"Snowy! You've surprised me so far!" Raven's voice boomed as he charged toward Snowy, his fists crackling with dark energy.
But Snowy barely registered the threat. His eyes flickered toward Emily, Draken, kael and the others, still engaged in their own battles. (I need to finish this fast… they're struggling. They can't hold out much longer.)
Raven's punch came hurtling toward him. Snowy braced himself to dodge, but in a split second, Raven shifted—his attack was a feint. The real punch came from the opposite side, smashing into Snowy's nose with brutal force.
A sickening crunch followed as blood gushed from Snowy's nose, dripping onto the ground. Snowy wiped it away with the back of his hand, grinning despite the pain. "Well, now you're using your brain. I was starting to think it had rotted away."
Raven's eyes flared with fury at the taunt. "You'll regret being born when I break every bone in you!" he roared, charging again with renewed rage.
But Snowy had already moved. With a swift, calculated motion, he delivered a powerful uppercut to Raven's chin, sending him flying into the air. "That uppercut wasn't in the inferno breathe technique," Snowy mused as Raven soared through the sky. "But who cares, as long as I beat you down hard enough till bones feel it."
Raven crashed back to the ground, clutching his chin in pain, trying to shake off the blow. His eyes blazed with hatred, but Snowy didn't give him a moment to recover. Grabbing Raven by his face, Snowy dragged him across the courtyard, the ground beneath them cracking and shattering with every brutal motion.
Raven howled in pain, clawing at Snowy's arm in a desperate attempt to break free. His nails dug deep, leaving gashes that oozed blood, but Snowy barely flinched. Only after several brutal moments did he finally toss Raven aside like a rag doll.
Blood dripped from Snowy's arm where Raven had scratched him, but he simply wiped it off. "Pretty pathetic trick you've use there," he said coldly.
Raven struggled to stand, his breathing labored, his body bruised and battered from the relentless assault. "You… you bastard…" he wheezed.
Before Raven could finish his sentence, Snowy's foot slammed into his face in a powerful dropkick. The impact sent Raven tumbling across the ground like a broken toy.
Snowy dusted himself off, thinking raven was done now,
glancing at his fallen opponent. (Finally… it's over.) He was about to turn and help Emily, Kael,Draken and the others when the ground beneath his feet rumbled ominously.
His senses flared, instantly warning him. His eyes snapped to Raven's crumpled form. (No… don't tell me we're going for a second round.)
Raven's body twitched unnaturally, his once-pale skin now glowing with a dark, malevolent energy. His aura had changed completely, and the air around him felt oppressive.
Snowy's eyes narrowed. (Necromancy? But… he's physically stronger than a typical necromancer.)
Raven rose to his feet, his eyes glowing a deep crimson. "You thought you could defeat me? Fool. This is only the beginning!"
Snowy clenched his fists, bracing himself for the second round. "Let's see how I do against this dark version," he muttered, his heart racing as Raven summoned few of undead warriors from the ground beneath.
Snowy barely had time to react before an arrow whizzed toward him. Instinctively, he caught it mid-air, his eyes scanning the battlefield for more. (Great. Undead archers now.)
But before he could assess the situation, Raven appeared in front of him with lightning speed, his fist connecting squarely with Snowy's face. The impact was brutal, sending Snowy reeling backward. And then, as if that wasn't enough, Raven's undead minions unleashed a barrage of arrows, forcing Snowy to take cover.
He grabbed a chunk of a broken wall, using it as a makeshift shield against the rain of arrows. But he couldn't block them all—some cut through his defenses, slicing into his skin.
(His necromancy combined with that brute strength… if I don't end this soon, I'm done for. My body's wearing down… I can barely keep up.) Snowy's mind raced as he glanced between Raven and the undead archers, trying to find a way out.
A thought struck him, and he smirked. "Alright, tough guy. You're stronger than me… but guess what?"
Raven, standing amidst his army of undead, sneered. "What?"
Snowy shifted his stance, his body moving into a familiar position. Raven's eyes widened in disbelief—it was his stance. Snowy had copied the Demonic Arts, a legendary martial technique feared across lands.
Raven's face twisted with shock and confusion. "H-how!? No human should be capable of just copying the Demonic Arts!"
But this wasn't just some poor imitation. Snowy's movements were precise, fluid, as if he had been practicing the technique for years. "And there's more," Snowy said with a smirk.
Raven's confidence wavered for the first time. (There's no way… The Demonic Arts require perfect balance between strength and speed. He can't possibly master it just by watching.)
But Snowy's Copy Technique wasn't just about mimicking moves. Copy technique had two branches first is mimicking the other techniques, second is to tense the muscles up, equally so the power and opponent exterts.
Technique will allow him to replicate not only the technique but the physical capabilities of his opponent.
With a sudden burst of speed, Snowy closed the gap between them, his fist slamming into Raven's stomach with the same force Raven had used against him earlier. Raven's body jerked violently, his mana flow disrupted by thay single punch.
Snowy didn't stop there. He unleashed a flurry of punches, each one more precise than the last. Raven could barely keep up, his body convulsing under the relentless assault. The earth trembled with each strike, shockwaves rippling through the ground.
Snowy's punches cut off Raven's mana flow completely, and the undead archers vanished into dust as their connection to Raven was severed.
Raven's body crumpled to the ground, shitless and broken. Snowy stepped back, panting heavily, his muscles aching from the strain of the battle. He glanced at the fallen Raven, his voice cold and unrelenting. "Is that all you've got?"
Raven let out a weak groan before passing out, his body limp and unresponsive.
Snowy stood tall, though his body screamed in protest. The strain from using the Demonic Arts combined with his Copy Technique branch, had taken a severe toll. His muscles were cramping painfully, his left arm hanging awkwardly—likely broken. Blood dripped from the cuts and gashes on his body, but he forced himself to remain upright.
The battlefield was quiet now, the undead vanquished, the hound clan's courtyard in ruins. Flames flickered in the distance, smoke rising from the destruction around them.
"Oi, Emily! Do you guys need help over there?" Snowy called out, his voice hoarse from the exertion.
Emily, Kael, and Draken had just finished dispatching the last of their enemies. "We're good! No need for help!" she shouted, giving a thumbs-up.
Snowy exhaled in relief, but the exhaustion was catching up to him fast. His muscles were burning, his legs barely holding him up. Just as he was about to collapse, he felt warm arms wrap around him from behind, steadying him.
Aurora's voice was soft, filled with concern. "You worried me to death."
Snowy blinked, trying to stay conscious. "Aurora?" he mumbled, as she hugged him tightly. But realizing what she was doing, Aurora quickly let go, stepping back with a deep blush. "Sorry… I thought Raven had you, but you're okay, right?"
Snowy glanced down at his broken and bloodied body, grinning weakly. "Define 'okay.'"
Aurora frowned, immediately tearing a piece of cloth to clean the blood from his face. "Kenshi! Call an ambulance, now!" she shouted to kenshi, who nodded and rushed off.
Emily, watching the interaction unfold, was confused—and a little irritated. She knew Aurora, the girl who had helped design the kitchen for Snowy's birthday, but she hadn't realized they were this close. Emily walked up to Aurora, her eyes narrowed. "You two seem...pretty close."
Aurora jumped at the comment, her face flushing as she tried to explain herself. "Oh, no, it's nothing, he saved me from that Raven, who i don't like completely and that's all!"
Stella, who had been invisible and seeing the interaction, appeared suddenly, cutting off Aurora's awkward explanation. "Oh, darling, you shouldn't lie. Just admit that you—"
Aurora quickly clamped a hand over her mother's mouth, her face now bright red. "Mother, please!"
Emily watched the scene, her suspicion growing. (Admit what, exactly?)
But before she could question them further, Snowy, who had been quietly enduring the pain, finally, collapsed.