Salino and Berna looked at each other with their respective gaze expressions. Berna's gaze was sharp. While Salino's gaze was relaxed but he remained alert. Because this is the first time Salino is fighting an opponent who uses a strange power.
"Damn boy. Where did you learn that move from?" asked Salino in his heart.
"It doesn't matter where I learned this knowledge from," said Berna as if he knew what Salino was thinking.
Salino just laughed.
Meanwhile Zaru who was peeking behind the outer wall of the room could only see. But he also remained vigilant in case Bossman's men came from behind.
"Hey kid, I have a weapon," said Salino as he drew a sword from behind his back.
The sword was small, sharp, flat, and the same length as Salino's hand. He then twirled the sword with his right hand. Salino then ran while attacking by thrusting the sword forward. Berna then put his palms together so that the floor in front of his was lifted up and formed like a wall that made Salino's sword strike hit the wall. Surprisingly, Salino's sword pierced through half the wall that Berna had made.
"Not only his sword, but his hands are very strong. If I'm just a little late, my body will be pierced by the sword," Berna muttered to himself.
Suddenly Salino was on Berna's left while slashing his sword. Berna jumped to the right while placing his right palm on the floor. The floor rose again and formed a wall. Salino's sword hit the wall until it stuck. He then pulled it. Suddenly, Berna was on top while swinging his right hand and snapping his fingers. Sparks appeared and Salino quickly dodged so the fire missed.
When Berna landed on the floor, he pressed his palms together like someone who was apologizing. Berna then shouted and suddenly the floor around where Salino was standing rose up like a giant fist that clenched and was about to swallow Salino. Salino quickly jumped to dodge but Berna snapped his right finger. Sparks then flew towards Salino who couldn't dodge because he was in the air. Salino just crossed his arms and instantly his body caught fire and fell to the floor.
"He did it," muttered Zaru who was watching their fight behind the wall.
But somehow, Salino survived and only got burns on the right side of his face. As for his clothes, only tattered exposed to fire.
"I have to admit that your moves are great, kid," said Salino, feeling his right face which was burned.
"It's still not much," replied Berna.
Salino lali swung his sword while jumping up and down. During the fifth jump, he disappeared quickly and appeared right in front of Berna while slashing his sword. Berna couldn't dodge so his chest was slashed and she fell backwards and rolled on the floor hitting the wall.
"About speed, I'm much faster than you hahaha," Salino laughed.
Berna was in pain and whimpered. His chest was bleeding. He tried to get up among the crumbling walls. Then he knelt down and placed his left palm against the wound on his chest. Slowly the wound on his chest began to close again and healed without a welt.
"He can recover quickly?" asked Salino in his heart.
Now Berna feels like living again. He then stood up and looked at Salino. Berna thought that if there was a physical fight, he would lose. In addition to differences in body posture, there are also differences in fighting skills. Salino is very proficient with the sword. As for Berna, he had never studied martial arts at all. So, he uses his brain more than his muscles.
"What's the matter kid? Are you going to give up?" asked Salino.
"Of course not!" replied Berna.
"Honestly, I'm getting more and more interested in the moves you master. If I can learn it too, I can become an immortal human."
"Nothing lasts forever if we still have souls."
"You stubborn bastard."
Salino then sped off again and was quickly on Berna's right side. Salino attacks Berna by thrusting his sword. Berna then held the tip of Salino's sword with his right palm. At first, Salino thought Berna's right palm would be injured. But not. Berna's palms seemed to be covered by gloves made of strong metal so that Salino's sword couldn't hurt or even pierce through them.
"Alchemy can also change one form to another. I can turn these marble floor shards into metal. It's called transmutation," said Berna as he tightly gripped the tip of Salino's sword and threw it far forward.
Salino was thrown but he was able to balance his body and landed on both feet. Berna then ran while clenching his right palm. The metal that shrouded his hands, now enveloped his entire hand up to his shoulders. He then threw a right hand punch. But Salino easily dodged to the right and slashed his sword. Berna didn't have time to dodge and he was knocked down on the floor.
"Good luck," said Berna while holding back the pain in his left waist from being injured by Salino's sword.
"Ha ha ha! It turns out that only your moves are great. But in terms of self-defense techniques, you are still zero," said Salino.
Suddenly the metal that enveloped Berna's hands now enveloped his entire body forming a silver armor for war. The motive is also very good like a royal knight.
"How could that be?" asked Salino in surprise. He then looked at his sword which was now shorter in length.
Apparently, Berna managed to touch Salino's sword before it hit his left waist. Berna took a bit of metal material from the sword to make armor.
"God damn it!" shouted Salino.
"Just a little trick," said Berna as he healed his wound.
Salino then dashed off and attacked Berna with slashes, thrusts, and also the blow of his sword. Berna just dodged and held back. Now he can't be hurt. But Berna also knew that this armor only protected his body. Not his head. So he had to be careful.
The friction of Salino's sword and Berna's armor was so loud it even gave off sparks. Zaru who saw them fighting was silent and stunned by what he was seeing.
"If I make a helmet, I won't be able to see," Berna muttered to himself.
Berna jumped back and put his palms on the floor. Instantly the floor in front of him extended like a stick and shot towards Salino. But Salino dodged by jumping up and then slashing his sword up and down right at Berna's head. Luckily Berna quickly blocked Salino's sword slash with both hands.
"Damn boy! Give me back the metal of my sword!" Salino shouted angrily.
"Try it if you can," Berna replied as he jumped back and he put his palms back on the floor.
The floor where Berna was standing suddenly opened then he jumped down and the floor closed again as before.
"He got into the floor?" Salino was confused.
"Berna, did you run away?" asked Zaru in his heart.
"Shit, he must be hiding and will attack suddenly." Salino was now alert and looked around the room.
For ten seconds, nothing happened. Not even a sign of Berna's arrival could be seen.
"Hey kid, you wanna play hide and seek?" asked Salino.
Suddenly, above the ceiling, a circle of fire appeared. The blob was now elongated and spun like a dragon floating in a ring in the sky and then attacked Salino like a meteor hitting the earth. Salino dodged the impact of the flames nimbly until the flames slowly disappeared.
"Why didn't this floor and room catch fire?" Salino asked after the lump of fire disappeared.
Berna suddenly appeared from under the exposed floor and said, "I have neutralized this room so that it cannot be burned by the fire except for you."
Immediately, Salino wanted the power that Berna had. Now he doesn't care about Bossman's reward anymore. What he wanted now was Berna's power.
"Then I'll take that power from you, kid," said Salino.
"It takes a struggle and an intelligent brain to learn this science," replied Berna.
"You always have a good answer."
Berna didn't care what Salino said. He put his palms together and instantly the floor around him released like bullets that hit Salino.
Salino nimbly dodged and several times he parried the bullets that shot at him. After he finished, Berna snapped the fingers of his right hand and a bolt of fire shot towards Salino. But Salino ran to avoid the flames and then until the flames disappeared.
"I have to be able to get close and attack him with physical attacks," said Salino in his heart. He knew Berna was superior at ranged attacks.
After a moment of thought, Salino smirked.
"I'd rather hurt him from the inside. Right in his heart," said Salino in a low voice.
Salino then ran to a door, broke it down and entered the room.
"Wait!" said Berna while running after Salino.
When Berna reached the door that had been broken by Salino, he saw a passageway at the end of which was another door. Immediately he heard screams.
"Th…that's… Ellie's voice," said Berna who immediately ran towards the door at the end of the hall.
Arriving at the door, Berna immediately broke it down and saw Salino lifting Ellie with his left hand. While his right hand holding a sword, was about to stab Ellie.
"Berna," said Ellie who saw Berna.
"Ellie!" shouted Berna.
"Just taking one step, my sword will pierce this girl's heart," said Salino.
"Stop it!" Berna asked.
Salino just smirked then he stabbed his sword right at Ellie's heart. Instantly Ellie's eyes bulged and blood gushed out of his mouth as Salino's sword pierced his chest into his back.
"NOOO!" Berna shouted as he ran.
Berna's tears flowed along with Ellie's blood that dripped on the floor.
To be continued...