When Hansel's moves increased grew more intense, and Hansel furrowed his brow slightly, Ackster worried that he had caught on to Ackster catching on to his plan to drive him into a corner. But Ackster realized Hansel wasn't glaring at him as if he had disrupted his plans. He was still looking past him and focusing intently on what was behind him.
Ackster wondered what Hansel was driving him toward, especially now that he was concentrating so hard. But maybe it was because Hansel simply subconsciously wanted to guarantee success, or his skills sustaining the blood-red spear took more concentration than Ackster thought.
The glade was simple, with trees a few meters tall. Most of the leaf-covered branches were at the top, in the canopies, but, now and then, there were a few Ackster and Hansel had to power through or duck under.
The ground was also mostly grass and small soft bushes up to their ankles, with the occasional root or stone poking up and tickling their feet. So, there shouldn't be many things that Hansel could be targeting and wanting to use to overwhelm Ackster.
Unfortunately, Ackster was a little too preoccupied with fighting Hansel and couldn't think of all the possibilities of what it could be. He could only wait and see and hope it was something he could deal with using Limit Breaker and Strong Body.
At least, based on Hansel's growing concentration, he wouldn't have to wait long before he could see what awaited him.
It came even quicker than Ackster had expected.
Out of nowhere, he stepped on something that broke with a dry cracking sound. He had stepped on enough branches to know it wasn't one. The sensation on his foot also told him it wasn't a branch. But before he could even try to guess what it was, Hansel drove him another step back with a grin and vivid red spear.
That step brought Ackster's other foot down on another thing that cracked beneath his weight. But unlike the first object, which could have been mistaken for something like a branch this time, he stepped on something larger. He could guess what it was, but Ackster still glanced down and dared a peek to confirm.
It was risky, considering Hansel's relentless and intensifying assault. But he had to confirm, even if only to know what awaited him further down this path.
What he saw didn't surprise Ackster that much, at least not the thing itself. What was surprising, however, was the state of the corpse and its arm and ribcage he had stepped on.
'No wonder it felt strange.'
The corpse was nothing but a dry husk of bone and weathered, paper-like skin. Ackster was pretty sure mummies would look like this without their bandages.
He instinctively continued retreating to avoid Hansel's charge.
"Is that all you know how to do?! Dodge like a fucking coward?!"
Seemingly having driven Ackster to the place he wanted, Hansel saw no reason to continue engaging in their game of cat and mouse. He taunted Ackster for whatever reason.
Ackster was wary of Hansel's decision to cease his series of attacks now instead of using Ackster's surprise at the corpses to launch an even greater one. But he appreciated the brief respite. Any time Hansel got to prepare, Ackster got just the same.
He looked around and confirmed the almost dozen corpses spread out in various poses and states of destruction around a dense lump of tens of trees. Or what had been a dense lump of trees. Someone had cut down several of them. And if the devastating signs of damage were any indication, they had done so with incredible force.
Ackster combined the bad feeling he got every time Hansel's spear drew blood, the red color of the Crimson Edge, the dried husks, Hansel knowing about this place, and the state of their surroundings.
He still didn't know what Hansel was playing at, but he knew it wasn't good, and he should finish up as quickly as possible before the sounds of battle from the other adventurers died down. He also figured out that Hansel was strong and probably grew stronger by consuming the blood of his foes.
Ackster still wondered why Hansel had bothered chasing him all the way here, but he was about to find out.
"No."
Ackster gripped his own shirt collar.
"I know how to do a lot of things, such as not exposing all my habits to my enemy before the fight has even begun, you fucking idiot. Did some schmuck with water for brains teach you to tell your opponent what your plan is with your entire face? Or are you just that overconfident that you didn't think I knew what you were up to?"
Ackster glared at Hansel as he berated him. He tightened the grip on his shirt and yanked on it, ripping it apart.
"Are you telling me you willingly followed me here? Despite knowing what I was scheming? I don't know if you're foolish or if you're the overconfident one. But I guess I will find out now."
Hansel gripped his spear tightly and brought the tip to the side opposite his main hand, preparing for a half-circle horizontal slash. He glared at Ackster while controlling his emotions and letting them fuel the blazing mana on his spear.
"I guess we both will find out what we want, then. You'll get the answer to your question. And I'll know how to counter and kill your companions."
Ackster held the pieces of his shirt in one hand while giving his pants the same treatment with his other. He ripped them off his legs using the structural weaknesses Hansel's cuts had given them.
Several tears of the pants fell to the ground with suspiciously heavy thumps, enough to make Hansel narrow his eyes as he looked at the pile of weirdly thick and padded clothing in Ackster's hands. But he had no reason to fear. What danger could an exhibitionist pose, especially one that had been powerless in front of his cattle driving and had been posturing around like a rooster since the beginning?
The bristling and blazing blood-red mana on Hansel's spear flickered like a light in the wind and gathered on the spear blade's edge. Without hesitating, Hansel swung out with his weapon and sent the concentrated bright scarlet crescent mana toward Ackster.
Ackster tossed his bundle of clothes high in the air. Hansel subconsciously followed the movement with his eyes since he had identified the clothes as something of interest.
He quickly realized his mistake and looked at Ackster since he wanted to see the cocky bastard get split in half by his Blood Moon Manual's Crescent Slash.