The monkey-masked youth walked slowly toward Alan, his sword still dripping with blood. His gaze was cold.
"I don't understand why your attitude is so irritating," he said calmly.
Alan raised his long sword made of silvery-blue metal. Mana surged wildly into the blade, making the air around it tremble.
"I don't know who you are, but since you're here, I won't hold back." Red flames ignited along his sword's edge. "I'll show you the power of the Valden family sword!"
Alan took a step forward. He moved incredibly fast. At that same moment, a thick mist suddenly spread, engulfing the entire room. Visibility vanished.
Alan smirked. He focused his senses, reading his opponent's movements through the vibrations of the air. He had trained this skill for a very long time.
"Oh, so you finally use this technique. I've been waiting to see it."
Alan was startled when he heard that. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but suddenly a slash came toward him.
Clang!
The slash was blocked. Alan deflected it and counterattacked. Yet his sword cut through nothing but empty air.
No one was in front of him. Alan was shocked. He was certain the monkey-masked youth had been at the eleven o'clock direction.
"Are you looking for me?"
Alan instantly turned and slashed again. Yet once more, his strike met only air.
"Tch," Alan clicked his tongue.
His eyes darted around. The very technique that should have been his advantage was being turned against him. He couldn't hear a single footstep behind the veil of mist.
Suddenly, a slash and a sound came from dangerously close.
"Damn it. This really isn't in my favor."
"Exactly. You're only trapping yourself."
Alan turned to the right. Without hesitation, he unleashed a blazing slash. But the result was the same.
A moment later, however, he sensed a presence right behind him. He spun around, but it was too late.
The monkey-masked youth pointed at Alan's face with his index finger, shaped like a pistol.
"Boom!" the monkey-masked youth said.
A blast of wind magic struck Alan's face. He was blown back, his body crashing to the floor. His nose cracked, blood gushing out.
When he tried to get up, the same thing happened again. The monkey-masked youth smiled behind his mask.
Bang!
Once more, wind magic hit him. Alan's face was battered. More blood flowed than before.
Desperately, Alan slashed with fire magic. Then he dispersed his mist technique. The place became clear again.
Alan stood. "Why is this happening?"
He was bewildered. Instead of having the advantage, he was cornered, unable to properly fight back.
When his gaze shifted toward the door, the monkey-masked youth was still standing at the exact same spot as before the mist had appeared. As if he had never moved at all.
"So, were you just playing with your mist?" mocked the monkey-masked youth.
The youth began to walk forward. His eyes narrowed behind the mask, a mocking grin clearly showing.
Alan gritted his teeth. Flames burst from his body. His sword burned with fire. His whole form seemed engulfed in flames, making him stronger.
"I'll kill you, bastard!"
Alan dashed toward the monkey-masked youth. A single slash burned through the air. But it was evaded. Alan didn't stop there.
He moved his left finger. As he swung his sword, a spear suddenly thrust from behind the monkey-masked youth. A dual attack.
The youth vanished just as both strikes nearly landed. He reappeared above Alan's head.
One stomp slammed Alan to the floor. His face smashed against the ground. He tried to rise, but another stomp drove his head deeper into the floor. It was repeated ten times.
Alan's face was utterly ruined. His hands trembled, almost dropping the sword he held.
"Is this all your strength?" the monkey-masked youth mocked.
Alan gripped his sword tighter, unleashing a spinning slash above his head. The youth's leg withdrew, blood dripping from his calf.
Alan instantly rose, aiming his blade at the youth. He wiped his nose, blood still streaming.
"Oh, so you can still fight after all."
The monkey-masked youth lowered into a stance again. He appeared before Alan in a blink. A powerful slash came down, but this time Alan deflected it.
A storm of attacks followed. Yet Alan blocked and parried them all.
He was fully focused now. Reading the flow, and when a gap appeared, he seized it.
Slash!
The monkey-masked youth's abdomen was cut. His clothes tore, blood dripping from the wound. Alan grinned with satisfaction.
"Finally, you're running out of stamina. Now it's my turn to—"
Crash!
Alan's eyes widened. He looked down. The tip of a sword had pierced through his body. He vomited blood, his strength leaving him, his hands trembling.
"Since when…"
When he lifted his head again, the monkey-masked youth was no longer in front of him. Alan's eyes widened further.
"What you slashed was not me, but my lingering shadow," said the monkey-masked youth.
Alan glanced behind him. The youth stood there. He wanted to say something, but no words came.
His body collapsed, unconscious, blood still pouring from the stab wound in his back.
The monkey-masked youth pulled out his sword, raising it high, ready to finish Alan.
"You will die, my brother," said the monkey-masked youth.
He swung his sword down.
…
Suddenly, someone stopped his hand. The youth turned his head, his gaze still cold.
"Why are you stopping me?"
**
Sorbet was in the middle of a meeting when he suddenly stood. His eyes widened, throat dry as he swallowed hard. He felt Alan's presence thinning—very faint.
"What's wrong?" asked the head of the Lunox family.
Sorbet didn't answer. He rushed to the window, eager to go where Alan was.
But as he opened the window, he froze. A massive dragon, white and blue in color, had opened its jaws. A sphere of water magic gathered in front of its mouth, aimed directly at Sorbet.
Sorbet's face paled. "Help me!" he shouted.
BOOM!
The water blast was released. The massive water sphere was nearly as large as the entire mansion Sorbet was standing in.