Ascension Online: I Grow Stronger By Streaming-Chapter 26: Falling Pillar

kai looked at the monster, his mind racing for a way to win this fight. There were a few options available to him, but none of them were ideal. He could try searching through the skills he had gained from the streamer system, but pulling out completely new skills in front of the viewers would raise questions, and that was something he couldn’t afford. There were other options too, but he had planned to keep them as last resorts. Using them now would put him in a bad position later.

One of those options was using his gifts for a power-up. That would temporarily raise his strength to a higher level and allow him to fight more evenly. He could also distribute the stat points he had gained from leveling up, but doing that in a panic felt reckless. Besides, he doubted the stat increase alone would give him enough power to deal with the monster.

Which meant he had very few options left.

Kai gripped his sword tightly and forced himself back to his feet. Across from him, the monster’s tendrils slowly swayed in the air, almost as if they were waiting for him to make the next move. Kai scanned the surroundings, hoping to find anything that could help him turn the fight.

That was when he noticed it.

One of the pillars was badly cracked.

He wasn’t sure if the pillars could actually fall. So far he had been smashed into several of them, and many attacks had struck them as well, but none had collapsed. They had only cracked. He figured that was because the pillars were extremely thick and the attacks simply hadn’t been strong enough to bring them down.

But now that one pillar looked dangerously unstable.

An idea formed in his mind.

If he could topple that pillar onto the monster, even for a moment, it might be enough. A single second was all he needed to end the fight.

With that in mind, Kai charged forward again.

The monster’s tendrils instantly locked onto him and shot forward like missiles. Kai dodged left and right, parrying some of them while sparks flew from the collisions. His eyes remained locked on the monster the entire time.

That focus cost him.

Several tendrils grazed his body. Blood sprayed into the air as his health dropped rapidly, falling toward 20%.

He clenched his teeth and ran even faster.

The monster expected him to charge directly for it, but suddenly Kai shifted direction and sprinted toward the cracked pillar instead. The monster, which had been preparing to block an incoming attack, hesitated for a brief moment before sending more tendrils at him. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The tendrils cut through the air at terrifying speed.

Kai waited until the last possible moment and then dodged.

The tendrils slammed directly into the pillar.

Crack.

The already damaged structure trembled violently as dust fell from above. Kai saw the movement and immediately realized the pillar could actually collapse.

So instead of retreating, he stayed there.

Risking everything.

The tendrils retracted and struck again. Kai dodged once more, forcing them to hit the pillar again. One of them clipped his side and tore open his flesh, sending more blood spilling down his body.

His health continued dropping.

If he died here before the six-hour timer ended, he would lose everything. The account, the progress, the streamer system—everything that could help him earn the money needed to treat his sister.

He couldn’t let that happen.

Clenching his jaw, he raised his sword again as another tendril came flying toward him.

"AHhhhhhhh!"

He roared as he blocked the strike. The tendril scraped across his blade and smashed into the pillar once more. Sparks exploded from the collision, and the pillar began swaying heavily.

It was almost falling now.

But not quite.

That was when the next problem appeared.

The monster was still far away.

Kai needed to somehow push that ten-foot-tall monstrosity into the pillar.

Then he remembered something.

Lightning Fall.

The spell cost only one hundred mana points, and the cooldown had already finished. That meant he could cast it again. The monster would regenerate afterward just like before, and the tendrils would still attack even while it was stunned, but there was one advantage.

When stunned, the monster’s movements became predictable.

And that would give Kai an opening.

With his plan set, he dashed across the platform as the tendrils lashed wildly around him. He reached the opposite side and raised his hand.

"Lightning Fall!"

A massive magic circle appeared above the monster once again. By this time the creature’s health had already regenerated fully, but the lightning still crashed down with overwhelming force. Bolts slammed into the monster repeatedly, erasing two health bars and cutting deep into the third.

But once again, it wasn’t enough to kill it.

The monster froze briefly from the impact.

That was the opening Kaihad been waiting for.

He shot forward.

The tendrils attacked automatically just like before, but this time Kai activated Butterfly Dance, pushing his body to the absolute limit. He twisted and weaved through the attacks, some grazing his body and spilling more blood, but he forced his way through.

When he reached the monster, he attacked with everything he had.

The tendrils immediately curled together to form a shield, blocking his blade. But Kai wasn’t trying to cut through them.

He was trying to push.

With a final roar, he poured every ounce of strength into one last slash.

The sword crashed against the tendril shield. It didn’t cut through, but the sheer force drove the monster backward. Still stunned from the lightning strike, the massive creature lost its balance and toppled.

It slammed directly into the cracked pillar.

The final support gave way.

The pillar collapsed.

Boom!

The entire platform shook as the massive stone structure crashed down onto the monster’s back, pinning the unsuspecting creature beneath it.