CLANG!
Blaze shifted a step forward, the tip of his spear aimed at Hunter's abdomen. He reasoned that since it wasn't a fight to the death, there was no need to use lethal force. He was careful to aim at spots that wouldn't lead to instantaneous death.
Hunter was also doing the same thing. They both knew when and when not to be excessive.
But that didn't mean they took it easy on their opponent. A casual slip-up, or being too soft could cause them to lose ground and eventually be beaten by their opponent, so they had to be cautious, as well as ruthless...
'Stare at his eyes, watch the twitch of his every muscle.' These were the thoughts going through Hunter's head as he clashed with Blaze.
Because of their choice of weapons, Blaze had the range advantage. When he was in his transformed state, he was only capable of fighting with his claws. He didn't have any melee weapons he could use, and Blaze had already proven that long-range attacks could be easily countered by him.
The only advantages he had, were his greater speed and his ability to summon wolves that could attract his attention, and possibly create an opening for him to strike...
'His spear techniques are good. He probably has had a lot of training. I wonder which family he comes from.'
In the world of Urbus, it wasn't uncommon for member families of the high-class community to practice martial arts, especially families with military backgrounds.
Although there was world peace, that didn't mean that the authorities and military suddenly disappeared. They were more present than ever, but they remained mostly hidden in the shadows away from the knowledge of the common folk.
Blaze was from a military family background, so it wasn't unusual for him to know martial arts.
As for Hunter himself, let's just say he is self-taught...
The tip of the spear continued without any deviation from its intended path but was parried by Hunter. A single swipe of his hairy hands was all it took for the spear to be struck away. It looked like the work of an amateur, but only those with keen, fast eyes and a good grasp of timing would have been able to stop a strike with that work of speed.
"You are good." Blaze snorted as he continued to swing and stab his solar at Hunter.
"You aren't half bad yourself," Hunter responded.
Although they didn't see eye to eye, they still acknowledges their strengths...
"Enough playing around then. Its high time is owed you what real fighting looks like." Blaze said as he continued attacking.
He stomped his foot onto the ground and thrust his spear out three times in which succession.
SWISH!
The thrusts were so fast, all three stabs merged into one, making it look like he had only stayed out a single time. The air around the spear was burnt up due to the friction caused by the speed of the spear.
Hunter wasn't able to stop them all and ended up being jabbed in the shoulder by the tip of the spear.
"Shani secret technique: Three strikes to kill."
The attack was as deadly as it was swift, and it managed to draw blood from Hunter.
With a flip, Hunter moved backward, protecting himself from the onslaught Blaze had planned to unleash upon him.
"My family has perfected this technique for years. Coupled with my newfound power and strength, it has become many times more deadly. This isn't 20% of what I can bring out. Surrender now." Blaze said as he strutted towards Hunter.
The spear in his hands looked dangerous, but the look in his eyes seemed even more so...
"That was a wonderful technique," Hunter said in his unchanging voice.
At this point in their fight, Hunter had summoned another batch of wolves as the last one had all been killed by Blaze. Once they were killed, they would turn into speckles of fiery dust, leaving behind a sulphuric smell.
Out of the new batch he had summoned, only 5 were left. They circled Hunter on standby.
"But surrender? We are just getting started."
A trace of a smile peeked out from under his lips as the wolves all around him howled into the moonless sky.
Pointing his hand at one of them, he muttered a few words under his breath before he said;
"Summon Sacrifice: Healing."
The wolf broke into a stream of glowing speckles of light that leaked into his wounds, instantly healing them. He then pointed his hands to the remaining four.
"Summon: Demon Wolf Replica."
The remaining wolves all turned into four steady streams of flames, coming together to form a figure that looked exactly like Hunter.
"What?!"
Blaze, as well as the rest, were shocked to see a skill that could heal someone up so fast.
"This guy is full of surprises. Where the hell did he get something like that?" Cain muttered
to himself as he continued to observe the fight.
"Who knows?" A voice coming from behind him said.
All of Cain's nerves and danger signals screamed out loud, as his heart began to beat twice as fast. With the speed of a lightning bolt, he drew {Devil's Broken Claw} from its sheath. Featured around even faster, his blade ready to draw the blood of his potential attacker.
But when he looked behind him, he saw no one...
"What the-?!"
"Looking for me?" The same voice called out again, only this time, it came from beside him.
'Calm down...' Cain took in deep breaths as he calmed his unsteady heart down.
He turned his head to the side expecting to see some sort of devil but was greeted with an eye full of white.
Even under the barely available illumination, he could still its luster as though it was as clear as day.
A head of white hair, and eyes that seemed as red as blood.
"Evangeline?" Cain said; equal parts surprised, equal parts suspicious and wary.
He kept his blade drawn, pointing it directly at her, but she didn't even glance at him. He also couldn't sense any killing intent or bloodlust from her. He couldn't even sense anything from her. Only a bleak and cold aura...
"How did you get here?"
"Shadow manipulation: Shade walker."
The shadows within the darkness twisted according to her will, allowing her to blend into them, disappearing from Cain's sight...
"That's how." She said after she appeared on his other side.
'Well, I'll be damned.' To say he wasn't creeped out by her would be a huge lie. And the scariest part of all this was that if she wanted to take his life, she would be able to do so very easily as he couldn't sense her presence at all...
"What do you want?" Cain said coldly. The very thought of how dangerous she was made him feel cold behind the neck, as though someone had placed the cold edge of a blade onto his neck from behind.
"Just watching..." She said, her ruby eyes staring right into his. He wasn't scared of her, but very cautious.
"Are you talking about the fight or..." I'm asked to clarify.
She didn't even answer. She just stared at him...
'She's weird.'
"Suit yourself then..." Cain said as he re-sheathed his blade.
'That's one more person I have to keep an eye on. It seems this group is filled with all levels of crazy.'
Cain turned his attention back to the fight, but this time, he wasn't fully focused, as he diverted some of his attention to his surroundings, so the situation that just occurred wouldn't repeat itself.
Blaze and Hunter were still fighting, and the battle had only gotten more brutal over time.
Hunter relied on his summon twin that had all the same powers as he had to soak up all the damage, while they attached. If he ended up with an injury, he would use a summon to heal the wound.
'He can summon so many times, which means he most likely has a large mana pool.'
The summons came again and again, only to be cut down by Blaze and his immaculate spear techniques and insane damage.
However, it was clear to everyone watching that Blaze was starting to lose his steam.
'Stamina... He's losing stamina quickly.'
The issue with fights was that they couldn't go on forever. For someone who specialized in dealing explosive damage like Blaze and Cain, their skills usually consumed a buttload of mana and stamina.
If they couldn't beat their opponent within a certain time range, they would begin to lose their combat power gradually.
Fighters like Hunter were the exact opposite...
They didn't have insane damage but made up for it with the variety and utility of their skills. They would rather bid their time and wear their opponent out, or try to outsmart them than go out guns blazing.
'If he can't find a way to recuperate fast, he'll definitely lose.' Cain thought to himself.
Although Blaze was strong, his opponent wasn't just strong, he was smart as well...
Because there were two Hunter's, Blaze wasn't able to do any harm to the real Hunter. He would always end up attacking the summon instead, allowing his frustration to build up. And this was where the mistakes began to pile up, giving Hunter his desired openings.
Like a predator, as soon as he smelt blood, he went straight for the kill.
His first mistake earned him a nasty-looking gash on his back, while the second and third nearly caused him to lose an eye.
The scales were suddenly tipped in Hunter's favor...
"Shit!"
This continued for a while as Hunter began relentlessly attacking. The summons began pouring out, keeping Blaze occupied and busy.
The air was soon filled with the strong scent of sulfur as Blaze kept killing and killing and killing.
"Shani secret technique: Wind Ascension!"
Blaze used another martial art technique to escape from the entrapment of the wolves. As these martial art techniques also consumed stamina, Blaze found himself even more exhausted.
'If I don't end this now, I'm toast! I have to go all out!' Blaze yelled in his mind. He had started strong, but unless he used up all had.
"You are a strong opponent, but I think you should know when to quit. Surrender." Higher said condescendingly. Even after victory was in his hands, he showed no expressions on his face.
"You think it ends here?" Blaze said as he steadied himself on his feet. Not only had he lost a lot of blood, but he was also running low on stamina.
He retrieved a few HP regen potions from his inventory chugging them down.
"Your stamina is running out. You've lost a lot of blood that even HP potions can't restore quickly. You are at the end of your rope. Give up." Hunter said coldly.
"So? That doesn't mean I can't fight, now does it?" Blaze said as he stood straight once again.
"Do you have a death wish?" The predatory light within Hunter's eyes shone even brighter than before, as a menacing aura of bloodlust began to seep out of him.
"If you think you can kill me, bring it on!" Blaze roared as he charged at Hunter.
"My pleasure..."
Without hesitation, the two of them charged at each other, this time, with no inhibitions holding them back...
They had been fighting to defend their egos, but now, it was more serious than that.
This time, they are fighting for their egos, with their lives on the line...