Chương 197: B3 - Chapter 31: Results

Seth surged forward and cast Armored Phantom Fists. Shimmering teal aether wrapped around his gauntlets and thickened into massive spectral fists as he closed the distance and threw a brutal hook at Morsh's head. The assassin barely managed to parry, but the blow still snapped his arm violently to the side and forced him off balance. Nightmare struck almost simultaneously, slamming into Morsh's flank and ripping through his leather armor.

The impact sent the assassin stumbling backward, boots scraping for purchase across the forest floor. As Nightmare lunged to continue the assault, Morsh countered and swung back a dagger toward the direwolf's throat. Seth shifted Share's connection from Illusionary Emptiness to Shadow Step, then, in the next heartbeat he dissolved into a swirl of dark mist and reformed beside Nightmare to intercept the killing strike. Steel rang against teal aether as Seth knocked the dagger wide.

Above them, the eagle spirit shrieked in fury and unleashed another flurry of wind spells. Colossus scuttled into position, shell still humming with Desert Aegis, which he used to intercept the aerial barrage. For an instant, Seth considered retreating deeper into the forest to seek better cover—he dismissed the thought immediately. If Morsh walked away from this clash alive, the assassin would simply prepare an even deadlier ambush. It was now or never. Stay close! Seth ordered through Link.

He funneled aether into Night Veil, aiming to drown the clearing in dark fog and strip Morsh of his aerial support. Yet just as the shadows began to gather and spread, the assassin snatched another instant-use scroll from his belt and triggered it. A violent burst of wind exploded from the parchment and scattered the forming darkness before it could settle. Seriously? Seth cursed inwardly. He got intel on my spells. Seth shifted to a second plan.

He began gathering the rawstarving Null affinity of Ravenous Arrow in the center of his palm. Keeping his light bow unsummoned to hide his intent, he poured aether into the spell's intricate grooves, all while he and Nightmare continued pressuring the assassin with a relentless barrage of strikes. At the same time, Colossus kept using his own body as a shield against the storm of wind spells raining from above.

The nearly invisible blades tore into his body, carving shallow grooves and splitting his chitin now that all his defensive spells were on cooldown. Dark blood seeped through the cracks and dripped onto the forest floor, yet the scorpion did not yield. He held his ground and absorbed the strikes, determined to keep the others alive. Sweat beaded along Seth's brow as he kept forcing aether into his palm. The moment Ravenous Arrow reached completion, he manifested the cerulean bow in a flash of light.

The projectile appeared, already nocked, as he drew the string back in one smooth motion. Nightmare immediately lunged at Morsh to force the assassin on the defensive and buy Seth the precious seconds he needed. Seth tilted his aim upward and locked his aim onto the Hurricane Eagle circling above.

"Fria!" Morsh shouted. The beast's attention was fixed on Colossus; by the time the eagle sensed the incoming threat, it was already too late. Seth's arrow flew true, a silent streak of devouring aether that pierced through the air and struck the eagle squarely in the chest. The Null energy tore through its weak defenses and consumed everything the projectile touched. A sharp cry split the clearing, then the beast went rigid and dropped from the sky like a stone.

Before Seth could lower his aim back to the forest floor, Morsh dashed forward, gave a sharp pivot, and slipped past a pounce from Nightmare. As the direwolf's jaws snapped on empty air, the assassin sprinted straight toward Seth, hand already reaching for his belt. A scroll flashed into Morsh's palm. Seth cast Identify on instinct.

Breaker Blast (Flawless) Instant spell-scroll Tier: Iron Grade: Epic+ The parchment ignited with a fierce light, and a compressed discharge of aether erupted outward, tearing through the air toward Seth. He barely had time to react, crossing his gauntlets clad with Armored Phantom Fists. The spell hit him like it was a war ram and he were a gate. The teal constructs of Seth's Undead spell held—barely.

The force slammed into his guard, snapping his left shoulder with a sickening crack and a loud pop as he was driven backward. Pain exploded through his arm and upper torso. Fucking hell. Before Seth could even steady himself, Morsh had closed the remaining distance in a blur. One dagger flashed, forcing Seth to raise his right arm to block—but the second strike followed without hesitation. He tried to bring up his other gauntlet, but the limb screamed in protest.

The blade slipped past his guard and slashed him across the ribs, cutting through leather and flesh in a deep, bleeding arc. Gritting his teeth, Seth moved on instinct and wove through the next flurry with the boost of his Swift Eagle Bracelet despite the white-hot pain flooding his brain. His left arm hung uselessly at his side and blood ran freely down his torso. Morsh pressed in for the kill, though Colossus slammed into him with Scorpion Charge.

The impact drove the assassin off target just as Nightmare lunged in with a feral snarl, jaws snapping inches from his throat. Morsh twisted and parried, daggers gleaming as he fought to keep both beasts at bay. All three crashed into one another, and aether tore across the forest floor, scattering dirt and leaves in every direction. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Seth forced his surroundings back into focus, jaw clenched against the pain.

He couldn't afford to lose here—not after everything he had gone through. This was not the time to hold back. He reached into the teardrop necklace and summoned Lumi out. The otter appeared in a swirl of blue light, hovering in the air. She froze for a heartbeat as her gaze snapped to Colossus—lingering on the cracks in his shell and the blood seeping through.

"I need your help," Seth muttered, one hand pressed against the bleeding wound of his chest. Lumi turned back to him, a soft, worried chirp escaping her. She drifted closer, her small body flaring with radiant glow. Pressing herself against his shattered shoulder, she released a surge of healing light. Warmth spread through Seth's body, dulled the pain, and slowed the bleeding. As soon as the spell faded, Nightmare glanced toward her, and a growl rippled out of his throat.

"Boost me, Little Light!" Lumi seemed to grasp the urgency. She rose onto her hind legs midair, her glowing fur bristling as she drew aether through her body. A high, melodic trill escaped her muzzle, then a beam of concentrated golden energy burst from her chest and struck Nightmare squarely in the back. The effect was immediate. The direwolf's fur flared, and his muscles swelled beneath as he dashed with explosive power that caught Morsh off guard.

At the same time, Colossus pressed in, stingers lashing out in precise thrusts to apply Deathcoil Venom. With his injured arm tucked against his stomach, Seth surged forward to join them. He couldn't use his bow in this state, though he refused to stay out of the fight. Armored Phantom Fist still wrapped his right hand. Lumi flew upward and stayed above Seth. She spread her paws, and a soft golden aura blossomed outward that spilled over Nightmare and Colossus.

The healing light seeped into torn muscles, cracked bones, and fractured chitin, slowing the bleeding and dulling the pain just enough to keep them moving. Morsh wasn't in any better shape. One side of his face had swollen grotesquely. Blood streamed from dozens of wounds, and every breath came heavier than the last. Yet the assassin's expression remained unnervingly composed. With a fluid motion, Morsh reached into his cloak for another spell-scroll. Seth's heart lurched. An Escape scroll, he thought.

His muscles tensed, ready to lunge before the piece of parchment could whisk the assassin away. But no flash of teleportation came. Instead, a violent torrent of crimson aether erupted around Morsh's body. The scarlet energy spiraled around him like living flames before sinking into his flesh. His veins bulged beneath his skin, his breathing steadied, and a savage grin slowly spread across his bloodied face. The assassin had no intention of running. Seth bared his teeth.

"So be it." Still empowered by Beastmaster Rage, he hurled himself forward alongside Nightmare and Colossus. The moment Morsh used his Shadow-Step-like spell to teleport away to prepare another ambush, Nightmare followed him and cut off the maneuver. The direwolf paid dearly for it. One dagger slashed his shoulder, another opened a deep gash along his ribs, black fur quickly turning crimson. Colossus barreled in from the flank, pincers snapping and his stingers striking relentlessly.

Morsh avoided one thrust only to bury a dagger deep into the giant scorpion's foreleg. Chitin cracked beneath the enchanted blade. Colossus screeched in pain but refused to retreat, driving his massive body forward and forcing the assassin backward step after step. Then Seth arrived. His armored fist crashed into Morsh's ribs with enough force to cave in the reinforced part of his leather armor. The assassin answered in kind, one dagger plunging into Seth's side while the other slashed across his thigh.

Pain surged through Seth's body, mixing with the one coming from his shoulder. He ignored it. Wounds after wounds after wounds. Each exchange left all four combatants bloodier than before. Nightmare's breathing grew labored and Colossus bled from half a dozen puncture wounds while Seth could barely feel his left arm anymore. Fresh blood soaked his clothes from more cuts than he could count despite Lumi's continuous healing. But Morsh was beginning to show signs of exhaustion.

His teleports came a heartbeat later than before. His dodges lost their flawless precision. His counters now lacked their previous speed. And Nightmare seized one of the new openings to lunge in. The direwolf vanished into the shadows and erupted directly beside the assassin. His jaws clamped down on Morsh's thigh, Gloom Fang eating through flesh and armor. The assassin let out a roar of pain, the sound raw as he twisted and tried to bring a dagger down on the direwolf. He never got the chance.

Colossus crashed into him from behind with enough force to send all three tumbling across the blood-soaked ground. The scorpion's pincers snapped shut around the assassin's torso while his stingers lashed out. Morsh's face contorted in pain, but he refused to yield. He drove his daggers wildly into the gaps between Colossus' chitin plates, striking the joints again and again until one massive pincer loosened just enough. With a fierce wrench, he tore himself free.

The assassin staggered backward, blood streaming from his ruined leg as one trembling hand dropped the dagger it held and disappeared beneath his cloak—as if looking yet again for another Instant spell-scroll. Seth's eyes narrowed. Not happening. He exploded forward despite every muscle screaming in protest. Morsh looked up, madness burning behind his blood-covered face. Even now, even with one leg mangled, the man still grinned.

The assassin lunged and his remaining dagger flashed toward Seth's throat in a desperate gamble—the man truly believed he could still win. Seth twisted aside at the last possible instant through his instincts. The blade scraped his skin instead of cutting through his neck. And his fist answered for him. The gauntlet smashed into Morsh's jaw with enough force to launch him sideways. Before the assassin could hit the ground, Nightmare pounced and tore through the man's shoulder. Colossus struck almost simultaneously.

His stingers shot forward, punching clean through the assassin's abdomen while Lumi's golden healing light bathed the scorpion and the direwolf, desperately mending what she could. Even then, Morsh refused to die. With blood pouring from his wounds, the assassin switched his remaining dagger to his free hand and lashed out at Nightmare, determined to take the direwolf down with him But Seth beat him to it. He lunged in and drove his armored fist into Morsh's chest. Ribs shattered under the blow.

Air rushed out from the assassin's lungs as he staggered backward, gasping for breath. The man's other dagger still lay in the mud from earlier. Seth snatched it up. Just as Morsh made another desperate attempt to drive his other weapon into Nightmare's neck, Seth stepped into the attack. The blade sank into his already injured shoulder instead of the direwolf's throat. Ignoring the fresh burst of pain, Seth tightened his grip on the dagger he'd just picked up and buried it deep into Morsh's chest.

The assassin froze. His eyes widened as they locked onto Seth's. The confidence in the man's gaze faltered, then vanished along with the light within as he went limp. Seth let the body drop. The moment it hit the ground, his own legs gave out beneath him and collapsed onto the forest's floor. Lumi drifted down to him, paws glowing with a soft, fading warmth as she resumed her healing despite the fatigue. Silence finally settled over the clearing, broken only by ragged breathing and the distant rustle of leaves.

Seth looked at Nightmare and Colossus as Beastmaster Rage's red veil slowly faded from his vision. Like him, his companions' bodies were covered in wounds. They were battered, bloodied, and barely able to keep themselves upright, yet none of them complained or said a word. The duo simply stood there, letting the exhilaration wash over them. They had won.