Chapter 54: Surprise Guests (2)
30 observed Mikael closely, stunned by his ability to withstand and react to the attack. 'An F- ranker, and he killed 31? Even if it was a surprise attack, that's impossible. And now he's holding his ground against me, a D+ ranker?' The assassin tightened his grip on his sword, more on guard than ever. When he noticed the grin on Mikael's face, his wariness only deepened.
'Should I retreat and come back with reinforcements?' His mind screamed yes, but knowing he would be punished for returning without results, he decided, 'I'll try to kill him. If I see that he's too strong, I'll retreat, punishment be damned!'
This decision by the assassin saved Mikael from significant trouble. After all, the assassin was faster than him, even with his footwork skill, so if he had chosen to run, Mikael wouldn't have been able to catch him.
The situation remained a tense stalemate, the two fighters silently sizing each other up before Mikael suddenly rushed forward, swords in hand, his eyes cold and determined.
30 reacted instantly, sending half a meter wide aura slashes toward Mikael. Mikael rolled to evade the first attack, then jumped to the side to avoid another flying slash.
While dodging, Mikael continued to close the distance between himself and the assassin. Soon, he was near enough to strike, but the assassin's lack of retreat made him cautious, expecting a sudden counterattack.
30 didn't disappoint. As Mikael approached, the assassin concentrated a high amount of aura into his blade and sneered. "Be proud you forced me to use this move!" he said before unleashing a massive slash.
A multi-meter-wide aura slash, far larger and denser than the previous ones, surged toward Mikael, radiating a palpable sense of danger. Feeling the threat to his life, Mikael used Blade Tempest to slow the attack. While it reduced the slash's momentum, it didn't stop it.
Pushing his body to the limit, Mikael forced more aura into his sword techniques and strained his muscles to swing faster. This combination allowed him to hold the aura slash in a tenuous stalemate before it could reach him.
The assassin was shocked that Mikael managed to block a slash containing 15% of his total aura. However, he smirked and said, "Impressive. But can you handle another one?" Without hesitation, he slashed again, sending a second enormous aura blade hurtling toward Mikael.
Now faced with two devastating attacks, Mikael was forced to split his efforts. Even as he gave it his all, to the point of breaking his arm muscles and make them bleeding profusely, it wasn't enough. The aura slashes inched closer, and the worst part was that he couldn't move. If he stopped using Blade Tempest for even a moment, the blades would kill him before he could dodge.