[Exterminate all enemies. Time remaining: 51 minutes 12 seconds.]0

“Fuck.”0

I rolled hard across the ground, steadied myself, and then swept my eyes across my surroundings. There wasn’t a follow-up attack, but the space before me remained fragmented and overlapping, leaving my vision a jumbled and chaotic blur.0

After taking the hit and tumbling, the burning pain in my shoulder felt vivid, sharp, and piercing.0

Saboden let out a rasping chuckle and taunted, “Didn’t you claim you could win? It has been so long since I’ve had any amusement. Put forth a little more effort.”0

I clenched my teeth. Even though Flash Strike was active and I had reacted as fast as possible, I had still been half a beat late. Without having experienced it before, and with no signs or forewarning, I didn’t know what I could have done better.0

My left arm hung loosely at my side, still connected, but useless. I brought my other hand, still gripping the axe, to the wound. Divinity spilled out from the axe, and a blue-gold radiance enshrouded my shoulder.1

That will serve as rough first aid.0

It wasn’t an instant cure-all, though—I wouldn’t be able to use my left arm for a while. Over time, I had come to realize that healing magic was my weakest aspect. Whether or not it would work, I would need to refrain from moving excessively...1