The acrid scent of charred wood and soil mingled with the pungent odor of Sam's burned flesh, creating a nauseating stench that permeated the air. Jason's heart pounded as he sprinted towards the tree where Sam had taken cover.

"Sam!!" He yelled, panic tightening his chest.

When Jason reached Sam, he found him crouched, gritting his teeth enduring the pain. Several patches of Sam's exposed skin were raw and blistered, the result of recent burns.

Despite his agony, Sam managed a weak chuckle. "I'm okay, just some flesh wounds. Nothing too dangerous haha," he said, trying to mask the severity of his injuries.

Jason frowned, concern etched into his features, but he decided to take his word for the moment. "So, what's the plan now?" He asked, urgency in his voice.

Before Sam could respond, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled violently. Their eyes widened in unison as they leaped away from the spot. Moments later, the earth cracked open, and roots and vines erupted, writhing and flailing around like the tentacles of a monstrous beast.

Mi's voice sliced through the chaos, dripping with disdain. "Stop hiding like a fucking rat, Persona. It wont save you from my judgment."

Sam and Jason exchanged a determined glance and nodded, no words necessary. Despite his injuries, Sam moved swiftly between the trees, his rifle spitting rapid burst of fire. Mi turn toward Sam and focused his wrath on him, continuously casting spell after spell. Roots and Vines surged after Sam, their movements almost sentient in their aggression. Sam tried to dodge with everything he had, suffering a few scratches and cuts here and there but refusing to be slowed down.

Mi's Staff began to glow an eerie green once more, but he abruptly stopped and turned his body to the side, narrowly avoiding Jason's sudden attack. Jason's fist whooshed past Mi's body, missing by mere inches. Undeterred, Jason twisted his body into a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at Mi's head. Mi tilted his head slightly, effortlessly dodging the attack.

Frustration flickered across Jason's face as he realized how. Easily Mi evaded his strikes. He thought 'What the fuck? Does he have a skill to dodge or something?! This is ridiculous!'

Determined, he tried to activated his skill, "LION—"

But before he could finish, Mi's staff glowed purple, and he spat out a command, "Silence."

Jason's words choked off, panic surged through him as a powerful gust of wind followed after from Mi's staff sent him sprawling.

Bullets continued to whiz through the air, but Mi's yellow energy shield deflected them with ease. Mi cats a contemptuous glance at Jason. "Stay there, Monkey. Your turn will come," he sneered.

Before Mi could continue his taunt, Jason charged again, closing the distance in a heartbeat. He unleashed a relentless barrage of punches and shield strikes, but Mi dodged each one with minimal effort. Even Jason's kicks failed to find their mark. Desperate, Jason attempted a tackle, but Mi's staff unleashed another gust of wind, sending him tumbling backward. This time though, Jason didn't resist the momentum and allowed himself to roll to the side before springing to his feet and dashing towards the sound of gunfire.

He quickly found Sam amidst the chaos, firing and dodging, "Hey!" Jason shouted.

Sam turned, weaving through the gaps left by the roots and vines to reach Jason. "We move, then talk," he said urgently.

The sprinted between the trees, dodging the aggressive roots and vines. "You got any plan yet?" Jason asked, blocking an incoming root with his shield and punching another vine away. "I'm starting to get annoyed by that guy."

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Sam quickly twisted in mid air to avoid a vine, replying, "Well I got a bad news for ya, I don't have any. But I do have an idea, let's fight him in close range, maybe that'll help."

"It's useless," Jason said, blocking another root. "He can somehow read my attacks like a damn book!"

Before Sam could respond, a distant glow herald the arrival of another fireball. "Dodge!!!" They shouted in unison, leaping away as the fireball exploded, scorching the ground and trees.

Frustration began to boiled over inside Sam. "Goddamn it! Fuck that disgusting fireball! You know what? Screw it! I'm going to shoot him in the fucking face!" He declared, dashing towards Mi with eyes determined to take him down.

Seeing Sam dashing towards the man without any sign, Jason clicked his tongue but decided to followed close behind.

Mi's laughter echoes through the forest as he hurled insult and spells at Sam. "You really think you can defeat me by coming closer? What a fool. Come on then, show me all of the pathetic tricks you have up in your sleeve, so I can crush that fake hope you clinging onto!"

Sam ignored his insult and provocation, he remained focused, determined to take Mi down. He dodge every attack as best as he could while firing at Mi relentlessly. When he reached Mi, he aimed at his head and fired his rifle at close range, the bullets pounding against the yellow energy shield. Jason joined the fray, striking the shield with his fists.

The shield began to flicker and become more visible than before, forming a dome around Mi. Jason continued his assault, relentless and unwavering. Suddenly, Mi slammed his staff into the ground, sending a powerful gust of wind in every direction. The blast sent both Sam and Jason flying. Jason flipped mid air, landing on his feet, while Sam twisted his body to take aim and shoot before hitting the ground.

Mi's face show exhaustion as he dropped to one knee. Sensing an opportunity, Sam and Jason attacked again with even greater ferocity. As Sam channeled his mana to reload his rifle, he felt something strange, Mi's shield seemed to glow everytime they struck it. Sam fired a couple of bullets to test something, and surely, each time the bullet struck the shield it began to glow brighter. Seeing this, realization dawned on him, his eyes went wide in horror and shouted, "Jason, get away!!!"

When he heard Sam, a wicked smile spread across Mi's face as he turned around to Jason and pointed his staff at him.

"Retribution Shield: Release!" He shouted.

The yellow shield glowed brightly, and a magic circle appeared before the staff, unleashing a yellow beam at terrifying speed. Jason barely had any time to react. He raised his shield, bracing himself for the impact. The beam hit with the force of a speeding truck, and Jason gritted his teeth as blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. The relentless force of the beam pinned him in place, preventing him from moving.

Sam watched in horror as Jason struggled under the beam's assault. He racked his brain for a solution, knowing Jason couldn't hold out for much longer at this rate.

Then, an idea struck him— it's simple and reckless but it's the only option left. He quickly opened his status window and allocated all of his free points to strength and agility equally. Feeling the surge of power, he moved into position, channeling all his strength into his legs and then with a burst of speed, Sam launched himself at Jason.

Jason, oblivious to the approaching Sam, felt the excruciating pain intensify as his left arm gave way under the relentless pressure. The audible snap of bones breaking filled the air, and the last remnant of his strength failed him. His shield, the only thing standing between him and death, slipped from his grasp and was flung aside, clattering uselessly to the ground.

Desperation and despair overwhelmed him as he closed his eyes, accepting his fate. This is it, he's going to die here. But in the next heartbeat, a sudden, powerful force collided with him, a blur of motion tackling him with ferocious speed. He was slammed against a tree, the impact rattling his bones and leaving him gasping for breath.

As he struggled to comprehend what had just happened, his eyes fluttered open to see Sam crouching in front of him.

Sam quickly assessed Jason's injuries, noting his broken and disfigured left arm. "Do you have any healing potions left?" Sam asked urgently.

Jason shook his head weakly, before Sam could say more, he grabbed Jason and moved behind a large tree just as another fireball exploded where they had been, luckily they didn't got injured from the explosion like Sam before. "Goddamn it," Sam cursed under his breath. "Can you move around?"

Jason nodded, though pain etched every movement. "Fighting will be undoubtedly rough with a busted arm though," he admitted.

"You need to go to nearby Gabby and Kaya location," Sam said firmly. "I'll handle this son of a bitch"

Jason protested, but Sam locked eyes with him, determination burning in his gaze. "Go, Jason. You're just a burden right now. I would like to escape but i can't, that motherfucker inflict a weird debuff on me that made me can't move more than 50 meters away from him."

Reluctantly, Jason nodded. "Please, be alive, Sam. Good luck, my friend."

Sam watched Jason disappear into the trees, then turned his attention back to Mi. He clenched his fists, blood dripping from his wounds. "Alright, time for round two you fucker."