Chapter 154: House arrest
Irwin reacted on instinct, unsummoning the hammer and using the little kinetic energy he had left to jump back. A blurred motion, too fast to see clearly, flashed past his face, air pulling along with it.
He landed on his heels, stumbling back and trying to keep his balance while focusing on the blur before him. The Niox moved almost as fast as it had struck, and Irwin barely had time to raise his hands in defense, only for two large white, calloused fists to wrap around his wrists.
Instantly, he was locked into place, his body shivering with tension as he felt something press down on him.
The eyes behind the mask were like icy marbles.
"Impressive for a handcarded," the voice said as the Niox cocked his head. "Sadly, I can't play with you now, and blocking teleportation won't help you."
Blocking- Irwin's thoughts were interrupted as something struck him on the chin. His head rocked back, and he felt his mind sink into unconsciousness.
No!
Screaming at himself, he forced his mind to remain awake, barely succeeding. Without hesitation, he toggled his flame skill, and the world turned crimson as a raging fire erupted from him.
A startled grunt came, and the pressure around his wrists intensified as the Niox squeezed.
Vision blurry, Irwin saw the head flicker, and he triggered his Vealite at the same moment as a more powerful blow rocked his face. He felt his nose flatten, something creaking then snapping, while absorbing a massive surge of kinetic energy, as much as jumping from the wall in Grianfál gave.
Black spots swirled across his vision, and his legs buckled. Knowing he had no more than a split second before a third blow would knock him out, he let all of the kinetic energy flow to his legs. It was a trick he'd learned over the months to use the energy where he needed it, and after the split second it took to reach his feet, he had it explode out.
There was a muffled boom, and he was flung up and forward as if he had been hurled by a giant. There was a surprised roar, and then he felt himself sail through the air, dragging something along for a few moments. He slammed into the ground, on his back, the air knocked out of him.