His bare feet didn't stay on the ground for long before the powerful gust of wind produced by the slash made into the floor beside him threw him.
"Shit!"
Screaming in surprise, Rafael rolled on the ground before getting up and continuing to run without looking back.
"You'll have to do more than run if you want my approval, Earthling."
Hearing the voice so close, Rafael quickly glanced over his shoulder, seeing the absurd sight of Zastin approaching him rapidly with simple steps.
Yeah, Zastin wasn't running—he was taking a single step forward, his figure disappearing like a short-range teleport.
['Holy shit, this son of a bitch is fast.']
"Tsk." Knowing he couldn't keep going like this, Rafael quickly looked around for something to use as a distraction.
But no matter where he looked, nothing he saw could be of any use against someone who could slice a bridge from several meters away.
As he kept running, a car passed quickly in front of him, forcing him to stop, but when he looked back, he saw Zastin raising his sword in preparation.
Rafael immediately threw himself to the side just as the ground where he was exploded when a wide slash cut through it, even slicing the passing car clean in half.
He watched, a bead of sweat running down his forehead, then immediately got up and started running again.
But he didn't get far before the ground behind him exploded again with another slash, his body being thrown as a result.
"Fuck!" Rafael shouted as his body spun forward from the force until his back hit the ground. "Ugh."
"You must have realized by now that running is useless. There's only one thing you can do."
Zastin approached Rafael, who was slowly turning on the ground, propping himself up with his hands while coughing.
"Face me head-on. That is your only option."
He stopped in front of Rafael.
Rafael remained on the ground as a dull pain ran down his back. He had heard Zastin and knew he was right—facing him head-on was the only option.
['Do the points I have now give me anything strong?']
[No.]
Ariel's response was something he expected.
[But you don't have much choice right now, unless you'd rather fight as you are?]
['Nah, if I can't beat him, then I'll at least deal some damage.']
Without hesitation, Rafael decided to use the points. After all, he didn't need to defeat Zastin, just survive.
['Use the points.']
Upon asking her, Rafael waited in silence.
Zastin, standing in front of him, stared at the boy who simply looked silently down, his celestial eyebrow raising at the sight. "What's the matter, Earthling? Already given up?"
Floating in the sky just above them was Lala, watching Rafael curiously, waiting to see what he would do.
"Lala-sama, don't you think it's best to step in?" Peque's voice came from her hat form atop Lala's head.
"Don't worry, it's fine." Lala replied with a calm smile.
"Uh, if you say so."
Meanwhile, on the ground, Zastin kept waiting. He was about to speak when he heard Rafael mutter:
"You've got to be kidding me…"
"What?" Zastin frowned slightly, confused. "So? Have you given up? If so, know that I am disappointed. I expected more from the one chosen by Lala-sama."
He looked at Rafael, waiting for a response—until it came.
"Hey, buddy, want a tip from me?"
"What?" Zastin frowned again, unsure what that meant, continuing to stare at Rafael until he lifted his head.
And Zastin was met with a wide, grinning face, teeth sharp like fangs, and lazy purple spirals spinning in Rafael's eyes.
"My tip is, don't do drugs… unless you're me~."
A confused Zastin didn't even have time to ask when vapor exploded from Rafael's mouth, quickly covering them both.
Zastin swung his sword, dispersing the smoke, only to realize Rafael had vanished. He looked around for him—until his instincts screamed, and he dodged to the side.
A foot passed harmlessly beside his head as he finally saw Rafael.
"Tsk, fuck! And here I thought I had you."
Zastin stared calmly at him, then moved his arm in an instant, attacking without hesitation.
However, his sword passed right through Rafael, who dispersed as if made of smoke.
"Hehe~."
Zastin watched in silence before muttering, "Illusion."
"Ding! Ding! Ding! You got it! Unfortunately, you're not gonna like your prize."
Rafael appeared like smoke not far from him, hands in his pockets, purple eyes and spirals spinning lazily behind his glasses staring right at him.
The character card he had received was being used in full force.
In that moment of silent waiting after using the points, a white holographic screen appeared in front of him, immediately showing what he had gotten.
A card appeared on the screen, like a Yu-Gi-Oh card—except instead of a duel monster, there was a short-haired black-haired guy with bangs, a wild toothy smile, and psychotic purple eyes with spirals.
Rafael recognized him the moment he saw him, which is why he murmured back then.
[Card Type: Character ]
World: Sense Life
Name: Kaleb
Description: Upon assimilating this character, the user will gain access to all his attributes, be they physical or special, for a limited time of five minutes with up to five uses available
[ Current Uses: 4/5 ]
This was the character he was using at that moment, one he was familiar with—especially with his power, or as the system called it, his special attribute.
[Special Attribute: Transmission
Description: The user of this ability, named [Tribute] in the character's world, can impose sensations onto the target]
There was also an explanation of what Tribute was—something he already knew.
[The character's special attribute, [Tribute], in his world's power system, is a skill someone inherits after the death of a loved one, with the wishes of the deceased being transferred and converted into power. The character Kaleb's brother died wishing he would be more understood by others, resulting in his ability to transmit what he feels]
That was something Rafael already knew, though there was one detail: the way this guy used that power was through drugs, and the card he received kept that mechanic.
[This character card only uses one application of the special attribute—this is the effect of [Weed], with the user already under its effects, no need to ingest the drug]
In other words, Rafael could only use weed to create illusions and nothing else—not the other drugs that would grant him different effects to use.
Well, at least now he had something to lean on.
"I don't know how you developed those abilities out of nowhere, but it doesn't matter. If you think illusions are enough to defeat me, you're sorely mistaken."
Smiling Rafael raised an eyebrow, amused. "And who said anything about winning, pretty boy? I thought the deal was just to survive."
Zastin blinked, realizing he'd forgotten about the deal. "Right. In that case, do your best."
"Sure thing~." Rafael then vanished into smoke before Zastin's eyes.
Zastin looked around calmly, his grip on the sword hilt relaxed.
His gaze wandered until he looked sharply to the corner—immediately seeing a fist coming at his face.
Dodging easily, he swung his sword flat-sided, planning to knock Rafael down—but as expected, the sword went through him again, Rafael dispersing into smoke.
Zastin resumed observing the surroundings, waiting for the next strike—it came in the form of a kick.
Rafael's foot was easily blocked by the flat of Zastin's sword, which countered by trying to grab him—only for his hand to pass uselessly through Rafael again.
Rafael then tried to catch him off guard multiple times, but it proved useless—no matter what he did, Zastin reacted instantly, and his illusion of invisibility lost effect every time he got too close.
"Tsk." Walking around Zastin, who couldn't see him, Rafael frowned. He already knew that trying to land a hit was pointless, even with enhanced strength. Kaleb was strong, but not on par with the alien swordsman.
In truth, Rafael was surprised the illusions worked on Zastin at all—even if they weren't as strong as they should be. He should be able to make Zastin hallucinate completely, see things that didn't exist. But the best he could do was trick his senses.
Obviously because Zastin was way stronger than a human—but regardless, he couldn't keep this up since his time was limited.
"Hey, how about we change the deal—if I hit you even once, that counts as my win, okay?" he said while circling him, his voice sounding from every direction to Zastin.
"Fine, it's clear that whatever you did to empower yourself isn't enough, so go ahead—I'll count a single hit from you as a win." Zastin looked around calmly.
"Deal sealed~."
Rafael lunged, invisible until his fist came at Zastin's face from the side. The man quickly blocked with his palm.
Rafael followed with a capoeira kick, hand planted on the ground, his foot passing harmlessly by Zastin's face as he stepped back.
Rafael then pushed off the ground with a double kick, which Zastin blocked easily with his sword.
After the kick, he continued with punches, knees, elbows, and kicks—his body moving erratically around Zastin with every blow.
But every time, he was blocked—by sword, by hand, or a simple dodge. Rafael couldn't land a single clean hit.
And yet Rafael kept trying, apparently deciding to continue with the fruitless attempts—until he changed tactics.
Deciding he'd done enough, Rafael followed with another attack—but this time aiming straight for Zastin's junk.
Zastin, who had grown used to Rafael's rhythm, was caught off guard by the dirty, unexpected attack—instinctively reacting to block.
But that had been a feint—Rafael's fist curved upward in an arc, flying straight for Zastin's face.
Zastin still moved his head—but he stopped.
Thud!
Rafael's fist landed hard on Zastin's cheek, wind brushing his hair slightly—though his head didn't move a single centimeter as he stared at Rafael.
Rafael grinned mischievously—until his face started twitching, and he quickly pulled his hand back, grabbing it with the other. "Shit! That hurt! What the hell is your face made of?! Titanium?! Argh! Fucking hell!" He shook his hand wildly up and down.
Unaffected by Rafael's words or actions, Zastin calmly commented, "That was a dirty and dishonorable tactic. You got me used to a pattern just to surprise me with that attack. Reckless, but effective."
Zastin then sheathed his sword. "But it has merit. Congratulations, Earthling—you've won. I accept your candidacy as Lala-sama's fiancé." He spoke seriously, his words carrying the weight of his admission.
"Ugh, I think my hand's swelling," Rafael said, his back turned to him, looking at the reddening hand.
Zastin's face twitched as he realized he'd been completely ignored.