Chapter 25 : Again?
The second assailant froze.
His breath hitched as his eyes locked onto the still, disappearing body of his fallen comrade. Just moments ago, they had been attacking in perfect sync, a finely tuned coordination meant to overwhelm their prey easily. It was expected to be a swift work.
And yet…
His ally was dead.
Gone. Just like that.
His hand tightened around the hilt of his weapon as cold sweat broke out across his skin. For a brief second, the second assailant felt something that was quite foreign creep into his mind. Doubt.
The way Aron just stood there calmly, blade dripping with the aftermath of the battle, shield held firm, unshaken… It sent a cold chill crawling up the assassin’s spine…
Whaammm
A dark crimson aura erupted around the second assailant’s body, swirling violently like a raging volcano. The very air around him seemed like a turbulent vortex as if bending to the sheer force of his unleashed power. His stance widened with his muscles tensed, and a burst of energy flowed through his limbs.
“I refuse to believe this…!” he spat, his voice carrying both defiance and confidence that seemed to be ignited anew.
Aron raised his eyebrows, still playing around the hilt of his blade. One glance was all it took for him to recognize what was happening. A skill designed to push up the user, granting an immense temporary boost.
Aron smirked, “That’s more like it, yea…”
Stommm
He made a firm stance with his legs lowered down a little bit as his blade hurled forward while his shield positioned behind it around in front of his chest. Like a coiled python waiting to strike at the right moment, at the right place…
“Come…”
Fwoooshh
In an instant…
Booom
Booom
The ground beneath the second assailant’s original position shattered, spiderweb cracks spreading outward from the sheer force of his launch. Dust and loose debris shot into the air, trailing behind him like a comet as he hurtled.
One moment, the second assailant stood meters away, his aura crackling like an unstable flame. The next, he was moving fastly, leaving behind only a sharp gust of wind.
Sriiinngg
Aron seemed to barely have time to react before a sharp blade came hurtling toward his throat.
Clangg
The assailant was already at his flank, his blade flashing like a streak of lightning, and Aron managed to bring up his blade in time to deflect the strike, but the impact was unlike anything before. The sheer force behind the attack rattled through his arms, as if nearly breaking his stance.
Whooshh
The second assailant vanished again, reappearing on Aron’s left with a lightning-fast thrust.
Clankk
Aron twisted, pivoting his body to meet the next incoming slash. His shield intercepted the attack, but Aron’s body moved backward slightly after receiving it. His feet scraped against the cracked stone beneath, leaving a little trail of dust as he fought for balance.
He’s clearly faster than before.
“Take it!”
Another blur and another strike, this time from above.
Aron raised his shield, the blow crashing down like a meteor.
Bangg
The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, rattling nearby structures.
And he’s obviously hitting harder, too.
The assailant’s attacks had grown stronger plus more refined. The energy that now enveloped him pulsed with raw power, enhancing every movement.
Aron’s eyes sharpened. If one wanted to gamble it all on speed and power, one just had to outlast him.
“Ohhh…!”
The assailant lunged again, blade flashing in a flurry of strikes,
Fury Cascade!
A rapid barrage of slashes, a technique seemingly meant to overwhelm and break through defenses.
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“Come..!”
Whamm Baangg Crannk…
Aron stood his ground. WIth his shield raised, he absorbed the hits for one, two, three, four…
Sparks erupted with every impact, but he still didn’t falter. The assailant gritted his teeth, pushing harder and faster which made his attacks turned into a whirlwind of transparent looking blades.
Craacckk
Aron moved.
His shield, instead of blocking, suddenly angled itself redirecting the force of the last strike. The assailant staggered forward from his own momentum.
Aron’s blade swung upward in a vicious arc…
Slaasss
A deep gash tore through the assailant’s side.
“Ghh—!” He stumbled, his body faltering for the first time. The energy around him flickered, which made it become unstable and weaker.
Aron didn’t give him a chance to recover.
Grraakk
He launched forward with a boost of speed, driving his knee into the assailant’s stomach. The impact lifted him off the ground before sending him crashing into a wall.
Bammm…
Dust rose and followed by silence.
The assailant coughed, trying to push himself up but his strength was failing. The energy that had made him unstoppable was now fading, leaving his body sluggish and broken. He looked up as his eyes filled with disbelief.
“There is… no way!”
Even as he staggered from the heavy impact, his hands tightened around his weapon, his breath ragged but his will looked unshaken. Clearly the second assailant wasn’t done yet.
“Shadow Rush!” he growled, his body flaring up with another boost of power.
A blur dashed from the right and Aron instinctively raised his shield.
Klangg
Sparks erupted as the blade met the shield. But the moment his defense connected, the assailant''s form flickered and vanished.
"Piercing Fang!"
From behind, a sharp condensed force drove into Aron’s side. A precise form of stab meant to penetrate armor and exploit weaknesses.
Cracck
His body staggered from the impact as his HP dipped slightly. But even as the attack registered, he moved and spun with his shield to counter the next strike.
Baang
The assailant leaped back, retreating for only a split second before his stance shifted.
"Phantom Reaver!"
A skill that chained multiple slashes into a seamless combination attack.
Slaas Slasssh Slasss…
The air was torn apart as the assailant moved like a shadow, his blade dancing like a deadly wraith. Each strike came faster than the last, his attacks carving arcs of silver light in the dim surroundings.
Kraanng Craakk Crasss…
The first hit forced him back. The second one scraped against his armor. And the third almost found its mark on his shoulder.
"Not bad…"
But that alone seemed to be insufficient to break Aron.
As the last slash came down, Aron twisted his entire body, absorbing the hit with his shield before lunging forward with his sword.
“Impact Drive!”
Whaamm
The shield pulsed with energy as it slammed into the assailant’s ribs, sending him soaring backward like a ragdoll before crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.
The assailant coughed violently, struggling to rise. His body trembled yet again as his stamina had taken a severe toll from using too many burst skills at once.
“A… cough counter… high…” the assailant whispered lowly. A counter-attack skill that seemingly unleashed all the stored force in his shield into one devastating blow, he truly didn’t expect that one.
Aron, on the other hand, stood firmly and steadily.
The assailant, though shaken, still had a posture that told refusal to stop. His face twisted in desperation as he gripped his blade with two hands, the aura around his body still flaring wildly.
"I won''t lose here!" he roared in a loud voice.
Then, without warning, the air around him moved ragingly. A deep crimson aura began to rise from his body, pulsating like a heartbeat of a beast.
Aron''s eyes narrowed.
Again?
Or…
The assailant took a deep breath, centering himself. His movements became sharper as the fatigue that had plagued him just moments ago seemed to fade as his body adjusted to the influx of power.
"Die…!" he shouted under his breath, his voice steady despite the damage he had taken so far.
Boomm
With a powerful push, he launched himself as his blade glowing with a dark light as he activated his skill.
Fwooosh
Just as the crimson aura around the assailant flared to its peak, he suddenly twisted his body mid-charge.
Instead of bringing his blade down onto Aron, he shifted his weight to one side and kicked off the ground with explosive force. The ground beneath him cracked as his sudden burst of speed sent him hurtling sideways, using the momentum not to go forward in offense…
The momentary perception of another head-on assault had made Aron to coil himself, though it looked different from the previous stance.
Run.
The assailant''s skill, instead of enhancing his attack power, had been solely purposed into a movement ability. The profound speed carried him across the path like a blurred shadow, his feet barely touching the ground as he maneuvered between debris.
There is no way…
Dust swirled in his wake, the lingering energy from his skill creating waves of wind. His body leaned forward, not stopping for a second, as his mind was set on one thing,
Get out of here…!
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.
He couldn’t win this fight…
His mind screamed at him. Because if he didn’t, he would be following his friend’s footsteps…
The assailant’s mind raced as he dashed through, to retreat from the battlefield at all cost. He had underestimated this opponent. No, they both had.
His partner was dead. And he would be next if he kept on trying, he could feel it…
Even with his skill-enhanced speed, even with his desperate final gambit, the difference in their levels of combat experience was insurmountable. He had seen it in that last clash. Aron didn’t even look to be breaking a sweat.
He had to abort the mission.
His employer wouldn’t be pleased, but there was no point in dying here. Whatever they had been after, what’s the point if he would just be throwing away his things? He could only curse the employer for assigning such stupid mission.
His eyes scanned for the quickest route out. If he could just get far enough away, disappear into the city’s shadows, that would just be the best situation.
But as he moved forward, his heart pounding, a chilling feel crept into his scalp.