Fenrir stood atop a crane, overlooking the docks. He couldn't help but feel amused at the fact that he was back at the western docks just after one night, where he had killed members of a trafficking ring. His mind went back to the children he and Viperess saved and he decided to try and visit them once everything settled down.
Fenrir cleared his thoughts and turned to look at a cargo ship. He had seen this ship last night but didn't pay attention to it but, after interrogating a high-ranking mercenary, he found that this ship didn't handle cargo but was in fact a front for a Practitioner base. His blue eyes flickered with excitement as he thought of how he could interrogate the Practitioners for information on the Organization. He knew that he was being impatient and reckless, but he still wasn't satisfied with the results he gained recently. Fenrir jumped down from his perch and flitted through the containers scattered through the docks while concealed in the shadows. He was being cautious because he was certain that the authorities would leave someone to keep an eye here due to the events of last night.
He slipped into the ship but paused with narrowed eyes when he noticed how lax the security was. He used his helmet's vision to try and discern any clues but found that the ship was shielded against infrared vision, confirming the mercenary's clue that this place wasn't ordinary. He slowly made his way into the ship, cautiously walking through the narrow corridors while pausing to check for movements with his intuition; he couldn't rely on his Esper powers since he overworked them and if he wanted to use them again, he'd need to release the limit he placed on his Practitioner abilities, something he didn't want to do unless it was absolutely necessary.
As he continued moving forward, Fenrir felt killing intent aimed at him from behind and tried to dodge but failed as he was knocked forward. Flying, he smashed into the wall of the ship as every part of his body screamed in pain and he tried to pick himself off from the ground. His breather slid to the sides of his face as he spat out blood. Wiping his mouth, he looked back and saw a man dressed as a Confucian scholar with a raised arm. He appeared to be a middle-aged man, yet his goatee was speckled with gray hair.
Sneak attack? Cute, Fenrir thought as he slowly stood up. He studied the man in front of him and took a deep breath. He could feel the strong vitality the man was emitting and his eyes stung when he made eye contact with the ambusher's slanted eyes. Fenrir was surprised even though his helmet was shielding his eyes, he was affected by the ambusher.
Fenrir twisted his head, cracking his stiff neck before the blades on his elbow and knees popped out. His mind was spinning, trying to come up with methods to deal with this strong Practitioner while he spoke to distract the latter.
"A Practitioner cowardly performing a sneak attack against a normal human … tsk tsk," Fenrir growled as his breather closed again, the teeth glinting in the dimmed light. He chastised himself inwardly, realizing that he was led into a trap because of his impatience and bloodlust.
"You are anything but normal," the man spoke in Mandarin. "What is it you call yourself?"
At the question, the man's figure glimmered as he left after images of himself when he launched at Fenrir, who dodged at the last second and jabbed at the man's left arm. The man didn't even flinch as he continued assaulting Fenrir while the latter could only dodge and return an attack sporadically, all of which were aimed at the man's left arm.
"The Slayer of Gods and Immortals? What hubris," the man sneered as Fenrir jabbed two fingers into his shoulders. In an instant, the man pulled away from Fenrir and appeared to be surprised at how he couldn't move his left arm. What made him feel astonished was that Fenrir had managed to do this, perform a technique from his homeland, without the use of Qi on his strengthened body.
"Hubris? You're not the first Grandmaster I've fought," Fenrir replied and he advanced, intent on attacking the man while he was vulnerable.
The man used his right hand to block every strike that Fenrir sent, he blocked the relentless flurry of punches and kicks without hiccuping before finding a weak spot and striking Fenrir in the chest.
As he was pushed back, Fenrir had to retreat until his back hit the wall. The ship trembled and groaned from the impact, attesting to how much strength the opponent released. The man pulled his palm back before thrusting out and a concentrated ball of Qi flew out towards Fenrir who barely dodged. The ball hit the wall and a chunk of the ship was blasted away. Fenrir, who was at a disadvantage, decided to use the new exit. He jumped out and his shoulder-mounted Pivot grappled him to the top of the ship's deck.
This man … Fenrir thought as he landed on the deck. He is a golden core Grandmaster at peak power. Not someone I can fight while handicapped.
Right now, Fenrir was unable to use his Esper ability at full power; he was too weak and his muscles were cramping from overwork. The blood he was coughing wasn't even from the injury the man gave him. Rather, it was from the damage his internal organs had from the overuse of his powers.
Fenrir turned and looked around only to realize that he was surrounded. He wasn't sure when, but an army of Practitioners had converged on the deck. What was worse, Fenrir realized that the ship wasn't docked in the port anymore, it was now out in the ocean. The Practitioners circled around him, preventing him from escaping while the man Fenrir was fighting previously floated up from the damaged hull of the ship.
"You can't escape," the man said while a Master level Practitioner, the one leading the entrapment, cupped his fists.
"Sage Yu," the Master said respectively.
Sage Yu? Fenrir recognized the man now. Leader of the secluded Shuixian sect and descendant of the Sage-King Yu the Great … great. Just great.
"Stay back," Yu ordered the Master. "I'll kill him myself."
Fenrir took out his handheld railgun and used it to create spells. Magic circles enveloped the area around Yu and spells of different elements came crashing down on him. Yu ignored them all and charged at Fenrir, his body smashed through the magic circles shattering them as he closed the distance between them. Yu crushed the barrel of his railgun and Fenrir was forced to withdraw it back into his pendant.
Another palm strike hit Fenrir and he staggered backward, using the force of the blow to create some distance again. Fenrir backflipped to balance himself before throwing out a stun bola. He aimed at Yu's neck, his intention was to have the bola constrict the Grandmaster's throat. Unfortunately, Yu raised his left arm to block it. The bola wrapped itself around his left arm and a strong current, enough to fry a normal human, surged out of it.
"Paltry tricks," Yu sneered as he used his right hand to tear the bola off. He clenched his left fist continuously, satisfied that the electrical shock had managed to negate the pressure point attack Fenrir had given him.