Eyes widened
"Lord Nemesio?"
At the center stood Nemesio…the victor.
Smoke curled around his silhouette.
His lips parted as a ragged breath escaped him.
"I didn't think I'd have to go this far in a fight against these vile creatures." He muttered.
His eyes scanned the massive crater his devastating attack had carved into the earth.
Theres no way it can survive that..
The voices grew louder.
Nemesio lifted his gaze slowly.
A squad of Defense corps ran towards him.
"Lord Nemesio!" The voices called out loud.
They swarm him like wasps.
"Are you okay?"
"Are you hurt lord Nemesio"
"Call the healer!"
He exhaled slowly.
His words came lightly, framed by a small, confident smile.
"I'm fine,I don't go down that easy"
"Where is your capt…"
A split second.
The air shifted.
Not from the crater.
The voices blurred.
His gazed shifted towards the ridge.
Up there huh?
Jurgen felt it.
A sharp pressure against his senses.
Not wind.
Not sound.
Air pressure.
He'd been noticed.
Their eyes clashed across the field.
Everything faded for a split second.
The noises. The soldiers.
Jurgen didn't move.
The light faded from his eyes.
His expression vanished beneath shadow.
He grinned his teeth against each other.
"Tch…"
"As expected of an Emperor"
Hana felt it.
It wasn't exactly hate.
It was more like RESENTMENT towards something else.
"Let's get out of here…"
He turned ready to leave.
Hana lifted her gaze toward him as she rose.
In a heartbeat.
Two Elite looking figures appeared before them.
Charcoal gray trousers hung loosely around their legs, shadows pooling in the folds with every subtle shift.
Black, long-sleeved tunics clung to their torsos, faintly armored beneath the fabric,a quiet testament to preparedness.
The guild emblem on each upper left arm caught the light with sharp precision, an unspoken decree of authority that needed no proclamation.
Boots pressed against the ground with measured thuds, rhythmically marking each step.
Leather gloves molded to their hands, fingers brushing against the hilts of weapons at their sides, tugging lightly at the fabric,a taut, almost imperceptible tension that hummed beneath every movement.
The towering figures loomed above them.
"And you are?" The voice was calm… yet wicked.
A trickle of sweat slid down Jurgen's temple.
Without a word, he shoved Hana lightly, creating space between them and the figure.
She stumbled, clutching her sleeve, eyes wide with concern.
The distance was small, but deliberate a warning to the presence before them.
"I asked you a question…didn't I?" The figure asked.
Silence fell.
The atmosphere tensed up.
Both staring at the other intently.
In a blink.
He vanished.
A crack in the ground where he had just been.
As fast as light.
He appeared before Jurgen.
Already striking.
His fingers inches from Jurgen's chest,slicing cloth.
The strike tore through the air.
Something ignites.
Jurgen pupils dilated.
His body moved instinctively.
He twisted at the last second, every muscle coiling.
His arm moved in a precise rhythm, meeting the strike.
The attacker's momentum was redirected.
Jurgen shifted the arm aside, letting the attack sweep past.
Dust and sparks kicked up where steel grazed steel.
The strike missed him by mere inches.
It grazed his past his chest,close enough to slice fabric.
Powerful wind pressure exploded behind him.
The attack tore forward.
A deep line marked into the soil.
Jurgen staggered backwards as he clutched his chest.
What… what was that just now
Dread washed over him.
In a long time he felt real fear.
There was no real attack… just nothing… yet I felt like I was going to die
He looked back at the carved earth and back at the attacker.
Sweat ran down his face profusely.
What did he do? What was that attack? That force just now… just a thrust of two fingers did that much damage?
That… dammit, this is bad… think! Jurgen think!
You've always handled situations calmly
His throat felt dry.
Eyes burning.
Organs screaming.
A wave of nausea washed over him.
He clamped his hand around his mouth.
A sudden cough ripped from his throat.
Mouth full.
Blood spilled from the edges clamped around his mouth.
His eyes widened in terror.
He staggered clutching his chest with trembling hands.
The metallic taste burned his mouth.
His knees threatened to give way but he stood firm.
What?! The attack never touched me, yet I suffered this much damage from a graze?!…
This guy… this guy is bad news
All my instincts are screaming to flee… so why! Why won't my legs move!
The Attacker stepped closer.
"What's wrong?" His eyes glinted with cold amusement.
"Can't stand properly?".
"Hmph! Don't over do it Blut" the other voice sliced through from behind.
Steam puffed from Blut's mouth.
His aura thickened.
"Shut up!" Blut responded in a low tone.
He walked closer.
Eyes filled with amusement.
A hidden joy.
"Stop it!!! Leave him!"Hana voice cracked.
She thought of lunging forward.
Desperate to stop the wicked assault on Jurgen.
Her legs gave out.
The pressure.
The sheer malicious intent oozing from the attacker.
Blut's hand shot out.
It clamped around Jurgen's throat.