For a few breaths, nothing moved.
Wind whispered through the shattered trees, stirring dust across the clearing. The wounded assassins dragged themselves back to their feet among broken trunks and splintered bark.
Lucky stood at the center of it all.
Itekan and Kutote still hung over his shoulders.
Blood slowly seeped from the wound across his chest.
He barely seemed to notice.
Across from him, Shwarer watched in silence.
Then he spoke.
"Tiger."
Tiger didn't take his eyes off Lucky.
"I know."
The two of them stepped forward at the same time.
The rest of the assassins moved as well.
Not recklessly this time.
They had seen what reckless meant against a monster like this.
Now they moved with precision.
With discipline.
With the quiet understanding that if their timing failed for even a moment—
They would die.
---
The wind moved first.
Silas staggered back into position among the trees, wiping blood from his mouth. His hands trembled slightly as he raised them again.
The air thickened.
Then sharpened.
Invisible currents began spiraling around the clearing, condensing until they formed razor-thin streams of compressed wind.
They didn't rush Lucky this time.
They circled him.
Waiting.
---
The earth shifted.
Drogan slammed his palms into the soil again, veins bulging along his arms as spiritual energy poured into the ground.
Stone rippled outward from Lucky's feet like water struck by a thrown stone.
The forest floor hardened.
Cracked.
Shifted.
Creating uneven ridges and trenches meant to break his footing.
---
Then the shadows moved.
Kaiden vanished completely.
One moment he stood among the others.
The next he simply wasn't there.
The darkness beneath the trees swallowed him whole.
---
Marrek's chains slithered across the ground.
They didn't lash out this time.
Instead they spread around the battlefield in widening arcs, the reinforced metal links weaving themselves between roots and broken stone.
A trap.
---
Lucky looked around slowly.
Then chuckled.
"Planning now?"
He bounced once on his heels.
The ground cracked beneath the impact.
"Good."
---
Tiger moved.
Frost exploded outward beneath his feet as he surged forward, ice forming along his arm in twisting layers that condensed into a jagged spear.
He didn't aim for Lucky's chest this time.
He aimed for the boys on his shoulders.
Lucky's eyes flashed.
His body moved instantly.
The ice spear slammed against his forearm instead.
CRACK.
Frost exploded outward as the weapon shattered.
Tiger spun away before Lucky's counterstrike could land.
And that was the signal.
---
Wind blades screamed inward from every direction.
Chains snapped tight around Lucky's legs.
Stone surged upward again to trap his feet.
And from the shadows—
Kaiden emerged.
His dagger slid silently toward Lucky's throat.
The timing was perfect.
The trap closed like a steel jaw.
---
Lucky roared.
The sound detonated through the forest.
His spiritual energy erupted outward like an explosion.
The chains snapped instantly.
Stone shattered.
Wind blades burst apart before they could touch him.
Kaiden's dagger stopped a finger's width from Lucky's neck.
Lucky's hand had caught his wrist.
Kaiden's eyes widened.
Lucky grinned.
"Got you."
He swung the assassin like a club.
Kaiden's body smashed into Drogan and Marrek at the edge of the clearing.
Three men crashed through a fallen tree together.
---
The ground exploded.
Shwarer had moved.
He didn't attack Lucky's body.
He attacked the space around him.
His blade of condensed energy carved through the air in long sweeping arcs.
Each slash carried a slicing force that tore through trees and stone alike.
Lucky blocked the first with his forearm.
The second carved a deeper line across his ribs.
The third nearly took his shoulder.
Tiger joined him instantly.
Ice erupted from the ground beneath Lucky's feet, forming a rising pillar that tried to impale him from below.
Lucky jumped.
Tiger followed.
The two collided midair.
Tiger's knee drove into Lucky's stomach with crushing force.
Lucky answered with a headbutt that nearly folded Tiger in half.
Both of them crashed back into the clearing.
---
For the first time—
Lucky stumbled.
Just one step.
But everyone saw it.
Shwarer did not hesitate.
He moved like lightning.
His blade flashed again.
This time aimed directly at Lucky's neck.
---
Lucky's grin widened.
He dropped his shoulders suddenly.
Kutote and Itekan slid from his back.
For the first time since the battle began—
His arms were free.
His hand shot forward.
And caught Shwarer's blade.
The forest fell silent.
The energy blade hummed violently between Lucky's fingers.
Shwarer's eyes narrowed.
Lucky leaned closer.
"You're strong."
His other hand moved.
Shwarer barely managed to twist aside before the punch landed.
Even so—
The shockwave hurled him backward across the clearing.
He landed hard, boots carving deep trenches in the earth before he stopped.
---
The remaining assassins hesitated.
Just for a second.
Lucky rolled his shoulders again.
Free now.
Completely free.
He stepped forward.
And vanished.
---
Hudson barely saw him move.
One moment Lucky stood across the clearing.
The next—
A massive fist filled Hudson's vision.
The impact lifted him completely off the ground.
His body sailed through the forest until it crashed against a stone outcrop.
Silence followed.
---
Lucky turned again.
Marrek's chains wrapped around him from behind.
Lucky simply walked forward.
Dragging the assassin across the dirt until Marrek slammed into his own chains.
---
Silas tried to raise another wind blade.
Lucky appeared beside him.
One open-handed strike dropped him instantly.
---
Drogan tried to raise another wall of stone.
Lucky kicked him once.
The man folded like paper.
---
Within seconds the clearing was silent again.
Bodies lay scattered across broken earth and shattered trees.
Only three figures still stood.
Lucky.
Tiger.
And Shwarer.
---
Tiger wiped blood from his mouth.
"You're insane."
Lucky laughed.
"Maybe."
Shwarer stepped forward again.
His breathing had grown heavier.
But his eyes were calm.
Cold.
Calculating.
"You're wounded."
Lucky glanced down at the blood on his chest.
Then shrugged.
"You're still standing."
Shwarer raised his blade again.
Tiger moved to his side.
The two of them exchanged a brief glance.
Then attacked together.
---
Their final clash shook the forest.
Ice spears erupted like artillery.
Energy blades carved deep trenches through the ground.
Lucky's fists shattered trees with every swing.
Tiger lunged again and again, his movements growing more desperate.
Shwarer struck with relentless precision, each slash aimed for a killing point.
But it wasn't enough.
Lucky caught Tiger first.
His hand closed around the assassin's throat.
Then slammed him into the earth hard enough to crater the clearing.
Tiger didn't rise again.
---
Shwarer's final strike came from behind.
The blade cut deep into Lucky's back.
For a moment—
It looked like it might reach his heart.
Lucky grabbed Shwarer's wrist.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
He pulled the blade free.
Then turned.
Their eyes met.
Shwarer didn't look afraid.
Just tired.
Lucky studied him for a moment.
Then drove a single punch into his stomach.
The impact lifted Shwarer clear off the ground.
He crashed across the clearing and did not move again.
---
The forest grew quiet.
Lucky stood alone among the ruins.
He picked Itekan and Kutote back up and slung them over his shoulders.
Then glanced at the fallen assassins scattered through the trees.
He chuckled softly.
"Good fight."
With that, the legend turned and walked deeper into the dungeon.
Leaving the broken forest behind him.
.
.
.
Spiritual Energy (SE)
Spiritual Sea (SS)
Spiritual Signature (SST)
Natural Energy (NE)
Holy Energy (HE)