"Hey! Link! Would you like to climb that tree with me?"
"Nah, I don't want to."
"What, you scared? Hah, the son of such a great person is scared?"
Seeing the smirk on the cute girl's face, Link felt a surge of annoyance. His pride had been struck.
"Who said I'm scared? I'm not scared! Let's climb!"
"I'll climb before you can, you little scared cat!"
"I am not a scaredy-cat! Wait,I'll catch you!"
Link immediately started running after her, pushing his legs as hard as he could. Yet, no matter how desperately he ran, he couldn't catch up. Then,suddenly,he saw her trip and fall.
His heart skipped a beat.
He rushed to her side and knelt down, checking her knee.
"Are you okay, Riya?"
"Y-yeah… just a little scratch."
"You shouldn't run so fast, you silly girl!"
"I'm not silly though,Link's sillier than me."
Ignoring her teasing, Link helped her up. Side by side, they began walking toward the tree they had wanted to climb.
"Hey, Link…"
"What?"
"W-would you always save me in the future too?"
"Yeah."
"I-I see…"
Looking at the same girl he had once promised to protect,now standing in grave danger,Link's heart began to pound violently. Anxiety and fear surged through him like a storm.
No matter what, I will protect her.
The thought echoed again and again, drilling into his mind.
Protect her.
Protect her.
Protect her.
Mana suddenly began to gather around Link, spiraling wildly. The mere idea of losing the most precious person in his life shattered his sanity.
Then,he snapped.
"Wh-what's happening!?"
A strange silence descended. An eerie pressure filled the surroundings.
Then Link's voice broke through it.
[Dragon Arts: Mana Overload]
Instantly, the mana in the area trembled and rushed toward Link in a frenzy. The ground cracked under the sheer force of the gathering energy. If Riya hadn't been trapped inside the A-ranker's mana shield, even she would've been affected.
The last black-clothed individual burst apart, his body collapsing as his mana was sucked dry. Link's muscles swelled unnaturally, veins bulging across his arms and face.
His crimson eyes glowed brighter,locked onto their prey.
The A-rank assassin holding Riya felt a chill crawl down his spine. His instincts screamed danger. Even without seeing Link clearly, he knew this boy could kill him in this state.
The assassin made his decision quickly. The professors would arrive soon, and the person he had intended to save was already dead.
"You forced me to do this, boy," he sneered. "Watch as I kill her,and remember that Yug, an A-rank assassin, was the one who did it."
Slash.
Thud.
Before the final blow could land, a sharp slashing sound rang out,followed by something heavy hitting the floor.
Riya was gone.
The mana shield shattered instantly. Confusion flashed across Yug's face as pain surged through his body.
His right hand was missing.
It lay on the ground.
"Wh-what the f**k?"
He desperately sealed the bleeding with mana. For someone so skilled, he couldn't even comprehend what had just happened,his focus had been entirely on Link.
But Link no longer saw Riya.
That realization pushed his rage beyond its limit.
In a blink, he launched forward.
A punch slammed into Yug's face with such force that the ground split apart from the air pressure alone. Yug was sent flying, smashing through multiple pillars and collapsing the upper floor of the building.
Before the dust even settled, Link leapt to where Yug had landed. He tore through the debris, grabbed the assassin by the neck, and dragged him out.
Blood poured from Yug's mouth. His ribs were shattered. He couldn't fight back.
Link didn't care.
He slammed Yug into the ground and began raining punches down on his face,again and again,each one more brutal than the last.
Mana continued to fuse with Link's body. His speed increased. His strength skyrocketed.
Punch after punch.
Until there was nothing left but a mangled paste.
Yug,an infamous A-rank assassin,was dead within seconds.
Breathing heavily, Link stood up and scanned his surroundings. His sanity was gone. He needed another target.
Just as he turned toward the evacuation area, a calm voice spoke from behind him.
"It looks like I'm a bit late today. Sigh~"
A boy with dark black hair and equally dark pupils stood there, expressionless. He looked painfully average,yet his presence radiated danger.
Link didn't hesitate.
He charged.
In an instant, his fist was inches from the boy's face.
At the last moment, the boy tilted his head slightly, dodging the punch by mere milliseconds.
"Well, speed is my specialty."
[Elemental Sword Arts: Wind Slash]
Rio vanished and reappeared behind Link. His sword flashed, slashing toward Link's face faster than before.
[Dragon Arts: Extreme Defense]
Link sensed the danger and reinforced his body instantly. He caught the blade,with his bare hands.
Rio's eyes widened for a split second before he jumped back to create distance.
As expected… he really is strong. But this is just the beginning.
[Elemental Sword Arts: Moon Slash]
A faint, moonlike glow enveloped Rio's blade. With a swift swing, a thin wave of light tore through the air.
Link was caught off guard. A shallow cut appeared on his arm,but he ignored it completely and countered.
[Consecutive Punches]
A storm of punches erupted toward Rio.
Rio barely managed to dodge most of them. The rest he deflected, using his sword to redirect their trajectories.
Their clash surpassed what anyone below C-rank could perceive. Each second, their speed increased.
Yet despite landing hits, Rio's sword only left shallow cuts.
Tsk. His skin is absurdly tough.
Now Rio fully understood why Link was Fade's greatest obstacle.
Without plot armor, Fade wouldn't have even scratched him.
And worse,this berserk state made Link even more terrifying.
Fortunately, Mana Overload can't last long.
The technique put immense strain on Link's body. After ten minutes, he would be forced back to his senses.
That was Rio's plan.
He wasn't going all out,just buying time.
Two minutes left, Rio calculated calmly.
I just need to kite him a little longer.