"I have to be faster." Asher muttered under his breath, his eyes bulging with focus beneath the ribbon. At the moment, he was traversing through the battlefield with a speed that he himself found quite surprising. His frail physique was somehow now much more nourished; the dark circles beneath his eyes had become vague.
Every now and then, he would encounter a free soldier that he couldn't avoid. With an attack or two, he would finish them off swiftly while maintaining his motion. Chances of survival were already slim, but now it had almost diminished, burnt to ashes even.
A tearing ache was trying to dull his senses; his right arm was almost broken. Half of his face was stained with blood. However, he knew the moment he'd let his guard down, the minuscule chance of survival would diminish as well.
'When there was a time when the odds were in my favor. Never.' Asher consoled himself from within. The Shadow Demon would probably have regenerated his body now. It was only a matter of minutes before the Shadow Demon would find him again.
'I have to be faster!' Asher thought before running straight into a clash between two soldiers. Bringing his blade forward in a single swift motion, he beheaded both of them while maintaining his motion.
'I have to be ruthless now.' He calculated within himself before slaughtering two more soldiers with a single swipe of his white blade that shone even under the shadowy darkness that had engulfed the world. The sand beneath at this point started to have a bloodied hue within it, evidence of the rivers of bloodshed today.
Moving forward with a massacre, a trail of blood started to pave itself from where Asher moved. He slaughtered any soldiers that came in front of him with no mercy; sometimes, some other soldiers would react from both sides and would attack him, only to be for naught.
With a spin of the illuminating blade, Asher killed two more soldiers in front of him before running once more. However, just as he was about to run, several blades came flying towards him.
'This is not from the Shadow Demon. These are from soldiers!' Asher grimaced internally with gritted teeth; it seemed he had caught the attention of the captains leading the armies.
Instead of halting, he increased his speed, dodging the blades in a blur. His expression had become distorted with pain; his right arm was starting to ache even more. Battling this many soldiers at once was taking a toll on him.
A heavy one at that.
'How do I open the panels?' He thought to himself that he had no choice left but to use the prowess of the mysterious voice that had been accompanying him from the very beginning of this nightmare.
With a shake of his head, he increased his speed once more.
'I should not use that prowess unless I face the Shadow Demon again.' He thought grimly.
After all, the more a shadow-void creature is killed, the stronger it gets. Meaning that each wound inflicted or, each time, killing them would just make them stronger.
As Asher traversed through the heinous and miserable battlefield, his right arm was moving at blurring speeds, slaughtering many who stood in his way and many who did not. His eyes started to become bloodshot because he did not blink for an extended period. After all, in such a predicament, blinking could only make him lose his guard and get slaughtered brutally.
Blood had started to flow from Asher's mouth, running through his chin up until his neck before dripping into the sand beneath. Each time he killed someone, the mysterious voice would echo again and again.
[You have killed a soldier of the Ark 9]
[Your Essence evolves...]
As he killed more, he felt his strength growing instead of diminishing. Something was circulating within his blood that sent a refreshing feeling to his heart each time he killed a soldier.
If not for his half-broken arm and his bloodshot, pained eyes, he could be considered in a better shape than he was before entering the wretched battlefield. Asher continued to kill anyone he saw; he didn't have time to dodge and change his path. The Shadow Demon should make his appearance any moment.
'Any moment now.' He thought to himself before slicing a silver armored man's throat, beheading him. His white blade had been dyed crimson in blood, as was the case with his clothing and his facial apertures.
As he ran amidst the endless ocean of soldiers, Asher suddenly came to a halt before jumping to the side while twisting his torso in mid-air.
'These kunai. He's back.'
Immediately, he swung his sword to block the other incoming kunai. Sparks flew in the air as the blades clashed against his spinning crimson-dyed blade.
'Come, I'll tear you apart.' He thought while releasing an ocean of murderous intent that was on par with, if not surpassing, the surrounding soldiers. Deflecting the ocean of blades that flew towards him out of nowhere, Asher turned around and busted towards the reality gate. Mustering all of his strength in his legs, he let out a maniacal scream before increasing his speed beyond his limits.
If someone came in his way, he would wound them heavily in a swift motion while maintaining his motion in order to waste time. His crimson-dyed blade suddenly had an even darker crimson hue to it. The golden hit of it was also stained with blood, and so were Asher's hands and half of his clothes.
If someone looked at him, they would think he was a demon that had escaped hell...
'If I can lead the bastard to an open field, I'd use my essence to fight him. The very essence that bastard used to kill my parents. I swear upon my youth that I will kill him today, even if it costs my life.' Asher thought with immense hatred reeking through him, amplifying his murderous intent even more before killing several more soldiers with a swift slash or two. His blade moved as if ethereal; his swordsmanship suddenly enhanced its use, making him even more perilous to face against
And with the addition of essence, who knows what of an opponent Asher would be?
A sudden tremor of excitement shook him within; his movements became even more smooth, and his way of slaughter became gentle and fast, yet as much as dangerous and dark. Just as he killed several or more soldiers, an opening welcomed him in the distance.
The opening to the other side of the wretched battlefield. Immediately, his eyes narrowed as murderous intent reeked out, holding his crimson-dyed blade with both of his hands; he, in one swift motion, moved ahead, killing anyone with a slight move or two in less than a fraction of a second.
Instantly, he screamed manically once more before becoming more ferocious; adrenaline gripped him from within, coursing through him like rivers screaming their rage. Just as he killed another soldier, he suddenly came to a halt.
An open field filled with sand lay ahead. A shadowy darkness coursed through it, encompassing it thoroughly. A dark space in a triangular shape lay ahead with an ethereal hue. However, what made Asher unnerved was the man standing just in front of the gate.
And that man was...
The Shadow Demon.