Livio darted through the dense canopy, his red katana reflecting the sunnlight as he landed near the roaring waterfall. The mist veiled the assassins momentarily, but their figures soon emerged—five shadows standing with cold precision.
"You really think you can fight?" one of them sneered. "Even after learning PBV, you're still weak."
Ethan's words from their argument still echoed in Livio's head, clouding his thoughts. Frustration surged through him. No strategy, no plan...only instinct. He took a sharp breath and lunged forward, targeting all five at once.
The assassins scattered, activating their abilities.
Leaves twisted into jagged blades and impenetrable shields.
Trees bent at the command of another, their branches lashing out like whips.
One assassin moved with eerie calm, his perception slowed time itself.
Another kicked off the air, moving unpredictably in the open space.
The last dissolved into the grass, vanishing entirely.
Livio knew he couldn't take them all head-on. He sprinted, weaving through the terrain. His pursuers spread out, encircling him. Then, an opportunity...one assassin had strayed too far.
Without hesitation, Livio pivoted, dashing toward the isolated opponent.
The assassin met him head-on, activating PBV. His knife gleamed in the dim light. Livio did the same, his katana coated in the energy that enhanced his speed and power.
Their blades clashed in a flash of sparks.
Livio swung a vertical slash, aiming to cleave through his opponent's guard.
The assassin leaned back, narrowly avoiding the strike. His knife flicked forward in response. Livio ducked, the blade slicing just above his ear. Before he could retaliate, leaves surged toward him from the side, forming a jagged barrier that forced him to disengage.
The airborne assassin struck next. Kicking off an invisible foothold, he descended like a hawk, daggers aimed at Livio's ribs.
Livio twisted at the last moment, rolling aside as the assassin landed, sending up a spray of dirt. He barely had time to recover before another strike came.....branches lashed out from behind, forcing him to leap forward to evade.
The slow-motion assassin smirked. He had been waiting for this. With his enhanced perception, he saw Livio's dodge unfold in perfect clarity. He adjusted his trajectory, throwing a needle coated in paralysis poison.
Livio caught the movement from the corner of his eye. He feinted left.
The assassin's ability let him see through tricks, and he adjusted accordingly, throwing the needle toward Livio's true position.
But Livio had anticipated that too.
At the last second, he twisted his body unnaturally, narrowly dodging the needle as he surged forward. The assassins reacted instantly, striking from all sides, leaving him no escape.
A storm of leaf blades. A branch sweeping his legs. A knife flashing toward his throat.
Then...Livio disappeared.
Their attacks slashed through empty air.
They whirled around....Livio was behind them.
Again they attacked, this time from every possible angle. Yet, every time their weapons found their mark, he was already gone....behind them, beside them, above them. It was impossible.
But Livio was growing tired. His PBV was wearing off, and his movements slowed.
Then.....Shesha.
A pulse of energy. Livio's ability was nullified.
Shesha was deactivated, allowing the assassins to use their abilities, but Livio was unaware of it.
They seized their chance.
Branches wrapped around his arm. Leaves formed into a blade, poised to strike. The assassin from the grass emerged, his knife pressing against Livio's throat.
Then.....
A gunshot.
The force sent the attacking assassin staggering back. Ethan and Oliver had arrived.
Livio exhaled sharply, smirking. "Took you bastards long enough."
The battlefield split. Ethan and Oliver each took two assassins, while Livio turned to face the leaf-wielder once more.
This time, it was a pure duel.
Livio's katana clashed against the assassin's leaf-formed daggers in a mesmerizing rhythm. He struck with a downward slash—the assassin parried, spinning to slash at his ribs. Livio stepped back just in time, countering with a thrust.
The assassin formed a shield of leaves, blocking the attack before dispersing it into a rain of razor-sharp fragments. Livio weaved through them, but a cut opened on his cheek.
Their blades met again, a deadly, fluid dance.
Leaves twisted, forming additional daggers in the assassin's grip. He slashed in rapid succession, forcing Livio onto the defensive. Sparks flew as steel met hardened foliage.
Both activated Shesha, nullifying each other's abilities. The fight became a raw exchange of skill and speed.
Livio faltered, His Shesha wore off.
The assassin saw his opening and he deactivated his Shesha.A leaf dagger shot forward, aiming for Livio's heart.
Then.....
A sharp caw.
A crow swooped down, striking the assassin's head. His vision blurred for an instant.
It was enough.
Livio's katana slashed forward, cutting through his guard. A final, decisive strike.
The assassin collapsed.
Livio stood over him, breathing hard. Then, he grinned.