Zoran freezes up as he drops his sword. He looks at Rue with a strained smile and says, “You…are alive?” Rue turns around puts on his hoodie then says, “I won’t talk to a murderer.” Rue then rushes at Zoran with his sword coated with red energy. Zoran forms a shield and deflects his sword and says, “Why are you even attacking me?! We are friends, remember.” Rue remains silent as he lands on the floor and he glares at Zoran as his red pupils become brighter. Zoran desperately says, “Don’t you remember? We used to be inseparable…how did you survive? I thought everyone was dead…including you.” Zoran feels rain starting to pour down as the street lights keep flickering. The moon was overhead and the streets were quiet. Rue then picks up his sword and says, “You know what you did…my sword is now solely meant for you. A filthy murderer is all that you are to me. I just ask…how could you betray me like that.” Zoran shouted out, “I don’t even know what you are talking about?! What do you mean that I am some filthy murderer.” Rue yells, “You should know what you did. Don’t act dumb. You murdered them all in cold blood and now you are lying. I saw you have new friends. I saw everything. You think you could replace me and the others like that so easily.” Rue laughs manically as he slashes his palm. The blood streaming down his palm forms into another sword. He mutters, “With this blood…help me strike down the target of this endless hunt.” Zoran looks at his eyes and notices that his pupils were replaced with marks. Zoran says, “I don’t want to hurt you Rue.” Rue throws both swords at Zoran and he reappears on his main sword. Suddenly, the blood sword disappears and notices it returned to Rue’s hand as he throws it at Zoran and reappears at the handle swinging his other sword. Zoran was caught off guard as he was slashed across the chest with the sword but he patches himself up by covering the wounds with the energy that is slowly dwindling in resource. Zoran forms a spear and tries to pierce Rue but Rue swiftly dodges and aims the blood sword at Zoran and shoots him with many pellets. It launches Zoran back as bullet holes form around his injured arm. His face winces but he toughs it out. As Rue was closing in Zoran forms 10 swords and makes them float around him and shoot them at Rue individually. One sword pierces through Rue but he slashes the others into pierces. Zoran taking his chance tries to focus on the sword impaled on Rue’s left arm and bursts it into a spike that sticks itself into the ground. Rue desperately throws his other sword into the ground but Zoran throws a bunch of energy at the sword and encases it into a cube keeping it stuck. Suddenly, Zoran feels vibrations from the earth as blood swords rise from the ground trying to impale him. He tries to dodge them and he eyes Rue as his blood is dripping into the ground and he frees himself by the blood sword breaking the spike. Rue walks over to the encased sword and breaks it with his sword freeing his other blade. He rushes over to Zoran who is still dodging blood spikes and tries to slash his chest. Zoran was out of energy yet the air around him began getting hotter. Amaia rushes forward with an insane look on her face and impales Rue with her fiery glaive launching him back down the street. Amaia stands next to Zoran and asks, “I was getting back from a restaurant and I noticed a smashed wall from my usual path. I followed it and I found you bleeding and on the verge of being killed. I’ll handle this from here. Amaia gripped her fiery glaive and looked at Rue and said, “Something tells me that you want to kill Zoran…sadly I can’t let that happen until I spar with him.” Rue’s wound heals as he clutches his sword and his energy dissipates. He stands back up and says, “If you intend on defending that murderer…you are just as bad as them then.” He throws both of his swords and reappears at each of them , throwing them faster but Amaia surrounds herself with fire. She culminates all the fire around her into a pressured shot and launches it like a wave of an ocean. Rue watching the wave of fire approach him he throws his sword up and reappears above the wave of fire. He stabs himself with his blood sword and launches 100’s of blood knives down on Amaia. Amaia grinned manically as she set everything around her ablaze. The street block was completely scorched as the Amaia’s flames consumed everything. Zoran runs over to the tree in the distance as Amaia and Rue keep clashing blades. The blood daggers rained down on her but she swung her glaive and consumed each and every single one of them into a scorching flame. Rue says, “You aren’t some pushover like the Blood Aspect was…I can even consider yourself impressive. Honestly…Narcisse wasn’t lying about you. You are the most impressive of the new recruits.” Amaia grins and says, “What a flatterer…sadly that won’t stop me from letting you kill Zoran.” Rue throws his sword into Amaia’s flame and appears in front of her preparing to slice her but Zoran throws a throwing spear at him impaling him through his side. Amaia smashes her glaive down on the floor causing the floor to break apart and they all fall down to the underground portion of the middle layer.
Amaia and Rue fall down to the underground portion as Rue throws his sword at her to close the distance. Their blades clash but Zoran appears from above and makes a grappling hook and hooks unto Rue and gets on top of him and punches him several times as they are falling down. As they land into a dusty tunnel Zoran smashes Rue into the floor of the underground portion. Zoran breathes heavily as he says to Amaia, “Is it finished…” Rue laughs and says, “Looks like we aren’t alone.” In the distance there was a Malformed Aspect made out of weapons protruding through the corpse. Rue kicks Zoran off of his back as a new sword forms from his hand. It was made out of bone and there was something familiar about his new sword. Rue remains silent as he takes the side of the Malformed Aspect. He says, “Cmon Zoran…tell your friend about your many crimes. Tell her how you killed your own family and friends! Tell her how you killed hundreds of people!” Amaia scoffs and says, “It’s hard for me to believe that this guy can kill to be honest. Even if that’s the case…I still gotta spar with him. Until then…I will protect him.” Her glaive burns to life as she stands in between Rue and Zoran. Her glaive was the only thing lighting up the underground area. It was littered with skulls and it smelled filthy. The walls were covered in dust and rats rustled in the tunnels. The only noise that existed now was Amaia’s burning glaive and the grunting of the Malformed Aspect. It was a standstill. Whoever moves first begins the battle. Zoran taking his chance summoned a bunch of life energy and sent the crystals in a sharpened net towards Rue and the Malformed Aspect. The net cuts through the tunnel but Rue slices through it and rushes towards Amaia. The Malformed Aspect meanwhile rips out a greataxe from its body and fractures the floor of the tunnel launching everyone further down. Zoran sends multiple spears towards the both of them as Amaia clashes with Rue’s bone sword but suddenly launches her back into the wall being burnt by her own flame. She had multiple burn scars adorning her arm but that didn't stop her as she chanted, “Flames of Depredation, embody lightning.” She launches herself at lightning speed and impales Rue onto the floor sending them further down in the labyrinth of tunnels. Zoran takes multiple swords and sends them all towards the Malformed Aspect. He makes a hook and hooks onto the Malformed Aspect and makes it take the multiple swords he launched at it. The Malformed Aspect responds swiftly by ramming itself into the wall, scraping Zoran’s back and his arm loses all feeling. The Malformed Aspect rips Zoran off of it’s back and throws him unto the ground where Amaia was still impaling Rue. Zoran feels his consciousness swiftly losing grip but he remains awake still. He surrounds his disabled arm in crystalised energy and forces it back into use. Amaia’s flames are slowly dimming as she removes the glaive from Rue and says, “I’m gonna be honest Zoran…I am running out of fuel. If I keep going my body will become the kindling for my Glaive” Zoran looks at Amaia and says, “My arm is completely out of use and I feel myself on the brink of fainting.” Rue get’s up as his wounds slowly heal and he says, “Can’t…die yet.” He props himself up and glares at Zoran weakly swinging his sword at him. Zoran feels his arm limp but he takes his other arm and uses it to deflect Rue. Zoran collapses on the floor due to the pain and Amaia was looking worn out. The Malformed Aspect was approaching them and Rue wasn’t giving up. Suddenly a voice rings out, “Annihilation Arrow : 2nd Form.” The Malformed Aspect was consumed into a pillar of light. Amaia, Rue and Zoran were launched back as Asta descended slowly. His red marked eyes glowed as his gray hair was shining brightly. He descended slowly onto the floor and eyed Zoran and Amaia who were brutally wounded. He pulls back his arrow and shoots one straight through Rue, launches him through several tunnels until he is outside crippled on the lower layer entrance. Asta slowly approaches Rue and aims his bow at him and says, “Who are you working for.” He was too crippled to speak but Asta noticed his wounds slowly healing so he picked him up but suddenly he felt himself being pushed back by an invisible force. Asta readies his bow as he lands on his feet gracefully and his side cape gracefully flowing through the wind. A man dressed in a white robe with long flowing white hair and empty eyes descended to protect Rue. He picks him up and looks at Asta and says, “Ah…isn’t the most powerful Aspect User to exist. I’m afraid I’m out of your skill level so I’ll make my leave.” Without hesitation Asta fires a bolt of pure light at the man but it simply disperses before even touching him. Narcisse cradles Rue and says, “It’s rude of you to interrupt. I’ll let it pass today though…farewell Asta.” Asta looks at his bow and says, “That…did nothing? Strange…” He turns around to see Amaia kneeling on the ground panting while Zoran laid back on a wall grasping his crippled arm. Asta takes out a flare and shoots it into the sky then walks towards Zoran and checks on his arm. Zoran can’t feel any movement in his arm, it was almost as if it was completely dead. Asta then said, “Looks like you need emergency medical attention. Amaia seems fine, her wounds heal themselves when she uses her Depredation Flames. It just consumes a lot of her energy and on top of that her physical body if she isn’t careful.” Amaia pants out, “Shut up…don’t reveal my hand Mr.Overkill.” Zoran feels his vision blacking out but the only thing he could mutter from his lips are, “Rue…I’ll find you.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
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“I’ll kill you Zoran.” Rue mutters that over and over as Narcisse takes him into a luxurious home while healing his wounds slowly. Narcisse chuckles and says, “You really can’t kill anything in that pitiful state.” Rue mutters, “Shut up…if it wasn’t for that girl I would’ve easily won.” Narcisse cleans off Rue’s wounds then says, “Well consider this, every fight is decided by random factors. In a sterile environment where no one can interfere…then you could win. But you didn’t. You are too rigid with your thought process and that enslaves you to that idea that maybe if something could’ve been done then you could’ve won. You are so delightfully stupid…” Rue stumbles back up and mutters, “I just need practice. I just got this power a couple days ago…I need to practice and practice until my bones fall off.” Narcisse condescendingly says, “If you want to kill yourself then go right ahead. Oh right…you can’t even die. Because that blade won’t let you die. Little bird…you already have blood stained on your hands, I could so easily turn you into the Aspect Hunter’s and you can rot for eternity without grasping your desire. Your desire forms that blade, you want nothing more to spill the blood of the boy that betrayed your friends and family. Now, you shall listen to every word I suggest. Little bird, I saw you with a broken wing and I decided to repair that wing and foster that festering blade that you hold onto. I’m helping you fulfill your promise, your dream, and your purpose. Rest now…a new opportunity shall arise soon. At the end of the month, a cataclysm will fall onto the city, you’ll serve a purpose and I promise you, you’ll see Zoran again.” Rue freezes in his steps and mutters, “Alright Narcisse…I’ll abide by your commands. In the end as long as I am the one to kill Zoran…nothing else matters in that process.” Narcisse smiles and pats his back saying, “Wise choice Little Bird…What do you want to eat? I am in the mood for some Xulian cuisine personally…” Rue mutters, “Doesn’t matter to me…” Narcisse clasps his hands together and says “Divine…I’ll grab you a sweet treat as well little bird” Rue looks outside to the waxing crescent moon and mutters, “Full moon…will this set me free from this curse.” He looks at his blade and grips it as a single tear dropped on the bloodied blade.
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