"So who are you?" Asuka asked, his brows furrowed as he stared at the cave's entrance, where the voice had come from.
A figure appeared, silhouetted by the dim light of the cave. It tossed the unconscious bodies of Ashton and Ruby to the ground, walking closer towards Asuka.
Watching their lifeless body Asuka's expression darkened. "Come any closer, and I'll kill Shen," he threatened, retreating slightly and pressing his katana against Shen's neck.
"You bastard..." Shen muttered, frustrated but subdued by Asuka's tight grip.
"They're just fainted," the silhouette figure said calmly, stepping forward. As he walked more closer, The dim light gradually revealed a red-headed young man, his appearance weak and frail, barely able to stand. Despite his condition, he held a sword in his hand with a steady grip.
"I'm Damun, Shen's squadmate," he continued. "Hand over the flag and leave. It's obvious you can't fight both of us, and there's even someone waiting for you." He extended his hand demanding a flag, his calm eyes fixed on Asuka's.
"Who?" Asuka asked.
"Guess,"
"Aang?"
"See you got it. He's in the middle of the grasslands waiting for you. Beat him and take his flag instead of trying the impossible by fighting us both. He's alone." Damun smiled convincingly, moving closer to take the flag.
*Roarr!!!!!!!!!!*
*Thud!!!!*
*KA-Booom!!!!*
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the cave, It was a thunderous sound, akin to that of volcanic eruption, making Asuka, Shen, and Damun flinch. Their heads snapped toward the direction of the noise, which originated from the snow-covered mountain.
The entire mountain area and the nearby forest were already engulfed in flames. The source of such chaos was a giant, gorilla-like monster, its hands covered in crimson-coloured crystals, its entire body wreathed in roaring flames. The beast continued its bone-chilling roars, slamming its massive fists into the ground and causing explosive eruptions due to its unique abilities.
"What the fuck is that?" Asuka muttered in surprise, his eyes wide with shock.
"What, you don't know? That's your squadmate Jane's blessing. If I'm right, she can copy the abilities and appearance of any monster or even human, yes, their blessings too, only if she gets their fresh dead body." Damun looked at Asuka with a slightly confused gaze before shifting his attention back to Jane's gorilla form. "But I wonder who she's fighting for her to go to such lengths."
"Isn't that too overpowered?"
But, Suddenly Damun's indifferent expression turned to that of smirk, noticing Asuka's subtle movements. He turned swiftly, a knife in his hand, and slashed Asuka's eyes, blinding him just as he was attempting a sneak attack.
*Ahhhhhhhhh!!!*
Asuka cried out loudly, his voice filled with excruciating pain as he fell back onto the ground, his hands clutching his bleeding eyes. The world around him faded into darkness, leaving him totally blind.
"Ha! Serves you right for trying to sneak attack me, you bastard," Shen chuckled, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. The frustration of being bested by someone he considered trash like Asuka had been eating him, but now he could even get into Jane's favour.
"What a fool you are, Asuka. I did warn you," Damun said, his voice dripping with cockiness as he looked down at Asuka, a wide grin on his face. "Will Jane be happy if I gift her your severed head?"
Asuka already knew Damun was bluffing. killing him outright wasn't an option with Kaito as his backer. Yet, something about Damun had felt off from the start. His heightened senses had been alerting him, which was why he had attempted the sneak attack in the first place.
What is it?
'Tsk! What is his Blessing again?' Asuka thought as the countdown ticked in his mind.
[3]
[2]
[1]
"But brother, now that you've blinded him, won't Kaito come after us?" Shen asked Damun, his expression turning grim.
"It doesn't matter. That bastard will just revert back the time,"
Asuka's eyes widened in shock as he heard Damun's words just before the activation was completed...
[Timekeeper's Hourglass in effect. Everything will revert back three seconds...]
.
.
.
"Don't you know? That's your squadmate Jane's blessing. She can copy the ability and appearance of any monster or human, including their blessings if she gets their fresh dead body," Damun explained, looking at Asuka with a slightly confused gaze before turning back to Jane's gorilla form. "But I wonder who she's fighting to go to such lengths."
"Isn't that too overpowered? It's not fair."
"Anyway, Asuka, make your decision fast..." Before Damun could continue, Asuka handed over the flag, a solemn expression on his face.
"Nice! Now, are you going after Aang?" Damun asked, a smile spreading across his face.
"You tell me, what do you think?" Asuka replied, a wide grin tugging at his lips as he stared at Damun, waiting for his response.
"I think you'll run away," Damun taunted with a chuckle.
Without another word, Asuka picked up the fainted Jane and Ashton and walked out of the cave, a satisfied smile on his face. "Now I finally get it," he muttered to himself.
*
*
*
{A/N}
Thanks for reading and following the story...