Rashin stood still tightening his fast and loosening it several times, all while looking at the Mantis from above, staring at him as if he was saying:
'It's good to see the fallen when this time it's not you.' Rashin thought.
Although Rashin had the upper hand, blood was railing from his lip's ridge. A moment later, he spat a mouthful of blood, but he was still standing like he was the victor already.
Parmas was still lying on the ground, he supported his body with his left arm. The Mantis smiled and said:
"So... your main power is agility. I see." Suddenly without any warning, Parmas disappeared from where he had been and appeared behind Rashin, straightening his right arm horizontally. Parmas is about to slash or rather... cut!
Rashin didn't react in time, and yet The slash didn't reach him. How?
"Hehehehe, hahahahahaha. You... know my movements! You can read my movements! Fantastic, Fallen Corpse!"
Rashin instantly knew that the Mantis would appear behind him when he had disappeared so he just dashed forward and rotated his body. The dash was a bit impulsive, forcing him to stop himself gradually using his hand as a decelerator.
Rashin straightened his spine and glanced in front of him. Only to see the Mantis harrowing at him with terrifying speed, holding his two daggers from the other side.
"Mantis technique, first form: [Rending Fangs!]" The two daggers shot at Rashin from above. The problem is that Rashin didn't have anything to block or deflect a slash coming at him with this speed.
But... What he did, made both Parmas and the fallen Spiren shiver!
Rashin used his right arm as armor and blocked the harrowing daggers by letting them stab his arm. He then raised his arm that has two daggers penetrating it, crouched, and sent a blow in the Mantis's torso. In fact, it wasn't a normal punch!
"Crimson Gauntlet, first form: [Internal Bleeding!]
Parmas got pushed back badly, looking at Rashin with a death stare because... his daggers were still in Rashin's arm. Rashin took out both of the daggers, spat a lot of blood, and threw them away. Now his opponent was defenseless!
But Rashin felt uneasy despite having the upper hand in this fight. There was something wrong and he felt it.
The reason why he felt uneasy was that his first form was supposed to damage his opponent's internal organs, causing internal bleeding. But when he launched his blow, he didn't feel his attack made anything.
Rashin looked at Parmas whose lips were curling upwards, Rashin's eyebrows leaned downwards on his face. He was getting serious now. So do the Mantis.
"You crossed your limits, Fallen Corpse." Rashin was furious, his mouth ran wild because of all that blood that won't stop flowing out of it. He instantly ignored the Mantis's words and rushed to attack. Parmas just stood still and didn't even move.
Rashin reached him and shot a blow at his face that made Parmas surprised for a bit, but Rashin kept attacking. One blow after another, Blood flowed out of his body faster and faster. Rashin became bloody all of a sudden.
Parmas was just receiving all of his attacks without even reacting. In fact, he was smiling and his facial expressions were cold as ice.
Suddenly, Rashin leaped backward and made a right angle again at his right arm but this time, his fist was facing the ground, and grabbed his fist with the other hand while rotating his torso a bit to the right.
"Crimson... Cough! Gauntlet, second form: [Skull Crusher!]" Rashin dashed with all of his speed which made the Mantis widen in shock. This attack specifically was ferocious even to Spiren!
When Rashin reached him, he let the other hand that held the harrowing fist and shot it at the assassin's face.
Parmas dodged the attack immediately because he felt death was about to grip his soul if that attack landed on his face. But... he didn't need to dodge.
Before the attack reached his face, Rashin stopped in his tracks, and... his body began to fall helplessly. Parmas stared in fear at Rashin. That last attack was so destructive and the Mantis knew how much powerful it was just from sensing it.
'No... No... even after all of that training... I... I'm still..." Rashin thought while his body was falling. Eventually, Rashin struck at the ground with no finger moving. Rashin has been dropped dead!
"RASHIN!!!" Spiren from afar shouted his name with sorrow being carved in it. Spiren looked as if he lost one of his brothers.
Rashin heard his shouting but his hearing was suppressed as he was about to leave this world and die.
Ding!
***
As the sun was rising, informing the world that a new day had come. The sunlight washed the whole region of the sacred waterfalls.
The birds woke up and took a few moments until setting their journey to fly somewhere in groups and the gigantic waterfalls that flowed so much water.
Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself lying on the ground where he had died last night.
Rashin glanced around him only to see Spiren sitting on one of the rocks near the waterfalls.
"You..." Spiren opened his eyes as he was some sort of meditating and looked at Rashin. Spiren immediately rushed to see him. Crouching on his knees, Spiren said:
"Rashin! Are you ok?!"
Rashin looked at him with exhaustion washing him whole.
"I'm ok... Why did you wait for me?" Spiren widened in surprise and said:
"What! Rashin... you don't... Remember me?!"
Rashin paused for a bit and then said in an even tone:
"No... I lost my memory, That's why." Spiren's eyes blacked out and lowered his head, facing the ground.
"Oh. So that's it. Anyway, come on. Stand up." Rashin nodded and let Spiren aid him as he stood up on his feet. Suddenly, Rashin felt something wrong. Something... irritating.
"So... what is your name?"
Spiren looked at him and answered:
"Spiren. Spiren... The White Blood."
"Nice to meet you... again, Spi- Ugh! What the hell is that feeling." Rashin was feeling something hitting him furiously in the center of his core. All he did was touch his core, and he felt soaring pain in his hand.
"NO! RASHIN, DON'T!"
Rashin glanced at his hand and saw it bathed in blood... his own blood. He then dropped his gaze below to see what was that.
And he shouldn't have looked!