I just have to kite him for two more minutes.
With that thought, Rio continued dodging all of Link's attacks. Though it looked effortless, he was fully aware of every strike, every movement… or maybe not… cough! Cough!
Two minutes may seem short, but right now, time felt unbearably slow. Rio recalled a saying from a great person in his previous life:
When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it feels like a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, it feels like two hours.
I can feel why it was said, huh…
Glancing at his wristwatch, he sighed. To him, it felt like he had been dodging Link's blows forever,and yet there was still time left. He pushed the thought aside and focused entirely on the battle.
35… 32… 31… 30 seconds.
Suddenly, Link stopped abruptly, leaping back slightly and moving his hands in a strange motion. Rio immediately sensed something was off. He took a defensive stance, ready to counter whatever was coming.
As Link's hands finished their movement, the mana in the area surged violently toward him, concentrating around his fists and creating a terrifying pressure.
Rio couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia: Why does this feel like the moment a protagonist prepares their final move to catch an unbeatable villain off guard?
Link's insanity had reached its peak, and Rio knew he would return to his senses once this attack landed.
Okay, then. Let's end this now. Sigh.
Rio buffed himself to the maximum,concentrating, strengthening his body, activating elemental sword arts, and igniting his sword with blazing fire energy. He knew this next strike could not be taken lightly. Muscles taut, mana flowing through every fiber, sword ablaze with blue flames…
Here I come!
Lightning coursed along his blade as he swung with deadly precision. The dazzling arc of blue fire masked the true lethality behind it. In an instant, Rio's sword was right in front of Link's face.
But Link wasn't called the most talented for nothing. Reacting instantly, his punch collided with Rio's blade.
The clash was catastrophic. The ground cracked further, deep fissures forming in all directions. The shockwave destroyed nearby buildings that had remained intact.
"Hey! You're so slow in climbing! Hurry up, Link!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm climbing,wait a bit!"
Riya pouted, her cute face teasing him mercilessly.
"Heh, the great and almighty Link can't even climb a tree? Such a cowardly cat you are, hahaha…"
"I,I am not a coward! Just you wait! I will catch you!"
"Oh! Then why don't you climb faster, Mister Great Link?"
Her words pushed him to hurry. Link scrambled up the tree, determined to give the naughty girl a proper punishment. Riya, seeing him finally moving, climbed even higher.
"Hey! You shouldn't do that,you might fall! Come back down!"
"Heh, are you scared? Then watch me climb! You should learn from me."
Ignoring his concern, Riya reached the second-highest branch. The gap to the top branch was enormous, but she leaped anyway,and barely made it. From her perch, the world looked small. The setting sun glowed on the horizon, and endless grasslands stretched as far as she could see, with only Link's family villa breaking the monotony.
As Riya marveled at the view, the branch beneath her began to crack. Link saw it immediately.
"Riya! Be careful,"
Before he could finish, the branch broke. Riya plummeted.
I WILL PROTECT HER! RRRRaaaaaaaaaggggggggggghhhhh!
Oh! Come on! Come back to your senses already!
Both Link and Rio continued clashing, their strength and mana pushing against each other in a stalemate. Until,slash!Bang!
Two sharp sounds echoed, and the mana in the area finally calmed. Silence returned, as though the battle had never happened.
Looking closer, both Link and Rio had shifted forward a few steps. Now they faced each other directly, backs turned to one another. For a moment, neither moved, then both collapsed to the ground.
"Ugh… my hands…"
Link's hands were bleeding heavily, slashed as if by dozens of blades. The worst wound ran from his wrist to his shoulder,a cut that would have killed anyone else. Rio's strike had been deliberate, sparing his life but leaving a serious mark.
Rio wasn't unharmed either. His hands were bloodied, palms raw, and his sword lay cracked and broken. Even after unleashing all his strength, his weapon could not withstand his full power.
As expected, an ordinary weapon can't handle my true strength. I'll need a better one after this mess.
Despite exhaustion, Link stayed conscious, realizing the unknown figure who helped him earlier had restrained his enemies without truly harming him.
"What's your name?"
Rio looked at him, impressed by his endurance.
"I am Rio Flash, a fellow classmate."
He said it calmly, then blurred from sight, vanishing in an instant. Link wanted to stop him, but his vision darkened, and he lost consciousness.
Rio reappeared, carrying Link to the site where Yug had been killed. After placing him down, he meticulously erased every trace of their battle.
Hopefully, this will prevent detection. Professors should arrive any minute.
Rio sped away, as expected, just before Ms. Anna arrived. Her face was cold, irritated at the sight before her. As more professors, staff, and guards arrived, they began evacuation and rescue work. The damage to the area was extensive, with buildings destroyed and black-clothed bodies littered everywhere. Near Link, one body had been pulverized completely,an utterly devastating scene.
What a mess… tsk.
Somewhere far from the academy, in a dilapidated slum, a man hid his face as he entered a broken house. He retrieved a strange device from his clothes and channeled mana into it. Complicated codes filled the screen. Panicked, he typed rapidly, then shattered the device and stored the fragments in his storage ring.
I've informed my superiors that the plan failed and Yug is dead. I need to leave immediately…
Before he could act, a piercing pain struck his chest. Looking down, he saw a huge hole where his heart had been,he died instantly.
An assassin dressed in black retrieved the storage ring and vanished as silently as he had appeared.