"I AM IZAAK BLACKWOOD, CAPTAIN OF THE GREAT GIGGADON EMPIRE'S IMPERIAL KNIGHTS! AND I ADVISE YOU TO SURRENDER, OR FACE THE SAME FATE AS THEY DID, BY MY SWORD!”
Captain Izaak declared, his tone imbued with authority and menace. His words resonated with a chilling finality, echoing across the remaining ships in the Thorka fleet, instilling dread in all who heard.
The knights aboard the ships quivered with fear at the sheer intensity of his voice, their resolve crumbling in the face of a deadly threat.
"When you've decided on your fates, send forth a representative to declare your choice,"
Izaak stated with a serious tone. With that, he turned on his heel, striding purposefully towards Jakal's lifeless form.
“...”
As he reached the lifeless body, Izaak looked down at it with a cold expression, silent as he lowered himself to a squatting position. Then, he placed his right hand on the corpse's chest. With focused intensity, he channeled his mana into the touch, his mind scanning the body for any clues or signs that might give him the answers he sought.
“!!...”
In his focus, the world went silent as a minute passed in a blur. Then Suddenly, Izaak's eyes snapped open.
*SWOOSH*
*OPEN*
"How...?! He has no mana."
The words escaped his lips in a gasp, disbelief and astonishment etched into his tone and written across his face.
"Every living creature in this world is born with mana veins, organs that serve as a pathway for mana to flow through, and even after the creature's death, the mana veins remain. So, how does he have none? No mana veins, no trace of mana in his heart. How is this possible?"
Izaak questioned, his mind racing as he deliberated on the anomaly before him.
"If there is no mana in his heart and no pathway for mana to flow through, then where is the unusual mana I sensed from him before coming from, and where is it stored?"
Izaak questioned, his thoughts swirling as he deliberated on the mystery before him.
"I came here seeking answers, yet now, you've left me with more questions."
Izaak said in his mind with a determined gaze, as he decided to check the body again. With more concentration of mana in his palm, a shimmering energy enveloped his hand, scanning every inch of the body to find the answer.
*SWOOSH*
*VWOOOM*
As Izaak remained focused on searching Jakal's corpse, unaware of the eerie phenomenon unfolding behind him, all the blood splattered on the ship's floor began to quiver and rise, defying gravity. Slowly, the crimson droplets merged, morphing into a formidable arsenal of a hundred spear-like forms, hovering menacingly in the air, poised to strike at Izaak's vulnerable back.
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"...!?"
Izaak flinched as he sensed a threat behind him with his mana sense. With swift motion, he drew his sword and turned his back to Jakal's body, facing the objects in the sky.
*WHOOSH*
*CREAK*
"What are those?!... Magic tools?"
Izaak questioned as he stared at the objects in the sky, his expression cautious as he tightened his grip on his sword hilt, poised for an imminent attack.
“ What annoying ability,... that sense of yours.”
Jakal's decapitated head taunted. As his body stood up instantly, in a flash it appeared beside his severed head. picked it up and placed it back on his body,
*SWOOSH*
*THUD*
*WHOOSH*
"Ahh... now that's much better," Jakal remarked, his head now reattached to his body.
"I thought you would let down your guard as I allowed you to think I was dead, but it seems it’s impossible to kill an 8th Class Grandmaster with such tricks. Especially, the Giggadon Empire Imperial Knight Captain!"
Jakal said, punctuating his statement with the sound of his neck cracking.
*CRACK*
*CRACK*
“How are you not dead?”
Izaak questioned with a curious and calm tone as he turned to Jakal.
*SWISH*
“You see... that’s a secret.”
Jakal replied with a mocking tone and smirk. Meanwhile, above them, the air crackled with tension as spears hurtled downward toward Izaak at an incredible speed.
“!”
Sensing the imminent threat, Izaak turned sharply, his senses honed to the threat. In a blur of motion, he leaped into the air towards the spears, moving at lightning speed. With precise swings, he deflected every single spear, the loud sound of metal clashing resounding in the air. Each spear hurtled down towards the sea.
*THUD*
*WHOOSH*
*CLANG*
*CLANG*
"Wow! Impressive swordplay. But don’t think I am done yet,"
Jakal taunted, his words dripping with mockery. With a slow, exaggerated clap, he emphasized his words before disappearing into a blur of motion. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind Izaak, with a blood spear in his grasp, its deadly point aimed directly at Izaak's back. With a lightning-fast thrust, he propelled the weapon forward, the air whistling as it sliced through the space between them with lethal intent.
“If this is how fast you can move, then you’ve lost,”
Izaak said, his voice carrying a confident edge. With a surge of mana gathering at his feet, he kicked the air, propelling himself sideways, swiftly evading the attack.
*WHOOSH*
*BANG*
Then he vanished into a blur of motion. In an instant, he reappeared behind Jakal, driving the blade of his sword deep into Jakal's back, impaling him.
*WHOOSH*
*STAB*
"Keuk! COUGH! It seems I still underestimated your speed, human. Ke-Keke,"
Jakal chuckled through gritted teeth, a smirk on his lips even as blood trickled down them and from the wound where he was impaled. Despite the pain, Jakal raised both hands and grabbed the blade of the sword, his fingers curling around it with a tight grip.
*GRAB*
*CLANK*
“Does he feel no pain?”
Izaak questioned silently in his mind, his disbelief mingling with a growing sense of unease. The sight of Jakal's confident smirk, despite being impaled and grasping onto the blade of his sword, caused his hands to tremble.
“Huh?... What is this?!”
Izaak said in his mind, his expression filled with shock as he was distracted by his trembling hands.
In the fleeting moment of distraction, Izaak's concentration wavered, causing his mana to fluctuate and become unstable. As a result, the deadly Blood spears bypassed his normally keen mana sense, hurtling towards him with alarming speed, almost hitting their mark. But the air crackled with tension as time seemed to slow to a crawl, allowing Izaak a brief window to regain his focus. His expression shifted, a mix of realization and anger flashing across his face.
*WHOOSH*
"...I see what's happening,"
Izaak muttered with an enraged expression, his voice low and intense with fury. In a swift and fluid motion, his mana surged forth, enveloping his entire body and sword in a shimmering display of power.
“AARRGHHH!!!”
Izaak's primal roar echoed across the battlefield, reverberating with rage and untamed power. His mana surged outward in a dazzling display, its brilliance illuminating the dark sky. Along with it came a shockwave that swept through the air with unstoppable strength, knocking back all the blood spears with ease.
*WHOOSH*
*BOOM*
With lightning speed, his sword sliced upward through the air, cleaving Jakal’s upper torso in two. Then, with a calculated maneuver, he used Jakal's falling body as a platform, launching himself higher into the sky with a powerful kick to the back. Meanwhile, Jakal hurtled downward with incredible speed, the force of the kick sending him crashing onto the flagship below. The impact reverberated through the air, shaking the entire battlefield.
*WHOOSH*
*BANG*
"What strange ability you have... both of you,"
Izaak said aloud, his voice carrying across the expanse as he hovered nine hundred meters above the sea.
[IT SEEMS HE FINALLY SENSED MY PRESENCE.]
A voice said to Jakal through telepathy.