The generals, with their imposing presence, took a step forward. One of them, clad in formidable armor, spoke with a voice that resonated with authority. "Nice to meet you, I am Sakhan and I am one of the great general of Sigma Country. So, you're the intruders who dare to trespass into our territory. You'll pay for your audacity!"
Haili, standing at my side, unsheathed her sword, her eyes determined. The other members of the Alpha Special Army readied their weapons. Then, Haili spoke, "Guys, I know we're in a bad state right now, but we cannot leave this country if we all die here. So, we have to win this fight."
"Who said that we want to fight with you? You are already defeated the moment you see us," Sakhan retorted.
"How dare you say that to us!" Rey shouted at Sakhan. At that moment, someone behind Sakhan attempted to slice him up. However, suddenly her head was cut off and fell into the sand in a glimpse. Looking at her face, it seemed to be Mirei. Mirei had been killed. But such a quick cut.
"Hah!" Haili gasped the moment she saw Mirei's head in the sand.
"Oops, I didn't know that there is an impostor among my soldiers. Listen to me, you low-level soldiers of the Alpha Kingdom. You all stand no chance against us. All I want is to reclaim the spirit itself from you," Sakhan declared, looking at me. Did he know that I have this ancient ruin spirit?
"What do you mean by reclaiming it back?" Haili inquired.
"Hah! You don't even know what he did? I can sense that the embodiment of this ruin spirit is inside that guy. So, by killing him, it makes me worthy to acquire the spirit," Sakhan explained. "How about I give you a chance? If you kill him, I'll let you escape from here."
At that moment, Rey, Haili, and Grey looked at me. "I am sorry, Hulaif, but this is the only thing we can do." Then, Haili continued, "We are not going to kill you. Also, we won't let go of our honor as Alpha Kingdom's soldiers." Afterward, the three of them walked past me and headed toward Sakhan. In that moment, a foreboding sensation gripped me. I wanted to stop them, but it was too late. As my gaze fixed on those three, they were abruptly struck down by an unseen blade, and their heads rolled from their necks.
"Why? Why did you kill them all?" I shouted at him.
"Well, didn't I give the three of them a chance? It seems they wasted their opportunity," Sakhan retorted. "Now, I am going to kill you without anyone disturbing me."
I should have been aware that after I left Sigma Country, they added a new organization after the general—the Great General, the strongest in the country. Was I too hasty in meeting them here? Would the reaper claim my life for a second time? I didn't know, but right now, I sensed that this guy had a trick up his sleeve. I couldn't reveal myself in front of his soldiers.
"Well, I don't know whether you can kill me or not because you stand no chance against me," I bluffed to buy some time.
"You are quite confident for someone standing alone right now," Sakhan remarked as he approached. He grabbed my neck and lifted me up. "Now, farewell." Just as I glimpsed his unseen blade, I swiftly brought him into my domain.
"Activate Domain," I declared, causing his unseen blade to disappear.
"Hmm. Such an intriguing power you have." Despite still being in a chokehold, I swiftly retaliated, breaking free from his grasp.
"Hah..." I breathe steadily. "How about a duel right here and now?"
"It appears this will be a worthy battle for the one who tarnished the acknowledgment of spirits."
"Enough with the small talk." The staff of wind materializes in my hand, and I swiftly strike at Sakhan. While not an overwhelmingly powerful weapon, the staff deals a blow that renders him unable to deploy the unseen blade. I relentlessly press the attack, and even though he manages to parry the staff, the wind-infused strikes take their toll.
"Tch, a deceptive weapon. I can't counterattack. I'll have to adjust my technique." Suddenly, I sense the wind swirling around me, accompanied by the crackling of electricity. I retreat just as the sparks begin to fly.
"So, you've changed your approach," I remark. As I step back, Sakhan scatters unseen blades in all directions.
"Now, how about a dance?" He gracefully sweeps his hand above, down, left, and right. Simultaneously, unseen blades strike from front to back, left to right, right to left, and from behind to the front. All of it manage to hit me, but the injuries from it was not quite deep.
"Ouch, I forgot to parry," I admit.
"Tch, it's not deep enough to kill you," Sakhan remarks.
"Hahaha... Your blade seems to be dulling," I chuckle. Simultaneously, I switch from the wind staff to Mia's compound bow, deploying an invisible web around me.
"Hah! You've changed to a bow. Let's see how you deal with this blade," Sakhan challenges as he attacks. However, this time, the blade fails to hit me, as it is intercepted by the resilient web. Mia's compound bow, now transformed, fortifies the invisible shield, rendering it stronger than steel. "Hah! But, how?" Sakhan expresses confusion.
"Now, for the reckoning of what you've done, I will judge you," I declare, swiftly pulling the bowstring, charging, and releasing a powerful strike.
"Ah, now I must tap into the power of the cursed spirit," he declares, summoning his cursed weapon in the form of a blade and sheath. Closing his eyes, he unsheathes the blade, unleashing a surge of wind pressure that swiftly deflects the arrow I launched at him. Realizing this, I hastily fortify the web. Despite my defense, the wind pressure leaves a painful gash on my stomach, highlighting the urgency of reinforcing the web to prevent potential harm.
"Tch, that should have been my final attack earlier. Now you've made it difficult for me to win with this bow," I remark. This time, I change to Lizark's armor in its boxing version. With the handle back in place, I wait for another attack. While his weapon can only be used in unsheathed and sheathed states, it exhibits a significant weakness but delivers a powerful blow. I swiftly approach him, deftly evading every wind blade sent by Sakhan. When I stand in front of him, he maintains his stance, closing his eyes.
"You are a formidable enemy. Death blade," he declares, unsheathing the blade for the second time.
Upon witnessing the attack, I promptly deflect a portion of it and counter with a swift move. "Flash counter," I announce, striking his jaw and sending him flying. As he hangs in the air, I leap and deliver a relentless series of hits. In a powerful move, I slammed him into the ground, seamlessly transitioning into the bow mid-air. Swiftly, I unleashed a magical arrow, sending it hurtling towards him from above.
As I hit the ground, I swiftly deactivate the domain. Sakhan's soldiers shift their attention towards Haili, Rey, and Grey, along with the subdued Sakhan. Standing amidst the fallen bodies, I discern a startling revelation—the trio I thought were comrades are, in fact, androids. How did I overlook this detail? Despite the apparent suicide mission, their superhuman abilities offer a second chance at life if some survive and return with the head. Realizing the need for their recovery, I secure them within the domain.
Just as I prepare to depart, I find myself encircled by Sakhan's soldiers.
"You are surrounded. Surrender yourself," one of them commands, aiming a rifle at me.
"What happens if I refuse?"
"You will die."
"Then, I refuse," I declare. Before the soldier can launch a shot, an arrow pierces his rifle. Suddenly, a smoke bomb materializes, shrouding the surroundings in a dense haze, obscuring visibility. The moment feels tense, on the brink of chaos. It's the eve of a crucial moment. Also, it's about to become dark right now.
"Come here, follow me." Suddenly, I can feel someone touch my hand. And I realized this voice. Without waiting too long, I followed the person with that voice and ride a motorcycle that her brought.
During the ride, we traversed through a dense haze, and I caught sight of the person who had brought me—Laura in person. The journey remained silent, with an unspoken tension lingering in the air. I sensed Laura's anger, perhaps fueled by my failure to contact her or share my survival sooner. Despite my attempts to break the silence, she remained reticent until we reached our destination.
Once I dismounted the motorcycle, I turned to her, "Laura, I'm sorry for not telling you that I am still alive. Can you forgive me already?"
Unexpectedly, she embraced me tightly and confessed, "No, I am the one who should apologize. I am the one who brought you to the dead. I should have known not to trust them." I felt the dampness of her tears on my shoulder, and then, I heard her blow her nose on my shirt.
"Hey, that's enough. At least blow your nose on your own clothes."
"This is our reunion after six months. Let me blow more snot on your clothes."
"Ah! So, where did you bring me?" I inquired.
"Welcome to my secret hideout, number I don't know. Let's go inside." We entered the hidden sanctuary located in the midst of the desert—a cave she had decorated to resemble her home.
As I settled into one of her chairs, she offered me food, but I declined. Instead, I asked her, "Can you sit here?" She took a seat not far from me. "Can you elaborate on what happened after they killed me?"
"After you were killed, your corpse disappeared. I wasn't sure what was happening when I arrived. The then-General Khairi ordered his soldiers to capture me, accusing me of complicity with you. I was thrown into prison, and a few months later, the government system changed to that of the ruin. I don't remember who the great general was at the time, but he stabbed me with a cursed weapon and made me wear a crown. Then, he abandoned me in one of the ruins, similar to the one you emerged from. It was only after Jariyah explained everything, and I read the letter you gave me, that I understood."
"So, what's your response?"
"Since I don't have a life here right now, maybe I should give it a try."
"Then, it is settled. Let's go to our next location. My comrade is waiting for me."
"Hey, Hulaif. Before that, can I know who you really are?"
"I am me. Why do you ask that?"
"Not like that. After I infused with the cursed weapon and wore the artifact crown, I could see something like an aura. I can see your aura. It's mixed with a different aura, not yours."
"If you say that, maybe it's the soul that followed me after I cleared the trial at those ruins."
"So, you were chosen by the ruin... no. Ancient spirit?"
"Maybe." After a moment, I received a communication from Sarin—it's an emergency call.
"Hulaif! If you can hear this, hurry up. It seems that my disguise has been exposed. The police are about to catch me. Hurry, come here."
"Hey, Sarin! Where are you?"
"I am at..." The connection was abruptly cut.
"Hulaif! What happened?" Laura asked. Simultaneously, we sensed the approach of the army outside.
"I'm sorry, Laura. We need to get out of here. But before that, can you buy me some time? I need to prepare for teleportation to my comrade."
"In this secret hideout, I've implanted a few landmines. They might slow them down. So, hurry and do your thing," she suggested.
At that very moment, I swiftly activated the teleportation, aligning myself with Sarin's coordinates. The process involved pinpointing the exact location of Skid's clone, which took a few intense minutes. The tension in the air escalated as we could hear explosions echoing from outside the hidden hideout, signifying the chaos ensuing in our wake.
After what felt like an eternity, the door to our secret hideout swung open, revealing an unexpected intruder—Sakhan. Surprisingly, he was still mobile, akin to a cat endowed with nine lives. However, before he could close in on us, my teleportation procedure concluded, whisking Laura and me away to Sarin's last known location. The abrupt transition spared us from the imminent threat posed by Sakhan and his persistent pursuit.