Arthur and James stand their ground, preparing to fight off the numerous enemies who were planning to ambush them. James glares at the men who seemingly look unbothered about being discovered as more continue to emerge from their hiding spots. The men cackle as they gather and block off the route to the Saddledome.
"It seems we've got ourselves a good catch, boys," A malevolent voice says, from behind the gathered men as they move aside to make way. A middle aged man with a half burnt face appears as the crowd parts ways, his sleeveless shirt covered in blood. A prominent scorpion tattoo on his shoulder becomes more visible as he walks closer to the front.
"Judging by the way they're acting, he must be their leader," Arthur whispers, squinting his eyes as he attempts to see how strong this individual is with his third eye. "Level 27!"
His eyes widen in disbelief as he observes this man's high level. "A level that high means he's strong," He thinks to himself, his body getting more tense from the thought of how strong this individual might be. "Isn't there a way to get more information about him?"
[You can't see anything other than his stat and level because your third eye is still at the beginning stage.]
"James," Arthur calls, slowly moving closer to him. "That guy over there…"
"I'm getting this unsettling feeling from him too, we need to be careful," He says, his tone hinting concern. "Stay close no matter what."
James takes a step backwards, standing in front of Arthur and the rest as if shielding them from the man's malicious eye, before speaking. "There's around seventeen of them and I'm not sure if we'll be able to take them on. I want you to run if things turn bad, please."
"No, I won't turn my back. We're supposed to fight together." Arthur affirms, stepping forward and standing beside him.
"How amusing!" The man yells, spreading his arms wide. "Do you plan to fight all of us?"
The man begins to laugh hysterically like a maniac as the rest of his men join him. He goes completely silent seconds later, his face expressionless as if he'd become a different person. "Killing you will give me so much pleasure, and those two women behind you will be put to good use."
Sophia starts trembling as those words echo through her head, breathing heavily as her heart pounds uncontrollably. She draws back gripping Jane's arm even tighter than before. Jane holds her as she's also barely able to keep her composure, before whispering. "It's gonna be ok."
"Grab the women, you can do what you like with the others," The man commands, pointing three of his goons toward the group. The men draw their weapons and charge at them, running as if racing for the first kill.
James drops his backpack and charges at them, intercepting them in before they get any closer. The first man swings his machete at him, aiming at his head but he swerves to the side, kicking his knee from the side and snapping it. Leaving him on the floor, he swiftly ducks, narrowly avoiding another attack aiming for his neck.
He drops his sword, placing his palms on the ground and using them as a pivot to spin as he does a sweeping kick, throwing the second goon off balance and kicking his ankle sending him crashing to the ground. He stands up, picking up his sword and stabbing him in the thigh, causing the last goon to stop, frightened by what James has done and the agonizing screams of his comrade.
In that moment of daze, James rushes at him, hitting him on the temple with the hilt of his sword and knocking him out.
"I always knew he was skilled, but to think it was to that level. Is that the effect of the mark?" Arthur thinks to himself, his eyes full of awe. "Does he even need me?"
"Interesting, you're the strongest one so far," The man claims, laughing maniacally as he places his palm on his face. "The others just begged until their final breath. It was so boring."
The man sends five more of his goons, attempting to gauge how strong James is, before speaking. "Let's see how well you'll do against five."
They rush at him, yelling as they run but he stands his ground. He clashes with them, swinging his sword and dodging machetes. He slashes one across the chest with a downward swing, following up with an upward as he turns and slashes another.
He leaps backwards away from the tussle, beads of sweat dripping from his face as he tries to catch his breath. The three remaining men notice his fatigue and charge at him, as one of them yells. "Now's our chance!"
"Tsk, I can't drag this out," He mutters, charging back at them. His attacks and movements lose momentum as he's exhausted from fighting multiple opponents.
He is flooded by attacks, barely managing to stop them until a fourth goon appears suddenly and slashes him on the back.
"JAMES!" Arthur yells, dashing towards him as one goon raises his blade, trying to deal a finishing blow. He closes the gap between them, swinging his sword upwards with full force as he blocks the attack aimed at James, sending the machete flying.
He then punches him in the jaw with a 20% output, sending him crashing into the others and giving James time to get up, before he speaks. "Are you okay?"
"I'll manage," He replies, groaning as he regains his footing. "Thanks."
"Sigh, you're all so useless, I have to do everything myself," The man says, stretching out his hand as an ominous black aura engulfs his hand.
Violent screams erupt from the men lying on the ground as their bodies twist and convulse, cracks resounding and black tears streaming from their eyes.
"What the…," Arthur exclaims as he and James slowly back away.
[END]
To be continued…