"Your friend Arthur... he tried something similar—attacking from behind," I said, my tone casual, almost bored. My eyes locked on the man before me, cold and steady. "And sadly for him..."
The man's smirk faltered, his brow furrowing as his expression turned darker. His voice, now sharp and menacing, cut through the silence. "What did you just say?"
A faint red glow ignited in his eyes, and an aura began to burn around him, pulsating with raw anger. The energy he emitted was suffocating, crackling in the tense air between us.
I tilted my head slightly, unfazed, and let out a long sigh. "What's your name?" I asked, not even bothering to lift my gaze to meet his.
"Karn," he said,
"Ah, Karn. Nice name." I looked up at him. "So, Karn, what are you guys up to here?"
His expression twisted into a snarl, and he suddenly lifted his hand. Before I could move, an invisible force slammed me against the cold, hard wall
*Thud*
The impact was sharp, but I remained calm, letting my head tilt downward as if bored by the entire ordeal.
"You and your team..." I muttered, sighing again. "You're all so ridiculously full of yourselves..filled with arrogance and ego." I lifted my eyes to meet his.
Karn's fingers twitched, and the invisible force shifted. This time, the threads tightened around my neck, their invisible coils constricting as though to suffocate me.
"You done?" he asked, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"You seriously think this can kill me?" I replied, my voice calm despite the so-called threat around my neck.
His eyes narrowed. "How are you still talking? My threads should be choking the life out of you by now."
"Faint aura..." I said nonchalantly, my voice steady and almost amused. "I've got just enough flowing under your 'cute little threads' to keep them from touching me. Technically, they haven't even touched me."
Karn's expression faltered again, the red glow in his eyes flaring brighter as his aura pulsed erratically. "What did you just—"
Before he could finish, his hand shot upward, ready to summon more threads. But I moved my hand towards him, releasing an aura slash toward him.
It sliced through the air, and with a single motion, his hand was severed clean off. Blood splattered the walls as his dismembered hand fell to the ground, twitching uselessly.
"Arghh Huhhh.." Karn let out a scream, clutching his bleeding stump. He stumbled backward, the threads around him dissipating. In desperation, he summoned more of his threads to wrap around the wound, stopping the flow of blood.
I straightened up, brushing dust off my shirt.
"My slash," I said, stepping forward slowly, "is pure aura. Stronger than anything you've got—definitely stronger than those pathetic threads of yours."
"You bastard..." Karn spat through gritted teeth. His aura flared again as he summoned a flurry of threads, spinning them like a storm around him. They shot toward me in every direction, aiming to pin me down or slice me apart.
I didn't move. Not until the very last moment.
With a single leap, I dodged the incoming threads, my movements fluid and precise. I weaved through the threads with ease, each step calculated. Karn's frustration grew as I closed the distance between us.
"You're just like Arthur," I said, my tone sharp and mocking as I sidestepped another deadly thread. "All words, no proof."
Karn growled, the red glow around him intensifying as he unleashed another barrage of threads, faster and sharper than before. They sliced through the air, ripping apart the walls and floor as they chased me.
I moved with purpose, my body a blur as I dodged and deflected the threads with ease. One came dangerously close to my neck, but I twisted mid-air, letting it graze the faint aura around me without touching my skin.
"Stop running, you coward!" Karn bellowed, his voice echoing through the chamber.
"Running?" I landed lightly on my feet, standing still for the first time since the fight began. "I was just giving you a chance to show me what you've got. But if this is it..."
I dashed forward, my speed breaking through his threads like they were nothing more than cobwebs. Karn barely had time to react before I was in front of him, my hand glowing faintly with aura.
I struck him in the chest, the force of the blow sending him flying backward into the wall. The impact was deafening, cracks spreading across the stone as Karn crumpled to the ground.
But he wasn't done.
"You... you think you've won?" Karn rasped, dragging himself to his feet. His aura flared once more, brighter and more intense than before.
He summoned a massive wave of threads, their sharp edges gleaming like blades.
I stood my ground, my eyes narrowing as I watched the threads converge on me. "Impressive," I said, my voice calm. "But still not enough."
With a wave of my hand, I released a burst of my own aura. The threads disintegrated on contact, turning to ash as my power overwhelmed them. Karn's eyes widened in shock as the remnants of his attack fell to the ground.
"You..." he whispered, his voice filled with disbelief.
I moved before he could react, closing the distance between us in an instant. I found the gap and spin in mid and my shoes connected with his face, the force of the blow pushed him along as his head crashed into the wall again, the impact shaking the entire building.
Karn's head shattered upon the impact, leaving blood splattered on the wall and his body lifeless slump on the ground.
Behind me, I heard a faint voice stirring.
"Huh... what's going on?"
I turned slightly, hearing the rustling of movement. Hina was awake, rubbing her eyes as she tried to take in the scene before her.
Her gaze landed on me first, standing in the middle of my cell with my back to her, calm and collected. Then her eyes shifted, widening in horror as they found Karn's broken body, the blood pooling around him and dripping from the wall.
"Esther..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "What... what just happened?"
I didn't respond immediately. My hands stayed in my pockets as I stared silently at Karn's lifeless form. The room was filled with an eerie stillness, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
I finally turned my head slightly, just enough for her to see the extent of what I can do.