Time continued to pass as Genji hunted down the remaining violators in this world. By now, word had spread that anyone who grouped up had a high chance of encountering this reaper from EverRealm. They had lost too many not to know that. We're talking about hundreds of people, which was far more scarlet cards than any worlds prior.
Between attacks, Genji would target random vampire covens that he stumbled across with the hunters. Since these covens were typically led by Barons or Counts, Genji was able to quickly dispose of them. Genji could manage most of these fights unless a Marquis-ranked vampire got involved.
He had also informed the hunters about the violators, adding them to the hunters' "Must kill" list. That's why Genji was able to reduce their numbers so much despite them being so scattered and outnumbering the regular explorers multiple times.
There was just something about this world that seemed to attract violators like ants to sugar. No matter how many Genji eliminated, there were always more around the corner.
Currently, Genji was tracking down the last target he had marked with his tracking poison. He assumed this was the last of them since he hadn't encountered any more in the past few days, but they could simply be hiding.
Perhaps they were trying to wait him out until his mission finished? Well, jokes on them; he doesn't even have an idea of how to get started.
Genji rode Bruce near a barren forest before continuing on foot. Bruce followed from a distance since Genji wasn't used to fighting on horseback. Against regular foes, anything would suffice, but against a deadly enemy, Genji would be finished. Since there was that chance, Genji wasn't willing to risk it.
Minutes later, he came upon a small squad of around 15 people, all wearing thick hoods that hid their faces. In a way, they matched the idea of cultists from LuminalRealm.
Genji hid behind a withered tree and waited for the group to pass. When they did, he ambushed them from behind, instantly taking out two of them before they could react.
Smelling the blood in the air, the others hurried to scatter, but [Cure Bearer] claimed three more targets. By the end of his ambush, Genji stood facing ten remaining people who surrounded him.
"Is he the one?" The leader of the group asked a member beside him.
"Yes, there's no one else with such distinctive stealth," the person replied. This was the individual Genji had marked and purposely let escape, so he knew about Genji's characteristics.
"Then you have fulfilled your purpose."
"What—"
Before the person could comprehend what was happening, the leader drew his sapphire-colored scimitar and swiftly struck down the violator. Then, he turned to Genji as if he was taking a casual stroll on a beach.
"That was clever," he said to Genji.
"You were luring me out?"
By now, Genji would be a fool not to realize what was happening. The leader must have realized that the member was being tracked. That's why Genji was able to ambush their group so frequently. It wasn't hard to figure out, considering that anyone who survived his ambush was later attacked when they joined another group.
The only thing the leader couldn't figure out was how Genji was accomplishing this. Since that was the case, he didn't bother. All he needed to know was that as long as he kept the suspect near, Genji would eventually come to him. By then, he could eliminate this champion who had given Sinclair so much trouble.
"Did you really have to kill him like that, though?" Genji asked mockingly.
"It doesn't matter. Attack!"
At his command, the others drew their weapons and lunged at him. Arrows arced toward him, and sword flashes brushed by his nose. Genji sidestepped and wielded his weapon as if it were a dagger.
Dagger Arts: Flow
In an instant, all six of the melee fighters were cut down, leaving only the leader, two archers, and a mage. Before they could react, Genji flashstepped next to the mage, slashing him before he could cast any troublesome spells. That left only the unknown leader and the two archers, whom Genji wasn't worried about.
That was because when they saw Genji's killing speed, they fled in terror, disregarding the consequences of desertion. Right now, their lives mattered more than following the leader's unorthodox orders.
"A bunch of useless people," Daucer, the leader, sneered. "I guess if I want anything done right, I have to do it myself."
Daucer tilted his head up, revealing two yellow glowing eyes and a black mist wrapped around his body. Despite its resemblance to curse energy, this mist was an unknown variant that gave Genji an uncomfortable feeling. It felt more invasive and repulsive to him like his very existence was against it.
Daucer stepped forward and instantly appeared before Genji, brandishing his scimitar. As Genji parried the attack, he felt the webbing between his fingers become numb. Genji concluded one thing after the impact: this was manageable without using Berserk. Although Daucer's strength was greater than his, it wasn't overwhelming.
Like A Feather
Genji disappeared as he launched his assault, sending flashes of silver and sapphire glints weaving through the area. Attack after attack was parried and dodged as the two clashed, each trying to outmaneuver the other with their swordsmanship. A rhythmic clanging sounded before the two separated, evenly matched.
"The probing is done. Now let's take this up a notch."
Genji activated Untracable Movement and dived back into combat. This time, Daucer was forced into defense as he struggled to deal with the numerous attacks from various angles. Daucer tried his best to endure this period but eventually realized this idea was infeasible.
The black mist around him rushed into his body, giving him enough strength to send Genji stumbling backward. Then Daucer appeared in front of Genji with a strong wind, using the momentum to further increase the strength of his attack. A barrier quickly formed between them as Genji counterattacked, cutting apart the hood and sending tufts of grey fur flying.
When Daucer landed, the shredded hood slid off, revealing the bestial face underneath. Large patches of fur surrounded Daucer's glowing yellow eyes as a snout pointed outward. To Genji, his opponent resembled a werewolf more than anything, making this the first nonhuman realm member he had encountered.
In fact, Daucer wasn't initially like this. He was a normal human like everyone else, but this changed when he came into contact with this energy. Because of its nature, he gained immense strength but also took on this grotesque form.
"That skill must have a long cooldown," Daucer said, entering a staredown and trying to delay until the barrier duration ended.
"It is enough to finish you," Genji replied, flashstepping and capitalizing on the brief period of protection.
Daucer parried and kicked off the barrier to widen the distance between them. After that, this series of exchanges repeated a couple more times before the barrier faded, leaving Genji vulnerable again.
"Is that so? It seems like reality begs to differ," Daucer sneered and brought his scimitar down.
Genji smirked, knowing his taunt worked, and baited Daucer closer. A chain of black crystals manifested and attached to Daucer's leg. Genji then gave it a hard yank, pulling Daucer off balance and hacking with his saber.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Genji then disconnected the chain before Daucer could use it against him. Following the deep cut, a bottle of [Titan Feller] flew at Daucer, forcing him to block. Upon collision, the container broke, splashing the corrosive poison all over him. Gas wafted from him as fur and patches of muscles evaporated.
Genji followed this with more ferocious attacks, pushing Daucer further on the defensive. With each collision, Genji felt Daucer become weaker as he forced his body to keep up. Then his flintlock manifested and added another injury with the recently recharged bullet.
This series of wounds meant Daucer was unable to keep up with this intense exchange. But as Genji swept down for the finishing blow, Daucer's eyes turned red and forced out every ounce of strength.
Then he slammed into Genji, widening the distance between them. While the knockback seemed fierce, Daucer knew the strike did little damage. The hard, crystallized flesh he felt upon contact told him everything.
"You're strong, but it's time we stop probing each other and start fighting like champions," Daucer growled, confusing Genji.
'What probing? Can't you tell I've been going all out? I might be preserving some trump cards, but those are last-ditch crutches. And what do you mean to fight like champions?'
Putting aside his questions, there was no doubt Daucer's words gave Genji an ominous sense of foreboding. As if proving this, Daucer arced his scimitar back and leaned down with his other hand facing aside. A dangerous presence oozed from this stance as Daucer growled out his next words.
"Howl, Mondgeister."
Daucer's scimitar glowed with a light blue sheen, fading the sapphire color with a brighter luster. It was as if the moon had cast its light upon this weapon, bestowing its powers upon it.
Then Daucer swung his weapon ferociously, sending an energy blade along its trajectory. Genji was forced to dodge these strikes of deadly sharpness, knowing that attempting to block them would only damage his weapon. However, this proved to be a challenging task as Daucer followed up with more swings, each sending out its energy waves.
It was as if this skill had no cooldown, instantly shifting the tide of battle. Even worse, these attacks were from midrange, meaning Genji had no way to approach Daucer. If he tried, he would be cut down even with Solid Core. It was a relentless barrage of attacks that left Genji with barely any time to react.
"What's wrong? You couldn't possibly be thinking of keeping up with me without unleashing your legacy, could you?"
Daucer said another cryptic sentence, but Genji had no time to pay attention to him. A shadow flame ignited, allowing Genji to destroy two energy strikes that slipped through his maneuvers. Then he continued to struggle, trying to prevent himself from being overwhelmed by this relentless onslaught.
"Still not unleashing it? Are you that confident in surviving this? No, that's not it. Could it be that you don't know?"
Genji didn't reply, but Daucer sensed his confusion and burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha. To think I was so cautious against someone who can't even utilize the full potential of their legacy equipment. What an inexperienced champion you are. Now, DIE!"
Daucer increased the rate of his swings again when he realized that Genji had no way to deal with it. Deep wounds accumulated on Genji's body as he racked his brain to survive this encounter.
Dance of Death wouldn't work because the shadow figures would be cut down before they could act. Quantum Shield was on cooldown since Genji used it to bait Daucer into getting poisoned. Plus, he doubted the barrier would last long under this barrage anyway.
He suspected those attacks possessed some kind of priority in sharpness, which explained their lethality. As for Berserk, that would only prolong the inevitable without changing the outcome.
'I can only gamble on this now.'
Genji activated Dominance Aura and set the target stat as Special, praying that the difference between their two stats was enough to stun Daucer long enough for him to close the distance.
Daucer's eyes dulled as his head jerked back. His nose bled, and the attacks halted. Genji dodged the last attacks and flashstepped, ready to behead Daucer.
Unfortunately, a trinket on Daucer's body shone at that moment, snapping him out of his stupor just in time to parry Genji's attack. Then he jumped back, disregarding the arm Genji had severed in the process. As long as he could maintain distance, he believed he would win, even with only one arm.
Another crescent energy wave came at Genji, blocking his path forward. A grin appeared on Daucer's lips as he knew he had won the exchange. Yet, to his surprise, Genji refused to give up. Three shadowy figures separated from him and ran in different directions. Out of caution, Daucer swiped at two of the closer shadows, instantly destroying them.
Genji capitalized on this opening and Flashstepped again, but he was forced to switch positions when he almost ran into another energy wave. With this, another trump card entered cooldown, but he remained indifferent as he made a desperate dash at Daucer.
As the energy wave came at him, Genji gritted his teeth and shifted his body, allowing the attack to sever the left side of his body. A large chunk of his shoulder fell behind him as he charged in front of the werewolf, brandishing his weapon with shadow flames.
Daucer remained calm and swung to parry, planning to use the force to boost his backward jump. Genji dug his heels into the ground and activated Berserk, giving him a huge boost in strength. Then the crystals in his daggers broke down to supply him with enough energy to form another chain.
Genji yanked hard, but Daucer was prepared for this trick. Stomping on the ground, Daucer redirected his position so that the pulling force wasn't able to put him in a vulnerable position. Since Genji was doing this with only one arm, this was easy to accomplish: just stay on his left side.
Yet despite this, Genji channeled more energy into his shadow flame and swung down. Daucer saw this as Genji's last desperate attempt in this fight since the blade wasn't falling fast enough. By the time it reached his level, Daucer would have glided past it, and Genji would be wide open to his counterattack that would finish this fight.
'You were strong, but I was stronger. That's the difference in being able to unleash your legacy.'
Daucer reaffirmed his victory and telegraphed the optimal timing for his attack. He refused to give Genji the chance to launch another attack. He had fought enough opponents to know they would attempt a suicidal exchange in this situation.
Yet contrary to Daucer's thoughts, Genji was very calm, absent any desperation. His eyes widened drastically, and the world around him slowed down as he put his utmost concentration into scrutinizing this moment. He only had one chance at this, so he needed to turn the tables. If he missed the timing, then everything would end as Daucer predicted.
'Now!' Genji hollered mentally and activated the last skill available to him.
Tentacles burst out from the ground as the minuscule remainder of his energy drained from his body. It was a pathetic number of tentacles at only four, but it was enough.
The next moment, Daucer crashed into these fleshy appendages. Then before he could react, Genji's blade descended, bisecting him down the middle. The eyes on the two halves widened in shock as he asked himself how this could have happened, but Genji didn't give him the chance to understand it.
Pivoting on his leg, Genji launched another attack, bisecting Daucer's brain into quadrants and destroying his conscience.
[You have slain a Champion of OmegaRealm. As this opponent was not a violator, you will receive the normal rewards.]
[10 privilege tokens have been added to your card.]
'Not a violator? Who are you trying to kid? You're telling me that the leader of the violators isn't considered a violator? Just what kind of rule-skirting is this?'
Genji shelved these thoughts and dropped his weapon. Then he pulled out a bottle of adapting healing potion to chug. Since this was his second time using this, the healing effect was faster, stabilizing his condition within seconds.
Next, he walked back to his severed arm, poured some medical alcohol over it to disinfect it, picked it up, and pressed it back into position. Another healing potion was poured over it before Genji recovered enough energy to guide the nerve connections for a full recovery.
If he had to fight with such an awkward arm, he would lose a large amount of his combat capabilities.
After recovering, Genji reached down to pick up his weapon, but he quickly sensed another presence approaching his position. It was a disheartening realization considering he was in no state to fight.
Any member could easily end him right now, and it would take too long to find cover since the battle had destroyed everything in the vicinity.
"Guess I will end up dead anyway after everything I did to survive. Luck can be so cruel sometimes, you know?"
Genji calmly accepted his fate and awaited the presence to reveal themselves. At least that way, he could stare his killer in the eyes and die with dignity instead of an unsightly attempt to flee. As for finding cover, that was impossible since the entire area was destroyed in the battle.
Fortunately, the person who burst onto the scene was a hooded figure with a metal chain around his neck. This was a key indication of a hunter, meaning he was safe.
Genji reached beneath his hood, pulling out his silver tag, ready to explain his situation and ask for help.
"I sensed a huge energy fluctuation here. Were you behind it?" The hunter with the red bandana around his arm asked Genji.
"Yeah. Can you help me out?"
Contrary to his request, the hunter simply stared at him from his initial position. His eyes wandered between his bloody cloak and the familiar-shaped saber lying by Genji's feet. While the color might have changed, he could recognize that saber even in his dreams.
"Enigma?"
"That's me."
The hunter's clenched fists shook tightly as a flood of emotions crashed into him at Genji's admission. He had imagined a thousand ways how this encounter would have gone, but none of them were like this. Hell, he wouldn't even have been so surprised if one of them died and they never met.
But now that they did meet, all the words he wanted to say died in his throat. In their place, a single question full of anger and resentment came out, fully encapsulating his feelings about this situation.
"Enigma! Why did you do it? Why did you kill Captain?"
The hunter shouted, pulling down his hood to reveal a familiar face. It was a face Genji never expected to see again; a face weathered by emotions despite the short period they parted. It was one of the two people Genji had spared in his friendship. It was...
"Zepher."