"Assassins always are the most annoying," the man commented in a stoic, almost bored tone.
Flipping his skeleton-handled, rose-decorated blade upwards, the man seemed to take pleasure in the moments before an execution, making sure to look directly at the red-haired young man, despite his eyes being veiled behind the shadows of his hood.
[Cooldown: 6 seconds Remaining…]
"Jeong-Hui!" Hyun yelled at, attempting to stand but fell back to his knees as blood continued to fall onto the ground.
"Is that right?" He said as sweat trailed down his cheek, fogging his glasses somewhat as he looked at the digitally-obscured face of the hooded man with his emerald eyes, "--I'm not just an assassin, though."
[Cooldown: 1 Second Remaining…]
[Cooldown complete.]
"Cast: Breaker Fist!"
[Spirit: -200. Remaining Spirit: 1950/2700]
"What–?" The enigmatic player muttered in confusion.
Just as he felt the heat of bountiful strength gather at his knuckles, he sent his free, right hand, forming a fist while still holding onto his dagger as he slammed it directly against the man's gut with everything he had.
The impact from the ultimate, close-quarters attack blasted the man away, sending his grip away as he was blown back against the concrete wall.
"Holy crap! You had something like that up your sleeve?!" Hyun called out, coughing as he spoke.
"Don't push yourself, Brother…" Ara kept her brother from standing.
He looked back, giving a thumbs-up as he huffed, catching his breath, "...Sorry, it was on cooldown."
Crap, "Breaker Fist" is a lot more taxing than I thought. Using it feels like every muscle in my body is condensed, then released all at once at the point of my knuckles. Is that what's happening? He thought.
It felt like his entire body was on fire after using the skill from his [Martial Artist] sub-class, huffing as he looked forward as the cloud of dust that gathered from the impact of the punch.
"Did you get him…?" Hyun asked, dragging his feet to stand at his side.
"Don't jinx it, man…" He sighed out.
Of course, he already had a bad feeling about it, and was only further confirmed as his stomach sank, watching the shadow of the man within the dust cloud .
"...Even that wasn't enough…?" Hyun asked dreadfully.
"No way…" Ara commented.
He wasn't much surprised by it, but he still felt the needles of dread plant themselves in his pores as the hooded man stood tall, wiping the dust from the black feathers that sat on the shoulders of his all-black uniform.
"Impressive," the man complimented, "As respect for your strength, I will not let you die completely ignorant–you're not just mere prey, but a respectable opponent. It would be distasteful to let you die without knowing who killed you."
Well, if that's what it takes to get some information from him, I'm all ears…He thought.
"Yeah? So talk away," he said, coaxing the man to talk.
Tapping the side of his black hood, the man disabled the digital shadows that obscured his appearance, revealing only his eyes.
Even with just his eyes, they could gather some details; he was older than them; likely in his early to mid thirties, with burgundy hair, clear from his eyebrows, one of which was scarred, with deep, silver eyes that held little remorse in them.
All-in-all, he was surprisingly human.
"I am Jun-seo. Level Twenty-Five," the man introduced himself.
"Level twenty-five…?" He muttered in shock.
"Makes sense, but still…Holy shit…" Hyun mumbled.
Jun-seo looked only at him, staring directly into his eyes, as if making him take notice of the peculiar formation of his irises; they took the shape of five-pointed stars–an almost alien-like nature to his eyes.
"I am sure you have noticed that your system is unable to verify my existence," Jun-seo said, "and I'm sure you've been told why, by your new friend there."
He gulped before responding, "It's because you have a different system than us, isn't it?"
"Correct," Jun-seo nodded, "You, and most of this world, who remain, possess the "Apocalypse System", as it's called. From it, you draw the power of the Angels themselves, while mixing it with the potential of humanity."
"...And what makes yours so different?" He asked.
Jun-seo remained silent for a moment, simply staring at him as he kept his rose-decorated blade held at his side.
"I possess the "GOETIA System"; what I draw from is the authority of Demons. "The Abode of The Damned", in contrast to "Heaven" in which your power comes," Jun-seo informed him, "As such, I gain bountiful experience when slaying those of the "Apocalypse System"--and Defects alike. It's the best of both worlds; a luxury unmatched."
Demons…? He thought.
"Like I said–a total nut…" Hyun muttered.
He looked at the middle-aged man, yelling out, "I don't get it–how did you end up with something like this?! And what makes you think you'll be let into the Tower if you're using the authority of Hell?!"
Jun-seo stared at him, only responding after beginning to slowly step towards him, "I believe I've said enough. Let me send you to the angels that you draw from."
"...Crap, here he comes," he said, raising his daggers.
I didn't buy nearly enough time–my body is still throbbing…whatever, I'll have to make due! He thought.
He was getting ready to clash blades with the man, but instead watched as Jun-seo came to a stop, opting not to raise his sword as he kept it at his side, instead raising his left hand, pointing his glove-covered palm towards the three.
"Magic…?" He mumbled.
Before he could properly react, nor the other two, an incantation left the lips of the dead-eyed, ruthless man:
"Cast: Infernal Sin."
Spawning from the man's position, pushing from his extended palm, a mass of verdant, raging flames spiraled into existence, causing the entirety of the room to rumble before the massive heaping of green inferno shaped like a jagged arrow launched towards the three.
Through the concrete floor, it disintegrated as if consuming the land in its path, distorting the surrounding air as the heat waves set even the pale, gray pillars aflame.
Is this…death? He thought.
"Cast: Luminate Shield–!"
–It was a familiar incantation, accompanied by a familiar, blessed voice that met his ears like the kindness of a guardian angel in that trying time.
An angel?! He thought.
"Kamou!" He let out in surprise, looking towards the left at the entrance to the abandoned, green-lit garage to see the silver-haired girl, who was focusing on something else.
That "something else" was forming and maintaining the holy shield of durable light that conjured in front of him and the other two just before the mass of infernal flames could engulf them.
"Hot, hot, hot!" Hyun repeated, feeling the heat even behind the shield.
"Grit your teeth and bear with it, man! At least we're alive!" He called out, holding his arms out to protect himself from the reach of the infernal heat.
To his dismay, he noticed, alongside Hyun and Ara, the barrier of light instantly began to form with a web of cracks against the heat of the verdant flames.
"...That's not good, is it?" Hyun asked.
He didn't answer, only looking towards Kamou, who held a shocked look as well, seeming not to expect her shield to fail.
Shit…! He thought.
"We're moving!" He yelled out.
"--Huh?" Hyun let out.
Before either of the siblings could contest him, he grabbed both of their arms, pulling them along with him as he ran with all of his might, feeling the strength of the green inferno rumble through the vast, abandoned parking garage.
He ran towards Kamou, making it away from the pathway of the flames with the other two just as the flames managed to consume the shield, resulting in an explosion of green flames that sent a shock wave outward, causing them to fall over.
"Ghh…" He winced a bit, picking himself up.
"Jeong-Hui!" Kamou knelt down in front of him, helping him up.
He accepted her help instinctually, but quickly denied it to the young woman's surprise, instead turning her attention to the orange-haired man who was bleeding out beside him.
"Take care of him," he forced out of his lips, feeling how exhausted his body was.
The shock wave he just experienced felt as if it took the exhaustion inhabiting his muscles and amplified it, feeling the force ring through the marrow of his bones.
"What're you…?" Kamou asked, watching as he forced himself to his feet.
"This guy is trouble," he told her through heavy breaths.