"I have to say I'm impressed. Even though the marauders and people in this part of the Burning Valley are less equipped, less honed in spells, and have a horrible mental fortitude, you still killed five Middle Knight Exalts, even one at his peak." The white-haired Reis user applauded Oscar.
"Who…are you?" Oscar spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Just a passing man. I heard someone say the butcher was here because of a slaughter happening, so I came to see who it was." The man glanced around the alleyway.
The butcher…Oscar recalled the rumors, the same ones that caused Taren to force recruitment. Someone had been roaming around the Burning Valley, slaughtering entire towns and cities. The Four Lords had been looking for the culprit who earned the moniker of the butcher. "Are you saying you're the butcher?"
"The butcher who tears and rips apart his enemies. Now, have you recovered enough? Using Ein Awaken so blatantly while talking tells of your confidence or idiocy. Hurry up and use your Adamasreis, or are you still in a downtime?" The man said.
Oscar activated his Adamasreis and used his Prinstyct to see through the man. Strangely, Oscar picked up nothing, not a hint of intent, Ein, or movement. The distorted world around the man was quiet and still. Impossible. Such a feat should be impossible. Every living thing should show the distortions of its body moving or Ein flowing.
"Not going to make a move? Then here I come." The man said playfully.
In a single blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Oscar, lifting his leg not in a kick but just hanging around. Oscar's mind reeled as a powerful impact smashed into his chin. As his body lifted into the air from the sudden force, his eyes atop his knocked-back head spun in confusion.
'When did I shift to stare at the red sky? When did he attack?' Oscar clenched his fists and neck, forcing him to stare forward at the man. He fired a Silver Star as a distraction while Erden charged ahead; the clattering of his loose metal plates rang across the alleyway. The man's arm swung like a whip, slicing his Silver Star in half, and he spun his body, driving his foot on Erden's sharp antlers.
The alleyway finally fell apart from Erden's metal body crashing into it. The section of the town broke down, and the cries of the people could be heard along with their retreating stampeding footsteps.
Oscar grew more confused, his eyes bloodshot from how far he tried to peer with his Prinstyct. He saw nothing. From start to finish, from the man appearing before him to the last kick on Erden, there was nothing. The only distortion of intent was when the man spun around, though Oscar barely caught that.
"Meld, Reis, and unwavering tenacity. Not a bad showing. I wonder how much more you'll show me. I have questions to ask you, but I can leave that for later. I'll figure everything out after I knock you out." The man sped up, kicking off from the rubble—his wide, savage smile before Oscar's eyes.
Oscar read the man's movements this time, though only briefly. Putting up his guard, focused on his side, Oscar blocked the man's outstretched arm. Calling it a block was a lie. The hand, clad in the all-too-familiar Edureisclad, forced its way through. For a moment, his arms felt like they had been sliced off. His right side ached in crushing agony.
Gritting his teeth, Oscar activated the lesser mantle form, spheres of Eirin wrapping around his arms and legs. Erden tore through the rubble piled on him with Eirin-coated antlers, transforming them into two large blunt clubs. The man's relaxed smile was integrating. Ticked off, Oscar kicked and swerved it right when the man stretched his hand to block.
Large winds blasted into shockwaves in all directions. The ground under their feet caved in, and all dust and rubble were cleared away. Oscar's leg trembled, the bone aching on the spot where the man placed his foot. On the other side, Erden's transformed antlers were held in place by the man's hands. The man's arms and legs were coated in black spheres of Eirin, the same blaze as Oscar's
"The Pseudo-Guise?" The man raised an eyebrow. "I see….If you know this, you must surely know its true form. One cannot go less without realizing the full output. If so, then show me." The man twisted around, landing strikes on Oscar and Erden.
The heavy blows forced all of the air out of his lungs. Oscar dropped to the floor, his knees wet from a mess of his blood mixed with everyone else's. There was no way to win. Oscar glanced back at Avril, who was still in her bad condition. If nothing else, he had to get out with her or somehow wake her up to help. But there was no way for him to escape, not from this fiend.
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"No room for talking," The man charged. "Show me everything. I haven't fought another Reis user in a long while. Certainly not one as deeply trained as you."
A series of strikes pounded on Oscar and Erden's already worn and bloodied bodies, all invisible to his Prinstyct. His bones heaved and cracked, his flesh screamed and squirmed, and his skin scraped and tore off. Pain wracked his entire body, and his mind, ever in flux, clung to a single thought. Through the choking blood, Oscar said, "Page 1 of Guide to Plants and Herbs Volume 1. The most basic plant for Exalt use is the yellow-vein fern. They are plenty and widespread…."
"What are you doing?" The man asked, a blank stare from his gray eyes.
Oscar ignored him and activated the full might of the Demon Deer Eirin Mantle. The man recovered his wide, savage smile at Oscar's appearance and rushed in. Oscar wasn't finished and wrapped Erden in the mantle as well. If there was any chance, Oscar had to find it.
"Their prominent feature is the one yellow line in the center, deep and bright. Their fronds are jaggy and deep green. Their properties for elixir use are…." Oscar continued to talk, his words hopefully stirring up Avril.
Oscar's Eirin Shattering Wave clashed against the man's Eirin Shattering Wave. The ground quaked and split in two from the destructive wake of two Shattering Waves, and a deep chasm formed between Oscar and the man. Magma sprouted and flowed up from the chasm, burning through the bodies and blood. It didn't affect the three wrapped in Eirin.
Oscar stomped, creating a trench for the magma to pour in, going away from Avril. The moment he spent for Avril was risky. An opening was created for the man to slam his knee into Oscar's stomach. Reeling from the pain, Oscar forcibly snapped his eyes forward and lunged, stretching his arms around his foe. Before his hands could complete the bear hug, Oscar's arms flailed back, deep purple bruises seen during the dripping blood.
Erden rampaged around, swinging its antlers and kicking with its hooves. Nothing worked. The man weaved and deflected with such ease Oscar wondered if Erden was a piece of paper. Erden roared from the man's fist digging into his chest and fell, unable to move even the slightest twitch.
'Sorry, Oscar. I can't hold on anymore…' Erden's voice faded from Oscar's mind.
He sensed Erden was still alive but barely holding on and saw nothing but regret and pain coursing through his friend's mind. Frustrated, aggrieved, confused, and helpless. Oscar only had regrets when the man held him up by the neck, squeezing just enough not to kill him.
"I've seen enough. Sleep for now." The man squeezed harder. His hands were coarse and hard like metal.
Oscar choked and struggled to move. Even with his Demon Deer Eirin Mantle on, his strength wasn't enough. Darkness crept into the corners of his eyes and slowly filled up. Oscar couldn't hold on any longer as his arms fell to his sides, and his legs swayed like the lazy branches of trees.
"Now then. What should I do with this girl? She's awake but not awake at the same time." The man murmured. "Wait. Why is the Guise still on?"
Demon awoke for the first time to battle. The man had been so sure of his victory that he provided the perfect chance for Demon to make a move. Demon slammed his fist into the man's neck, trying to break his windpipe. But his strength wasn't enough, as attacking the neck was like breaking a rock with a branch.
However, the man was forced back, and Demon didn't let up, chasing after him with everything he had. Demon attacked from all angles, letting loose a flurry of every bit of Ein, Reis, Eirin, and his own body.
"Haha! Hahahaha!" The man easily blocked everything. His face was a look of contentment and glee. "What a surprise! Where did you get this extra burst? This second wind? Your eyes, which shone with rage and resolve, are now emotionless and mysterious. What changed?"
Demon took several blows but felt no pain. Unlike Oscar, he had the means to keep going and fight for his life. Yes, the man was beyond their means. Yes, the man hadn't used any spells or anima yet. It was fine. The chance would come. Demon knew it for certain, watching the battle from within Oscar.
"If you wish to fight me in Reis, then don't let up," Demon said. He fought and fought, exchanging blow for blow, ignoring the pain. He would drag this man into the mud, into the depths with him. There was one advantage he did have.
His eyes watched closely, waiting for the moment. The man winced momentarily in the middle of their continuous, endless combat and tightened his lips. Demon stomped and focused everything on a single blow, stopping his fist in the middle, confusing the man, to send out the last Shattering Wave. The only target, the only weakness, was the heart.
This Reis user should not have the limitations lifted like Oscar. His heart had its limits, and finally, it showed. A single bout of pain was enough to secure this opening. The man flew back, the cloth over his heart tearing away.
The glorious opportunity, the golden chance, arrived. Demon pressed on, all of his instincts focused on ripping this man limb by limb. Instead of shock or fear, Demon saw only a ferocious smile on the man. Again, another invisible attack of consecutive punches rained on Demon. Once more, he was in the man's clutches, held by the neck.
"Waiting for my heart to start hurting. Not a bad idea." The man smiled while rubbing his exposed chest. "However, why aren't you affected? Do you have a higher tolerance? Everything about you is so interesting."
"B-bastar–" Demon tried to speak.
The man drove his fist into Demon's face, pummeling him to the floor. Within the fading world of his consciousness, Demon heard the man say, "All will be revealed when we speak to the elder."