The surrounding generals lunged at Genji, their claws enchanted with nether flames. Attacks came from all directions, forcing Genji to shift his body erratically to dodge. Green embers brushed past him, striving to encase him, yet failing to make a single connection. It was as if the flames had a mind of its own and consciously avoided him, speaking volumes about his skills.
Since the battle with the Claw Demon, Genji's dodging abilities had reached an uncanny level, shifting without patterns. Additionally, the generals weren't burning vitality, so their movements were within tolerable levels.
However, this wouldn't last long since the common soldiers were bound to join the battle. It was only a matter of time. Once that happened, it would mean Genji's defeat. He was already struggling with these generals, let alone when they obtained access to excess vitality. He needed to end this battle quickly, but this was easier said than done.
Most of his equipment effects were still on cooldown, so he couldn't make up for the stat differences even if he wanted to. Then there was his lack of shadow energy, meaning he had nothing to augment his strikes anymore. This exclusion included Flashstep as well, which was his main technique for movement.
As a result, he struggled with finishing strikes, leaving him overwhelmed against these enemies. His daggers were sharp, but the demons had incredible resistance, making it impossible to kill with a single strike. If he was given a few more strokes, this might be possible, but the generals' relentless attacks gave him no room to breathe.
Plus, Ezekiel was watching him like a hawk, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Genji didn't doubt that Ezekiel's interference would instantly turn the tides of battle and crucially endanger him. After all, Genji had personally experienced how debilitating his debuffs were. And that was from a distance, which weakened the total effects. Genji didn't want to know how terrifying these abilities were at optimal conditions.
'I need to concentrate everything into one strike,' he thought, vaulting over a leg sweep and leaving a gaping wound on a demon's neck. 'I'm faster than them so I need to use it. Think, Genji. Is there any way to quickly burst out with high of damage?'
The moment he asked the question, the answer came to him instantly. It was like a second instinct, always there when the first one failed. Genji didn't know where this understanding came from, but he didn't hesitate and acted on it, deducing the exact movements for the attack.
Dagger Arts: Focus Strike
The muscles on the right side of his body twisted and bulged significantly, exerting power beyond their normal limits. Then, his dagger arced through the air, burying itself into a demon's chest.
A sickening crack echoed beneath his strike, turning the tenacious flesh into a mangled mess. His dagger carved a trajectory through the pulverized flesh, hurling the demon backward with immense force.
'No, that's not right. My muscles weren't perfectly synchronized. There's still room for improvement.'
Genji didn't question how he knew that and focused on approaching the attacks. His body had gone numb from the strain and couldn't move with the deftness from before, resulting in two shallow cuts on his side. It was an awkward maneuver, but the demons couldn't take him lightly.
'What did he just do?' Gazes filled with shock landed on Genji when the generals heard a loud crash in the distance.
They recalled that strike and realized they wouldn't have fared any better if they had been targeted. The change had been sudden, without any preparation, and appeared like a regular attack yet struck like thunder. None of them had been prepared for it.
"Change of plans! Go all out" Ezekiel hollered, realizing Genji was not as weakened as they had thought. There was just something about the way Genji indifferently brandished his numb arm that unnerved Ezekiel.
The generals hesitated, but Ezekiel left them no choice. With another slam of his staff, their life force surged, boiling like raging water before combusting into a pink aura.
"Ezekiel, you bastard! How dare you!" The generals roared in fury, realizing what he had just done. They were being treated as cannon fodder! The audacity of him!
Yet hidden beneath this anger, a deeply rooted fear formed, terrified by the implications of such an action. After all, vitality combustion can only be forcibly imposed on someone weaker than the user. That was why Generals were at the top of the hierarchy. They were the strongest demons around so no one could plunder their life force. At least that was what they thought until now.
"Get rid of him, and I'll undo your transformation," Ezekiel coldly replied, determined to finish Genji. His instinct told him that letting this human survive would cost them dearly. This feeling was so strong that he didn't even hesitate to unleash this ruthless ability.
"You'd better, or we'll take your head afterward!" They growled and charged at Genji with urgency.
Fierce attacks rained down upon Genji, apathetic about capturing him for possession. That was the last thought in their mind since every moment wasted equated to weeks off their lifespan. Now, all they cared about was finishing the battle as fast as possible, even if it meant killing him.
Genji jumped off the ground, soaring over their attacks with utmost precision. His cloak fluttered wildly in the dispersed air as he spread it outward.
Like a Feather, Untraceable Movement
Suddenly, Genji stomped on an outstretched arm and vanished from their senses. The next moment, he appeared behind a demon, his body slanted diagonally in the air. His left arm crossed his chest, arcing to his other shoulder, and bulging with power.
Then he unleashed everything, delivering another forceful strike beyond his limits. A resounding sonic boom echoed, but it was already too late for them. The generals' heads snapped towards the origin and saw a paralyzed demon freezing mid-movement.
All of a sudden, the demon split apart, starting from the shoulder to the hip. Then, the flesh around the wound shattered, revealing chipped bones and disintegrated organs. The shoulder, where the strike first connected, suffered the most damage.
The disintegration spread from the wound upwards, destroying everything in its path. By the time the severed torso hit the ground, the head had turned to mush, exposing the cracked skull beneath.
As the demons were distracted, Genji appeared behind another general, arms crossed over his chest. Unleashing everything again, his daggers whirled down and connected with the neck. A strong resistance creased his palms, but he exerted more force, pulling with superhuman strength before severing it.
The generals sensed this second death and hurriedly punched out with energy projections. Genji cartwheeled past these counterattacks and darted for Ezekiel, his daggers gleaming to claim another life.
Moments later, Ezekiel's energy dropped significantly and Genji lost his strength. The debuff had hit and was about to decide the outcome of this battle. Genji stumbled from the sudden shift in strength, but he regained balance with a dexterous roll. Then he burst forward again, firing quick three shots to disrupt Ezekiel before brandishing his daggers.
Two streaks of metal zipped at any possible openings, but Ezekiel effortlessly parried his attacks. Then his staff jabbed at Genji, who pivoted around the strike.
Ezekiel clenched his fist and brought up his forearm to catch the dagger before combusting his vitality to seal the wound shut. Ezekiel jerked his arm aside, seeking to pull Genji inward for a devastating strike.
To his surprise, Genji leveraged the force to increase his speed before letting go. Genji kicked off the ground and lunged forward, burying his dagger into Ezekiel's throat. Both of his hands clasped around the hilt, preparing to twist the weapon for a deadly strike, but Ezekiel interrupted him.
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Ezekiel's remaining energy instantly drained, conjuring a chain of decayed bones that wrapped around Genji's ankle. Then a harsh yanking force threw him backward, right into the pursuing crowd.
Genji flipped midair and adjusted his balance for a landing strike. His dagger sank into a forearm, but the general grinned with malice, indifferent to the wound. He drew the injured arm back, dragging Genji closer before throwing a heavy hook at his jaws.
Genji pushed down harder, sinking his dagger into the bone before leveraging it to push himself up. His body tensed, planking from this position before jamming his knee into the general's face. Then, he kicked off the shoulder, creating some distance.
Unfortunately, his leg remained chained; otherwise, he would have attempted an escape. That was the only thing stopping him since Ezekiel was out of energy. As he landed, Ezekiel pulled out the dagger from his arm and chucked it aside.
"You're as dangerous as I expected," Ezekiel commented, pointing the top of his staff at Genji.
"And you're still as annoying without energy," Genji replied, kicking upward to wrap the chain around a general. He yanked hard, but the chain remained undamaged. Whatever this spell was, it was tougher than it looked.
"Hphm," Ezekiel snorted, his vitality withering, converting to Dark Mana to replenish his depleted pool. He needed this if he wanted to keep Genji in check.
The bound general grabbed the chain and gave a harsh tug, snapping Genji into the air. Genji adjusted his position and brandished his dagger. A maelstrom of attacks rushed at him, but he canceled Like a Feather and dipped downward.
With a strong stomp, he redirected himself behind the general and squatted perpendicular to the back. His dagger arced backward like a taut bow before he pushed off with all his strength.
A flash of blood soared through the air as a large cut opened on a general's neck. Feeling the sudden pain, the general looked over with a ferocious glare before covering the wound with his firm clasp.
'Not synchronized again,' Genji thought, lamenting the missed opportunity. However, Genji failed to consider that this was already beyond his normal performance, having killed two generals and severely injured two while surrounded. If this were his usual state, he would never have managed this, especially without any trump cards.
At that moment, Ezekiel converted enough energy and conjured a heavy, black mist. This haze covered everyone before fading, leaving all targets drastically weakened. However, this ability affected Genji more than the generals, since he had no way to negate the weakening.
Forced to confront a storm of relentless attacks while being juggled by a series of chain yanks, Genji avoided many close calls, but it did little to prevent his dwindling health. Luckily, he had some potions, but they only prolonged the battle without changing the outcome.
Eventually, his speed boost faded, and he was flooded in an ocean of flames. Wounds accumulated on his body without pause, while his attacks dealt less and less damage. Ezekiel's debuffs became more effective as his opponents continued burning their life force. Then, things took another turn for the worse as the cannon fodder entered the battlefield.
The moment the generals sensed them, they instantly drained their vitality to recover. Then, they slowly backed up, allowing the swarm to engulf Genji. They had fought enough, and it was time to win with numbers.
Genji met the onslaught of attackers with indifference, immersing himself in the slaughter once again. His mind went numb as countless wounds bled around his body. Little by little, he weakened, repeating the scene of his defeat.
There was nothing he could do other than slash harder. Slash and cut down another foe. Slash and live a moment longer. Yet this hardly made a difference with the endless waves of demons. He couldn't fathom where they were coming from, but he needed to slash. Slash with his single dagger and kill. Slash and carve a temporarily safe zone. Slash and welcome the next wave. SLASH!
His mind blurred from the repetitive moment and the heavy scent of iron. His body went beyond numb as a sea of blood soaked his skin. How much had he killed? Genji had lost track and entered a trance, leaving only instincts to carry the battle; the same instincts that had kept him alive for so long.
But what good were instincts when faced with an endless wave of enemies? Genji knew this, but he refused to give up. It was this relentlessness that made Ezekiel so fearful of him.
After some time, Genji collapsed, splashing the lukewarm puddles of blood. His face soaked in this sanguine liquid and his awareness returned. This was the end. There was no way out. At best, he had prolonged his demise, but he had given his all. He had fought until he couldn't move anymore. Now, his body lay motionless, utterly spent from the fierce battle.
Yet, despite his condition, Genji desired to unleash one final swing. It was logically impossible, but he was still conscious and determined to exceed his limits. What was logic anyway? The insane never followed that, only their desires. And Genji desired to claim another life, no he was obsessed with it.
Summoning his last reserves, Genji struggled to rise and assumed a shaky stance. Just one slash. That was all he wanted and all he was capable of. So he poured every ounce of himself into it: his strength, heart, body, mind, soul, determination, insanity, audacity, memories—both remembered and forgotten—his instincts, and ultimately, his desires. All these factors converged into one slash as he relinquished all thought.
"I want to cut!"
He declared, directing it toward Ezekiel, spiting his very existence. Then the sky rippled, rupturing under a streak of light that tore through the crowd and slashed at the distant shaman.
Sensing the unexpected assault, Ezekiel scrambled to dodge, but his efforts were futile against the swiftly approaching attack. In an instant, it severed his arm before he could react, obliterating it into minced meat.
Ezekiel's eyes widened in disbelief as a moderate ravine split the ground beneath him. Though shallow, its edges were unnaturally smooth, resembling a mirror. It gradually filled with blood, and every demon above it disintegrated into minced meat, sharing the same fate as Ezekiel's arm.
The devastation caused by the light wave was astonishing, but even more incredible was its source. Genji stood at the end of the newly formed path, his dagger poised above the ravine.
'How? How does he possess such power?' Ezekiel asked in shock, ignoring his bleeding shoulder. 'Damn it. I knew he was troublesome. We should never have given him the time to break through.'
As if sensing Ezekiel's gaze, Genji slowly raised his head to meet his eyes. They were vacant, yet it deeply unsettled Ezekiel. They weren't the eyes of someone on the brink of death, but those of an enlightened devil, indifferent to all life.
'I can make another swing,' Genji thought, sensing no fatigue. Well, not precisely. His body was utterly drained, but Genji's willpower suppressed this exhaustion. Such a feat should have been impossible, but his time in limbo had changed him.
His conscious mind might have forgotten, but his instincts remembered. The obsession, the perseverance, the breakdown, and the awakening—all imprinted into his subconscious and formed a seed. Now, under the pressure of life and death, this seed took root and blossomed into a deadly flower, ready to prick anyone who tried to uproot it.
"STOP HIM!" Ezekiel yelled as Genji moved once more. But this panicked shout fell on deaf ears, too late to react. With a smooth pivot, another streak of light blanketed the battlefield, bisecting everyone in a 20-meter radius.
'Again,' Genji thought, lost in his own world, oblivious to the charging generals who drained all nearby vitality.
'There.' Genji instinctively located the source of danger and swung to intercept. The sharp light materialized anew, effortlessly piercing through the protective barrier and instantly eliminating the threat.
The scene greatly disturbed the generals, yet they couldn't retreat now. Otherwise, they would become targets for that mysterious light. They summoned their entire life force, manifesting their ultimate attacks—the deciding factor in this war.
All they needed was one strike. Just one of them landing their attack would end this nightmare.
However, Genji shattered those hopes with a single swing. A light swing, lacking in strength, but the miraculous wave of light didn't fail to deliver.
The light shredded all incoming attacks, dispersing them into motes before fading into nothingness. Yet this defense meant little as Genji swung his weapon again, releasing another streak. Devoid of life force to bolster their powers, the generals were instantly vanquished, leaving Ezekiel in disbelief.
"Impossible. This should be impossible," he muttered, his mind reeling.
"Hmm?" Genji snapped out of his trance, bewildered by the destruction around him. "What happened here?"
Before he could gather more answers, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion crashed over him like a derailed train. Muscles spasmed uncontrollably before shutting down like an overworked machine. The parts he could still feel wracked his nerves with excruciating pain, crippling all motor capabilities.
"What the? How hard did I push myself?"
He spat out blood as his body withered, hair turning gray, skin wrinkling. The side effects were taking hold, and Genji struggled to remain standing.
Seeing this, Ezekiel inwardly rejoiced. Luck was on his side after all. Amidst today's tempest-like oscillations, this respite was a godsend. Calming his emotions, he siphoned vitality from the deserting demons. It was understandable since all the generals perished, but they still needed to contribute.
Semi-recovered, Ezekiel conjured a spear of vitality and drew back his arm. This was it, the final strike. Only one of them would survive, and Ezekiel was determined to be that person. With a mighty release, the spear left his hand and hurtled toward Genji's heart, poised for victory.
Reluctance surged within Genji as Ezekiel's projectile rapidly approached. After everything he had done, this was how he died? Paralyzed, attacked from a distance, not even a chance to retaliate? He couldn't accept that fate. If he had to die, it had to be in battle, not when he was helpless and frail.
Since his body refused to move, he'll just force it again. It wasn't like this was anything new, but this time had to be the grandest. After all, this was his last stand so it had to be memorable.
The world slowed as his mind hyper-focused. A huge surge of information flooded his brain, but he pushed forward relentlessly. He was going to die anyway, so why should it matter how hard he pushed his body?
"Move!" His command echoed through his unresponsive body. Under immense willpower, his arm weakly rose and slashed downward. No, this couldn't be called a slash since gravity was the only force.
Yet, accompanied by this downward fall was a familiar streak of light, cutting everything before him. In the next moment, the light dissipated and Ezekiel split apart, bisected down the middle.