"Who are you?" The white-haired invader gazed at him meaningfully.
"Lucien Raizen! The man who will surpass the beast emperors! A human dare asks for my name… You've got balls" Lucien answered with a hint of contempt in his eyes.
Seeing this the invader seemed to be vexed for some reason he didn't attack. Those behind him watched him and chose not to act since he was reluctant to attack. Due to this, there was a minute of silence between the two sides but soon the cautious look on the invader's face vanished and was replaced with surprise, disappointment, and then rage.
"What the hell! Did I just retreat because of someone as weak as him?" The white-haired invader screamed in anger!
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lucien was a bit confused by the sudden change in attitude by the white-haired invader.
"At first, I was flustered when you attacked because I couldn't sense your presence… back then I felt you were stronger and that's why my movements were sloppy but just now I realized why… You are running out of mana and you can barely maintain that little spell of yours! Am I correct?" The white-haired invader said with a slight frown on his face but it seemed like he has calmed down already.
"… and now you know that so what? Do you think you can win against me?" Lucien's heart was pounding but he chose to push his fears aside and face the enemy bravely.
"You know, you are quite hardworking and brave… you remind me of myself a thousand years ago… I would have loved to let you leave here alive but I think it's best you die now…. You will be a major problem in the future if I don't put you down now! As a reward for answering my name, I will give you mine… They call me Blink!"
Saying this Blink charged forward with the black scythe raised above his head. With his superhuman physical capabilities, while others could barely see him, Lucien could see him perfectly.
Swoosh!
Bang!
In just a few seconds, the enemy had reached his position, hacking down at him dangerously with the black scythe but luckily Lucien was faster. The black scythe hit the ground but Lucien was nowhere to be seen.
'Not again!' Blink cried out in his head as he instinctively looked to the side but Lucien wasn't there.
'Shit!' He screamed in his mind as he felt the youth's feet connect with his face, letting out a loud bang sound but that wasn't enough to throw Blink off his feet.
The kick was only strong enough to force Blink to retreat by two steps before he recovered and swung the black scythe at Lucien but to his greatest surprise, Lucien had anticipated this move and quickly went for a slide tackle!
Bam!
Successfully dodging the attack and sweeping his opponent off his feet, Lucien hurriedly threw his hands back as he swung his feet with all his might, planting a powerful kick on Blink's face even before his body reached the ground!
Bang!
Everyone watched in disbelief as they watched Blink fly back a few meters back before hitting the ground and rolling a couple of times. Lucien on his part was short of breath and was forced to retreat to Instructor Han's side while trying to stabilize his breathing. Since he wasn't allowed to cultivate by the rules of the empire, his childhood was dedicated to training him in various martial art and fighting styles. He had sparred with experts at the age of nine and could be considered an expert but this was his first real fight and he was surprised his body just moved according to his instincts.
Puti!
Blink slowly got on his feet and wiped the blood trickling down his nose and also spat out some blood as well. While many may not have noticed Lucien did! Blink's blood was black and he too had a strong stench of death around him. Even now, Lucien was struggling hard not to puke his guts out since he had a feeling if he looked away for only a second, he will die. He knew something was off about this group trying to break into the empire but he couldn't tell what exactly. He remembered the comment the white-haired man made, revealing he had lived for thousands of years! Although it's hard to believe, Lucien couldn't help but link it to the stench of death around him and his black scythe! The man must have found a way to prolong his life.
"I would love to get this over with quickly… As you can see I lack the mana needed to maintain this spell for too long…" Lucien said as he slightly leaned forward and threw his hands back.
He was ready for a second round!
_______________
Still finding it hard to move with his eyes shut tight while waiting for death, Instructor Han heard a familiar voice that he despised so much. It was the voice of the student who people claimed to be the next beast emperor or something greater. The kid who challenged his authority on the first day and got away with it!
Someone he considered inferior to him just saved his life now.
'What the hell!' Instructor Han muttered as he felt the urge to dig a hole and bury himself.
His eyes were flickered dangerously as a silver aura could be seen blazing around him. He wouldn't mind dying at the hand of the enemy, what he couldn't endure was having a student who looked down on him, protect him! His pride was on the line now, there is no way he was going to let this kid protect him!
BOOM!
Shooting into the air with a loud bang, the enraged Han decided to take a look at his surroundings only to notice all those stationed at the gate were already dead! While Lucien and Blink fought, the other invaders did well to kill off those around them.
"I never thought a day would come when I will be forced to say this but Lucien, we need to keep them here until the other Instructors arrive… I don't think I can deal with this on my own" Instructor Han confessed with a frown.
He has seen Lucien fight and even though he knew his spatial zone play a major role in suppressing the enemy, he couldn't help but commend Lucien!
"If you put it that way then I have no choice but to help you… Just this once! Also, I think it's time I stop holding back!" Lucien declared with a vicious smile on his face.