Chapter 58: Bright Shadows (2)
My body froze instinctively as I heard the raspy voice travel through my ears, his bony arms placed on my shoulders as he spoke:
"You kids don’t learn, do you? These nobles don’t care about your life or death!"
His loud voice jolted me out of my initial shock and I immediately jumped over the hole of the roof I was staring into and landed on the other side, vigilance written all over my face.
"We’re almost done with our preparations so will you please come and die for us?" The man pleaded.
My face turned grim and I immediately pulled out my scythe and activated all the necessary skills I had in my arsenal.
*****
[Ding!]
Skill: [Mana circulation] is in use!
Skill: [Calculative] is in use!
Skill: [Rank Ascension] is in use!
Skill: [Strong mind] is in use!
Skill: [Killer’s calm] is in use!
[Alert!]
[The host cannot use more than 5 skills at once!]
[Rapid exchange of skill slots is activated!]
********
’What the—!?’
A large fireball aimed at my direction didn’t give me any chance to analyze the system prompts properly as I hurriedly jumped to the side.
The man clearly had no intention of letting me escape unscathed. I could feel the heat radiating from the blast as it singed the ground where I had just been standing, forcing me to think quickly about my next move.
I rolled to my feet, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I scanned the area for cover.
"Hie hie hie you move quickly! That’s good! I like my prey better when they run!"
That menacing laugh and maniacal expression he wore reminded me of my battle with Kurt, but [Strong mind] and [Killer’s calm] didn’t let my mind settle on such thoughts.
Channeling mana to surround my body, I charged forward with my scythe extended, aiming for his head directly as I infused mana into the blade to increase it’s speed.
The maniacal expression never leaving his face, my blade whizzed past him, a few strands of hair flying off his head.
His body bent unnaturally and he somehow landed a kick to my stomach while I was mid air.
The extreme pain was immediately dulled to a minor discomfort and I used the momentum from the kick to stabilize myself behind him.
"You’re the first F rank to last this long....HAHAHAHA! Finally an anomaly has graced me!"
Ignoring the wide smile on his face, I analyzed the openings in his weird posture and charged forward once more.
He had taken me seriously at this point and charged forward to meet me halfway. A blade manifested in his hand, surrounded with searing flames as he drew closer.
The heat from the blade licked at my skin even before it touched me. My instincts screamed to pull back, but [Killer’s Calm] kept my body steady, my mind sharp. He swung wide, the flaming arc carving through the night with enough force to split the rooftop in two.
[Calculative] mapped the swing before it landed. I ducked low, my scythe scraping sparks off the tiles, then twisted in close—too close for his oversized weapon.
My blade grazed his side, causing a deep gash on his skin, the blood sprayed directly onto the blade of my scythe in a graceful curve.
"YES! Make me bleed! Make me remember I’m alive!". He exclaimed
’Why do i only encounter psychopaths?’ I wondered as I drew my scythe back and swapped out [Strong mind] for [Iron Fist].
His arm snapped around at an angle no joint should bend, the flaming sword spinning back toward my head.
[Mana Circulation] flooded my legs enabling the rapid dodge of the attack, my blade countering his relentless swings at the same time.
The constant clash of metals and maniacal laughter rang in the night sky but surprisingly, nobody came out to see what was going on.
Not paying any more attention to the strange occurrence, I abandoned my defensive position and swung my scythe with cold precision, sacrificing a burning cut on my left arm to land a brutal cut on his chest.
We both skidded backwards with heavy breaths, but my [Calculative] and [Mana circulation] gave me the edge and I charged once more before he could regain his bearings.
"What a specimen you are!! Why don’t you join our cause?"
The man exclaimed excitedly as he shifted his body expertly to dodge my attacks, my blade swung in constant horizontal arcs, the red sheen glowed in the moonlight and the broken tiles scattered around due to the intensity.
Blood had drenched the man’s clothes, but he showed no signs of fatigue, the wounds on his body knitted before my eyes and his sword seared with more intense flames.
’Regeneration? I thought only vampires had that ability?’
My mind raced as our blades clashed, the burning heat crashing against my cloak, my blade drawing more and more blood from the man.
I side–stepped on a slightly elevated part of the roof and hesitated for a moment before aiming a water based attack at him, the wide curve tore through the air and collided with his flame surrounded body.
Yes. Flame surrounded body.
During our battle, he had slowly covered himself with flames and his cackles had receded noticeably, and a serious expression formed on his face as we fought.
The stream of water hissed into steam the instant it touched him. His entire body burned brighter, the heat warping the tiles beneath his feet.
A low voice reeking of bloodlust and manic pleasure travelled to my ears as the mist cleared.
""That was foolish coming from you, wasn’t it?"
My grip on the scythe tightened, mana surging down the handle. The runes etched into its length glowed like veins of lightning, answering my will.
As if his body had been waiting for the signal, the psychopath lunged. His armor of fire expanded with a roar, the heat gnawing at my cloak, trying to peel it from my back. Our blades met in an ear-splitting clash.
*********
[Alert!]
[Rank Ascension will be forcefully deactivated in 20:00 minutes!]
*******
The notification burned across my vision, but I refused to flinch. My scythe flared brighter, its edge laced with sixty percent of my mana pool. Each strike I threw cracked the tiles beneath us, blue sparks scattering against the sea of red flames.
And yet... he didn’t slow down.
The bastard fought like a storm—every swing reckless yet controlled, every step perfectly balanced. My blade left shallow cuts, but his wounds sealed just as fast. The only thing stacking up was the heat, the suffocating pressure of his fire pressing me toward the edge of the roof.
’He’s not running out of mana...regeneration shouldn’t be this broken should it?’
Another clash. My arms trembled from the impact, muscles screaming even as [Strong Mind] dulled the pain. He laughed in my face, teeth gleaming in the firelight.
"You look tired! Don’t die yet—I’m not finished playing!"
His blade whipped low. I parried late, and the flames seared across my ribs. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
I gritted my teeth, staggered back with hidden pain in my expression.
But in my head—behind the wall of [Killer’s Calm]—I was building something. A sequence. A calculation only I knew. Each dodge, each shallow strike, each piece of ground I gave up was laying the bricks of a trap.
’I only have twenty minutes to make this work, if it doesn’t, I might as well end my life right here’
The roof cracked beneath us as he pressed forward, fire spilling in every direction. I deflected, parried, let the burns pile up. My cloak was in tatters now. My breaths came ragged, and still I gave him the satisfaction of watching me retreat.
’Keep watching me bleed. Keep laughing. I need you confident.’
My scythe whirled in a sharp counterstrike. A long cut formed on his cheek and his blood sizzled on the surface of his fire armor.
With a wide grin, he exclaimed, "MORE! I want more from you!"
He hammered me back his blade slamming into mine until my hands went numb. My plan demanded it—I let the blows land close, too close, the flames branding my arms, forcing me nearer and nearer to the collapsing edge of the rooftop.
I didn’t resist. I let him see victory.
Inside my head, [Calculative] ticked like a clock. Every clash added to the equation. Every scar carved into my body was a variable in a puzzle no one else could see.
’It’s almost ready... Just ten more moves. Nine. Eight...’
His attacks grew more and more relentless as I played the part of a weakened foe perfectly. My scythe had begun conducting the heat from the flaming sword and my hands gradually blackened, the pain being dulled with the help of [Killer’s Calm].
The sounds of tiles clacking against the cobblestoned ground made its way to my ears despite the loud laughter that accompanied heavy blows.
’Just five more moves’