside a tall, thick tree with her axe drawn back.

As I slid past Boris to take position, Michelle shouted, “Timber Draw!” She swung with brutal precision at the tree, splitting it cleanly from the base with a crack, and toppled it forward, right into the path of the charging stag.

The massive trunk slammed into Eikthyrnir’s flank. The beast staggered as branches shattered against its body, momentarily slowing its advance. Leaves and splinters erupted in all directions as arcs of lightning crackled across the fallen trunk, scorching it black.

Boris didn’t waste the opportunity and delivered a crushing uppercut to the stag’s lower jaw with his Iron Body active, briefly knocking its head back. But in retaliation, lightning flared up from the beast and jolted Boris’s fist, causing him to take a few steps back.

“Let’s split up and confuse the stag,” I called out before sprinting into the woods.

At the same time, I activated Fabled Vessel again.

You have activated Fabled Vessel.

You have possessed [Selene the Moonlit Blade].

I didn’t bother examining the full list of skills or descriptions that I got from possessing Selene, but an immediate change could already be felt. My bloodthirst faded, replaced by icy calm and focused clarity. I felt as if the shadows themselves welcomed me. Selene was, after all, a Phantom of the Night—a legendary assassin. But since I could only maintain a single possession, Uldrek’s power was completely gone.

Realizing I had no suitable weapon, I merged into the dark with Selene’s skill—Shadow Step—and reappeared beside Michelle without a sound.

“Michelle,” I whispered, my sudden appearance startling her. “Toss me your dagger.”

She jolted and blinked in surprise, but didn’t question anything as she handed me her dagger. “Be careful,” she added quickly.

“Mhm.” I nodded and quickly vanished back into the forest with the blade in hand.

The dagger Michelle handed me was of uncommon rank—likely something she’d redeemed from an Armament Voucher. While it wasn’t anything impressive, it was better than nothing. Now armed and cloaked in shadows, I glided between trees like the unseen. Eikthyrnir stomped furiously in the clearing, lightning arcing from its antlers as it searched for us, its hooves cracking the ground with each furious stomp.

But it couldn’t find me as I was soon less than ten meters away from it. Before making my move, I pulled out the vial of black serpent venom and carefully coated the dagger’s blade, causing it to gleam reddish black.

One thing I quickly realized: the cursed cloak I wore seemed to amplify Selene’s powers, masking my presence completely. It felt as though I’d become part of the forest’s darkness—undetectable so long as I didn’t strike. To improve the attack’s effectiveness further, I changed my title to “Foul Play.”

Title: Grovedweller Hunter → Foul Play

Seizing the perfect opportunity, I circled around the beast, using Shadow Step to blink from one patch of darkness to another, gradually closing the distance. My heart was steady. My breathing was silent. At that moment, I wasn’t a warrior; I felt like I was a veteran assassin, stalking a doomed target. A predator hunting prey.

In a blink, I appeared above Eikthyrnir’s neck. The divine beast didn’t even sense me as I raised the dagger.

“Got you.” Back Stab!

With lethal precision, I drove the blade down toward the base of its neck. The weapon pierced through layers of hide and sinew, embedding deep into its flesh.

You have critically struck [Eikthyrnir Lv.100] with Back Stab.

Additional Bleeding Effect is inflicted.

The divine beast shrieked, its distorted voice rattling the air as a surge of lightning erupted from its body in wild, uncontrolled arcs. I was thrown off its back by the backlash, landing hard on the ground and rolling to absorb the impact. My armor sizzled where a few bolts had grazed me, but the strike had done its job.

Panting, I slipped back into the shadows, wincing at the sting on my shoulder. The wound I inflicted wasn’t immediately fatal, but the beast was critically injured. Thick, dark blood poured from the gash, and even with its vitality, Eikthyrnir struggled to regenerate. Selene’s skill set specialized in inflicting intense bleeding, so potent that even shallow wounds could become lethal over time. On top of that, the snake’s venom exacerbated the situation further.

Michelle capitalized on the distraction, firing a piercing flame arrow that struck the wounded leg, burning it partially. Eikthyrnir howled and stumbled.

Simultaneously, Boris took the initiative as he slammed both fists into the stag’s ribs, sending a shockwave through its frame. It seemed that it was going to die at any moment. Lightning sputtered erratically around its antlers, no longer controlled.

In a moment of desperation, the stag thrashed violently all around, crashing through trees and brush with reckless abandon. It didn’t care what stood in its path—everything was simply torn apart or flattened beneath its hooves. Its sheer power made it feel nothing was able to stop it in its tracks.

Getting close now would be suicide.

Unwilling to take that risk, I decided to use Fabled Vessel again. This time, I chose someone I had possessed before—a grandmaster of the arcane.

You have activated Fabled Vessel.

You have possessed [Merlin the Grand Magus].

Warning: Your current stats are too low to receive his full power!

Only 0.5% of Merlin’s power is transferred to you.

Your stats have temporarily increased significantly.

Your magic-related skills have temporarily improved drastically.

You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Basic Elemental Magic Lv.10].

You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Intermediate Elemental Magic Lv.6].

You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Chantless Casting Lv.5].

You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Multiple Casting Lv.4].

An intense wave of magic flooded my body as I called upon Merlin. My limbs stiffened from the overwhelming arcane knowledge that was far beyond my comprehension, appearing like reflections in my vision. My mind expanded, brimming with knowledge and control I didn’t possess seconds ago.

Even with only a tiny fraction of Merlin’s power, I could feel every strand of mana bend to my will. Raising one hand, I took out the Totemroot Staff in my inventory and began forming spell circles in the air with fluid precision—three-layered, intricately woven, beating with compressed mana.

“{Flame Spear},” I chanted.

The spell ignited instantly. A molten lance, nearly two meters in length, burst into existence, its tip coiling with searing heat that warped the surrounding air. Without pause, I hurled it toward Eikthyrnir. The fiery spear screamed through the treetops like a meteor and slammed into the divine stag’s shoulder.

Boom!

“GRUUAAHH—!!” An explosion engulfed the divine stag in a whirlwind of flame and smoke. It reeled in agony as searing light scattered across its fur and antlers. The chains wrapped around its horns crackled under the heat, glowing red-hot.

But I didn’t stop.

I used Multiple Casting and cast {Fireball} three times, conjuring three flaming spheres that orbited around me in a tight circle. Each spell roared to life with efficiency and control beyond anything I could normally do.

With a sharp flick of my wrist, I launched them one by one. The fireballs slammed into Eikthyrnir’s flanks, igniting the underbrush and charring patches of its hide. It must have been especially effective as I noticed that its movement slowed dramatically, and for the first time, I saw fear in its eyes.

Meanwhile, Michelle fired a flame-tipped arrow into the smoke, creating even more fire. Boris, not to be outdone, hurled burning logs from a collapsed tree at the divine stag, further fueling the blaze around it.

At this point, I didn’t care how much plausibility I was burning through. All I cared about was one thing: winning this battle and completing the scenario. I had used Fabled Vessel in a way that I never did before, constantly swapping between legendary figures again and again. But if that was the price for victory, then so be it.

Just when it looked like the divine stag was on the verge of dying, lightning surged wildly around its antlers. The intensity was tenfold compared to earlier. The chains wrapped around its horns cracked and hovered, no longer binding it. I could feel the mana condensing in the air, thick and suffocating.

Clearly, it was going to unleash its final attack on us.

“Damn it, it’s going to release it all at once!” I need to kill it now!

Since the divine stag was already burning, another fire spell wouldn’t do much more than annoy it. Worse still, I was about to run out of mana, even with my magic-related stats temporarily bolstered through Merlin’s possession.

Determined, I activated Fabled Vessel one final time, overriding my current possession.

You have activated Fabled Vessel.

You have possessed [Alric the Sword Saint].

Warning: Your current stats are too low to receive his full power!

Only 0.5% of Alric’s power is transferred to you.

Your stats have temporarily increased significantly.

Your swordsmanship-related skills have drastically improved.

You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Perfect Blade Form Lv.9].

You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Sword Intent Lv.6].

You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Phantom Cut Lv.5].

Other than the dagger, I didn’t even have a sword anymore, but it didn’t matter.

A radiant blade of pure energy formed in my grasp as Sword Intent manifested it through sheer will. With my strengthened body and honed instincts, I rushed at the stag, breaking through the wall of wind and static surrounding the beast.

“SKRRRAAAUUUNNGH!” the divine stag shrieked, rearing back as a massive surge of lightning coiled around its antlers like a storm.

In the blink of an eye, I leapt into the air with the sword raised high and all my focus locked on the creature’s exposed throat. Time felt like it slowed, and my senses felt every detail: the stench of scorched soil, the blinding lightning, the burning weight of the blade in my hands.

And then, with every ounce of power I had left, I roared, “PHANTOM CUT!”

The sword slashed downward in a flash, tearing through space itself. The energy blade struck clean and deep, cleaving through its neck. The stag howled in agony, its cry echoing through the forest.

At last…

You have hunted [Corrupted Divine Spirit Stag, Eikthyrnir Lv.100].

You have gained 160 EXP.

You Strength has increased by 1.

Your Dexterity has increased by 2.

Your Stamina has increased by 2.

Your Mind has increased by 1.

Your Magic Power has increased by 2.

Desperate Willpower has leveled up.

You have acquired a skill: [Paralysis Resistance Lv.1].

You have earned a new title: One Who Conquered the Impossible

You may now exit the scenario.

Would you like to proceed?

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