Chapter 98: Final Battle
Adrian, gritting his teeth, forced himself to focus. If they were stronger now, then brute force wouldn’t work. He needed to outthink them.
He feinted left, then twisted mid-step, slashing at the nearest puppet’s leg. His blade passed through the mist, but this time, the puppet didn’t disperse completely. It began reforming slowly, leaving Adrian dumbfounded.
This realisation was like a punch to the gut. This meant that if he didn’t dispatch of them quickly enough, any injuries he dealt would eventually heal.
This was bad. Very, very bad.
The puppets advanced, their movements predatory. Adrian’s mind raced. If they were reflections of his own skills, then perhaps the key wasn’t to fight them, but to change the way he fought.
He needed to be unpredictable. It was the same strategy he used in the previous battle, but this time he took it up just for a fraction of a second, and it was enough.
He struck.
His sword moved erratically, slashing in wide, sweeping arcs rather than precise cuts. The puppets faltered, their synchronization breaking slightly as they struggled to adapt to his sudden shift in style.
Adrian didn’t let up. He pressed the advantage, driving one puppet back with a series of wild, uncontrolled strikes. His blade finally found its mark, plunging into the puppet’s chest.
The mist shuddered and for a moment, it held its form, then shattered, dispersing into the air. One down.
But the remaining two didn’t falter. They adjusted instantly, their movements becoming more fluid, more precise.