"How long can you hold out in this chaos?" Watcher 23 sneered, his daggers weaving intricate arcs in the dim light, their afterimages forming a web of deadly intent.
Shingin sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a fatal thrust aimed at his chest. His counterattack, a swift horizontal slash of his water sword, met only empty space. Each attempt to retaliate was anticipated, leaving him struggling to reclaim the upper hand.
"Damn it!" Gritting his teeth, Shingin stomped the ground with force, causing a surge of water to propel him backward. Yet before he could regain his stance, a thunderous roar tore through the air.
Watcher 21 charged forward, his colossal fist bearing down on Shingin with the weight of a collapsing mountain.
Shingin reacted instinctively, raising his water sword to intercept the blow. The sheer force of the impact sent him hurtling across the battlefield, crashing into the remnants of a stone wall. Dust and rubble exploded outward as the structure crumbled under the force.
"Don't forget about me." An eerie voice slithered through the settling dust. Watcher 25's sinister grin emerged from the shadows. With a casual wave of his hand, the ground split open once more, releasing a writhing mass of venomous snakes that surged toward Shingin like a living tide.
Coughing and bloodied, Shingin rose shakily to his feet, his water sword trembling in his grip. The ground beneath him pulsed with energy, a thin veil of water forming a desperate barrier against the advancing serpents. Yet the sheer number overwhelmed him, their beady, glowing eyes closing in with terrifying speed.
"Show me your limits, then!" Watcher 25's mocking laughter echoed as he directed the serpents to encircle Shingin.
The snakes were nearly upon him. With a sudden burst of resolve, Shingin rolled sideways, narrowly escaping their venomous fangs. Twisting mid-roll, he lashed out with his sword, the blade slicing through the front line of serpents, leaving severed bodies writhing in his wake.
But there was no reprieve. The momentary victory was shattered as Watcher 23's dagger emerged from the gloom, its lethal edge aimed unerringly at Shingin's throat. Forced to block again, Shingin's hastily parried blow left him stumbling backward, edging closer to the snake swarm behind him.
"This ends here," Watcher 23 hissed, a sadistic grin splitting his face. The dagger flicked upward, its point aimed for Shingin's heart.
Shingin's eyes glinted with cold determination. As if surrendering to fate, he leaned backward, allowing the blade to close the gap. At the last possible instant, his legs tensed, and with a sharp pivot, he spun to the side, evading the strike by the narrowest margin.
In that split second of misalignment, Shingin retaliated. Twisting his body mid-dodge, he drove his water sword forward with deadly precision. The blade struck true, slicing across Watcher 23's wrist, sending the dagger clattering to the ground.
"Damn you!" Watcher 23 hissed in pain, clutching his bleeding wrist as he retreated.
Shingin pressed his advantage, his water sword glowing faintly as it sliced through the air toward his opponent's chest. But just as victory seemed within reach, a massive shadow loomed behind him.
Watcher 21 had closed the distance.
With a devastating swing of his fist, the giant sent Shingin flying again, this time crashing into the dirt.
Pain lanced through Shingin's body as he struggled to rise. His vision blurred, but his will refused to falter. Wiping blood from his mouth, he forced himself upright, scanning the battlefield for any opportunity to escape.
The odds were overwhelming. The snake swarm continued to spread, Watcher 23 had already recovered, and Watchers 20 and 26 began their calculated advance from the edges of the fight. Each enemy loomed like an unyielding obstacle, closing in with relentless precision.
"There's still a way…" Shingin muttered, his sharp gaze locking onto a narrow gap in the snake swarm to his left. Drawing in a deep breath, he channeled the last reserves of his alien soul energy to his legs.
With a sudden burst of speed, Shingin shot forward like a streak of light, aiming for the only opening in the encirclement.
The serpents surged to block his path, their bodies forming a writhing wall of scales and fangs. Shingin's water sword swung in a wide arc, the blade carving through the obstacle. Severed snakes fell, but the gap remained perilously narrow.
"You're not going anywhere!" Watcher 25 roared, slamming his staff against the ground. The serpents quickened their movements, converging to seal off Shingin's escape.
Shingin's eyes narrowed, calculating every move. As the serpents closed in, he summoned a crescent-shaped wave of water energy with a sweep of his sword. The force cleaved through the mass of snakes, granting him a fleeting chance to push forward.
But the reprieve was short-lived. Behind him, Watcher 23 reappeared, his dagger flashing in the dark. It aimed squarely at Shingin's back.
A chilling sense of danger washed over Shingin as he dove forward, narrowly avoiding the blade. The dagger grazed his back, drawing a shallow but painful cut. Blood seeped through his tattered clothes, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to falter.
"How long do you think you can keep this up?" Watcher 23 taunted, his tone laced with venom. Each move he made was calculated, each strike aimed to drain Shingin's strength and resolve.
"You'll see," Shingin muttered under his breath. As he parried another strike, his water sword pulsed with renewed energy. The ground beneath him trembled, water coiling around his feet.
With one final surge of strength, Shingin unleashed a torrent of water, the force scattering snakes and forcing his enemies to momentarily step back. Using the opening, he sprinted toward the narrowing gap, his every step fueled by desperation and unyielding resolve.
The battle was far from over, but for now, escape was the only victory he could hope to claim.