The needles were quick and sharp enough to tear multiple holes in him if he stood around long enough for it to happen. There was not enough light in the room to see them, but infusing more dark energy into his tensed muscles was good enough to ensure that not a single one so much as scratched his skin.
A slow smile crept to the edge of his face as he continued to avoid them, realizing that it was just a matter of time before the woman in front of him got tired of using the same method.
"Is that all you can do? You hope to kill me with this?" His tone was on the border of mockery as he used the stone sword in his hand to bat away the last of the needles that had been directed at him.
"Who are you! I mean, you're definitely not Loret!" she said, raising her voice as she stared intensely into his eyes. "Loret was a powerless idiot. He could fight, but only with swords!"
The wild smile on Voldrak's face only grew bigger as he stared at the woman in front of him, almost as if he was trying to take in the essence of what truly made her who she was.
"Your clan leader sent you to kill me because I have changed?"
"No! She sent me to kill you because you shouldn't be this strong!" she responded to his question in a straightforward manner, even as he watched her recall her needles one after the other in preparation for another attack.
"If these nasty needles are all you have, you'll die!" Voldrak said plainly, not seeing a need to beat around the bush. He was a little surprised by the threat that came next.
"Put down your sword, and maybe I won't run her through!" she said, referring to Flonda, who bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as the blade at her back dug deeper into her skin, enough to coat her back in blood. Voldrak didn't hesitate as he met the woman's eyes with a dark expression that exuded cruelty and nothing else.
A sneer twisted his face. "Really? For a slave that was given to me mere hours ago? Her arm might never heal. Wouldn't it be better to get another that is completely whole?" Voldrak said in a cold tone, devoid of empathy, even as he caught a glimpse of tears filling Flonda's eyes.
"If you run her through right now, I won't even flinch," Voldrak continued, his hands tightening ever so slightly on the sword, slowly generating all the dark energy he needed for the most important strike he planned to take.
"I don't doubt it. I even believe you would use the chance to kill me the second I try," she said, even as he continued funneling all the dark energy he could into his muscles in one go, intent on finishing it.
The clan leader sending more than one assassin to kill him was unlikely, which meant all he needed to do was kill her and suck out her essence using the small section of his dark power he could wield.
"You won't succeed though. I'll—" But Voldrak had heard enough. He dashed forward with his sword raised to end it in one stroke, aiming for her head, faster than she could react with the same method he had used to kill Crutal. She reacted regardless, almost as if by automatic defense. A huge blob of water appeared around her, slowly solidifying to protect her. But Voldrak's smile turned bloody as the muscles in his arm bulged. He pushed Flonda away and brought his hand down, cutting through the entirety of it. His eyes lit up in glee as he watched his sword come in contact with the woman's skin, about to relieve her of the weight of her head.
But just as Voldrak was about to push the blade in, he felt an attack from his side. He barely turned in time to use his sword to counter it, only to groan in fury as his sword slowly shattered into pieces. He was violently tossed away, barely managing to break his fall before crashing into the wall of the house. Raising his gaze, he saw a woman standing in the haze, holding a steel sword in her hands.
Spinning around her was a glob of what he would have assumed was water if it hadn't been dyed black. Her flaming red hair was tied with a gold chain around her forehead, explaining the arrogant air about her. She was important, and she knew it. Her clothes were a pure shade of white, with a long gown that covered her completely from the waist down. Her stomach was bare, and a strip of cloth passed through each of her breasts, covering only the tips, allowing anyone to feast their eyes on the rest.
Voldrak's entire attention was focused on her as he realized that he had drawn the dark energy twice. The energy was already draining out of his muscles as he battled to keep them there, while his enemies had doubled.
Flonda had been tossed to the ground, and he might have used too much strength because he could clearly see she had passed out completely.
"Ophari! You were playing with your food?" the red-haired woman spoke, mentioning the black-haired one in the same sentence as she settled a condescending gaze on Voldrak. He straightened his back and stared at her as if she were less than the dirt under his feet.
"Sister Murra! I was just about to finish, but I didn't think he had such a trick left to use. Thank you for saving my life!" Ophari, the one he had been battling with, bowed, placing a hand on her neck, where blood was still slowly flowing as she directed a string of water to permanently stem it.
"I'll finish him now so—" she continued, but Murra shook her head, raising her hand.
"No. Rest! I'll finish this, then you can go!" she snapped, turning red-tinged eyes to Voldrak, who tried to keep his breath steady as he slowly came to a deep realization—one that deeply pained him but was better than the alternative.
'I have to run!'
He had gravely underestimated the people in this realm and had been confident that even if someone else came, he could handle them. But now, with someone else showing up, even escaping would be difficult. If another appeared, he would simply die.
"Like I told the one before you! If you turn around and leave, I won't pursue!" he said, speaking directly to the red-haired woman, who turned an intense gaze on him. She was just as lovely, with small features and skin that looked soft enough to have never seen a day of labor in her life.
"You call out terms even now? I can see whatever energy you claim to have is slowly sliding out of your body! You have what? A couple of moments left before you drop to the ground?" she ridiculed with glee, even as she closed the distance between them.
"Without a sword and a—" But Voldrak knew what she was doing and wasn't about to wait. He bit his lip, filling his mouth with blood, and his head thundered. He extracted more than his body could endure, straight from his soul. He would rather kill himself than allow a foe to do it for him.
He could have attacked the woman in front of him, but the presence of the other one made things much worse. He slowly materialized a dark rod, satisfied to see how wary it made her as she took a few steps back.
Voldrak immediately attacked, knowing full well that the rod was nothing more than an illusion. He couldn't wield it, but he still shot forward, looking for his chance to escape. He found it as he watched her slowly weave a thickened defense using the dark globs of water surrounding her.
Voldrak shot in the opposite direction but had barely moved two steps before slamming into a restriction in the air. He hammered through it even as his head rang loudly enough to make his vision swim. He staggered to a stop.
"Lords above!" a soft voice cursed beside him. "Let me put you out of your misery!"
Voldrak was just about to draw deeper, damning the consequences, when he saw words begin to appear in his vision as his eyesight darkened and he slowly lost feeling in his body.
{DUAL-CULTIVATION SYSTEM}
{HOST'S BODY IS IN DANGER!}
{AUTOMATIC MODE ACTIVATED}
These were the last words he saw before falling into a dark abyss, one he didn't recall digging for himself.