The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. Max sat on a rocky outcrop, his legs dangling over the edge as he gazed at the sprawling landscape below. The mountain was quiet, the only sounds the rustling of leaves and the distant calls of nocturnal creatures.
He leaned back, stretching his arms as he took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air.
"Not a bad spot," he muttered to himself, pulling out a small, portable stove from his storage ring. Within minutes, the smell of warm stew filled the air, and Max dug in with relish.
As he ate, Lucy jumped up, joining him on the meal. While the crows protested at the back of his mind about fairness and what not.
Max ignored them and pulled out his super phone, scrolling through the web, checking the lastest news pointlessly.
Finding nothing of interest he leaned back against a rock, his eyes half-closed as he watched the stars appear one by one. The mountain was peaceful, a stark contrast to the chaos he had been jumping in recently or his heavy study schedule. For a moment, he allowed himself to enjoy the calm.
"Man! i am getting used to this Wilderness thing a bit too much."
Lucy tilted her head while eating. ' is it bad.'
"nope, not at all." Responded Max as he ruffled Lucy's hair.
.....
The first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, casting a golden glow across the mountain. Max stretched, his body refreshed after a night of rest. He packed up his belongings, his movements quick and efficient.
"Time to move," he said, glancing at the mountain and Lucy appeared in front of him.
Max pulled her inside the pet space, and spread his wings, their dark feathers glinting in the morning light. With a powerful leap, he took to the skies, the mountain shrinking beneath him as he soared toward Kain-city.
Max flew steadily, his wings cutting through the cool morning air. The landscape below blurred into a patchwork of forests, rivers, and small towns. He pulled out his super phone, scrolling through articles as he flew, his mind half focused on the journey.
Hours passed, and the sun climbed higher in the sky. Max's stamina was impressive, but a break was always welcomed. He landed in a secluded clearing, pulling out a quick meal from his storage ring. He ate in silence, his eyes scanning the horizon.
As the sun began to set, Max took to the skies again, determined to cover as much distance as possible before nightfall. The stars appeared once more, and the world below grew quiet, as Max slowed down his speed, and kept gliding through the skies expending no stamina, since he didn't need to sleep each night, flying like this was a better option at night.
.....
Far to the east, a figure with bat-like wings soared through the night sky. His disheveled hair and beard fluttered in the wind, and his bloodshot eyes gleamed, as he clutched the ancient compass, its needle pointing steadily in one direction.
Unbeknownst to Max, the man's path was converging with his own. The compass led him westward.
The compass suddenly stopped working the needle rotating madly, but the man didn't flinch, and kept flying at the direction it has been pointing to until now.
...............
The air grew heavy with tension as Varek's compass began to spin wildly. Max's eyes narrowed, his instincts screaming that something was wrong. Before he could react, the needle stopped abruptly, pointing directly at him.
Varek's expression shifted from calm to something far darker. His bloodshot eyes glowed a deep, menacing red as he stared at Max.
"You..." Varek's voice was low, trembling with barely contained rage. "You killed my daughter."
Max blinked, caught completely off guard. "What? I don't even know who you are, let alone your daughter!"
Varek's body began to change, his form twisting and contorting as his bat-like wings grew larger, his limbs elongating into something monstrous. His face became a grotesque mix of man and beast, his fangs bared and his claws extended, in an instant tea turned into a half bat, half man, beastholder.
"You can't lie to me!" Varek roared, his voice echoing through the sky. "This compass doesn't lie. It led me to you, it's either you who took her life!, or you were involved. I don't care either way... "
Max's mind raced. In all honestly he wasn't sure if he was innocent or guilty, but there was no time to argue. Varek's transformation was complete, and he lunged forward with terrifying speed.
Woosh!
Max dodged the first strike, his black wings carrying him backward through the air. "Listen, you madman! I don't know what you're talking about! I've killed no one in my life! I am innocent".
Varek didn't listen. His blood-red eyes were locked onto Max, his movements fueled by pure rage. He lunged again, his claws slicing through the air where Max had been just moments before.
Max cursed under his breath, his wings beating furiously as he shot through the sky.
Varek was fast, too fast for comfort, but Max had the slight edge in speed. Still, the half-bat creature was relentless, his pursuit unwavering, and Max could tell he couldn't shake him off at least not with speed alone... More importantly that compass can track himself...
"You can't run forever!" Varek snarled, his voice a guttural growl. "I'll tear you apart!"
Max glanced over his shoulder, his mind racing. The landscape below offered no mountains for Lucy to control, and the crows were still too young and weak to help. He was on his own for now.
"Crazy fool!" Max shouted, dodging another swipe of Varek's claws. "I didn't kill your daughter! This is some kind of mistake!"
But Varek wasn't listening. His rage had consumed him, and he was determined to make Max pay, no matter what.
The chase continued, Max weaving through the sky with Varek hot on his heels. The half-bat creature's roars echoed through the air, a constant reminder that escape wouldn't be easy.
Max's mind raced as he flew. One thing was clear: this wasn't going to end without a fight.
...........
Max soared through the sky, his black wings cutting through the air as he dodged another swipe of Varek's claws.
The half-bat creature was relentless, his blood-red eyes locked onto Max with a vengeance that left no room for reasoning.
While speeding up to make some distance between them Max kept considering his options.
He had the radiation mirror, but this guy was out for blood, and his abilities were still unknown, the thought of it breaking by mistake and killing them both was too risky.
He could simply throw it at him and escape inside the mirror world, but that would be his last option as he still valued the mirror highly.
"damn !..." cursed Max in frustration.
Alternatively Max could have used his [World of mirrors], or one of the teleportation items to escape, but the compass in Varek's hand was a bigger problem. If it could track him, running wouldn't solve anything, moreover Max had a bad temper and and this guy was asking for it.
"Fine," Max muttered under his breath. "If you want a fight, let's fight."
Max pulled out his shotgun, spinning mid-air to face Varek. He fired the first shot, the bullet teleporting an inch away from Varek's chest.
Bang!
The impact landed, but Varek barely flinched, his powerful body shrugging off the damage with only a slight injury.
Max cursed. "Yep! he's a B-rank. Why wouldn't he be?"
Varek roared, lunging forward with his claws extended. Max dodged, and turned again flying forwards, and used Mystic eye on his clothes to look backwards as he fired again.
Bang!
The second shot grazed Varek's shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood.
The chase continued, Max weaving through the sky with Varek hot on his heels. Max fired shot after shot, each bullet teleporting to its target with pinpoint accuracy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!.
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Varek simply couldn't dodged the strange bullets, leaving shallow wounds on his arms and legs.
Max used [Mystic Eye] again leaving a mark on the distant trees below as they started flying at low altitude.
As Varek was about to Fly Above The Mark, Max switched his perspective to it.
He fired another shot, this time using the mark to teleport the bullet directly into Varek's wing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullet tore through the membrane, causing Varek to falter mid-flight. He roared in pain, his wing flapping awkwardly as he struggled to maintain altitude.
"Got you," Max muttered, firing again.
This time, Varek raised his hands, and a shimmering barrier of sound formed around him and split to three parts, one slightly bigger than Varek himself floated behind him, and two smaller ones one at each hand. It was a skill called [Sound Barrier].
The shield absorbed the next few shots, leaving Varek unharmed.
Max gritted his teeth. "Of course he has shields. Why wouldn't he?"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The shootout continued, Max firing his shotgun fifteen times before finally putting it away.
Varek's [Sound Barrier] held strong, but the damage to his wing had slowed him down slightly, giving Max a small advantage.
Varek retaliated with a sound attack, the short-range blast narrowly missing Max as he twisted out of the way. The attack shattered a nearby tree, sending splinters flying through the air.
W! Woosh!
Max dove into the thick woods below as if escaping, his wings folding as he landed on the forest floor.
He darted between the trees, using the dense foliage as cover, running at high speed.
...
Varek followed, crashing through the trees with a roar. Looking around Max was no were to be seen.
But He simply pulled out the compass from his space ring, its needle spinning before pointing directly at Max's location.
"You can't hide from me!" Varek snarled, his voice echoing through the forest.
Max cursed under his breath. "That damn compass..."
The two of them ran like phantoms through the forest.
One thing was off, and if Varek was observant he would have noticed that Max was slightly slower than he should have been, and one of his many space rings were missing.
But at such a high speed battle, even if he noticed somehow he would have ignored it.
The chase led them out of the forest and into a vast plain, a massive cliff looming above them.
Max looked at the huge stone wall, then ignored it as he used [Mystic eye] and quickly switched between two marks he left on the way, firing at Varek's wings and eyes.
Bang! Bang!
The shots were precise, coming from under and above Varek where there were no shield, but Varek's reflexes were sharp.
He couldn't dodge but he moved his head slightly as the bullet hit his eyebrow, though his wings took more damage.
"your dead" roured Varek as he retaliated with another sound attack, the short-range blast narrowly missing Max as he twisted out of the way.
Max slowed his pase, near the base of the cliff. He turned to face Varek, his shotgun raised and his expression calm.
Varek stood a few meters away, his Sound Barrier shimmering around him. His blood-red eyes burned with rage, but Max's smirk never wavered.
"Alright," Max said, his voice steady. " time to dance."
........
Max switched to his twin pistols, their sleek black frames gleaming in the sunlight. With a flick of his wrists, he began firing at a mind-boggling speed, the pistols spitting bullets like an SMG.
Ta ! Ta ! Ta! Ta ! Ta ! Ta ! Ta.
Golden sparks flew as the bullets ricocheted off Varek's Sound Barrier, the air filled with the sharp cracks of gunfire and the low hum of the shields.
Varek advanced, his half-bat form moving with predatory grace.
He shifted his shields constantly, the larger one protecting his back while the smaller ones at his hands deflected incoming shots. Still, a few bullets slipped through, grazing his arms and legs, and because of the heavy fire the injuries were getting worse slowly.
Max darted across the ground, his wings occasionally flaring to carry him backward or to the side as he dodged Varek's sound attacks.
The short-range blasts shattered rocks and trees, sending debris flying in all directions.
Max's eyes gleamed as he noticed the blood on Varek's arms. The bullets had done their job.
"Got you," Max muttered, activating his pistols' abilities.
First, Hunter Mark triggered passively, marking Varek as trackable within 200 meters. Then, Max activated Relentless Hunter, his body becoming incorporeal as a 40% speed boost surged through him.
Varek's eyes widened as Max seemed to blur, his form flickering like a ghost.
With the flick of his hands Max reloaded the pistols, as he circled around Varek with his new found speed, but it wasn't just the speed that increased, but also his firing rate as the pistols was practically shooting a golden laser beam as he pulled the trigger.
Ta ! Ta ! Ta ! Ta ! Ta ! ! Ta ! Ta ! Ta ! Ta !
Varek completely switched to the passive spot, as Max closed the distance to make sure that most bullets hit Varek instead of his shield.
But this Rhythm didn't last long, as Max's twin pistols started glowing red, and he felt them burning. He had to stop, otherwise the pistols will exploding his hands.
Max glanced behind him at the massive stone wall of the cliff. A plan formed in his mind.
He flew up towards the cliff at a speed enough for Varek to be able catch up and stay close enough.
Varek roared, giving chase, his wings now fully healed and beating powerfully, earlier he kept the bigger Shield protecting his wings at the cost of his injuries, just in case Max tried to escape by flying, like now.
Just as Max reached the cliff, he passed through the solid rock, his incorporeal form allowing him to phase into the stone. Varek, unable to stop in time, slammed into the wall with a thunderous crash.
Crack!
Inside the cliff, Max watched through his Mystic Eye, a mark he had left on a nearby rock.
He cursed under his breath as Varek pulled out the compass, its needle spinning before pointing directly at his location.
"That damn thing," Max muttered, his voice echoing faintly in the stone, his plan was to ambush Varek with the radiation mirror from a good distance, but he forgot about the compass.
Varek's blood-red eyes narrowed as he raised his hands, the sound shields shimmering around him
He took a deep breath and began gathering energy for a massive sound attack, the air around him vibrating with power.
.......
Varek's blood-red eyes narrowed as he raised his hands, the sound shields shimmering around him. He took a deep breath, the air around him vibrating with power as he prepared a massive sound attack.
Looking at the scene Max had an idea and acted on it.
Just as Varek opened his mouth to unleash the attack, Max's hand shot out of the cliff like a ghost, holding a silver mirror card to Varek's mouth.
"[Mirror Prison]," Max muttered, his voice echoing faintly.
Wooooooooooo!
The mirror card absorbed the sound attack, its surface cracking under the immense pressure. Max didn't wait, he released the attack immediately, the card shattered first as the energy exploded outward in a deafening BOOM!
Varek was thrown backward, his body slamming into the ground. His sound resistance saved him from fatal injury, but he was visibly stunned, his shields flickering weakly.
Max left the cliff with a smirk his right hand bloody, he wanted make a move, but Before he could follow up, a sudden mental message from Lucy echoed in his mind:
'10... 9... 8...'
Max's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about the cannon Lucy and Mok had set up in the mirror world, earlier when he landed he took the opportunity to have them repeat the same movie used in the dungeon, but he seemed to forgotten about It the Heat of the fight.
"Crap," Max muttered, his mind racing.
Max phased into the mirror world through a mirror card. Inside, he saw Lucy and Mok standing next to a massive cannon, its barrel glowing faintly.
'6...5...' Lucy's voice continued.
Max didn't have time to explain. He located a fragment of the shattered silver mirror card he used earlier, this one was the nearest to Varek, and phased back into the real world, appearing right in front of the stunned bat-man.
Before Varek could react, Max shoved a simple ring with a mirror gem into his mouth.
"Bon appetit". Max said, his voice cold.
He phased back into the mirror world, but Varek wasn't a pushover as he clawed down, injuring Max before he could disappeared completely, just as Lucy reached the final count.
'1... BOOM!'
The cannon fired, its shot passing through the mirror in the ring inside Varek's stomach. The explosion reached the real world, a blinding flash of light followed by a deafening roar.
K-Booom!....
From inside the mirror world, Max watched through his Mystic Eye as Varek's lower body was obliterated, the force of the blast sending debris flying in all directions.
.
Max looked at the bone deep gush going down from his chest to his abdomen.
"that's painful!", he muttered as he took out a bottle of Emerald water and drank it.
After that, he hesitated before creating a mirror image, and closing his eyes going out in the mirror body, he could handle the headache later, but for now it's better to be safe then sorry.
...
"what was the saying injured dogs bite harder or something..." muttered Max as he exited the mirror world through a silver mirror card he had left earlier, a bit too far away from the scene.
He walked closer examining at the scene. The area was filled with radiation, the ground scorched and smoking.
.
Varek lay in the crater, his body broken but still alive barely. His blood-red eyes glowed faintly as he struggled to move, his voice a low growl.
"Wow! You're still alive! Call me impressed." said Maw as he clapped with an amused expression on his face.
"You... ..."
Max's mirror image walked slowly toward Varek, holding a pistol in one hand. The real Max remained in the mirror world, barely controlling both bodies.
Varek, his body broken and bleeding, glared at the approaching figure. His blood-red eyes burned with rage, but there was something else there now, pain, regret, and a flicker of doubt.
.....
Inside the mirror world, Max sat cross-legged, his super phone glowing faintly in his hand.
"AI, identify this man and his daughter," Max said, his voice low.
The screen flickered, displaying images of Varek and a young woman with similar features. Max's eyes widened as he read the details.
"So, I didn't kill her," Max muttered, his tone a mix of confusion and frustration. "The hotel did. And this idiot blames me?"
In the real world, Max's mirror image paused, its expression cold and calculating.
"You're an idiot, even I thought I was guilty for a moment, but I am actually innocent. " the image said, its voice dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't kill your daughter. At least, not personally."
Varek's eyes narrowed, but he didn't respond.
The mirror image continued, walking slowly as it spoke. "I do recognize your features, though. Your daughter tried to break into my hotel room once. I jumped out the window and let the hotel handle it. They killed her, not me."
Varek's hands clenched, his claws digging into the ground.
"But you know what?" the image said, stopping a few steps away. "It doesn't matter. The one who really killed her was you. If you'd been a better father, taught her right from wrong, she wouldn't have been breaking into people's rooms with bad intentions. I'm just a consequence of your failures, no wait I have nothing to do with this, the ugle dog who ate he is."
Varek's expression shifted, the rage in his eyes giving way to something deeper, pain, regret, and the crushing weight of guilt, he could tell that there was some truth in Max's words.
" You can die knowing that you failed yourself! Your daughter, and most probably many more!". said Max as he raised the pistol, but suddenly Varek pulled out a small black object from his ring and threw it to the ground.
The grenade exploded, not with fire or shrapnel, but with a dark, shimmering barrier that surrounded Max's image. The air crackled with energy as the barrier solidified, blocking space and teleportation.
Max's image paused, tilting its head as it examined the barrier. It reached out, its hand passing through the black wall effortlessly.
"Huh,"after a quick check with his super phone Max smirked. "Looks like this only works on people. Too bad for you." mocked the image.
Varek's eyes widened in horror as Max's image stepped through the barrier, unharmed.
"You really thought that would work?" the image said, its voice cold. "Pathetic. But jokes aside that's actually an A-rank grenade! pretty impressive!... can you hook me up with the seller. "
Before Varek could react, the mirror image fired, the bullets tearing through his mouth and silencing him forever.
Max's mirror image stood over Varek's lifeless body, its expression unreadable.
" Now that was a huge unnecessary waste of brain cells... ."
Looking at the black sphere that disappeared not long after Max felt it was a huge waste.
that's a grenade that will block the target from escaping and vaporize every organic creature within the sphere within three seconds.
Max took the space ring and walked out of the radiation zone, and checked what the ring contain just for his face to darken immediately.
"nothing!".. other than the compass from earlier there were absolutely nothing, apparently this guy came prepared to die.
The image took the compass and threw the ring away since it was Radioactive.
.....
Sigh!...
With a sigh Max came out of the mirror world with Lucy and mok, as the mirror image collapsed.
First Max sent Lucy and mok back to the pet space.
' great job you two.'
Next he took the compass, and flew away from the scene, afraid any more nonsense would be attracted to him.
While flying he check the information of the compass.
[Lost Man's Compass :
Grade : A-rank.
Ability ' sea Scout' :
Can lock to a target of your choosing under the condition it has the slightest link to yourself.
The lock success chance is 1%. And the ability will enter cooldown whether it fails or succeed.
cooldown is one day and the lock duration is only 30min.
Max stopped flying petrified. "he found me.... With this. "
Finding someone in this world was already hard enough because of how big it is, forgot about the fact that Max wasn't the only one involved in the matter, and him constantly moving, and the low success chance of this item, and even if it succeeds it would only work for 30 minutes which isn't enough to cover much distance.
But after a moment Max recollected himself and kept flying ignoring the matter completely, but in his mind one idea was running. 'you piece of **** just wait for me to get stronger.'.
Max was feeling bitter, not only did get involved in this random nonsense, but his gains were almost nothing.
Still Max wasn't someone who'd give up easily..
."first let find a place to rest, AI locat the closest mountain." said Max as he felt the strong headache hitting his head accompanied by the pain and discomfort from his injuries that were healing.