Abraham demonstrated his ability to react with a narrow evasive turn. Still, the aura from the mace still grazed his flank, enough to knock him away quite a distance.
He coughed out loudly, his body reeling and eyes widening in Arnold's direction.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Just obeying orders,” Arnold leisurely said while twirling the Wind-forged Mace. “No one will be interfering with us this time..” The head of the Hensley household pointed the weapon at his rival. "Only you," he pointed his hand back at himself. "And me."
“Cut the crap,” Abraham snorted contemptuously. "Only you and me? So what is that woman doing here?"
"Lowering the odds,” Arnold said as Jasmin landed by his side.
Abraham was silent, his lips pressing against each other, his head full of thoughts. He could neither run nor fight this one. He frantically looked around for any aid, but nothing, and no one, was on his side. The other Heralds who got a glimpse of this all stayed away from the three of them. The number of monsters was gradually decreasing, and the subordinate forces were more than capable of dealing with it on their own. Despite the danger, they risked their lives to push the line of monster defense further away, lest they got caught in this impending battle between the Crusaders.
Arnold nodded to his sister. Immediately, both of them went for Abraham. Jasmin, with one swift movement, darted forward with the tip of her precious Rapier pointed right at the head of the master of the Harper household. Abraham quickly raised his mace to block it. The impact produced shockwaves that spread out, throwing the surrounding dust into ripples.
Before Abraham was able to catch his breath, Arnold attacked from above. Abraham dropped to his knees, then pushed himself and Jasmin forward, barely avoiding Arnold’s blow that hit the ground right behind his back.
Abraham took the opportunity to throw a punch to Jasmin's shoulder, then ran in another direction. Arnold, though, had already stood in his escape, the Hensley’s mace swinging. Although he tried to hold his ground, Abraham was sent flying straight through a wall that collapsed the whole building.
The two heads of the Hensley joined forces to launch an attack from directly above the pile of rubble Abraham lay in. When the two weapons were about to exterminate everything in front of them, a powerful aura field was released from beneath the ground, knocking them back. Arnold and Jasmin slid across the ground, using their mana to restrain themselves. Their gazes returned to Abraham’s position, this time with seriousness.
On the other side, Abraham, who was kneeling on one knee, slowly rose to his feet, surrounded by powerful waves of mana aura. Behind him lurked a giant figure, one that only had its upper torso. Its eyes shone so brightly in the darkness that one might mistake it for the upcoming dawn. The released energy vibrated through layer after layer of air. With just his breath, Abraham brought everything around him to a standstill. Once again, the surrounding monsters let their instinctive fear rule over them.
“Avatar?” Jasmin gasped in amazement.
“So, you’re right at the doorstep?” Arnold brushed the dust off his sleeve, still speaking with a calm voice. “But at what cost?”
Abraham remained wordless and motionless.
“What do you mean?” Jasmin approached and asked. She did not want to be anywhere near Abraham for now.
“He understood how to become an Archon Warrior. But, the requirements weren’t met yet. So, what you’re seeing is just a lesser version of Avatar. Trying to perform this skill when your body isn’t yet ready will only bring bad consequences. After today, even without our interference, he will most likely never become an Archon. It's a desperate move.”
“So we just have to hold out, and he will lose on his own?” Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yes, just like that.”
Arnold turned his attention back toward his arch-rival.
“Does it have to be like this, Abraham? Do you think it will buy time for Meinhard or Marvin to come and help you? You can’t be that naive! This will only bring you a painful death. I was planning for you to have a quick and peaceful end, but I forgot how stubborn you are.”
Blood gushed from Abraham's clenched teeth. He could stop this premature avatar state, along with the toll it is taking on his body. However, the moment he was to do it, his chances of survival would go to zero. He had to hold on to the slimmest chance of survival.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
As he opened his eyes again, he could see a small figure holding a zigzag sword standing at the corner of the street. The figure nodded at him. Just like that, he felt a much-needed surge of confidence. The odds have changed.
Jack gradually regained control of his breathing. Even while enduring the pain running through his body, he still made sure his mind was as clear as day.
He had had exclusive plans for the Hensley after their failed assassination attempt. It was an intricate one, with the most detailed steps, such as overthrowing their business entity or building an intelligence network, as well as cutting off their related underground forces, having been calculated as meticulously as possible. Such a plan took time, and he was just getting started with bribing and poisoning some of the Hensley’s henchmen. But now, Arnold Hensley has changed all that. He had forced Jack’s hand.
He closed his eyes, trying to gather as much concentration as possible. It was at this moment that Abraham decided to act, charging forward with powerful attacks. The blurry Avatar behind him swiftly followed with the exact same moves, amplifying his punches to an unimaginable level of destruction. The Wind-forged Mace in Abraham's hand went rampant, unleashing whirlwinds and blowing its enemies away. Still, the two champions of the Hensley household quickly devised their own improvise strategy. Arnold took it on himself to face the enemy head-on with his weapons and Crusader grenades, while Jasmin used the effect of the Winter Cape to slow down Abraham's movements. Though the freeze effect was not doing much, in such an intense battle, a little delay could be the difference between keeping the situation under control and failing to do so.
Jack understood how hard it was to use Black Lightning Blade one more time. In the distance, he could now see dim rays of warm golden light gradually appearing. All of his advantages were leaving him, so he gritted his teeth and took the bet.
You have used 9 stat points.
Your Spirit increased from 88 to 106.
You Agility increased from 33 to 42.
You have used 5 skill points.
Your remaining stat points: 0.
Your remaining skill points: 0.
Your Shadow Dance skill increased from level 3 to 5.
Your Black Flame skill increased from 3 to 5.
You have achieved the prerequisites for the next part on the path of Nightblade (15 accumulated levels on all the skill nodes.)
You have learned Curved Condensed Shot.
Curved Condensed Shot (Crusader, Active)
Description: The advanced attacking method of a Maester.
Requirement: Spr >= 105 (Requirement for next level: Spr >= 115).
Mana Cost: Low mana per use.
Cooldown: 5s.
The shot can now be adjusted to bend its projectile.
+10% effect of any herbal potions.
+10% projectile speed.
Jack took a quick glance at the newly unlocked Nightblade skills and quickly turned off the system panel. He had no more time to think.
He ducked into the dark, moving under Shadow Dance to find a good angle. The battlefield between his father and the enemy had become an empty field as the excess force of the fighting had blown away and destroyed the surrounding structures. With that, the effect of his skill would be reduced, but it would still be enough for what he was about to do.
Arnold and Jasmin gradually gained the upper hand as Abraham's avatar slowly waned. The giant human figure was fading away, and the surrounding mana waves were no longer roaring. The movement of the master of the Harper household was shaky; his lips cracked under the pressure of his gritted teeth just to keep himself conscious,
“It's over, Abraham,” Arnold smirked, the mace in hand attacking in sync with Jasmin by his side.
It was at this moment that Arnold noticed a projectile coming toward him. Since he did not want to stop his attack on Abraham, he turned his head to dodge. But, instead of going straight to the sky, the projectile changed its course and went for Jasmin instead. She was no amateur, however, emitting an aura that blocked it. Then, as soon as they thought they were clear of it, the projectile exploded into small black flames, clinging to Jasmin’s body.
She was forced to take a step back, trying to find a way to resist this strange fire. She also realized that, somehow, she had been poisoned. With utmost urgency, her blood circulation and mana were controlled and isolated to limit the spread. Poison might have been useless against mindless undead monsters, but for humans, it was as deadly as it had always been.
More projectiles were shot straight into the sky from different angles. When they reached a certain point, their paths were changed, plunging towards Arnold and Jasmin. A screen of poisonous smoke and black fire rain surrounded the two. Still, the Crusader's powerful aura was keeping them safe from any critical damage.
Jack, still lurking in the Shadow, added a few straight shots to limit his mana usage. He desperately wished he had possessed Julia's masterful skill in this situation.
Abraham, thanks to Jack's attack, was able to find some space to get himself together. He used another level seven Lesser Mana Potion that Jack had given him earlier. Still, he never let his Avatar down, for he understood everything was far from over.
Arnold and Jasmin moved closer together. The two clenched their fists, and their aura fields resonated, repelling the flames and poisonous smoke. The paralyzing poison from Jack seemed little more than a nuisance to them.
“Look like you still have some allies after all, huh?” Arnold smiled at Abraham. “If this is all you have, then get ready.”
With a loud bang, a line of black lightning was launched from an alley. It crept like a snake, slithering with unmatched speed, and landed on Arnold Hensley's back.