William leaped backward, creating space between himself and the burly attacker whose massive club swung with terrifying velocity.
The weapon smashed into the ground with an earth-shaking crash, obliterating the spot William had occupied mere seconds before.
BOOM!
The ground trembled violently, sending dust spiraling into the air as the shockwave reverberated through the surroundings. The clubman's arms quaked from the impact, his face contorted in pain from the recoil.
From his flank, a swordsman surged forward, his blade slicing through the air in a swift arc aimed at William's ribs.
Steel clashed against steel—
CLANG!
As William deftly angled his sword to deflect the blow. In one fluid motion, he drove a powerful kick into the man's abdomen.
"HYAK!"
The swordsman choked as he was hurled backward, saliva spraying from his mouth. Struggling to regain his balance, he plunged his blade into the ground, carving a shallow trench before dropping into a crouched stance.
William was relentless, closing the gap in an instant, his sword arcing downward in a decisive strike toward the man's head. Victory seemed assured—
POW!
A boot crashed into William's side, knocking the breath from his lungs and sending him sprawling across the dirt. He rolled hard, grit tearing at his skin, before bracing a hand against the ground to push himself upright.
The clubman loomed above him, a cruel grin stretching across his face. "Not so fast, boy."
William's knuckles tightened around the hilt of his sword, the leather grip groaning under the pressure. His chest rose and fell, heaving once, twice, then his eyes lit with a soft yellow glow.
Time splintered. The world slowed to an agonizing crawl. Dust motes spiraled lazily in the air, each one sharp and distinct. William could hear the rasp of his breath, the rhythmic pounding of his heart echoing in his ears.
The ground cracked beneath his step as he moved forward, every action precise and inevitable. The two men blinked, and in the instant their eyes reopened, William stood before the clubman, sword poised for his chest.
The blade darted forward, then veered. At the last moment, William twisted his wrist, the steel slicing along ribs rather than piercing the heart. A thin red line blossomed on the man's side.
William's jaw tightened. Damn it. He pushed off, rolling away from the counterstrike, and rose to his feet, dust swirling in his wake. His eyes dimmed as
"I've never killed anyone before," he murmured, his voice rough and strained. "Beaten them bloody, sure. But killed…?"
His thought shattered at the sound of boots scraping against the ground. Both men lunged at him from opposite sides, blades gleaming, their snarls blending into a single, guttural roar as they rushed to flank him.
The two attackers advanced relentlessly, like predators closing in on their prey.
The swordsman lunged low, his blade scraping against the stone with a shower of sparks, forcing William's guard to drop. The instant William deflected the blow, the clubman followed with a ferocious overhead swing, his weapon slicing through the air with a menacing howl.
WHAM!
The attack barely missed, smashing into the ground and sending shards of rock scattering around William's feet.
William retreated, but each step brought him nearer to the jagged rock wall. The terrain conspired against him, sharp stone spires jutted from the ground, and the uneven footing kept him off balance. The swordsman exploited it ruthlessly, driving William toward a corner with swift, precise strikes, while the clubman's sweeping arcs cut off any chance of escape.
Their strategy had shifted. No longer wild and reckless, they fought with calculated precision.
The swordsman's blade darted toward William's shoulder, CLANG! Deflected just in time, but the movement left William's side exposed. The clubman was already poised, his massive weapon hurtling sideways like an unstoppable battering ram.
William twisted sharply, the club skimming his ribs with a sickening thud. Pain shot through his side, searing and sharp, robbing him of breath. He stumbled but steadied himself before the wall could pin him.
"Stay down!" the swordsman roared, spittle flying as his blade flashed in another lunge.
William ducked beneath it, sparks flying as steel scraped against stone mere inches from his ear. The heat of the near-miss and its vibrating hum rattled his teeth.
But the club was already descending, its shadow engulfing him.
With no room to retreat, William made his decision. He surged forward, dodging the crushing arc, his sword slicing upward in a diagonal slash that collided with the swordsman's weapon mid-swing. Sparks showered down like falling stars.
The impact jarred his bones, but it earned him a fleeting moment of space.
"Damn it…" William growled through gritted teeth, his eyes flickering with that faint yellow glow once more. "…they're boxing me in."
Behind him, the rock wall stood unyielding. Ahead, the two attackers pressed closer, their blades and club hammering down in a relentless rhythm designed to wear him out. Each strike was a heavy blow, each step forward another nail sealing his fate.
The trap was closing fast.
The swordsman's blade sliced through the air, the tip flashing dangerously close to William's face. His pupils constricted, his breath caught in his throat—
The world froze.
The blur of the sword decelerated to a torturous crawl, every gleam of its edge suspended mid-air like molten silver. Dust motes hung between William and his assailant, their slow descent stretching into infinity. Behind him, the guttural roar of the clubman warped into a drawn-out echo, sound itself faltering to keep pace.
William's body moved with precision and purpose. His head shifted just enough for the blade to miss, its edge brushing faintly against the strands of his hair.
Simultaneously, his own sword arced forward. Not a fatal strike, just a calculated, exact slash across the attacker's chest. The steel met leather and flesh with a clean slice. The strap securing the swordsman's bow snapped apart, and the blade skimmed his ribs, shallow but sharp.
A thin red line of blood surfaced, and the man's eyes widened in slow-motion shock. His weapon continued its sluggish trajectory, the strike already nullified.
oots grinding against the dirt as the yellow glow in his eyes flared brighter. His chest rose and fell heavily, once, then twice.
The blade decelerated to a near standstill, suspended in the radiant glow of
He exhaled sharply, his heartbeat pounding like a war drum, each beat echoing with the intensity of a battle cry within the stillness of his heightened perception.
Behind him, the clubman bellowed and brought his weapon down in a devastating vertical arc. To William, its descent was almost comically sluggish. He sidestepped with a crunch of boots against dirt, letting the weapon cleave the ground asunder. Shards of stone hung suspended in the air like glowing embers adrift. William's blade lashed out, precise, clinical, a swift slash across the attacker's thigh, leaving a trail of crimson in the air.
The hulking assailant roared, his voice distorted into a deep, elongated echo. William barely registered it. He was already on the move, gliding between them with methodical agility.
This power… it reduces them to helpless children.
He parried another horizontal swing, twisted within the swordsman's reach, and slammed the pommel of his sword into the man's jaw. Teeth scattered free, blood splattering in droplets that hovered like rubies encased in amber.
He advanced relentlessly, unyielding. A feint toward the clubman's chest was followed by a sudden pivot, his sword slicing shallowly into the man's bicep. Another parry. Another measured slash. Strike, evade, counter. Each motion executed with precision, flowing seamlessly like a deadly dance.
Yet with every calculated move, an oppressive weight pressed harder against his chest. His lungs burned with exertion, his vision trembled at the edges, the golden glow around him flickering precariously. The mana fueling
I can't… hold this much longer.
The swordsman surged forward again, his face contorted with fury. William sidestepped, his blade tracing a thin, crimson line along the man's cheek. But as he moved to press his advantage, his legs faltered momentarily, a split-second lapse that threw his balance off.
A warning sign that he was reaching his limit.
His breaths came in ragged gasps, each one a struggle in the distorted world around him. Sweat dripped from his brow, his hair clinging to his temples as the strain mounted. The crushing weight of fatigue bore down on him, pushing him closer to the brink of collapse with every passing moment.
The clubman attacked again, a wide, desperate swing. William ducked low, rolled smoothly, and rose slashing, his blade carving a shallow line along the man's ribs before retreating once more.
The clubman staggered backward, clutching his bleeding side, his roar reverberating through the dust-filled air.
Before William could advance, a sharp crack split the battlefield.
ZZZTT!
The swordsman's blade burst into jagged arcs of lightning, raw energy crackling down its length with a savage hiss. Sparks sprayed across the ground, scorching the dirt as the weapon howled with unnatural vitality. His eyes burned with manic fury, his lips curling into a grin as he raised the electrified blade.
"You're not the only one with tricks, boy."
William's pupils constricted. Even within the golden haze of
"What—?!"
The lightning-wreathed edge slashed toward his face. Instinct took over. William jerked his head aside just in time, the searing heat grazing him as the attack cleaved through the space his head had occupied. His ears rang from the violent snap of displaced air, and the pungent smell of ozone filled his lungs.
He countered. His blade swept in a precise diagonal slash, but the lightning sword twisted unnaturally fast, deflecting with a cascade of sparks. The collision sent a shock up William's arm, numbing his grip and rattling him to the core.
"Too slow," the swordsman growled, pressing his relentless assault forward. His strikes became a storm of blinding arcs, each swing sizzling and crackling with energy, growing faster and deadlier with every motion.
Even with
The light in his eyes dimmed as sweat poured down his face. His heartbeat, once steady like a war drum, now faltered into erratic rhythms. The grueling strain of maintaining
Blow after blow rained down, sparks flying as the swordsman's blade clashed violently against his own.
The clubman regained his footing, charging back into the fray with a ferocious swing of his blood-smeared weapon. William twisted away, deflecting one attack and rolling beneath another. The golden glow in his vision flickered, dimming ominously at the edges.
The lightning blade screamed again, this time slashing toward his chest. William's sword rose too late—
The blade tore through his jacket, carving a searing line of pain across his ribs. He gasped, his focus faltering as the slowed world around him stuttered and fragmented under the crushing weight of mana consumption.
And still, the swordsman grinned, arcs of lightning rippling along his blade, casting a predatory gleam across his face.
"You're finished."
The swordsman's grin stretched wider, arcs of lightning crackling eagerly along the length of his blade. Then, with a sharp flick of his wrist, he did not strike, he unleashed.
KRZZZAAAK!
A torrent of lightning erupted from the weapon, surging across the short distance and slamming into William's body.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream tore from his throat, raw and unrestrained, as the current surged through him. His muscles locked in agonizing spasms, every nerve aflame with searing pain. His sword slipped from his trembling grip, clattering uselessly to the stone as his body convulsed under the relentless assault.
The air reeked of ozone and smoldering fabric. Bolts of electricity danced and snapped across his frame, casting stark shadows over his twisted expression, teeth gritted, veins bulging in his neck, eyes wide and bloodshot.
The swordsman stepped forward, sneering, channeling the current into him without pause. "How's that focus holding up, boy?"
William dropped to one knee, his limbs jerking uncontrollably. His vision blurred, dark spots crowding the edges as the lightning refused to relent. Each pulse rattled his bones, threatening to tear him apart from within. His jaw clenched as he willed his body to respond, to rise, to fight back, but his body betrayed him.
The pain was all-consuming, each surge more unbearable than the last. His heart pounded erratically, each beat colliding with the storm ravaging his flesh.
Yet, somewhere deep within the haze of anguish, something stirred.
A faint glimmer.
A quiet defiance.
A spark of change.
Then, as his body convulsed under the relentless storm, a translucent prompt flickered into view before his eyes, glowing faintly through the haze of agony: