THINKING ABOUT HOW THE HOUSE WHERE I LIVED WITH AZURE FOR THE LAST DECADE OR SO WILL BE IN RUINS AFTER THIS FIGHT SADDENS ME, ‘SADLY MY ONLY WISH IS TO SEE — HOWEVER, I WON’T LIVE TILL I SEE IT.’

THE WIND BLEW ON MY FACE, FEELING THE TORMENTING PAIN FROM MY SCAR, WIPING THE BLOOD FROM MY MOUTH,

LOOKING AROUND ME AT THE TREES, THE MASKED MEN EXACTLY 7 OF THEM, AZURE WHO WAS BEHIND ME, I MARKED THE POSITION OF EVERYTHING AROUND ME, COUNTED THE VARIABLES AS AN EXPERIENCED WARRIOR SHOULD.

I KNEW I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH TIME, CERTAINLY THE MORE THIS FIGHT DRAGS ON THE MORE CHANCES OF MY LOSS, I HAVE TO TAKE THEM ALL WITH ME, THE INFORMATION ABOUT AZURE NEEDS TO STAY IN THE DARK.

HOWEVER, I CAN’T GO ON OFFENSE WITHOUT RISKING AZURE BEING ATTACKED, HENCE I SHOULD MAKE AN OPENING SOON.

INTERRUPTING MY LINE OF THOUGHT,

THREE OF THEM BOLTED AT ME,

‘TRYING TO SURROUND ME OR .. NO THEY ARE TRYING TO DISTRACT ME TO FINISH OF AZURE FIRST’

CULLING THEIR NUMBER IS A PRIORITY,

‘SUMMONING MY OLD LONGSWORD’ THIS IS THE LAST TIME MY FRIEND I WILL SUMMON YOU, BEAR WITH ME.

A DOWNWARD SLASH FROM THE FIRST WITH A SHORT SWORD,

I SPUN ON MY HEEL, THE SHORT SWORD PASSED BY MY BACK,

WITH A SWIFT CIRCULAR SLASH, A HEAD WAS ALREADY ROLLING ON THE GROUND,

THE REST WERE VISIBLY SHAKEN AFTER MY DISPLAY, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THAT I COVERED MY BODY WITH A MIX OF WIND AND LIGHTING MAGIC THEN, ‘BURST STEPPED’ TO THE SECOND, DUE TO HIS MOMENTUM HE COULDN’T EVADE ONLY RAISE HIS SWORD TO DEFEND,

WITH ANOTHER ‘BURST STEP’ I APPEARED BEHIND HIM, A SECOND I WAS IN FRONT OF HIM, ANOTHER I WASN’T, BUT AS I EXPLAINED ALL IT TAKES TO SEE A HEAD ROLLING IS A SPLIT SECOND,

I COVERED MY LONG SWORD WITH LIGHTING AND WIND MAGIC, SLASHED AT THE THIRD, A BODY SPLIT INTO HALF WAS WHAT WAS LEFT OF HIM, HE COULD ONLY LOOK AT HIS DEMISE.

I KNEW MY SPREE WAS OVER, ONE WITHOUT AN ARM, THREE DEAD, ONLY FOUR REMAINING INCLUDING THEIR LEADER.

ON THE CONTRARY, I WAS STILL AT DISADVANTAGE, MY WOUND IS ACTING UP.

“TSK, USELESS, BUT IT’S TRUE HOW MERE ANTS CAN INJURE YOU” CLICKING HIS TONGUE THE MASKED MAN SPOKE,

“NOW, LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU WHILE THEY KILL YOUR GRANDSON” PROVOKED THE MASKED MAN WITH MALICE,

I KNOW THAT HE WAS PROVOKING ME TO MAKE A MISTAKE NONETHELESS IT WAS INFURIATING,

WITH A SIDE GLANCE, I SAW AZURE’S EXPRESSION,

“AZURE, AN ACTION COMMITTED IN ANGER IS AN ACTION DOOMED TO FAILURE, TAKE A STEP BACK AND LEAVE THIS TO YOUR OLD MAN”

“HA, ALRIGHT” TAKING A BREATH AZURE VISIBLY CALMED DOWN,

COVERING AZURE IN A MANA BARRIER,

I THOUGHT OF MULTIPLE SCENARIOS,

‘IS THIS THE ONLY WAY, SORRY AZURE’

“WHY DON’T YOU HAND THE ORIGIN STONE THAT YOU HAVE—”

“DELAYING YOUR DEATH, WASTING TIME IN WORTHLESS NONSENSE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LAST PERSON WHO CAME ASKING FOR THAT STONE”

INTERRUPTING HIM, I EXPLAINED A FEW FACTS,

“WELL, IT IS A NO BRAINER, I SENT THEM ON A TRIP TO SEE YAMA” I BOASTED

“YOU THINK YOU CAN GET ME ANGRY EASILY” GRUNTING THE MASKED MAN

“HAHA, THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO BE IN A HURRY, YOU WILL FOLLOW THEM SHORTLY” IGNORING WHAT HE SAID, I LAUGHED,

FEELING A METALLIC TASTE AT TOP OF MY THROAT, I KNEW I COULDN’T WAIT FOR AN OPENING,

WIPING A TRACE OF BLOOD OFF THE CORNER OF MY MOUTH HOWEVER, IT DIDN’T GO UNNOTICED BY THEIR LEADER,

AS HE VISIBLY TENSED,

I COVERED MY BODY IN PURE LIGHTING, THE GROUND BENEATH ME STARTED TO CRACK

I MUMBLED

SKY/EARTH-SHATTERING MOVEMENT

APPEARING ABOVE THE ONE-ARMED MAN, I STABBED THROUGH HIS HEART,

WITHOUT WAITING, TO HEAR HIS SCREAMS,

PLUNGING THE LONG SWORD OUT OF HIS HEART, BEFORE BLOOD SPLATTERED ON ME,

LIKE A STREAM OF LIGHTING,

I DARTED TO THE NEXT ONE,

FROM THE CORNER OF MY EYES, I SAW THEIR LEADER PREPARING A WIDE-RANGED ATTACK,

INSTANTLY I KNEW HE WAS SACRIFICING HIS SUBORDINATE FOR THE CHANCE TO INJURE ME,

NEVERTHELESS, TIME WAS PRESSING ON ME, EITHER EVADE AND GIVE THEM AN OPENING OR...

WITHOUT ANY HESITATION, I WENT FOR THE STRIKE,

THE SUBORDINATE TRIED TO RETALIATE BY RAISING THEIR SHIELD COVERED IN DEFENSIVE SPELL,

swish

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LIGHTING COVERED MY LONG SWORD,

LIKE A HOT KNIFE CUTTING BUTTER, I SLICED THE MAN THROUGH HIS SHIELD,

USING MOMENTUM, I TRIED TO EVADE THE RANGED ATTACK,

BOOM

A CLOUD OF DUST ROSE IN THE AIR CLOUDING THE VISION.

“GRANDPA” SHOUTED AZURE OUT OF WORRY.

HOWEVER,

I WAS A SECOND SHORT,

MY RIGHT SHOULDER WAS BLEEDING PROFUSELY,

“HA, SO MY BLOOD IS STILL RED, I SEE, THANK YOU FOR THIS SMALL SCRATCH” I SAID AS I WAS GETTING OUT OF THE PIT MADE BY THE ATTACK.

‘CAN’T MAKE MYSELF LOOK WEAK IN FRONT OF MY GRANDSON’

“TSK, YOU WERE ABLE TO EVADE IN THE LAST INSTANT”

“NAH, WHO WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL, AN INSECT MAYBE” LOOKING AT MY LONG SWORD, CRACKS RUNNING THROUGHOUT THE BLADE,

“HA” TAKING A DEEP BREATH, I WAS AGAIN IN THE ZONE,

ONLY TWO REMAINING, THAT ATTACK WASN’T NORMAL MAGIC,

A TERRIFYING THOUGHT CAME INTO MIND

‘HE KNOWS A CONCEPT BUT IT’S DIFFERENT FROM MINE’ THIS BATTLE IS BECOMING MORE TROUBLESOME.

I SHOULD BE WARRY OF THAT MAN,

IN A FLASH, I WAS DONE WITH MY ANALYSIS.

“IMPUDENT, DARE TO ATTACK MY GRANDSON” I SHOUTED AT THE SUBORDINATE THAT WAS CHARGING AT AZURE,

MOVING TO DEFEND AGAINST HIM,

“OH, WHY DO YOU KEEP FORGETTING ABOUT ME” THEIR LEADER INTERCEPTED ME FROM GOING AFTER HIS SUBORDINATE,

“SO, WHO WILL YOU SAVE, YOUR GRANDSON OR YOURSELF”

RAISING HIS SWORD HE DID A DOWNWARD SLASH AT MY NECK

I MADE A SPLIT-SECOND DECISION,