Chapter 24
Anna has started to counter Kazein's barrage of attacks! Her form was fixed, her sword was sharp and it had the intent to kill. She parried Kazein's overhand strike and then kicked him in the chest, pushing him 4 meters away.
"Eh? I was sure you had nothing else to show. I'm pretty impressed you hid it that long." He senses the incredible increase on the humidity, and the magic fluctuations of a 8th rank magic technique.
As Anna's hair ran down with water, so did her sword. Her body is watery and she is surrounded by a water barrier. "Yes, I didn't want to use this since it drains my life, but to defeat Kazein's imposter. I will use it."
"Imposter? I told you! There's only one of me!!!" As Kazein also, once again, used the demons power, his strength skyrocketed more than it ever has.
"What is this terrifying aura coming from that darkness?"
"It's so strange. It's more dangerous than a while ago."
The crowd wondered. When Anna stepped forward, Kazein did so as well. And then, they suddenly disappeared. And two seconds later, waves of sound and air has been blowing and causing ripples in the air. It was Anna and Kazein's, they just equaled in power after their burst, now, it's just a battle of who will last longer.
"This battle, I wonder who'll hold out more? Kazein with a mysterious vitality technique, or Anna with blue serpent clan's water asura ascension?" Han Mao asked.
Elder Sasha clicked her tongue and grinned. "Probably that kid. He still has a lot of unruly skills he's yet to show."
"I see. I think so too." Elder Mare added in.
As the two began to tire out, they began to became visible to the naked eyes. As those watching couldn't see before, now they could see who is clearly winning. Kazein had no wounds, meanwhile, Anna was covered with them. And in one last strike.
"This is goodbye, Anna Nishima." He whispered by her ears as he passed her by. And when he was on the other side, Anna fell down the ground with a smile and tears in her eyes, and then fell unconscious.
"This, Kazein won in the end undisputedly! With no wounds or scratches! With this, there's only four left to fight for the spot of top 3!" The announcer stated to everyone listening.
Elder Mare, as the caretaker of the event, went on to heal Anna's wounds.
As Kazein left the arena and retired. "I'm surprised, I expected he'll win. Just not unscathed." Han Mao said.
"No, he was injured. It was just too fast." Elder Yun Hai said to the others.
"What does elder Yun mean by that?" Elder Han Mao asked.
As Yun Hai looked at elder Kira and elder Joseph, he explained to them. "Anna had much faster and stronger attacks. It was just that Kazein had a hyper-regeneration technique. No matter how fast Anna was, Kazein's regeneration was much faster."
"Yes, I felt that there was life energy overflowing a while back. It seems this Kazein is not so simple as we thought he'd be." Elder Kira said while having his fist against his cheek.
"Haha. I agree, he has a technique similar to the one at the cathedral, and a hyper regenerative skill to cope with any wounds he gets. So that must be how he was unscathed after receiving impure magic attacks and still survive." Elder Joseph pointed out. "Mm. Kazein, he is an interesting guy."
Elder Sasha and elder Mare had a disgusted look at elder Joseph. "Fucking gay bastard." Elder Sasha mumbled to her self.
Looking at elder Joseph's haughty laugh, she made a more disgusted look behind her face. "Hmph, just how the hell did a holy priest love to be with men? Look at him. He's so carefree around those guys." She told herself.
At Kazein's inn.
"At least, I still have that much sanity. Enough to say goodbye, to Anna Nishima." He had his head by the wall, smiling.
When the door suddenly opened. A little girl saw the other side of his face, he was smirking with his eyes wide open.
"U umm. House cleaning if you don't mind." The little girl hid her fear and went to carry on her task.
"Go on. I have something to do here, but go on and clean." Kazein looked at the girl and gave a sweet smile.
The girl just nodded and went in. As the girl was cleaning, Kazein was sharpening his blade, he looked at the little girl. "Why are you doing work at such an age?" He asked the little girl.
"U umm. I was an orphan and my aunt took me in. So I just want to be helpful and repay the debt!" She blurted out while klutzing.
Kazein looked at her carefully. "You don't have to lie. Tell me everything."
She sighed and looked down. "My aunt forces me to work. And that if anyone asks why I'm working I should say that I just want to help her. I'm sorry if I lied. That truth is, if I don't work, she'll beat me up. So if I can."
"Go on. I won't ask anymore."
As the little girl went on to continue cleaning, Kazein just cleaned his sword and the ring engraved with a skull. After the little girl finished cleaning.
"Come here." He called her.
As she slowly approached. "Wh what is it? Did I miss a spot?"
"No, take this bag and go north of here, find an old village with a woman named Sheena. Tell her I sent you and I give her my regards. I don't care how you'll get there, just be sure to give her this letter." As he gave her a letter, he then patted her head.
"Umm. But, if I run away here."
"If you run now, they can't beat you. In that bag there's 200 gold coins. A carriage for 2 kilometers is a gold coin. Don't be fooled, you work here so you know. Food is the least you should worry of, just look for cheap but fulfilling food. And when it comes to inns, you should ask old men where the cheapest ones are." He instructed her of everything she needed to know.
"But, why? I don't owe you any favours?"
"It's up to you. To leave this place and live with someone better. I give you the chance to leave, it's either take it or leave it."
As she was thinking for a while, when Kazein was going to take back the letter. She held on to it.
"I will go! I want to leave this place and live a better life. And I will be sure to hand this letter to big brother's wife!" She suddenly blurted out.
Kazein laughed. "Wife? She isn't, I don't know her that much. But I owe her, I want you to leave as soon as possible, I'll see you off tomorrow."
"Yes! I will."
As she went down the room, Kazein irked in pain. "Damn it. The more I have to control it. The more painful it is, but, I can't lose. If I lose to that demon. He'll just use my body to collect more souls, before I even get my revenge!"
That night, Kazein was in pain and suffering. His eyes bled, his nose did so as well. The next day, the finals commenced.