New World - A New Beginning

BOOM

A shockwave spread throughout the area from the impact of the two adversaries, every single living creature becoming aware of the spectacle that was occurring.

Drav bellowed in rage as he unleashed a chain of attacks. My feet pivoted and moved as fast as they possibly could, my sword redirecting every blow away from my body. There was no point in attempting to block the rage-induced Drav's attacks head-on. As long as I could guide them away from myself, I'd be accomplishing my task.

That being said, waiting for the effects of Incarnate Fury to end was only giving more time for the kidnappers to escape with Asthia. Going on the offensive was clearly suicide against such a berserk fighter, but I was running out of options. I knew I would be able to catch up with the other guards, but additional reinforcements were sure to be called. The longer I spent fighting, the more enemies I'd have to deal with later.

I jumped back, creating some distance between my opponent. I needed a large-scale ability that wouldn't drain me of my remaining bind. If I wasn't careful, even my ability to circulate Bind between my body and the energy around me wouldn't be enough to sustain myself.

My eyes shot open with energy, a swirl of blue energy surrounding me as my mouth opened slightly.

"Tidal wave."

A massive wave erupted behind me, crashing down a few mels ahead as Drav launched himself right into the attack. I stomped the ground with my feet, ice suddenly spreading around me as Drav came crashing through the wave.

I could tell the impact of the water-based attack had done some serious damage to him, and all I needed to do now was slow him down. I took a deep breath, vapor escaping my mouth as I prepared to use a spell I had never attempted before.

Drav suddenly appeared next to me, preparing to bring his ax down on my skull.

"Absolute zero," I muttered, shooting my arms out sideways as the air around me froze immediately.

My entire body shuddered, the amounts of bind required to keep the effects of the spell active taking a severe toll on my body.

"!!"

A small crack echoed above me, Drav's aura breaking the effects of the spell. I gritted my teeth, realizing my mastery over the ability still wasn't enough to keep a powerful opponent frozen in place.

Drav shattered the aura of ice around him, allowing him to move as his ax finished its initial movement. The massive weapon came crashing down onto the ground, creating a small crater.

I appeared behind Drav, my eyes glinting crimson-red as I prepared to end the traitor's life right there and then.

Drav's elbow suddenly came crashing right into my swords that were forced into a defensive stance, sending me flying back. I could tell my body was weakened from the attempted combination of both large-scale abilities. My inability to keep Drav frozen long enough for me to end the fight was a huge miscalculation, and I knew my overall speed and power were facing the consequences of such a mistake.

I overcharged the rest of the bind inside me with a massive current of electricity, my eyes lighting up as I dashed towards the slightly worn-out bruiser.

BOOM

The added speed from incarnate rage wasn't enough as I came crashing right into Drav's body, sending him tumbling back. I could tell this was the opportunity to end the fight with a single blow.

I planted phoenix right into the ground below me, willing bind into the blade as it began to glow a bright orange-red.

"Release... spirit!" I roared, willing the last of my bind into the weapon as flames ignited around me. The blaze roared with power as it honed in on Drav, the adventurer merely raising his battleax desperately to attempt to block the attack.

BOOOOM

I panted as the dust cleared, Drav's body lying on the floor. My eyes glanced towards his battleax, the weapon shattered from the technique.

It was over.

I immediately focused my attention on increasing the potency of my bind circulation, enhancing its effects as I felt my body recovering from the lack of energy,

The raspy breaths escaping Drav's mouth surprised me. The fact that he had survived both my release spirit and the full effects of incarnate rage was nothing short of a miracle. Phoenix had absorbed all of the excess bind from the fight, and the flames that had struck Drav were nothing less than an S-ranked attack.

I stood above the bloody and beaten body of Drav, his armor fractured in vital areas as his head lay completely exposed due to the lack of his helmet. His short black hair accentuated the lingering hint of red in his eyes due to incarnate rage, a strong jawline shaping his overall face.

"S-spare me," he whispered, his voice filled with fear. "I'll tell you anything."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise behind my mask, his eyes shivering with terror at the thought of losing his life. He hadn't hesitated to use such a dangerous spell, but now that he was defeated, the man realized how close to death's door he really was.

"Who asked you to kidnap the Princess?" I asked, intrigued by his offer.

"T-the dwarves," he responded without hesitation.

"So they're preparing for war?"

The adventurer nodded, no longer having the strength to speak up.

So both sides were already mobilizing and attempting to gain the upper hand? If that really was the case, then the era of peace was quickly coming to an end. My head suddenly turned to the left, feeling a disturbance through the link. I had to get going.

I looked down at Drav, his eyes widening in horror at what stood before him.

"Aaaaahh!" he hollered as my sword came down onto his right hand, penetrating the flesh and bone with ease.

I crouched down, looking at him with raw hatred flowing through my veins.

"Did you really think I'd spare you?" I asked coldly, my metallic voice echoing through the plain. I slowly removed the mask, revealing my face to the dying man.

"Y-you're the kid at the Academy..." he muttered, tears streaming down his face from the sheer pain that his entire body was enduring.

Was the Liech family investigating me? I doubted that Drav would know who I was out of sheer coincidence, meaning that I had probably caught the idea of someone within the Liech family. The chances of it being Hugo were extremely high, but I didn't exclude the possibility of it being another member I was unaware of.

"Tell me... do you even remember their names?" I asked, crouching down as I looked at Drav right in his trembling eyes. Silence followed the question, a dark flame of fury roaring within me.

"I hear their voices in my head every day." I twisted the sword, expanding the hole as another cry of agony burst from the dying man in front of me. "And you had the nerve to beg for your life."

"P-please," he muttered, feeling his life slowly drifting away. "I didn't want to do it... Master Hugo forced me to."

I stood up, clutching midnight in my hand.

"Don't worry, Hugo will be joining you shortly," I responded, slicing his throat with the black dagger.

I looked up into the sky, taking a deep breath as a soft breeze tickled my bare skin exposed by the cuts and tears in my clothes. I pulled phoenix out from the hand of the corpse, wielding it in my other hand as I turned westwards.

"I'm coming, Asthia."