Arex couldn't believe how he was able to come in one piece after that assault from the woman.
Surprisingly, he was taken aback by the situation. Arex knew that the woman's unexpected assault would spell his demise.
He had come to terms with the grim reality that there was no escape from death, as this woman possessed an arsenal of methods to thwart him.
But as Arex emerged unharmed from the woman's assault, a glimmer of hope ignited within him, suggesting that perhaps his fate had not yet sealed his demise.
"What is that supposed to mean?" "Arex inquired.
The woman, though, seemed just as perplexed. She's about to face a whole new set of challenges, ones that delve into the depths of the human spirit. This has got to be the very first time that she would have to encounter problems pertaining to turfing out of the soul.
"I can't believe this," she said. "I've always been able to turf out every single shadow that crossed my path, so it's quite perplexing that I can't seem to turf yours."
The woman started to voice her dissatisfaction. As she gazed at her scythe, she swiftly assessed what might have gone wrong. Unfortunately, to her disappointment, she couldn't find a single flaw in her weapon.
"Ugh, this is incredibly annoying! Just when I'm almost finished and something goes wrong with your wisteria!" The woman spoke as if addressing her life-size scythe.
Arex was utterly baffled by the peculiar sight before him. He couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he watched the woman engage in conversation with the scythe.
"I think I might easily lose my sanity faster watching you speak with the scythe just like that." Arex couldn't resist sharing his thoughts. He seemed completely unaware that his words had provoked the woman's anger.
With a powerful swing, she sent the scythe slicing through the air, causing Arex to be forcefully thrown against the wall of the porch.
"You dare speak like that because you don't know a single thing, human. We shikari's have a strong bond with our scythes. This is an integral aspect of who we are, deeply ingrained within our very being. Something that low low-life humans like you would never understand."
Her words carried a strong sense of conviction, leaving Arex with the realization that his earlier comment had deeply offended the woman. Yet, he couldn't muster the courage to offer her an apology.
Arex firmly stands by his belief that he has no reason to apologize to this woman, especially after her repeated attempts to end his life.
"Of course, I wouldn't know. Not because I am just a mere human as you keep telling me, but because you fail to tell me about it. How do I know if you're just some kind of a homeless lunatic who could make use of circus magic to make me believe you're what you claim to be?"
Arex was starting to make up things that only made the woman even angrier. Even though he was aware of how his remarks were provoking her, he continues to feign ignorance, intensifying the woman's anger.
"I don't recall being obligated to provide you with any explanations about myself."
"Certainly! and you have no authority to dictate what I can or cannot express."
"Are you acting so full of yourself now just because you had luck on your part twice already?"
"I never said that, you were the one who said it." Arex responded with a hint of sarcasm.
His teasing may have had an impact on the woman before, but she resolved not to let Arex continue to mock her.
"The night is still young, we still have more than enough time for me to continue swinging my scythe to you until I could manage to turf away your soul."
This remark from the woman eventually made Arex tremble a bit. The seriousness upon the woman's face tells that she wasn't even joking this time. She seriously meant to kill Arex even if it meant she would have to do it over and over.
And Arex, who found it terrifying and repulsive, quickly left the front of their apartment.
He was seeking a solution or a refuge to rescue him from the challenging situation he was currently experiencing. Arex's mind, currently devoid of any ideas on how to shake off the persistent woman tailing him, grappled with finding a solution.
However, with no other choices available, Arex proceeded to run as quickly as possible.
"Don't you ever get exhausted from constantly running from me, even though deep down you know that no matter how hard you try to flee, I'll always catch up to you?"
The woman, however, never misses an opportunity to ridicule Arex's pitiful condition. Despite facing initial ridicule from Arex earlier, the woman swiftly regained control of the situation.
Once more, Arex found himself in a familiar predicament, being pursued relentlessly like a desperate rodent fleeing for survival.
Arex understood that he couldn't continue evading capture indefinitely. Furthermore, he could sense his physical stamina was now wearing down. His mind urged him forward, but his weary body is beginning to refuse to comply.
Before Arex could even think of anything, he suddenly realized that he was once again back at the bridge from where the woman actually gave her first attack on Arex.
"It seems like—" the woman was about to speak when, out of nowhere, a group of unruly teenagers appeared behind her, cutting her off.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? We've been searching for you all night, and here you are, hiding all along," one of the gang members greeted Arex.
"Get away from them," Arex quickly cautioned the woman. He was even waving his hand as though giving the woman some cue to make a quick exit.
However, despite the clear warning from Arex, the woman remained unfazed and didn't bother to budge. She was determined and refused to move from her spot for as long as possible.
"I don't take orders from you, human!" the woman retorted to Arex.
"Suit yourself then." Arex muttered. He was aware that she would inevitably hear it anyway.
After that, Arex swiftly makes his escape from the area. He couldn't let these troublesome teenagers beat him so easily. There are an overwhelming number of them, and he is vastly outnumbered.
He could manage if they were just a small group of five or fewer, but considering their numbers, Arex realised he couldn't easily overcome an entire gang.
"Come back here, you bastard!" one of the gang members, who appeared to be their leader, eventually shouted. He held a baseball bat casually behind his neck, then suddenly extended it towards Arex.
However, it appeared that his cries fell on deaf ears as Arex nonchalantly disregarded them and continued to flee.
Arex found it impossible to traverse the extensive Sarkozi bridge, which links it to the neighbouring nation of Eldoria. He suddenly realised that he had hardly even had a chance to catch his breath after being pursued by the mysterious woman, and now he found himself once again fleeing for his life from the relentless gang that had been hot on his trail earlier.
Arex had already reached his breaking point with the events of the day. He couldn't fathom a way to escape this predicament. If only he could find a way to elude the relentless pursuit of these individuals, he would do so without hesitation.
Regrettably, it appears that Arex is not afforded such a decision. He found himself in a difficult situation, with no choice but to keep running as fast as possible to avoid being caught.
Meanwhile, the woman who was left behind seemed untouchable in the eyes of the gang. It's no surprise that she consistently ignored Arex's instructions to move out of the gang's path.
"That fool just can't get enough of running. I'm curious about how he managed to maintain his energy levels." The woman quietly reflected on the situation, noting how Arex had been running for quite some time.
After some contemplation, the woman once again looked at Arex and was shocked to discover the cause of his excessive stamina.
"Oh damn, this is not good! His soul is being devoured by the jinnx!" The woman firmly grasped her scythe and swiftly pursued Arex, determined to halt him in his tracks. "This is really not good! If he gets infected completely, he'll turn into a berserk jinnx!"
The woman was able to come near Arex, fully outrunning him in a flash.
Excuse me, please move aside! Don't you see? There's an overwhelming number of them pursuing me! Arex exclaimed, his eyes widening as he beheld the mysterious woman before him, wielding a fearsome scythe.
To the woman's suprise, however, Arex was still sane enough to have a normal conversation with her despite how the Jinnx was able to nearly devour the entirety of Arex's soul.
"Get out of my way! Can't you see there are too many of them chasing after me?" Arex said as he saw the woman standing in front of him with her scythe.
"Look around and see if they're still following you." the woman ordered.
As Arex paused, he glanced around and was astonished by the distance he had covered. Many of those delinquents pursuing him eventually abandoned their pursuit, unable to keep up with the considerable distance he made.
"How the hell did that happen?" Arex asked.
The woman fell into a brief silence, until she gave out a serious look at Arex before finally speaking up, explaining, "I mentioned before that I needed to turf out your soul because you've been affected by a jinnx that is now taking control of you. You're infected by a jinnx who is now seizing you as its host to manifest into a berserker. In layman's terms, you'll soon turn into a monster."