My Abyss Survival Diary

Chapter 63 The End of the Cave Thief

Leaning forward, Elfis pushed off with his left foot, his boot carving a shallow furrow in the mud, and charged toward Andrei! His trekking axe, blade facing forward, swung down heavily toward Andrei's neck.

Andrei turned to the side, raising his metal right arm. His forearm blocked the axe handle, and the sound of metal clashing was crisp. The axe blade grazed the arm armor and chopped down, scraping off a layer of white paint.

Elphis's body didn't stop. Using the momentum from the blocked axe, he spun around and slammed his left elbow into Andrei's temple.

Despite suffering a severe blow to his temple, Andrei gritted his teeth and endured it, then used his prosthetic right fist to slam it into Elphis's abdomen from below.

The metal fist sank into his flesh, and Elphis's body snapped in agony as stomach acid surged up his throat and gushed from his mouth.

But he didn't back down. He grabbed Andrei's wrist with his left hand, tucked the metal arm under his armpit, and slammed the axe down on Andrei's elbow with the back of the axe, the back of the axe hitting the joint gap, sparks flying everywhere.

Andrei didn't care about any of that. Steam burst from the heat dissipation vents of his prosthetic limb. He used terrifying strength to break free from Elphis's restraints and then punched Elphis away with all his might.

His boots left two marks on the muddy ground, barely keeping him from falling.

The two stopped simultaneously. Andrei flexed his stiff right arm, while blood trickled from the corner of Elphis's mouth, dripping down his chin. He switched the trekking axe to his left hand, clenched his right fist tightly, and confirmed that he could still fight.

Andrei took a step forward, his right foot slamming into a mud puddle, splashing mud all over Elphis's trousers.

His right fist twisted out from his waist, as fast as a cannonball, heading straight for Elphis's chest. Elphis turned to the side, the fist grazing past his chest. He raised his mountain axe with his left hand and chopped heavily down at Andrei's shoulder, the axe blade cutting right into the seam between the prosthetic arm and the body.

Andrei gripped the axe handle with his left hand and pulled hard, while Elphis held on tightly. Both of them were exerting force with their fingers, their expressions ferocious.

Anderson ultimately won the struggle, pulling the trekking axe stuck in his shoulder and casually tossing it into the bushes.

But just then, the Holy Hammer Sisters arrived to provide support.

"Sisters, please give me a little more time." Andrei stepped in to stop them, his eyes fixed on the enemy before him. "I want to duel him."

"Come on!" Elphis stepped forward.

Andrei also charged forward, attacking with both hands, his prosthetic limbs spewing steam as his fists, carrying terrifying power, rained down like drops of water.

Elfis didn't take the punches head-on. He kept retreating, stepping into the gaps between Andrei's punches with each step. He tilted his head, bent over, and dodged to the side. The fists grazed past his ears, swept over his shoulders, and passed under his armpits.

But he still couldn't dodge one punch. Andrei's right fist slammed into his chest, and he heard the sound of bones cracking again. Elfis grabbed Andrei's wrist with his left hand and slammed his right fist into Andrei's elbow joint once, twice, three times!

The prosthetic arm malfunctioned! Andrei couldn't lift his right arm, but his left arm remained strong, punching Elphis's left leg, almost breaking it, and then followed up with another punch straight to his chest! It dented his chest.

Elphis lay sprawled on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He used his hands to push himself up from the mud, knelt on one knee, and looked up at Andrei.

Andrei walked up to him, squatted down, and looked him in the eye.

You lost.

Elphis did not answer.

He reached out his right hand, grabbed Andrei's sleeve, and staggered to his feet. His left leg braced his body while his right leg dragged on the ground. He swayed and eventually collapsed.

Having suffered gunshot wounds from thorn bullets, blast injuries from explosions, and the series of blows from his metal prosthetic limbs, Elphis's body had reached its limit, and he was no longer capable of fighting.

Elphis spat out another mouthful of blood, and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"Let's get started..."

Andrei reached out and touched Elphis's iron mask. His fingers touched the bottom edge of the mask, and he pinched the edge and lifted it up, wanting to see the true face of the leader of the cave raiders.

But he was unable to remove the mask because his skin and the mask were stuck together.

"You can't see my face." Elphis chuckled self-deprecatingly, his lips twitching and pulling at the newly torn wound on his jaw, blood trickling down his chin. "You broke the mechanism for me before, and the corrosive liquid destroyed my entire face and stuck it to the mask."

Andrei loosened his grip, the edge of the mask still embedded in the flesh, blood seeping out from the gaps and dripping down the bottom edge of the mask.

He then reached down to Elphis's waist and took the cloth bag containing the flesh that was evidence of the crime.

An ominous premonition grew stronger in his mind. He opened the cloth bag, and sure enough, inside was a piece of rotten flesh scraped off a hunting animal.

"Why did you do this?" Andrei's voice was hoarse.

Overwhelmed with mixed feelings, he had many questions he wanted to ask, but he knew Elphis wouldn't answer them.

Elphis tilted his head, his eyes behind the mask looking at Andrei, his pupils unfocused, yet he still forced himself to stare at the young man's face.

"One day you'll know that in a person's life, there are always some things that you have to risk your life to accomplish." His voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the hissing of the steam.

Andrei didn't know what expression to make, so he could only smile helplessly.

He didn't speak, and slowly sat down next to Elphis.

Andrei sighed, his eyes fixed on the distant mist. "I've heard that the recipients of the Silver Shield prosthetic have all met the Iron Emperor. You've met him, haven't you?"

Elphis's lips curled up slightly, and something flickered for a moment in his almost closed eye, like a candle about to go out burning especially bright in its last instant.

"Of course, I have seen the Iron Emperor. I have seen His face with my own eyes and engraved it deeply in my soul."

Andrei was somewhat surprised. If Elphis valued honor so much, why would he embark on this forbidden path?

The smile on Elphis's lips turned into something fainter and more bitter.

"When I was young, I thought I would get closer and closer to the Iron Emperor. I thought I had a chance to become His guard and defend the glory of the empire." His voice grew softer and softer. "But I never imagined that I would end up getting further and further away from Him..."

His fingers slid off his knees and hung down at his sides.

The wind blew through the forest, carrying the damp smell of the fungal carpet beneath the soil and a strong stench of blood.

This is the end for tomb raiders.

Andrei sat beside him, while in the distance, the nuns stood silently in the mist.

After a long while, he stood up and hurried towards the camp with the nuns.