Brenin's P.OV

[Got you!]

Despite my ankle being utterly messed up, I gritted my teeth and, enduring the excruciating pain radiating through every part of my body, moved at the last moment. I felt the air brush past my head... yes, it must have been one of his blades!

Suddenly, I felt something heading toward my chest; I couldn't dodge it, I didn't have enough strength in my joints and ankle to move like I did before. But that didn't matter now.

I used the only ability I was capable of using, more than a spell, a simple "explosion."

"AAAARGH!"

I released a violent gust of wind. It wouldn't be enough to defeat him, but it was enough to block the blow in time. Moreover, due to the impact with the wall of air, he was disarmed of one of his scythes, probably because his grip wasn't firm enough.

I noticed because I heard a metallic sound to my right, seeing the now visible scythe.

"Bastard—!!"

I didn't give him time to recover the weapon; I threw myself at the scythe before he could get it.

"Huff... Huff..." I panted from the enormous effort – "Now our fight is even..." I said with a smug smile.

Silence reigned for a few seconds until X spoke.

"How the hell did you predict my attack?" he asked, annoyed.

"Predict?" I repeated, looking at the point where his voice came from. "I didn't predict, I understood, you cheater!" I replied, tapping my temple twice with my finger.

"Predict?"

Slowly, his masked face reappeared, with a look of someone who had just suffered a grave insult. But I was no longer afraid. He no longer scared me.

"You see, I was agitated, so I wasn't thinking clearly," I began, trying to recover my energy. "After the first two attacks, I calmed down and started observing the pattern of your movements: with each attack, you always had something annoying to say. At first, I thought you were just chatty, but then I noticed three things: first, when you talked, your steps were audible; second, you breathed slightly; and third, your mana became perceptible, albeit faintly."

"So, I understood that your invisibility worked in two stages: the first, partial invisibility that doesn't hide your smell, your steps, your mana, and your killing intent. After the first attack, when you attacked me, I didn't react to your voice, but to your killing intent. The second stage activates when you stop breathing, completely concealing your presence. Isn't that right?"

X didn't respond, but his body language showed no surprise about what i said.

"And so what? You understood my power, good. But you still haven't explained how the hell you did it?!" X shouted, showing all his rage.

"Oh... Well, I was getting to that. Understanding that your invisibility was just that, rather than a ghost transformation, was important because it meant your body was still tangible. I couldn't be sure 100 percent, so I created a slight layer of wind that you either didn't see or didn't consider important. And when you entered my range... I got you!"

X remained silent. I had managed to save myself, but if I had stayed calm from the start, I wouldn't have found myself in this condition.

[Well, at least I bought time...]

"Well done, Brenin, really..." X began to applaud, leaving me perplexed. "You're quite clever, you know? But you forgot one small detail..."

The pain surged anew. Every cut he had inflicted on me started to throb painfully, so much so that, in agony, I let out a grotesque scream before collapsing to the ground, utterly drained and agonizing.

"You didn't think that, being an assassin, I’d be prepared for anything? Hahahaha!"

I looked up and saw X approaching triumphantly out of the corner of my eye. His incessant cackling only intensified my nerves. With each step he took, death seemed to draw nearer. I tried to stand, but my body refused to obey.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

It became clear that the bastard had laced his blades with poison—not enough to kill outright, but sufficient to paralyze me at the crucial moment. The wounds, though not mortal, were severe and magnified the pain, ravaging me like never before.

[Well... I did my best] I thought, watching the reaper draw near.

"So, smartass? Got anything else to say before you die?"

I stared at him for a few seconds. What did I have left to say? I had goals, dreams... vengeance to exact, but none of that mattered now that I was about to die. But at least I would die with my head held high, knowing I had given it my all.

"I...Huh?"

The training hall door burst open suddenly. All of us turned toward the door; three figures stood at the threshold, observing the scene in silence.

[Oh... I almost forgot...] I thought, managing a faint smile; I had asked for a favor, though I doubted he would come through, considering how I had treated him in recent weeks.

Indeed, there stood Erwin, with a stunned look, and Leonard, shocked to see me in this condition. And most surprisingly... Professor Durmuss? What was he doing here?

"D-Durmuss?!" X exclaimed, suddenly leaping back, sensing the danger emanating from the academy professor.

"Oh? So you know me? Good, let's skip the formalities," the professor began, a sinister energy emanating from him.- "What the hell are you doing to our student--"

B, unlike X, wasn't one to retreat easily. He had backed off from fighting me because X had asked him to, but the moment he saw Durmuss, something snapped in his mind. He decided to attack him with his mace without thinking twice moving at a terrifying speed, confirming my suspicions as I felt his raw and violent energy: he was an Aura user.

But B didn't know that it was a grave, grievous mistake.

"No! You bastard! Don—!"

X tried to stop his friend, but before his words could reach him, it was too late; the dark shadow of Durmuss rose from the ground, creating a chilling and incredible scene.

B attempted to smash the shadow with his spiked mace, and at first, he succeeded, splitting the shadow in half. "Hahahah! What was that... Huh?"

That sense of security B felt quickly vanished when the shadow, instead of dissipating, began to extend through numerous dark tendrils towards him. He tried to destroy them, but to no avail. Each strike of his mace shattered the tendrils, but in the next instant, they doubled, tripled, until they numbered in the thousands. Slowly, they wrapped first around B's limbs, immobilizing his rage. Then, the remaining tendrils coiled around his entire body, enveloping him in a sinister shroud of shadows.

B was strong, an Aura user with explosive power. Yet, despite his furious struggle, those tendrils did not break. Instead, they began to tighten their grip gradually, until even that muscular monster could do nothing but scream...

"AAARGH! Stop! Stop! It hurts!" B cried out in a high-pitched voice; Durmuss was slowly depriving him of air, and he could no longer breathe.

X, in a panic, tried to hurl his scythe at the shadowy tendrils created by Durmuss, but the scythe passed through them harmlessly, plunging him into utter despair.

"You two... not only invaded our territory, but you even tried to kill one of our students... Well, I've decided..."

Suddenly, the grip of the tendrils grew even stronger. So strong that I could hear the grotesque sound of B's bones breaking.

"NO! PLEASE N—"

"Silence."

A sound, even more grotesque than before, filled the room, shocking me. B no longer spoke, no longer struggled, and no longer breathed: B was dead, in the most cruel and terrifying manner I had ever witnessed. Slowly, the shadowy tendrils lowered B's body to the ground. I thought they would simply lay it down, as it no longer served any purpose.

But no. Suddenly, a great mouth of shadow emerged from the floor, swallowing B's body in one gulp. I will never forget that scene, especially because, I am certain, I heard laughter emanating from those shadows, sending a shiver down my spine.

X stood frozen, not uttering a word. But his body spoke volumes. He trembled, trembled like a leaf. At that moment, he was terrified from head to toe, and there was nothing he could do.

"Brenin!" Leonard exclaimed, approaching me once he realized X wouldn't attack. "Don't worry, we'll take care of everything now!"

While Leonard tended to me, Durmuss approached X with slow steps, who lowered his gaze to avoid looking him directly in the eyes.

"I believe you understand your position now, right?" Professor Durmuss asked with a cold, lethal look, though he did not attack X.

"...Y-Yes..." X replied, now a mere shadow of his former self… He looked ready to soil himself.

"Good... Then follow me without any fuss, if you don't want to die like your friend. You and I have much to discuss."

X hesitated for a moment; I'm certain a part of him, however small, still wanted to fight. But he had no other escape. Not after seeing how easily Durmuss had killed B.

"F-Fine... I'll do whatever you want, but if I talk, promise to let me go alive, please..."

Durmuss, hearing that plea, sneered, glaring at X furiously. "Salvation is not for scum like you. Now follow me, unless you want to be dismembered alive right here and now."

X said nothing, but his body, his gaze showed signs of complete surrender. Durmuss evidently noticed this and, after placing his hand on X's shoulder, the two were enveloped in a strange, dense violet energy, before vanishing into nothingness.

Leonard continued to heal me, the warmth of the magic spreading through my body being the only thing keeping me anchored to reality at that moment.

"Stay still, Brenin, we'll make it," Leonard said reassuringly. "Durmuss has everything under control."

Erwin approached with a worried look. "What happened here? Why were they trying to kill you?"

"It's a long story," I replied, struggling to find the strength to speak. "But it doesn't matter now. We need to get out of here."

Leonard nodded, helping me up. "We need to get you to the infirmary. Your wounds are severe, but you'll make it."

Erwin took me from the other side, supporting me as we walked towards the training hall exit. Every step was torment, but I knew I was in good hands. As we moved away, the silence in the training hall was almost palpable, as if the shadows themselves were watching our departure.

"We did it, Brenin. You're safe now," Leonard said, as we made our way through the academy corridors.

END OF CHAPTER 53 - RESCUE