The blood sprayed outward as Sief felt his body failing. He staggered backward, feeling his body begin to tremble. His vision vibrated as he saw blood on his right hand, along with the broken dagger, but soon his gaze returned to the man facing him.
Even in the middle of the movement, Sief sensed the danger approaching, and his eyes widened as the man advanced again. The attacker's arm stayed low, then in an instant, rose, but Sief dodged, his eyes still wide, feeling a few strands of his hair get cut loose.
Still in motion, the man spun quickly, and Sief clenched his teeth, blocking with his dagger, and once again, the impact struck. The blow sank into Sief's arm, and he felt the aura of the blade touch him, burning his arm and making him groan, but in the next instant, he was thrown aside.
Sief fell again, feeling his arm go numb, his breath still ragged. He raised his eyes, but once more, the man was there, staring at him, eyes still glowing with the same reddish hue.
A strike came from above, and Sief leapt to the side, watching the blade sink into the ground and send stones flying. But before they could even fall, the advance continued, and Sief panted, feeling his heart race as another blow came toward him.
Another clash occurred, but this time the dagger was wrenched from Sief's hand. He ground his teeth nervously, and once again, the man assumed a stabbing posture.
Sief's pupils dilated as he once more saw the man charge at an unnatural speed, but he quickly furrowed his brow, and as the blow came, he took a quick step to the side, surprising the swordsman. The blade cut into Sief's side, but the man also saw Sief's left hand closing in, still clenched for a punch.
He furrowed his brow, but as Sief's fist closed, a mechanism activated, and the blade was fired, heading for the man's face. The man's mouth opened slightly, and a metallic sound echoed through the place.
Sief watched the entire trajectory of the blade until it touched the man's eye and finally pierced it. But there was no blood or flesh—just something being penetrated, causing the assassin to murmur softly.
"But… what?"
Before he could turn around, he felt the wind, and another blow came, crashing against his armguard and hitting his face squarely, throwing him against the wall.
Sief felt all his bones crack before he hit the ground. His vision blurred, and his surroundings grew confusing as he tried to prop himself up and saw the image of the man in blue, still staring at him with a serious gaze.
"I can see him in you."
The man's voice seemed to echo directly in his head, but even so, his lips moved as he continued.
"Why are you doing this?"
"That's what I should be asking you." Sief propped himself up on his own arm, throwing his body backward to try to stand, but his legs lacked strength, and he slumped against the wall, still glaring with furrowed brows. "None of the blows were meant to kill me. If you wanted to, you would have already. You called 'her'... is it my sister? Do you know where she is? And who are you?"
Sief forced himself to speak, feeling dizzy as his mind became increasingly hazy, while the man approached once more.
"My name is Tulla." The man didn't move his lips, and Sief's eyes widened, seeing the aura of the sword flare again. "Don't worry. You'll remember."
He moved again, hiding the sword behind his body, making Sief widen his eyes and brace himself to rise again as the wave of energy echoed in the air.
Sief's pupils trembled, seeing the wave spread rapidly. When it reached him, he leaned his body to the side and leaped, but the wave collided with his body, and another cut opened instantly, blood spurting as the image of Tulla stood before him, the strike already delivered.
'I didn't even see—'
Sief felt his organs twist, blood coming to his mouth, making him vomit, but even in midair, another shockwave hit his abdomen. Sief extended his arm, and in the same instant, the sword struck his armguard, once again throwing him backward.
A trail of blood was left behind as Sief hit the ground, rolling from the impact and clutching his wound with the other arm, feeling the hot blood flow as his body grew colder.
He pressed his face to the ground to push himself up, seeing the blade cut into his arm again, turning back to Tulla, who resumed his walk, face still serious, swinging his sword lightly.
'He's fast, faster than anything I've ever seen...' Sief's body shook as he tried to stand again, but once more, he collapsed into a seated position, eyes fixed in disbelief on that presence. 'I can't beat this.'
Once again, the wave echoed in the air, and Sief crossed his arms defensively, nervously bracing as the shadow appeared again, but a voice came from behind him.
'You'd better react, or you'll die.'
Sief felt another cut land, and his strength failed, his body flung forward from the impact, with only the red glow moving before his eyes.
In an instant, the strike hit, and Sief's arm was thrown back along with his body. He flew and slammed into a higher part of the wall, coughing blood as his wounds opened even more.
His surroundings darkened as his vision blurred, seeing only Tulla's face still staring at him, eyes vibrating red, and finally, Sief drifted off.
'Am I going to die... again?'
His body slid down the wall and collapsed onto his feet, legs trembling as he leaned against the wall. Silence filled the area, which was tinged with faint lilac hues, but Sief's gaze remained low, barely conscious of what was happening. He saw only Tulla approaching, wearing the same expression.
"It's a pity. But don't worry, you'll have a body like mine soon. Just wait a little longer, Vetra."
Sief's entire body trembled as the blue aura neared, the man's brows lowering as he sighed through his nose.
"It really is a pity."
He raised his sword, and once more, a presence overwhelmed him, his face splitting into a wide grin as one of his eyes glowed red, radiating an aura like fire.
Sief caught a glimpse of Ylda from the corner of his eye, wearing a wide smile and spinning her body, creating a powerful gust of wind.
But in an instant, a blue slash cut through her, and only the upper half of her body spun. The light in her eyes faded as her torso fell to the ground, followed by the other half, making a wet sound as it hit the floor and began to spill.
A scream of terror echoed through the place, but again Tulla raised his sword and brought it down violently. Yet before the strike could land, Sief had already moved to the side, feeling the impact of the blade against the ground beside him.
Some shards of stone flew up and struck his face, but still, his downcast expression didn't change as he slowly raised his head.
Tulla narrowed his eyes and quickly swung the blade, aiming for Sief's neck, but once again the assassin had moved his neck well before the blow could land.
Sief's hair fell to the side, and Tulla smiled, seeing something different in Sief's face.
"It's about time. Welcome back, brother."
He gazed at Sief's face, which remained expressionless, though one of his eyes was now surrounded by a purple aura. His mouth slightly opened, and blood of the same color began to trickle out.
Sief's mind remained foggy and confused as he still stared ahead, but once again a flash came dangerously close to his face, causing his gaze to shift beyond Tulla's shoulder. Tulla smiled again but turned his head to look back.
Everything around them seemed more static now, and Astrad had raised both his hands, his hair wildly flowing as his eyes glowed with a lilac light, similar to his chaotic aura that now filled the space.
"Of all the seas of the world and the tallest mountains, nothing is indestructible to me." His hands glowed a violet hue, and Tulla furrowed his brow, turning quickly, but something grabbed his leg, causing Astrad to give a faint smile. "I don't know who you are, but if you're anything like that monster, let me remind you: don't underestimate humanity."
When he looked down, Tulla saw Ylda gripping his leg with both arms, making him frown before turning his gaze back to Astrad, who said:
"I won't allow you to destroy our home again."
Astrad's hand clenched something, squeezing tightly until a sound like shattering glass echoed, and Tulla's abdomen disappeared, revealing a round stone emanating a dark aura.
In an instant, the stone cracked and shattered, falling to the ground as Tulla resumed his smile, and Astrad continued.
"Be grateful you only came with an astral projection, because I would have killed you." Astrad's aura gradually diminished as he fixed his eyes on Ylda and said, "I'm sorry."
The barbarian only smiled, her eyes already lifeless, as she trembled, still clutching Tulla's body.
"You wouldn't use that in a city. It was a great opportunity. But I've already found what I wanted here." Tulla turned back, looking at Sief, who was still panting, drenched in blood that continued to drip, showing his pale skin. At last, the man continued, "She'll be waiting for you."
Once more, he turned to Astrad with a faint smile as he said:
"Cosmic magic... You must be the strongest among humans. But if that's all..." He returned to his broad grin as he continued, "In any case, we will take back what is ours. You were the ones who expelled us once and made the mistake of not extinguishing all of us, but we... won't make that mistake..."
His smile grew wider as his body began to dissolve rapidly.
"May the most evolved race win."
Nearby, Sief watched as that body turned into remnants of blue light that ascended to the sky, and once again he heard the voice in his head.
"Survive... until then... from the monsters... and from humans..."
Sief's mind began to fade, and he clenched his teeth, feeling his body grow cold as his strength waned.
"Answer me..." He forced out. "Beatrice..."
And before he could resist, the ground rushed up to meet him, his consciousness giving way as his body fell with a dull thud, and the last of his blood spilled out.