As a man continued to run in the middle of the forest, sensing something, he suddenly turned his back as he quickly picked up the dagger attached to his waist and unhesitatingly blocked the weapon he was holding in front of him, causing it to immediately counter his opponent's swift attack from nowhere.
With a loud clash, the blades collided, sending sparks flying into the air.
If his senses weren't so sharp compared to normal people, he might be in a serious situation.
The man's heart raced as he locked eyes with his mysterious assailant. Adrenaline surged through his veins, fueling his will to defend himself against this unknown threat.
As they pushed against each other, the man strained to identify any clue that would unravel the enigma before him.
When he successfully defended himself, he suddenly distanced himself from his attacker. By doing that, he gets to see clearly who attacked him.
It was a person with natural blond hair. Some strands of his hair were gently following the flow of the small breeze in the air around them while his bright blue eyes were staring directly at him, causing him to become more alert.
Suddenly, his gaze turned to the hands of the person in front of him. What the person was wearing on both hands grabbed his attention. It was a gauntlet.
Each finger of the gauntlet held sharp blades.
The man immediately frowned when he realized that one of the forbidden weapons in the war was now being worn by his opponent.
The blades glinted in the sunlight, reflecting a menacing aura.
With each finger equipped with a deadly weapon, the man realized he was facing an opponent who was skilled and well-prepared for combat.
Its blades are so sharp that they can easily cut through hard objects. It also has a distinct shape derived from the design of an eagle's claw.
As he learned more about the design of the gauntlet, he marveled at the precision and craftsmanship that went into its creation. The sharp talons gleamed menacingly, a testament to their deadly potential.
The man's heart raced as he studied the intricate details of the forbidden weapon. As he unconsciously swallowed and broke into a cold sweat at the discovery. It even tightened the grip on the dagger in hand.
He understood that he would need to use his tenacity to outsmart his opponent's powerful advantage to survive.
In the middle of the very quiet surroundings, the person in front of him suddenly raised both of his hands in the air and smiled sweetly.
"Hey, stop doing that. It's freaky." The young man wearing the Clawed Gauntlet spoke rudely.
When the person waved his hands weakly once again, all of the metal in his gauntlets vanished.
In an instant, his hard and dangerous weapon turned into simple black gloves.
The young man's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the metal disintegrate into thin air.
His opponent's smile grew wider, revealing a set of healthy white teeth.
"Impressive, isn't it?" he said.
His voice was dripping with a mixture of amusement and superiority.
The young man's grip on the dagger tightened even further, his mind racing to come up with a plan. He knew he couldn't let his guard down, not even for a second.
If he hadn't seen what type of weapon the opponent had, he might have rushed into him a long time ago.
The man secretly pressed the small button on the handle of the dagger he was holding.
Because of this, the form of the weapon in his hand changed rapidly. Suddenly, the blade of the dagger rose, and in an instant, it turned into a double-edged sword with intricate engravings on the hilt.
The person in front of him was slightly surprised by the sudden change of weapon. After a while, he laughed loudly and looked at the man.
"I'd like to take your stick. Is it red? If you haven't asked, my name is Sean. I already know your name, so you don't have to introduce yourself. You're Nick, right?"
Nick's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on the transformed weapon. He couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at Sean's unnerving familiarity with him. However, he remained composed and replied,
"You seem to know me, Sean. But I'm afraid you won't be taking my colored stick so easily."
Nick shouted loudly and immediately rushed at Sean with the sword in his hand.
"I'll be quick then."
Sean quickly dodged it, but Nick immediately aimed at the young man's chest.
When Sean bent down, he could see Nick's sword go through his head, but what caught Sean's attention more was Nick's saliva spewing all over his entire head.
Sean immediately winced at the spatter and rolled to his left.
"Hey! Your saliva is disgusting. I know I haven't showered today, but what the fuck!" The sight of Nick's saliva spewing all over his head made Sean feel a mixture of disgust and anger.
He quickly waved his hands, as his black gloves immediately changed and returned to being a sharp Clawed Gauntlet.
He angrily ran towards Nick. He also aimed for the chest, but Sean's attack was blocked by the sword.
Sean immediately moved away from him and took a good look at the man.
He has shoulder-length black hair and a larger body compared to Sean. He was tall and muscular, with a scar running across his face. His piercing eyes locked with Sean's
He knows how to use a sword, but it's clear that he's not very skilled. As evidenced by the earlier attack.
Sean smiled widely as he noticed the gradually increasing wind around him.
Nick's eyes suddenly widened when he saw that the opponent who had been standing before was no longer in his sight.
"Behind you." It turned quickly, but it was too late.
Sean lunged for Nick's neck, but quickly shifted the attack to his opponent's right arm.
Nick's entire body came to a halt when he realized his hand was missing. When he saw the part of his body that was on the ground, his eyes widened stupidly.
Blood gushed from the severed hand as Nick's mind struggled to comprehend the gruesome reality. The excruciating pain finally hit him, causing him to let out a gut-wrenching scream.
"Hey."
Sean's figure vanished from Nick's view as soon as he turned around. He fell to his knees as he was about to move forward when a sharp object struck his leg.
"Too slow." Nick turned his back angrily, but he couldn't see anyone.
"To the right."
Before the man could even turn to the right, he screamed loudly once he felt Sean's sharp weapons hit his eyes.
Nick's vision blackened as pain shot through his body. Gasping for air, he desperately reached out to defend himself, but Sean's attack was relentless. It was quick, yet painful.
Sean was about to attack again, but he was immediately stopped when he noticed that the young man in front of him couldn't fight anymore. He just frowned and looked carefully at the man who was kneeling.
The man's face was contorted in agony, with blood streaming down his face from his injured eyes.
"Dueling with me with your subpar skill is an unfair fight to begin with."
Sean's voice dripped with disdain as he surveyed the defeated man before him. He took a step back, realizing that victory had already been achieved and there was no need to continue the assault.
"Who is that?" An instructor asked in wonder while looking at the huge screen in front. With her two eyes, she could see what was happening outside.
A man turned around while eating noodles. He was so busy working on something that he had no idea what was happening on the screen.
The tiredness is visible in his messy hair and sleep-deprived face. His skin is also turning pale, and the bottoms of his eyes are darkening.
"Who?" The man asked, wondering what his companion was referring to.
"That boy, the one who's wearing the claw. And by the way, whose idiot included that weapon in the selection group before presenting it to the students?"
The man suddenly laughed while eating, causing him to choke. He drank water quickly and continued to laugh.
"Do you know that drinking water is not a solution to that?" His companion, looking at the screen, said lifelessly.
The man wiped his mouth and composed himself, still chuckling.
"No, I don't think water will fix that, and I am that idiot who put the gauntlet at the selection table. It must have slipped my mind when I arranged the weapons a while ago, he replied with a smirk.
The woman just sighed and shook her head, clearly unamused by the man's antics.
They were the only people inside the massive room, which had various bags of food scattered on the floor.
"Didn't you read the profile of those ten? I sent it to your house yesterday."
"I didn't read it. Now answer me, Who is that student wearing the claw?"
"That guy? He's the one who's responsible for the death of our elite team. Remember the times when there were rebels everywhere? Those stupid guys who wanted to take over the country. Anyway, you're on the East side of the assigned capital; that's why you didn't see what happened in the North..."
"... That kid was able to take down six members of the team, only using the iron string..."
"... Remember, these six elites are strong. Four of them are really good when it comes to weapons, but not as good as you, of course."
The Instructor, who until now had remained facing the big screen, squinted when she heard it.
"What's his forte?"
"Oh, he's not that good at fighting, actually. Weak stamina, and poor communication with his team. He's not even strong enough. He's just quick, and everything about him is terrible, except when it comes to understanding the blind spots. We're only able to catch him when some random blind soldier knocks him out accidentally."
Their instructor could see, from the huge screen, Sean's gentle approach to his opponent.
Because of the loss of Nick's vision, he kneeled anxiously, angrily swinging the sword in all directions with his left hand.
He struggled to maintain his balance and control, often missing his target completely. The frustration and desperation were evident in his movements as he desperately tried to compensate for his lack of sight.
'This one is very stupid compared to the ones I fought.'
He didn't think twice about killing Nick before swinging the Clawed Gauntlet into the young man's neck.
"Don't move; my weapon is aimed at your neck." Nick swallowed involuntarily when he felt something cold gently touch his neck. He stopped struggling.
Sean's right hand suddenly returned to being a black glove before quickly groping around the man's body to find his stick.
While busy searching, he suddenly heard a series of gunshots.
The sound was coming from quite close to their location; it must have come from people scrambling to get their sticks.
Sean just shook his head and resumed his search for a red-colored stick.
An angry woman turns to see her gun and quickly reloads her magazine while hiding in a broken building. She cursed in the air as she realized she only had a limited supply of bullets.
'Shit, I'm trapped.'
Her breaths came in ragged pants as she cast her gaze around.
It felt as if she had stumbled upon a forsaken place, one that had been forgotten by time itself. There were shattered structures everywhere.
Nature had successfully reclaimed its territory, with wild grasses triumphantly reclaiming the land, their untamed growth a clear indication of long abandonment.
The woman's heart raced as she contemplated her next move. She knew that staying hidden in the broken building wouldn't guarantee her safety for long. She needed to find a way out before her ammunition ran out and the enemy closed in on her location.
She considers her current situation carefully. She has a few scars and torn clothes, but she is still capable of fighting. As long as she doesn't run out of bullets, she has a chance.
She possessed two guns, but one of them was no longer useful, causing the woman to drop it.
'Now, where is that sniper? '
From a distance, another woman was carefully observing the woman's hiding place. It was Lucy.
She was gently sitting on a thick tree branch while holding her bow and arrow. The leaves of the tree where Lucy was hiding were too thick, resulting in the enemy having a hard time finding her location.
"I've been attacking her for a while now, but she still doesn't know where I am. It's a shame coming from a family that's known for being good at handling guns." She disappointedly shakes her head.
She slowly lowered the bow she was holding when she realized that the woman had not yet come out of hiding.
Lucy was busy observing the woman who was hiding when she heard a loud trumpet from the sky. Her eyes narrowed as she looked up to see where the noise was coming from.
A large drone flew across the sky, only to stop where everyone could see the message it was about to convey to them.
A hologram emerged from the drone, from which the face of a man with yellow hair was clearly visible while smiling sweetly.
Congratulations, Sean Hillary!|
Lucy just shook her head at what she saw and sighed heavily.
'I thought it was something.'
While looking at the sky, she suddenly felt a strong dizziness, causing her to lose her balance. She stumbled and reached out for something to hold onto, but there was nothing nearby.
As her body began to fall to the ground, everything seemed to slow down.
It was as if the girl's world suddenly stopped when she realized that her body was falling from the branch of a very tall tree.
'Oh shit,'
She can see how the leaves attached to each branch move softly and how some of them are gently separated once her body hits those branches.
Lucy slowly turned her gaze towards the position of the drone. Her eyes immediately narrowed when she saw the huge smile of the man in the sky, which seemed to insult Lucy's current condition.
She strongly cursed the image of the man seen smiling in the sky.
Feeling a surge of anger, Lucy clenched her fists and vowed to find a way to bring that man down from his high perch. She couldn't let him get away with mocking her like this.
'Damn you, Sean Hillary, whoever you are!'