[S]tanding before the intimidating group, the weight of the odds pressed heavily upon her. Outnumbered six to one, the situation seemed dire.
"What a drag," she muttered to herself, recognizing the slim chances of extracting any immediate information from them.
With a brief glance, Lee Ju-hee noticed they appeared completely prepared for her. She suspected that Ri Chul-moo had already given them a heads-up. Vortex's earlier words merely confirmed it when he'd mentioned his interest in the 'girl'.
Determined not to repeat past mistakes, she steeled herself, smoothly retrieving her dagger from her pocket. Then bolting forward to launch an attack first, she vanished from sight only to reappear beside one of the men positioned to her left.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Her blade sliced through the air, its sound reverberating.
As she swiftly moved to her next target, a crimson line formed across the first man's neck, marking the lethal strike. In an instant, blood spurted from the wound, and the lifeless body collapsed to the ground.
Swoosh! Swoo-Shing!
Her next victim proved to be more resilient, skillfully deflecting her attack with his arms.
'I see!' A realization dawned upon Lee Ju-hee as she noticed the hidden weapon concealed within his sleeves. 'They weren't unarmed after all.'
The second man didn't falter as easily as the first and spat out bitterly, "You fucker! Don't think you can get away with this!" His hostility likely fueled by the loss of one of his teammates.
Undeterred, Lee Ju-hee displayed flawless finesse as she swiftly crouched down, her dagger rotating effortlessly in her palm. Executing a brisk movement, she drove the blade upward, piercing through the man's chin and into his brain, causing blood to gush down her hand.
As she withdrew her weapon, the second man's eyes rolled to the back of his skull, and his lifeless body dropped to the ground.
Without a moment's respite, Lee Ju-hee evaded a right punch from her third attacker, nimbly ducking underneath it. She capitalized on this opening to slash upward, severing the person's arm from his underarm.
Her body drifted to a halt behind the disarmed man as she straightened herself. With a graceful whirl, she struck him from behind, her dagger delivering a powerful blow infused with strength of both her hands.
'Just as I thought,' she pondered to herself, freeing her blade from the flesh of the third victim. 'Initiating the attack was the best strategy!'
It didn't take a fool to know that she was by far outnumbered. Impairing their advantage to coordinate their attacks and work as a team was the weakness she had created by attacking first and fast.
"Don't let that fucker escape! Take him down!" One of the remaining three men shrieked his order at his other team member.
Time seemed to slow, and amid the fragments of commotion, she caught glimpses of a twisted smile tinged with both admiration and malice on Vortex's face. There was a glint of astonishment in his eyes.
Lee Ju-hee flipped the bloodied dagger, momentarily cleansing it of the crimson stains, and launched herself into her next attack.
The remaining two opponents proved to be as feeble as their fallen comrades. With graceful precision, Lee Ju-hee effortlessly dismantled their pathetic attempts at offense and defense, slicing through their futile resistance as if she were merely cutting through tender meat.
After the grueling battle, Lee Ju-hee found herself standing in front of her final adversary, pausing to catch her breath. Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of her temples, her body still ablaze from the intense battle.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she stated, "Now then, shall we have a little chat?"
Vortex, recovering from the shock on his face, began to applaud, a sinister chuckle escaping his lips.
"These men may not have been 'Ascended', but they were far from being weak!" he remarked, studying her intently, his eyes twisting into a wicked smile. "I thought the 'girl' was the only one with such skills. Who gave you the Zenith, huh?"
"Ascended? The Zenith?" she questioned with an arched of one of her brows, her grip tightening on the slippery dagger.
"Hah?! You're using inhuman powers and you're telling me you don't know what an Ascended is? Besides, I'm talking about the serum that granted you your powers!" Vortex clarified, his voice dripping with disdain. "You may have fooled that 'idiot', but not me. Which elder was it?"
"I have no clue what you're babbling about!"
"So that's how you wanna play it, huh? Fine! Have it your way! I'll just have to rip it outta your mouth!" Vortex approached, his demeanor suddenly feeling intimidating.
For a moment, she was left bewildered, searching for answers. And then it hit her.
He vanished, a blur of motion beyond the limits of her vision. Who was this guy? What kind of power did he possess?
Before she could process it all, he materialized in front of her, crouched low and launching a lightning-fast sweeping kick from beneath.
'Fast steps?' She wondered, executing a rapid backflip to dodge his attack. But he was like lightning on his feet, too nimble for her to keep up.
In the blink of an eye, he effortlessly straightened himself up. And by the time her feet touched the ground, he'd already kicked her in the abdomen, sending her flying across the alleyway.
With a loud thud, she crashed onto the gritty floor, sliding for a moment before finally coming to a stop. The impact had her coughing blood.
"Is that it? Your ability?" She demanded wiping her mouth clean with the back of her right hand, and struggling to get back on her feet.
"What is?" He smirked mockingly.
Taking a moment to catch her breath and dust off her clothes, she retorted, "your inhuman speed? Is that your Side-effect?"
"Mm hmm," he replied cryptically. "That's not it!"
Lee Ju-hee narrowed her eyes, noticing the faint cut on her right cheek. Likely caused by the dagger in her hand. She wiped the streak of blood with her thumbs, cleaning off the mess.
"Hmm, I see," she mumbled to herself, attempting to maintain a facade of composure.
Fighting an opponent with mysterious abilities was going to be difficult.
A sudden breeze passed her by. The wind that tousled her clothes seemed to fuel her resolve, as a fierce scowl etched itself upon her brows, intensifying her cold stare.
With gritted teeth, Lee Ju-hee attuned her ears to her surroundings, every footstep, every breath, becoming amplified. Her eyes, mind, and senses reached their peak, sharpened to a razor's edge.
"Oho! This is getting interesting!" Vortex remarked, his words leaving her puzzled.
They faced each other for a brief moment, before Lee Ju-hee made her move, choosing to take the offensive.
He clearly had the upper hand with his remarkable speed, putting her at a significant disadvantage due to her lack of knowledge about his abilities. Aware that she couldn't compete with his swiftness, Lee Ju-hee decided to rely on her unique skill set and instincts.
As Vortex prepared for another lightning-fast attack, Lee Ju-hee leaped into action, adeptly dodging his attacks. She used her surroundings to her advantage, spinning and flipping to confuse him.
Her quick movements made it hard for Vortex to keep up with her. She got close to him and struck back with precise moves.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Her blows wasn't enough to be lethal, but they left two cuts on Vortex's right arm sleeves. The sight of it was enough to give her a feeling of satisfaction.
"Woah! You're good," he remarked, amused. After a brief moment of contemplation, he proposed, "You know what? How about you and your friend join our group?"
"Why do you keep trying to recruit us?" she questioned with narrowed eyes, taking a cautious step back.
This conversation provided her with a much-needed breather, allowing her to regain her composure and strategize for her next move.
"You and your... umm... friend are truly exceptional individuals!" Vortex clarified, using his thumb to wipe away the blood from the cut. "So? Is that a yes? Are you going to be one of us?"
"Sounds interesting, but it's a definite no," she rejected bluntly.
He let out a sigh, as if he had anticipated her response. "I had a feeling you'd say that."
Then, his gaze shifted back to her, his expression becoming eerily serene. His voice carried a hint of warning as he uttered, "Blood... Lust."
In an instant, a dense crimson mist engulfed the area, shrouding her in an ominous atmosphere. This was the one ability she dreaded the most.