Wide-eyed in fear, Arsh stared at his hunters. The situation had just gone from worse to absolute tragedy from the recent turn of events.
The attribute Arsh was most proficient in, was completely useless against his opponents, and that too without any loopholes. Also rendering most of his old tactics completely useless along with it.
By now, the shadows had become something akin to body extension for Arsh. Even though the agility boost of the menacing black armor was still there. But without its sneaky approach in action. It wasn't worth too much, against someone who was in the third phase.
Especially with superhuman strength.
The intruders walked toward Arsh, their expressions stoic and never changing. Even though their eyes were still showing murderous intent directed towards Arsh. They were also equipped with their peculiar weapons of choice, which also were a kind of surprise for Arsh.
Arsh jumped down the tree, before quickly taking a few steps back in perplexity. Somehow his opponent didn't look like the type of person he was used to. Mostly around the part where they were really looking for ways to kill him.
'....The situation had turned into an utter calamity. I really have to think of a plan if I even want a slight chance of survival. Quickly.'
Arsh knew by just trading a few looks. The battle was going to be to the death. It was only going to end if either his opponents or he himself was successful in snuffing the life out of the other.
Resolving himself for the torture to come Arsh took a defensive stance, pointing his pair of sharp daggers at his opponents. However hopeless the situation was looking. He wasn't going back down and just waiting for his death to come.
Looking at him, the woman in the tunic white robe raised a brow.
"...Looks like you are dead set on dying as painfully as possible."
She then disappeared from her spot appearing behind Arsh.
"Let me grant that wish for you."
She swung her gauntlet-equipped punch, aiming directly toward his face. In hope of brutally crushing Arsh's skull in a single blow.
But, Arsh was not running away right now to catch him off guard. And fighting with a real assassin had made him accustomed to surprise attacks.
Turning around, Arsh instantly squatted down. Dodging the heavy blow of the robed woman barely by a hair's margin. Arsh quickly changed his posture again. Looking at the woman's exposed weaknesses, who was still in the process of retreating her hand.
Without giving her a second to retreat. Arsh ran his dagger through her stomach quickly, opening a clear wound. But the moment he tried to make the wound deeper, he found himself flying away in another direction.
'GAAH!'
Coughing blood once, Arsh picked himself up from the ground suddenly. Looking at the man beside the robed woman who had just kicked him to the floor.
'...That fucker is here too.'
Feeling a seething pain in his every body part. Arsh stared at the man belonging to Sun church darkly. Specifically, at the boots on his feet, with which he had just kicked Arsh.
'....What kind of boots are even those?'
With a metal body and nails as the soul of the boot. The boot was very large from a normal-sized one, probably heavier too. It looked almost comical to watch them in action. But the ghastly wound Arsh had got on his shoulder from only a single hit from that thing was not funny in the slightest.
"....Even though that kid looks like he is in phase one. Don't underestimate him. He is already very quick on his feet. Pay attention while fighting him or it can be the end of you."
The robed man remarked to his companion. Raising his hand over the wound of the woman that Arsh had just inflicted. The man chanted a spell solemnly, conjuring a bright light of some sort in his hand.
He fared his hand over the woman's wound. Making it heal away at an unimaginable speed. In less than a few seconds, her skin was back to normal. Her wounds were nowhere to be seen as though they never existed, to begin with.
"Tch... Divine aspect of some sort."
Arsh's eyes darted in every direction looking for any way to strike back. But in the deep forest, there was nothing except for trees in the vicinity that could help him in any shape or form.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his quickened breath and trembling arms. Without shadow magic, Arsh wasn't left with many of the options at hand for now.
He rushed ahead toward the intruder suddenly. Surprising even them. It was very clear from the previous few bouts, they had more advantages in close combat fights than Arsh or so they thought.
Arsh appeared in between the intruders. The robed emissaries turned round, trying to attack from both sides. Arsh ducked down again, dodging both of them by an inch. Their predictable way of always targeting the head was not going too well for them.
Arsh returned the favor for the wound on his shoulder by running both of his daggers through both of their skins at the same time.
Arsh had already fought against several hundred weird styles of fighting while training with Alan. So much so that dodging became something akin to second nature to him after all that. Neither of his opponents didn't even have giant claws like Millenniums to throw him off regarding the angle of the timing of the dodge.
From a very young age, Arsh was more stronger and agile than the people around him. So strength was always the least of his problems. Even though he wasn't strong enough to fight even one of the intruders on equal terms. He was at least strong enough to hold his own against them.
And that he did.
The woman on his right launched an attack aimed at his head again while the man simultaneously aimed for his legs.
Arsh stood straight for a second before squatting down. Guarding against the strange booted kick Arsh took out his daggers onto him.
Sliding a little on the ground due to impact. Arsh again stood up, spun his daggers, and moved toward them again. He threw his dagger at the closing intruder on the left.
But the robed man dodged it easily without any real effort. Arsh gritted his teeth and tried closing onto them again. He needed to keep them together, so they couldn't attack him by splitting into different directions. Which could be deadly for Arsh.
For the next few minutes, Arsh was barely holding on to the brink with his impressive daggers skills in front of the monsters of the opponents. Though it was kind of a fruitless endeavor in the end.
He didn't have the time to fight passively with them for hours. He needed to return back to the group again somehow and get the hell away from the forest. Before that Ominous being could catch up to them. Which then will truly be their end.
Also, Arsh's stamina was quickly depleting compared to his opponents. He desperately needed to change his approach to attack. Being passive and dodging could only delay the inevitable death for a few minutes. Though it couldn't prevent it from happening.
Arsh looked at them, fixing their stupidly unique gears with a serious frown. And suddenly a completely unrelated idea popped up in his mind. And as always it was just as stupid to the fault.
But he didn't really have any other choice, to begin with. Taking a deep breath, Arsh prepared himself for the worst and again moved between the robed intruders.
Though the emissaries didn't look troubled in the slightest watching him closing on them.
Taking the advantage of the few seconds Arsh had given them. They dispersed in two different directions, making it difficult for Arsh to target them both at the same time without making him prone to blind spots.
And now all of a sudden Arsh was the one left defending again. The assault was only getting harsh with time resulting in several cuts and wounds to Arsh's body with time.
The intruders suddenly moved together both from his left and right, attacking him from every direction, making it impossible for him to dodge. He had no choice but to block the blows. Which unfortunately also impossible for him as both of his opponents possessed inhumane strength.
Arsh tried to parry the assaults of the gauntlet and the boots with his daggers. But it obviously was of no use, they pushed him back easily and Arsh was now being crushed into a barrage of terrible blows.
Taking serious damage from one of the kicks, Arsh flew away and rolled to the ground, desperately trying to breathe.
Arsh growled, crawling onto the ground in severe amounts of pain. The wound on his chest was ghastly and open as the trail of crimson blood flowed out of it. Making it even more painful for him to even breathe.
It was now that the intruder's stoic expressions broke and a dark grin appeared on their faces.
"....Not so fast now huh?"
Arsh didn't reply, keeping his head on the ground. He clawed at the ground, as he dug his daggers deep into the ground from the hilt.
The intruders nodded suddenly looking at each other and moved toward him to deliver the final finishing blow. To end the terrible bout once and for all.
Still grinning, the robed intruders walked to him and stood in front of his wounded body.
"...W-What?"
They paled in fear. As soon as they took notice of Arsh's smiling expression and the essence flowing out of his body. The robed man looked at the woman on his side suddenly barking in a raw voice.
"Get ba-"
But it was too late for that now. Smiling menacingly, Arsh chanted in a dark voice.
Rock Slide|