Man...I want to kill her. Jack thought.

"Crimson Haematic Scales..." Kreuger muttered, and his skin developed a reddish shade.

Heh...it's going to be more annoying now that Kreuger is here. Kreuger working with that brat may be a pain in my ass. Jack thought as he stared at them. His bruised face was virtually healed now. Although I can heal, it would be bad if Kreuger's weird blood blades blow my limbs off and the weakling strikes me. That won't happen, as I'll execute her without much issue!

"I'll be supporting you, just focus on striking him. Let's go!" Kreuger advised as he charged at Jack.

"Yeah!" Amber agreed as she followed synchronously.

"Haha! You're teaming up with a brat, Kreuger!?" Jack mocked as they approached him. He immediately attempted to kill Amber by slashing at her face faster than she could react.

Kreuger, who had perceived this, reacted by sending blood wires from the pores of his right arm to restrain Jack's arm. His murder blessing alerted him of this, and Jack had leaned back to avoid them.

Heh, I forgot Kreuger also has stupid blood wires. Jack thought. I bet she copied that from him.

He gave no chance for Jack to counter as Kreuger swung one of his bloodbaths at Jack's head. While Jack weaved it, he received an elbow to his gut from Amber.

"Ugh!" Jack uttered as her elbow strike radiated bright light.

Kreuger and Amber kept up the pressure as they threw out more slashes and strikes, but Jack quickly recovered from the previous elbow and weaved their attacks. Surprising Jack, he noticed multiple combat knives floating out of Kreuger's coat. The blades of the knives were red as they were coated in blood.

The knives acted as support as they flew around and thrust themselves at Jack while the duo attacked him. Kreuger used his blood blessing and manipulated the blood coated on them, making it seem like they were defying physics as they flew around. Jack, of course, weaved those floating knives, too.

Those knives aren't like Kreuger's bloodbaths, but I'm not risking letting those hit me. Jack pondered. Not when that brat is here--

SPLURT!

As Jack avoided the blades and the duo, blood exploded from one of the floating knives and went right into his eyes.

"Tch!" Jack hissed as his vision became obscured. This shit again! I'll just rely on my killing intent sense--

No sooner had Jack's vision become obscured than Amber landed several strikes on him.

"Urgh!" Jack groaned as he staggered several meters back.

Heh, we assassins always have tricks up our sleeves, Jack! Kreuger thought as he and Amber rushed him. Jack quickly wiped his eyes off the blood and continued to weave their attacks.

As Jack avoided them, Kreuger noticed something that made his eyes widen. It seems as though Jack also realized, as a look of surprise became visible simultaneously.

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Wait, is he... Kreuger thought.

Tch, am I... Jack thought.

Getting slower? Jack and Kreuger thought.

It's only a slight bit, but still...It's because of that girl. I can still feel the burns of her attacks. Jack thought. Tch, I need to gain some control of this battle.

With his annoyance to Amber rising, Jack swung his blade at her. Much to his surprise, Amber reacted by grabbing his arm and wrapping his legs around his body.

How did--

Seeing Amber restraining Jack by wrapping herself around him, Kreuger used that opening and pierced Jack's abdomen with one of his bloodbaths. Jack's eyebrows furrowed, and his lips pursed as his side began inflammating before a chunk of it blew apart.

Something's wrong... Jack thought. His entrails were visible from the wound he sustained. It's not just my speed that's slower...

While still wrapping herself around him, Amber blasted a gleaming energy ball at Jack's head point blank. This blasted Jack several meters away before landing on the ground as Amber hopped off him.

My sense of killing intent. Is it lagging? Jack pondered as he got up off the ground. The right side of his face suffered visible burns from Amber's energy attack. Tch, I knew I sensed something off from when she hit me the first time. Is she messing with the performance of my blessing?

Kreuger brought one of the floating knives near.

CRACK!

The sounds of crushing metal were audible as the blood surrounding the blade began to compress. It compressed until it became a small ball of blood, no bigger than a tennis ball.

Simultaneously, Amber darted at the injured Jack. He was currently regenerating his blown-out abdomen.

Why is this brat like this? Jack pondered. It's like she's born to be my natural enemy...

"Burst..." Kreuger muttered as his body suddenly glitched and disappeared, like a character in an online game. He suddenly appeared behind Jack and shocked him in the process.

Tch! It's the technique again! Jack thought as he desperately turned around, but it was too late. The ball of blood that Kreuger made from crushing the knife exploded in all directions. This sent blood-coated metal shards right into Jack's back and the back of his head. The shards also pierced the ground and the walls of nearby infrastructure it flew into.

"Crimson Buckshot," Kreuger uttered with a smirk.

"Ugh!" Jack uttered as the metal shards were stuck in his head and back. Amber took advantage of the stunned Jack and closed in. Her right fist had a surge of light radiating from it.

"Hallowed Crushing Strike!" Amber yelled as she landed her intensely glowing fist on Jack's stomach.

"Ghluh! AAAHHHHHH!!!" Jack yelled as he coughed up copious amounts of blood. Jack's body rag-dolled as he was sent through buildings across several city blocks. He finally came to a stop and was seen laying on large amounts of rubble of a building wall.

His garments, stained by the blood of Altius, were even more dirtied by the blood that drained from Jack's mouth.

Ha...Haha, Shit. That one did a number...on me. Jack said as he mustered his strength and sat up. But...it's not over. Not even close!

Kreuger and Amber were running on the roads and the roofs of buildings, athlete style, to close in on Jack. They moved so fast that it seemed as though the droplets of the rainfall stood perfectly still in the air.

Surprisingly, Amber can keep up with us. Kreuger thought. She met my standards...

"If we have to crush his heart, lungs, and brain to immobilize him, we'll do it," Kreuger advised. "We have to weaken him significantly so you can land the finishing blow."

"Yes!" Amber agreed.

Although it took them a short time to reach Jack's building, they were surprised by air slashes soaring at them. Jack had got up and repeatedly slashed with both his blades, throwing out many air slashes at the duo.

While they blocked the slashes, Jack instantly appeared in front of Amber.

"You're in the way!" The grievously injured Jack said as he struck Amber in the gut before delivering a spinning heel kick to her temple. This sent her multiple city blocks away, and Jack immediately turned his attention to Kreuger.

Kreuger, who witnessed what Jack had done, quickly rushed him.

I kicked that brat at full strength, but I doubt she's dead from that. It'll give me a little time, at least. Jack thought as he prepared himself to fight Kreuger. I'll quickly take Kreuger out of commission, then I'll kill her!