However, his instincts told him otherwise.
"...?!"
A sharp blade sliced through the air at high speed, hurtling toward him from the front and closing the distance rapidly. Infori tried to dodge the attack, but the gap was too narrow.
The result—
SRAKK!
The blade grazed his upper arm, tearing through both fabric and skin, drawing fresh blood that stained his shirt sleeve. Fortunately, it was only a graze rather than a piercing blow; had it struck his shoulder directly, the wound would have been severe.
"Ack!"
The blade shot past him and embedded itself in a tree trunk.
Pain began to radiate through his right arm. Although it was merely a graze, the injury significantly hampered his arm's movement.
Despite this, Infori struggled to maintain his focus on the attacker. He tried to ignore the pain, even though he knew it wouldn't vanish completely.
Infori began to speculate about who—or what—had launched the blade at him.
(Who...?! Was that creature just feinting...? Or was it merely a monster...?)
Infori's gaze fixed on the dark forest just a few meters away. He kept a close watch before scanning his surroundings.
"..."
There was nothing there.
Yet, it was impossible for there to be nothing. He had been attacked, implying the presence of a person or a monster nearby. But just as he was about to jump to a hasty conclusion, that same sharp blade came flying toward him again—straight from the front.
Without a word, Infori immediately slashed at the incoming blade with the sword he held.
CLANG!
The fast-moving blade was halted by the strike of his sword, knocked aside, and sent tumbling to the ground. He had succeeded a second time; Infori had no choice but to rely entirely on his instincts. Infori immediately called out to whatever was lurking in the darkness of the forest, demanding it step out and reveal itself.
"Show yourself! I know you're there!"
...
There was no response; not a sound or a stir answered his words.
But—
With a loud stomp against the ground, a figure lunged forward at Infori. In a single, powerful motion, he swung his sword; the long blade sliced through the air, aiming straight for Infori's neck without hesitation.
Infori instantly recognized who it was.
"I knew it...!"
Infori ducked low, causing the lethal slash to cut through nothing but empty air. Despite knowing his opponent, he seized the moment to draw his own sword. He thrust the tip forward, but it passed right through the figure's body.
(Still no good, huh...)
Just then, a kick aimed for his head. However, Infori didn't make the same mistake twice; he shifted his body and head backward, dodging the attack from this imitation of Nathan.
Seizing the opening, the figure landed a kick on Infori—who, caught off guard, could only raise his left arm to shield his head; the blow still connected.
Bruk!
Infori was knocked back but managed to keep his balance.
"...!" Infori was surprised by the sheer power of the kick.
At that moment, the creature stepped to the left, forcing Infori to twist his wrist. Then, the hollow entity thrust its weapon forward.
Infori quickly dodged to the right, then surged forward, keeping his blade positioned to his left.
As he lunged at the creature, his blade swept forward, passing through the emptiness of its body.
Infori stopped and glanced back. Seeing the creature turning around as well, their eyes met. Not wanting to waste time, Infori sprinted toward the forest, with the creature in hot pursuit.
He ran away from the spot, weaving through the dark trees in the dead of night. Unexpectedly, however, the creature managed to match his running speed.
Infori was taken aback. "Huh...?!"
The creature closed the distance and unleashed a slashing attack—a blade formed of void energy cloaked in darkness—aimed straight at him. With no time to dodge, Infori chose to parry, even though he doubted he could block a sword forged from the void.
He held his sword out in front of him, and the clash ensued.
CLANG!
He managed to parry the strike, but the force behind it was immense. The impact sent him flying backward; his back—still burdened by his pack—slammed violently against a tree behind him.
BRUUK!
"GARRRGH!"
Infori's body was repeatedly battered by an intangible magical energy—born of the void, yet capable of inflicting physical harm.
He was flung backward, hovering in the air as if weightless.
His back slammed against successive trees until he finally struck a final one, carving a furrow into the earth.
Dust and debris swirled along the path of his trajectory, while the sound of the impact echoed through the surroundings.
The trees caught in his path were utterly destroyed; only a few remained, clearly toppling over.
The dust slowly settled, revealing Infori lying helpless on the ground. He was gasping for breath; he could feel his heart pounding wildly.
"Haa... Haa..."
He made no attempt to rise; instead, he struggled to endure the agony caused by that immensely powerful slash.
His consciousness began to fade, and his vision blurred. Infori tried to open his eyes but failed. His gaze fixed on the sword lying nearby, and he attempted to move his right hand to reach for it. "Urgh... Argh... Haa..."
The bag was ruined, its contents scattered—including the Blades of Mirage, which now lay discarded on the ground.
"Urgh... Haa..."
Finally, consciousness slipped away. Her red eyes closed, yet her body remained wracked with excruciating pain. Her Nephilim physique could no longer withstand the strain; she would not wake again until the appointed time.
The imitation creature halted, gazing at the Infori lying helpless on the ground. Yet, its attention quickly shifted to the rare, sacred artifact that was its primary objective.
"...."
It was a black dagger, marked with asymmetrical green patterns across its surface. Normally, the blade radiated a massive aura and energy throughout the area, but—for some reason—that had changed following the incident at the Storm of Road.
The creature stooped and placed a hand upon the ground. Dark energy gathered at its palm, spreading outward to form a circle that exuded an aura of darkness.
The circle manifested on the ground, enclosing both the creature and the Infori.
Then, the circle contracted toward its center.
The Infori, the tattered bag, the swords, the Blades of Mirage, and the creature itself vanished from the spot—as if forcibly erased from existence.