Taking a moment to resolve himself, Alex disappeared from where he stood and instantly appeared before one of the twelve void creatures, precisely the very last one.
With the last vestiges of his mana, he plunged the spear into the void creature and directed an explosive attack into it.
The creature died before it knew what hit it. Alex had chosen this particular void creature because it was the smallest of the bunch, and one less void creature would be better than struggling against twelve without enough mana to work with.
However, closing in on that void creature to eliminate it had put Alex in their direct path where their tentacles and claws could reach him.
The multiple ringing sounds of metal clashing against claws and tentacles resounded throughout the hall as Alex was pushed back from the recoil of the attacks, moving several meters away.
The blows were heavy and swift, directly aiming for his head and body to finish him off as quickly as possible.
"Huu…" He let out the stale breath he held. He readjusted himself using the momentum of the push to get back into a fighting stance.
Right now, Alex was officially a dry well. The only things he had were his physical strength, reflexes, and speed. Things that wouldn't count in the face of void creatures.
The creatures wasted no time as some ran after him, not giving him a moment of respite. They clawed, swung and threw themselves at him.
Of course, Alex wasn't going to stand there and receive their attacks. He constantly moved around, trying his best to evade the attacks and the ones he couldn't dodge, he deflected and blocked with his spear.
Naturally, all was not sunshine and rainbows. He occasionally took heavy hits that sent him flying back, and if it wasn't for his quick thinking and reflexes, he would have eaten multiple attacks midflight.
Alex was gradually taking more hits the longer this went on. His spear techniques were top-notch, but that was useless at the moment.
The creatures ignored all his attacks and pressured him continuously without break. He began taking more damage than he could evade or block.
What's more, some of the void creatures had begun preparing for their beaming attacks.
'This is getting nowhere!' he exclaimed inwardly as his eyes shifted to the creatures preparing for their attacks while fighting off those still on him.
Locked in a thrusting attack, Alex noticed two of the beams were speeding towards him. He had less than a second to react.
He cursed as he tried everything to redirect his momentum to evade the two attacks coming from the same direction at different angles.
His eyes trembled in trepidation and his heartbeat increased, his emotions running wild as the thought of dying flashed before his eyes. He desperately wanted to channel his mana but to no avail.
He smashed heavily into the wall, the impact from the two attacks and the wall combined to deal massive damage to him.
He slid down the wall to the ground and his vision turned blurry as the void creatures rushing at him appeared more than he counted.
He couldn't tell exactly where they were or how far they were from him. Still, he tried his best to get back to his feet.
Staying in one place was him asking to be killed. As he struggled to get back up, a clawing attack unexpectedly came from his blind side.
In his blurry and confused state, he failed to see one of the void creatures was close to the wall he slammed into.
The claw connected with his side, close to his ribs and tore a piece of his armour off as he was sent flying a second time.
But that wasn't the end as a few moments after he slammed into the ground, another attack closed in.
Again, he was flung away.
Alex felt his consciousness waver from the damages he took. He couldn't tell his right from his left and pain wreaked havoc in his system, blinding him more than he already was.
However, in the midst of all this, his blood continued to roar in defiance as he forced himself to channel any magical energy in his body, alas…
Alex shook his head clear, but the blood that covered his face made it difficult to tell what he was seeing. His body ached all over as even trying to get up became a burden to him.
The loud roars and screeches from the void creatures overwhelmed his senses, and his breathing continued to grow rough.
'No…' Alex's eyes flashed with fierceness and resolve. He pushed through the blinding pain and looked around, finally getting the void creatures in his sight.
Every action they made; from charging up their beaming attacks to the ones rushing at him, he saw it all.
'… it can't end … I didn't come all this way to die !' He roared inwardly, and in that moment, everything in his sight slowed down.
He may have been reconditioned to believe what he was experiencing was real, but he never forgot why he chose this path.
Visions of his loved ones flashed before him and the resolve to continue moving forward grew stronger. His mind recalled everything he held dear.
His heart gave a powerful beat that silenced every other sound around; the roaring void creatures, the screeches, and the ringing in his ears all disappeared at that moment.
Another beat set his eyes ablaze with a golden light, his body, set ablaze in the same likeness. He could feel a rising heat from his chest; a sensation he hadn't felt before began to watch over him as he felt his strength suddenly rise.
'The pain is gone,' he noticed and the ache that plagued his entire body was gone too. He had never felt this much alive and powerful!
At that moment, the beaming attacks the void creatures threw at him were near, a couple of meters away from his face. Then…