Chapter 57: The Last Push

His body shot forward with frightening speed, far faster than his exhausted appearance had suggested. I barely had time to react before he crossed the distance between us.

In the next instant, his hand clamped against my chest, and he drove me backward with enough force to knock the breath from my lungs.

I tried to swing the Doom Axe, but he was already too close for me to bring the weapon around properly.

His other hand seized my throat.

My back struck the ground, and his grip tightened around my neck as he pinned me beneath him. I struggled to breathe, grabbing at his wrist while trying to force him away, but his fingers held firm. The pressure made it difficult to draw air, and the sudden attack left me with little room to maneuver.

Damn it! I knew it!

I activated [Thunderclad] instantly.

Lightning surged through my body, spreading from my arms into my chest and shoulders. The energy gathered around the points where his hands touched me, then raced through his fingers and into his arms. The dwarf’s body jerked as the electricity coursed through him, and a strained grunt escaped his throat.

"Grrrhhh!"

I felt his grip falter for a fraction of a second, but he didn’t release me.

The runes on his gauntlets flickered weakly. Their glow had diminished considerably, and the poison seemed to have weakened his ability to interfere with my mana. Whatever method he had been using to suppress my lightning, he could no longer resist the current as effectively as before.

The electricity flowed through his body without being completely neutralized.

For the first time, he was taking the full force of my lightning at such close range.

Yet despite the surge of electricity coursing through him, the dwarf remained frighteningly strong. His muscles tensed beneath his armor, and his grip around my neck held firm. It was as though I had shocked a block of titanium rather than a living creature. The lightning made him grunt and twitch, but it wasn’t enough to force him to release me.

My eyes widened.

How was he still holding on?

I poured more mana into [Thunderclad], trying to intensify the current, but the effort came at a cost. My mana was already running low, and maintaining the skill while struggling against his grip was draining what little remained. I could feel my strength beginning to waver, and the pressure around my throat made it increasingly difficult to breathe.

The dwarf looked down at me, his face twisted with pain and determination.

"You really thought I’d let a goblin like you defeat me?"

He reached beneath his armor with his free hand.

I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t loosen his grip enough to move properly. My fingers clawed at his wrist while I struggled to keep the lightning flowing through my body.

His hand emerged holding a dagger, its short blade catching the light as he brought it toward me.

My stomach tightened.

"Die!"

Thors pressed the dagger downward, but I managed to catch his wrist with both hands before the blade could reach me.

The sudden pressure forced a groan out of my throat.

The dwarf was heavy, and despite the lightning coursing through his body, he was still frighteningly strong. His weight pressed against my chest while his hand continued forcing the dagger toward my face.

My arms trembled as I struggled to keep his wrist from moving any farther.

What the hell was this tenacity?

Why wouldn’t he break?

The tip of the dagger hovered inches from my face.

I could see the strain in his arm as he pushed down, and my muscles burned from the effort of resisting him. The lightning running through my body made his grip falter occasionally, but those brief interruptions weren’t enough to free me.

Every time his arm weakened, he seemed to summon enough strength to push forward again.

What was keeping him going?

I knew the damage he had taken should have been enough to make him reconsider continuing this fight.

The poison was affecting him; his gauntlets could barely resist my lightning anymore, and his body had already endured several powerful attacks. Yet here he was, pinning me to the ground and trying to drive a dagger into my face.

Why?

"Don’t give up, Sylas!"

"Fight, Sylas! You can do it!"

The goblins’ voices reached me from across the clearing. Some were shouting my name, while others called for me to get back up.

Their voices overlapped, but I could hear the desperation behind them.

They had watched their chief fall, and now their hopes rested on me.

If I lost, the agreement Thors had made would mean nothing, and the entire clan could be slaughtered.

I couldn’t let that happen.

Their shouts gave me the strength I needed to keep resisting.

I gritted my teeth, tightened my grip around Thors’s wrist, and pushed back with everything I had left.

"Get off me!"

A roar escaped my throat as I forced his hand upward.

My arms shook violently, and the dagger’s tip wavered above my face.

Thors tried to push down again, but I shifted my weight, planted my feet against the ground, and drove my hips upward to disrupt his balance.

For a moment, his weight shifted away from my chest.

I seized the opportunity, shoved his arm aside, and struck him hard enough to force him off me.

He rolled away, and I scrambled backward before he could regain his position.

The goblins erupted into cheers.

I didn’t have time to enjoy them.

I pushed myself to my feet as quickly as my battered body allowed, keeping my eyes on Thors.

The dwarf was struggling to rise, his movements sluggish and unsteady.

His breathing had become labored, and the hand holding the dagger trembled as he tried to steady himself.

The poison was finally catching up with him.

I rushed forward before he could recover, intent on finishing the fight while...