It was then that Arex had a sudden realization, and that was when he had completely forgotten about Roxina's extraordinary ability to foresee and counter any future attacks against her.
"You can predict every move I make in a battle, of course." Arex responded, his voice carrying a hint of detachment, as if he were guarding his innermost musings from Roxina's prying ability.
Yet, Arex understood the daunting challenge ahead, realizing his limited knowledge of Roxina's true powers.
In that moment, all that consumed Arex's thoughts was his scheme to seize the sword from her, while Roxina seemed completely fixated on the sapphire blade in her grasp.
"I see," Roxina replied, while her eyes were still glued to the sword, as though she was really paying no mind on Arex being near her.
With a swift move, Arex closed in on Roxina, snatching the sword from her grasp, causing her to be injured in an instant.
A stream of vivid red blood splashed across her arm. Arex was left completely stunned and slightly flustered by the unintended consequences of his actions, which resulted in harm befalling Roxina. Although he could not fathom the source of his sudden preoccupation, considering Roxina was meant to be a formidable foe he had to confront.
However, as Arex needed to refocus his attention on the rules of the game, he quickly took a few steps back from Roxina. He made a wise choice in that moment, as staying any longer near Roxina could have resulted in a dangerous encounter with her deadly scythe, Wisteria.
What left Arex pondering was the peculiar response that Roxina had displayed. As the sapphire sword was wrested from her grasp by Arex, Roxina's reaction was far from what he expected. Instead of showing any signs of pain from the wound inflicted by the blade, she wore a confident smirk, as if the injury had no impact on her whatsoever.
"I missed." She murmured, her gaze fixed on the newly formed gash adorning her arm. Her entire arm was now marked by the crimson flow, trickling from the open wound. "And I even permitted you to acquire that blade without restraint, pondering the possibility of apprehending you. Seems like you have become quite faster," she remarked, purposefully emphasizing that despite her awareness of Arex's pursuit of the sword, she still permitted it to unfold as if it were her own clever snare for him.
"Are you out of your mind?" Outraged, Arex let out a scream in her direction. He was astonished that Roxina seemed more preoccupied with the opportunity to wield her scythe against him than with tending to her own wound. "Your wound should be of greater concern than the mere fact that you failed to strike me with your scythe."
However, it appears that despite Arex's warning, Roxina remained fixated on her mission to permanently eliminate him.
In the ensuing moments, Arex observed with great astonishment as he witnessed Roxina's hand wound miraculously healing before his eyes. The intense flow of her own blood across her arm swiftly disappeared, as if she had never been injured in the first place.
Arex was utterly stunned by the revelation, realizing that Leomold had never mentioned any of this before. Arex pondered whether Leomold had deliberately withheld the information or if he simply neglected to disclose it. Arex could not fathom why he would question Leomold's intentions, considering he had already established that Leomold was incapable of such actions.
Arex could not help but think that Leomold might have been unaware of this event as well. If he had, he would have immediately informed Arex, just as he mentioned the skills Roxina may have acquired since she became the game's blind.
"So you have the ability to heal your wounds. This will be a pain in the ass, I suppose." Arex marveled as he watched the wound on her arm miraculously close and heal.
In that instant, Roxina fixed her gaze upon Arex and replied, "I have a plethora of wonders yet to unveil, Arex. Well, that is, if you'll still be able to live a bit longer to see them all."
Roxina's words were delivered with a sense of urgency, swiftly cutting through the air, as she launched into a rapid attack on Arex. It happened with such incredible speed that Arex barely managed to evade the assault. He felt a surge of gratitude as his reflexes proved faster than ever, allowing him to skillfully evade the danger.
As Roxina prepared to take action, Arex darted to the left, only to be taken aback when he realized Roxina was right on his heels, moving even faster than he anticipated.
Arex discovered himself effortlessly dodging each and every swipe of Roxina's scythe aimed in his direction. He was lucky to escape being struck by it, even though every time Roxina swung her scythe at Arex, it seemed like he was moments away from being hit.
Roxina's repeated attempts to strike the Wsyteria on Arex left him gasping for breath. Roxina effortlessly depleted Arex's energy in less than thirty minutes. The only thing Arex was doing was trying to survive each attack by evading them all.
As Roxina effortlessly predicted Arex's every move, he found himself increasingly trapped and cornered by her. It was as if he was confined within a small, enclosed space, with no escape in sight. Roxina's relentless pursuit ensured that he would never be able to outmaneuver her.
"Don't tell me you're already tired, Arex? We have only just begun." Roxina started to mock Arex. She twirled the scythe's rod on her hand, a playful gesture that hinted at her sudden boredom.
"I'm not yet tired," Arex replied, even though the sound of his heavy breathing betrayed his answer.
Roxina could not help but chuckle at Arex's remark, "Oh my, my apologies. I just couldn't help but laugh at how pathetic you're actually. It actually brought back a vivid memory of when I was tasked with turfing your soul. You wear the same expression as I slowly hunt you down like a meaningless rodent." She even added. Her voice dripped with disdain.
Arex could not fault her for embracing this opportunity so eagerly. He understood that this endeavor served as her chance to make amends for her previous inability to banish Arex's soul, even going so far as to inadvertently letting him transform into a Jinnx.
Roxina's reputation in the realm of Necripolis was tarnished by that ill-fated mission. It would only be understood where she could be coming from at the moment.
However, Arex could not simply let it happen, especially when what was at stake was not only Arex's life but also the lives of the other lords involved in this bloody shikari's hunting game. Arex knew that the journey ahead would be far from easy, but he was resolute in his determination not to be easily overcome by Roxina.
"Of course, I could remember it well, Roxina. I can still vividly remember how you failed to eliminate me. And yet, here you are, on the verge of making the same foolish error once more, and you still refuse to acknowledge that no amount of effort on your part will ever be enough to overcome me." Arex retorted, crafting his own infuriating response to Roxina's earlier mockery.
Roxina's fury ignited as she lunged forward, unleashing a swift attack on Arex. However, this time, Arex was ready. With his sapphire sword ablaze in fiery blue flames, he skillfully blocked Roxina's powerful strike, withstanding the force she was unleashing.
"Now we are even," Arex proudly declared to Roxina, a self-assured smirk gracing his face.
In an instant, Roxina's eyes shimmered with an intense glow as she retorted, "I don't think so."
Suddenly, Arex was left feeling completely immobilized, as if an invisible force had rendered him motionless. It was as if his muscles were burdened by an immense weight, preventing any sort of movement. Arex felt a wave of helplessness wash over him as he watched Roxina gracefully swing her scythe, aiming for his throat.