Feeling the tremor, Barone looked back, in the direction where his Pandorian had left in pursuit of the redhead brat.
He shared a soul with the creature, so it was easy to sense when something was wrong. Judging by his expression, it was evident that something serious had happened to his companion.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Colin appeared before Barone and punched him violently in the face.
Pah!
Barone skidded a few meters.
"What's wrong?" mocked Colin, snapping his fingers. "Worried about the mantis boy? Better worry about yourself!"
Barone never lost his composure in a fight, but speculating about what had happened to his companion was starting to affect his mental state, diverting his focus.
He bit his hand, trying to calm down.
Now, he had to worry about the man in front of him, who had been wearing an annoying smile since the start of the fight.
Even while getting a beating, Colin hadn't lessened his arrogance one bit, and that was starting to irritate Barone deeply.
Spinning his daggers, Barone became invisible and charged toward Colin.
Clang!
Raising his eyebrows, Barone was surprised to see Colin block that blow, even having concealed his presence.
Swoosh!
Colin dodged an invisible stone as well, ducking so naturally that Barone was forced to retreat a few meters.
"How?" asked Barone, still invisible.
"Seriously, you didn't notice? Someone as smart as you? I'm a little disappointed…"
Barone was losing control, and that was exactly what Colin wanted.
"Answer me!"
Colin grinned from ear to ear and pointed exactly to where Barone was, making him retreat a few more meters.
"I won't lie, you're quite an annoying opponent." Colin rested one of the daggers on his shoulder. "But what doomed you were your repetitive patterns."
"Patterns? What?"
"What are you talking about?"
"That's right, patterns. After fighting you for so long, even a monkey would notice. You disappear and attack me from the front, aiming for my chest, not my neck. That shows you like to toy with your opponents. The invisible stones always hit from my waist up when my feet are on the ground. So, it's no secret, since you always use the stones after attacking me directly."
Before Barone could move, Colin snapped his fingers, and electric chains surged from beneath the assassin, holding him from head to toe, almost breaking his bones.
Ensuring that Barone wouldn't escape like last time.
Colin cracked his neck and resumed walking calmly toward Barone.
"Every time you distance yourself from me, you jump five meters, so it's not hard to deduce where you'll be. I won't lie: you are much stronger than me, but you took too long to finish me off. That, my dear friend, was what led to your ruin."
After gulping once more, Barone smiled and raised his head to face Colin, standing right in front of him.
"You're good at reading patterns, Elf."
"I trained a lot with my partner for this."
Barone smiled.
"I would love to fight you again…"
"I wouldn't. You're the cunning type of enemy, quite hard to face. This forced me to be more analytical than usual. To be honest, it's quite tiring."
"Hehehe! It's an honor to hear that!"
Colin reached out his hand, and a lightning dagger formed in it. Just as he was about to slit Barone's throat, Colin saw a light engulf his opponent and disappear.
The counter went down one number.
[96].
Kurth came out of the forest, arriving just in time to see Barone disappear. The state of the two wasn't the best: Kurth's arms were quite swollen, and Colin was soaked in blood.
"Mr. Colin!" Kurth approached. "Are you okay?"
Colin fell seated to the ground and started panting. He was almost at his limit.
"I'm fine, but what about you? What happened to your arms?"
"Don't worry about me, I can go on. And you, sir?"
"Me too, but give me five minutes; I need to catch my breath."
Feeling a sharp pain in his right hand, Kurth dropped to his knees and let the photo he was holding fall next to Colin.
Picking up the photo before returning it, Colin stared at it for a few seconds.
He had seen that image before.
That was when he remembered the man in the portrait. He had killed him in that place that seemed to have been the stage of a bloody battle. He had found that man half-dead and still humiliated him, saying horrible things in his final moments.
Colin stared Kurth in the eyes.
"Your family?"
Smiling, Kurth nodded.
"It's been a while since I've seen them, but I feel they are doing well. I believe they will be quite proud when I say I passed the capital's selection trial. The Ultan Empire pays better than the southern one. If I become a soldier, I believe I can provide a good life for my parents."
Colin put the photo in Kurth's pants pocket and remained silent.
"What are the odds of this happening? And right here… I thought that guy's son was just a child. Tsk! What a drag."
Kurth looked at the blackened horizon and saw some signs of smoke. He turned his gaze back to Colin.
"Do you believe the ladies are okay?"
"Don't worry, those two are strong as hell."