The bandits were on the move and nearby. The smoke above was indicative of that. Beside him, Paul grew restless.
"H-how many…?"
Dasha's ears listened carefully to the steps underneath them. He planned to ambush them by taking the high ground and hiding in the trees.
He breathed. He listened. He extended his senses with his training.
Qi Refining worked wonders for the senses—at least in theory. It was the first sub-level of cultivating Qi and the primary building block on how a martial artist refined their physical attributes. In an environment like this where tension was building, based on theory, his body would adapt and grow. His heart started to pump louder as their footsteps came closer.
An academic, a scientist, Dasha loved to experiment and it didn't matter if that involved himself. This was where he worked best. In the field, his mind and body functioned at their best.
Yet nothing came. He couldn't sense them like he wanted to. He heard them, he tasted the air in his mouth, the bark touching his hands, but the otherworldly Qi he desired did not exist.
The bandits appeared below. The man at the front with the katana composed himself with a different tinge. It was slight but it was there. Kazi took note of their weapons and levels, and then glanced at Paul.
The bandits weren't weak by any means. Levels 12 through 16, no doubt a difficult task for the level 9 Paul.
Dasha didn't care.
"Kill them all."
The drop was almost instant. Dasha and Paul fell in the middle of the bandits and started their ambush. Dasha with his fist empowered by a fire. Paul with Shockwave Slices.
[ Critical hit landed! ]
[ Critical hit landed! ]
One blast of his Fire Fist and a bandit was knocked back and rendered unconscious. Another incurred the same result. The burn marks remained. For Paul, it wasn't so simple. Two bandits ganged up on him and Paul leaned back on his superior speed to back away.
'Fire Fist!'
Clang! His fist met a katana. Kanbei Ando blocked his attack, protecting his fellow bandit, and announced, "This one is mine to kill, men!"
Level 21, just like Dasha. 'This is bound to be fun.'
The steadiness in which he held his blade was to be commended. To be able to face Dasha's Fire Fist like that and still be standing was truly impressive.
'Not impressive enough, I'm afraid.'
One, two, three…no, seven gaps in his fighting style.
A Fire Fist slipped past his sword and smack dabbed into his cheek. The painted burn jerked the ronin back and earned another opening. Dasha kicked his knee, leading to a buckle, and uppercutted him with a stronger skill. A coating of flames that encompassed his elbow, darker and denser. With no break from the uppercut, a punch to the torso, the throat, the ribs, and roundhouse kick that tossed him back.
There were some in the world with eyes in the back of their heads. Dasha was not one of those people. His eyes were direct and infallible. He could see and extract the smallest ounce of information from someone. He could understand their history, their physics, and how to overcome it.
Yet an interruption arrived in the form of a piercing cry. Paul was struggling. Failing. Dasha clicked his tongue and made the split-decision to save him.
The sword and its wielder were fast, but nothing was faster than Dasha at full concentration. Sending the ronin off with another deadly comb, still at full momentum, Dasha spun and kicked the first bandit in sight. Then the two that came after and the last bandit attacking Paul.
His shadow consumed the cowering man. Paul, back to a tree, knives clattered to his side, opened and closed his mouth.
"A killer struggling to kill. Do better."
His arms and legs were a disembodied mess incapable of basic muscle movement. The more Paul struggled to get on his feet, the greater his panic. Dasha sneered.
"S-sorry—"
"I'm killing everyone here. Just shut up and watch."
His head hung down pitifully and Dasha faced his opponents again. A mini-boss and four remaining bandits.
His arms went into an X-shape. 'Flame Dance.'
The bandits recoiled, afraid of the sudden whip of flames, while Kanbei Ando readied his katana. His pupils transformed into a hollow shape.
'What happened?' The excess energy that had been swirling in him, the Flame Dance, felt sticky—and that sensation came from the katana.
Dasha dashed forward and Inferno Palmed two bandits in the jaw, before landing a Furious Kick to the bandit approaching to his left. Speed was his biggest advantage. Time was not. The longer he let this battle occur, the better their chances of coordination.
A cold metal hacked at his back and Dasha could feel his flesh opening up. He rammed himself into the kicked bandit in order to avoid a deep cut and from his peripheral analyzed his opponent.
His eyes were empty and his lower half wasn't in his vision. Dasha, his back still to Kanbei Ado, grabbed the bandit and tossed himself aside. It was a desperate manoeuvre that had a chance of failing if Kanbei kept running after him.
As suspected, he didn't. Emotions returned to his eyes and form as he witnessed his katana slicing his comrade from the shoulder down.
"NO! Fuji—"
Dasha rolled back to his feet and immediately sprung at him. He didn't waste a second. Whatever that katana was, it was dangerous and contingent on emotions.
Right now, Kanbei Ado was letting his attachments get to him. Samurai or not, he held a code. He held love inside him.
That would be his downfall.
A Furious Kick amped kick struck his side and the samurai jerked back. He pulled his blade with him, unfortunately, his ally splattering Dasha with his blood and falling to his knees.
"You worthless warrior! Those were MY subordinates! I can't believe you—"
"Killed them? Says the man robbing innocents. Neither of us should be arguing ethics here," Dasha said. "Now, prepare yourself, worthless warrior. It's time for you to die."
The overwhelming speed advantage let Dasha invade his space. His Fire Fist clipped his cheek and in trying to jerk away from the heat Kanbei's leg was struck by Dasha's and he dropped to get uppercutted by another Fire Fist.
The time to react was gone. Through his footwork, Dasha worked around his katana and pummelled him with shotgun-like punches.
A desperate swing and a calm duck. Like a boxer swinging his head, Dasha coolly avoided the blade's thrusts. They were the final actions of a madman that realized he was totally and wholly outclassed.
Another Fire Fist to the cheek and Kanbei became disoriented, his legs stumbling backwards. The danger and power once in his eyes were gone. Dasha decided to end it right then and there. His mana could only last so long. So he got into position, hips dropping down, one foot forward and one foot back, a loose fist up front and a tight fist behind.
The final fire elemental skill of the Amateur Martial Artist was a combo costing six distributive points. A series of punches and kicks that held no technique. It was a symbol of raw power.
Rank C. 55 MP. Blazing Fury Combo.
Kanbei Ado, former samurai, stood no chance. The punches punctured his body like a gunpowder cannon ball. The kicks shattered his balance and any opportunity of a counter. Any chance at life.
A disgusting penetration of flesh ripped through the forest.
"You…you're quite the monster, aren't you?"
Dasha pulled his fist from his chest. The leader of the bandits lost the light in his eyes and fell back. His corpse should have elicited a response, yet his heart wasn't pounding. His expression wasn't grim. Dasha just…was.
[ Congratulations! Gate 3 : School of Muramasa
SPECIAL OBJECTIVE: Defeat the bandits hurting the School of Muramasa — Complete!
Receive:
70,000 XP
500,000 PP ]
[ You defeated Mini Boss: Kanbei Ado! ]
[ Receive:
125,000 XP
1,000,000 PP ]
[ Level up! ]
[ Level up! ]
[ Level up! ]
This wasn't his first time seeing death nor would it be his last. That much, he could say for sure.
"What happens now?" Paul's timid voice asked from behind. "Do I—do we just go?"
Judging by the expression on his face, he levelled up massively. 'Makes sense. The mini boss was level 21. I suspect it was intended to be defeated by a group and therefore split the XP and points. However, since it's just the two of us, it split that way.'
"What level are you now?"
"Level 19…" Paul answered.
'So contributions do matter. It's not just a fifty-fifty split. Good to know.' Because if it had been evenly split, then his level would have jumped a bit higher. He went from level 9 to level 19; thus, Dasha calculated he received approximately forty thousand XP from the completion of the special objective. And since he didn't participate in the battle against the mini boss, Paul didn't receive the spoils from that.
The body of the ronin dissipated. Sparkles flew into the sky. Dasha attempted to touch the sparkles but his fingers slipped through them like butter.
Without warning, Dasha announced, "Run. Run and don't look back." A dumbfounded look appeared on Paul. "W-what?"
A box hovered in front of him. With his new points, he couldn't afford to waste time with his experiments. But with a servant, someone bound to his commands, he could do as he pleased. He could do vital tasks in two places at once.
"I want to see the limits of this world," Dasha explained. "If there is a limit, message me."
"B-but where will you be going?"
[ Will you return to the White Abyss? Yes or no? ]
"Out."
His finger clicked yes and he left the world seeing Paul's terrified eyes.