Ash walked towards the villagers with a mischievous grin on his lips. His partner, Gama followed by his side.
"Well… what do we have here?" He said, looking at the group of villagers who were now stuck outside the library.
"It seems Maya was right. We didn't arrive early and they have given up on hiding."
Gama grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Well, it's a good thing then, let's get started."
Gama began to duplicate himself and sent the clones towards the lost and confused villagers while the original calmly and majestically walked around the place. He looked up and smiled as his female partner also arrived at the scene, pouring acid on the villagers.
Eryth landed on the ground and immediately charged at the clones, cutting and slashing them down, one after the other. He finally reached the main body and lunged his sword forward, but the formless-headed man leapt backwards to dodge the attack. He raised his head to look at Eryth with a smile lingering on his face.
"You all should rejoice, you will die for a great cause."
Eryth held the handle of his sword and morphed into his battle stance. Rune markings appeared below him, putting his opponent on alert the moment it appeared.
The Self-duplication Act user was expecting an attack but instead, Eryth appeared behind him and drove his sword into his back. Gama yelped as Eryth pulled the sword to the side, splitting the former's body in two.
Gama fell to the ground, motionless.
Eryth quickly turned to Ash but before he could move, Uobleza appeared in front of him and sent the fire elemental back into a building with a punch.
As Eryth looked around the village, he realised the fight was not in their favour. Danila and Blutox have been forced into a corner by the shadow monsters and the library has been blocked by the rubble from Maya's attack, trapping Grevla, Daya and Heyt underground.
As he stood there scanning the battlefield for the female Blue Kanrei, he felt a burning sensation behind his back and involuntarily jumped to the side, narrowly dodging an attack from the lady he was searching for.
Maya grinned and chuckled wickedly. She turned the horse she was riding to face Eryth.
"Since the day we locked eyes, I've longed for this moment, I have waited, and dreamed of ways I'll kill you."
Eryth didn't say a word to the lady. He tightened his grip around his blade. His gaze was fixed on her, yet he wandered around for the missing enemy.
The High Knight of Hex noticed this and her grin widened.
"Oh do not worry, Little Rock is right here," she said, caressing the back of the horse.
Only then did Eryth remember that Uobleza mentioned that one of them was a shifter.
"You seem like a pretty good fighter. Why don't you join us, handsome one? I can already imagine the things you and I—"
"I will have to decline."
Her words trailed off and her brows bent into a frown.
"Very well."
Maya jumped off the horse and grabbed its leg. She swung the horse at Eryth, making him furrow in confusion, but just as it was a few seconds away from his neck, the horse morphed into a long sword.
"Fuck!" Eryth quickly pulled out his sword and parried the attack while taking steps back.
Maya pulled out a dagger and zipped forward, taking advantage of Eryth's distraction. She swung her blade at Eryth but he parried again.
She grinned before moving the dagger to her mouth and licking the blade, pouring her poison onto it.
"Poison," he muttered.
She dashed towards him and began swinging her weapon, forcing Eryth into a defensive. He continued to block and evade her attack, making sure he didn't get even a scratch from it.
Little Rock, the shape shifter, transformed into a Shadow Monster and zipped forward as well, swinging his claws at Eryth. The latter jumped back to create distance between them while assessing the situation before him.
Maya hurled the dagger at Eryth but he quickly dodged, letting the weapon fly past. He realised he may now have the upper hand and quickly made a move to seize it.
Rune markings appeared on the ground before Little Rock. Multiple ropes emerged from it and bound him to the ground.
Another marking appeared around Eryth's wrist and his sword turned black. He gripped it tightly and quickly charged forward, but that was what his opponent wanted.
She moved her hand to her back, as if planning to pull out a weapon but didn't. Eryth felt as though something was wrong and just as he did, he felt a hand touching his shoulder.
He quickly stopped his advance and turned just in time to dodge the claw lunge by Little Rock, he had escaped the bind.
Eryth created some distance between them again, putting the two in front of him.
"Oh, you are good," Maya said.
Little Rock transformed back to his normal form and crouched in front of Maya. Just as his partner did, he had a grin lingering on his lips.
They were winning, and are well aware of it.
"I'll give you one more chance, join us or die."
"Don't waste your breath."
She sighed disappointedly. "Very well."
Eryth felt it again, it was like an alarm, something warning him of imminent danger. But before he could react, a spear plunged through the side of his stomach, tearing out through the front.
He groaned but still as quickly turned to cut the formless head of the man he had thought he was done with, Gama. The body and the spear turned to dust immediately after the head was off.
Eryth staggered backwards but managed to regain his balance, and just as he did, Maya pushed forward with a short dagger in her hand. She waited until she was only a few steps away from him before swinging the dagger with her left hand.
Eryth took a step back, only barely dodging the dagger.
Maya thrust her arm forward at Eryth's neck and yet again he managed to sidestep out of the way but at a cost. Maya shot out a poisonous mist that caught him cleanly in his face.
Eryth crashed to the ground and began coughing out blood. Gama once again appeared in the scene and sent him flying back with a kick to his abdomen where he was stabbed.
Maya threw the dagger she was holding. She moved forward with a smile and curbed down on all four.
"This would have gone differently if you had chosen to join us. I feel disappointed that I have to put down someone as good as you."
Despite the pain and poison coursing through his veins, Eryth managed to drag himself up. He picked up his sword and made his battle stance.
His body burned from the effect of the poison, but his resolve burned much more furiously.
"I'm not dead yet."
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