Every swing carried force, emotion. Both of us were going all out. I grabbed Dominio by the neck and lifted him up. He raised his dagger and stabbed my arm—the wound was deep, the pain bothersome.
I threw him far, yet he landed on his feet. Then my vision changed.
What is this?
The colors of the environment shifted—green, purple, then black. Pitch black. I was blind.
I heard a soft step and slashed forward, but my blade only cut air. Then I felt my thigh get pierced.
"What is this?!" I raised my claymore.
"Don't worry about it," his voice came from nowhere. "I just need you dead."
His dagger pierced my back. He pulled it away, throwing an array of slashes across my back.
I spun and used an Air Slash. Nothing again. The pain in my back, thigh, arm, and shoulder was unbearable now.
My grip on my claymore weakened. Blood trickled down my body. I heard multiple footsteps—soft, hard, soft, hard. Then multiple hard steps. I slashed forward. Nothing.
A hard step behind me. I slashed back. Nothing.
I slashed to my side. Nothing. A barrage. Nothing.
Nothing. Nothing. Nothing!
This was frustrating. I was physically stronger than him, yet here I was. I'd never faced anyone like this—someone who actually strategized. I felt like a dying antelope with a hyena eating me alive.
The scent of blood across the ship made it even harder to track him. My ears were distracted by the clashes in the background and the constant footsteps.
Then smaller slashes came. Faster. One on my right shoulder, my arm, my leg, my side. My armor was slowly wearing out from the constant abuse.
I heard another step. My vision began to return. I looked to my side and saw him dashing toward me.
This is my chance! My one chance of victory!
"SCREAMING BOAR!"
I lunged forward, gusts of wind surrounding me. I felt nothing.
He had tricked me.
I looked back. A fist collided with my face. He kicked my jaw, punched my jaw. I tried to block, but he was faster. He jumped high and kicked my temple.
My vision blurred. His speed was beyond fast—my instincts couldn't even track him. I kicked forward, but my foot met air. He ducked.
I slashed my claymore down, splitting the floor. He dodged again, then kneed my cheek hard, making me stumble.
His dagger pierced my stomach.
Crap!
He used it as a stepping stool, vaulting off me, spinning in the air before kicking me with a Lumin-boosted strike to my face. I flew through a wall.
I got up. My body felt heavier. My breathing was uneven. But my vision was back. His color-changing ability must have worn off.
This is beyond frustrating.
He dashed toward me. This time, my body was able to track him. I blocked his slash. Our weapons collided. Dominio's breathing grew more ragged.
I jumped back. He dashed forward, but slower now. I blocked his slash. Again and again.
I threw a Vrikni Barrage. He countered, but his barrage was slower and more limited.
He jumped back. I dashed forward, continuing my barrage. Each slash was more precise, more focused. I was finding my flow again.
Dominio ducked my final slash, then ricocheted off the walls, building speed. I used Vrikni Barrage again, amplifying it with my Lumin. Clash after clash after clash.
Then he stopped.
There it is. My chance.
It's now or never.
I stood still, my claymore planted on the floor. He dashed toward me with intense speed. I focused all my Lumin into my right arm. Veins pulsed, glowing a faint purple. My arm turned a fiery purple.
He jumped toward me.
"THIS IS MY CHANCE!"
My fist collided with his cheek. The impact slammed him against the floor, destroying it.
His face was a bloodied mess. His body lay motionless. His daggers were scattered—one broken, the other cracked.
I got up. My body was a bloody wreck. My armor was destroyed, scales scattered across the floor.
I walked out of the interior. The fighting continued, but the adventurers who had hunted me earlier had stopped attacking.
Perfect. More than perfect.
I saw someone rush toward Dominio's ally, rummaging through her cloak. Probably looking for her ribbon.
I raised my blade and threw an Air Slash. It slashed his stomach open. He collapsed, motionless.
I walked to him, took his ribbon, and dropped it on her body.
"So you were conscious?" I said.
She opened her eyes. "You're quite the smart one for a berserker." She jumped back up.
She was athletic—unlike Kora. I stood my ground, my body damaged but still ready for another round. I wasn't losing this ribbon.
"I'm not here to fight you." Her voice was calmer now, regal, with a Greek-like accent. "I want an alliance. It's clear you, me, Dominio, and Rela are strong enough. Why not work together? We'll be unstoppable."
"You tried to kill Rela and me. Now you want an alliance?"
She held her ground, meeting my eyes. "I know you don't like the proposal, but we need to do this. We were enemies. But if we stop trying to kill each other, we can actually pass this dangerous test."
"What about Dominio? I'm pretty sure he's dead. And Rela is seriously injured."
"Dominio is just knocked out. Don't worry about him." She almost smiled. "He's a former Hashashin, for crying out loud."
"Hashashin?"
Before anything else happened, my body felt calmer. Then a massive pillar of black flames erupted at the center of the ship.
"The hell?!"
The fire subsided. Five tall figures stood in its place—all in black cloaks with elongated hats, silver face masks with docile expressions. Their outfits made them look otherworldly, even for this world.
"Who are these people?" I looked at Aurelia.
"I don't know," she said quietly. "But they seem strong."
The figures stood in a circle. The fighting stopped. Everyone focused on them.
They spoke in unison:
"Congratulations on surviving the first section of the exam. For those who have passed—congratulations. For those who failed—there is always next year."
Black fire sprouted from the floor, consuming the dead adventurers and those who had failed. Some ran, but the fire was faster. They disappeared.
A man stood as the flames consumed him. His face relaxed before he vanished.
The flames spread faster, covering the whole ship. Under my feet, they felt warm—like a soothing bath.
Seconds later, the damaged ship was whole again. Holes and cracks repaired by the mysterious black flames.
The flames retreated toward the figures. "The next exam will happen in two weeks. Good luck. You will need it."
A pillar of black flames engulfed them. Then they were gone.
I stood there, staring at the empty space.
What the fuck?