'I need to kill Itri.' The thought echoed relentlessly in my mind, surreal yet undeniable in the dire situation I found myself in.
Itri and I circled each other slowly, my gaze fixed on the glistening obsidian blade of his longsword, held aloft on his shoulder with both hands gripping the hilt. His horse body moved with deliberate, practiced motions. He looked ready to kill someone.
Kill. No matter how I tried, I couldn't envision the outcome of it. I could picture myself injuring Itri: drawing crimson blood, creating purple bruises, even dismembering his limbs. But imagining the light leaving his eyes, his body growing cold, his heartbeat fading into silence—it eluded me. Yet, Itri's blue eyes, assessing me coldly, seemed to hold countless ways to kill me.
For a while, there were only three sounds: the crackling campfire between us, the water sloshing under Itri's hooves as he stepped on the wet ground, and Lorelei's labored breathing. Her swollen red eyes, despite the pain, were locked on our confrontation. I clenched my jaw. If Lorelei could recover, she might easily dispose of Itri based on their previous sparring records at the Awakened Academy.
However I couldn't rely on Lorelei now. She was already past her limits, fighting the dreadful poison. Even if she recovered, she'd have no energy left to fight.
Itri had planned this well.
"Why are you doing this?" My voice cracked, but my gaze remained steady. Itri narrowed his eyes, his sea-blue eyes turning into unpolished sapphires.
Instead of answering, he commanded his back legs and launched forward with lightning speed, bringing me within reach of his dark longsword. The muscles in his arms and shoulders loosened, his waist spun, and the longsword became a black crescent aimed at my throat.
I ducked, moving in the opposite direction of the longsword's arc. I pivoted on my left foot, bringing me to the side of his horse half. Holding the [Moribund Sword] in a reverse grip, I raised it like a dagger, aiming to slit open the belly of his horse half.
Itri's waist spun again, redirecting his longsword to block my strike. The tip of the [Moribund Sword] bounced off the black blade, a few shards breaking off in the process.
Swings: [1/15]
I was off-balance, and using that chance, Itri delivered a devastating kick to my stomach with his foreleg.
I collapsed to the ground but I instantly rolled away from Itri's range and got up on one shaking knee. Despite my impressive maneuver, I felt as if my insides had been exploded by Itri's kick. Burning hot bile rose up my throat as I got up on my feet, foamy saliva mixed with viscous mucus dripped from my lower lip and tears stung my eyes.
Me and Itri started to circle each other again with the dimming campfire as the center. Everything was the same as before our clash, but now Itri had a much greater advantage.
My breaths were ragged and I could barely stand properly as is. The [Moribund Sword] was on its last swing and the blade was in the worst condition I had ever seen. The [Whisper of Steel], the dull armor that Eternity gave me in the beginning of the nightmare, was practically crumbling with each step.
'I could easily kill him with my aspect' was the thought that crossed my mind, but I quickly snapped it away with a quick shake of my head.
No, it wouldn't help. If anything, it would make everything worse.
[Blood Purge], the ability that allowed me to explode and shoot off my body parts at incomprehensible speed and force, was undeniably powerful. I had no doubt it could kill an Ascended master, much less Itri who was only an Awakened. The ability wasn't weak in any parameters. Even the only flaw of the ability, my body parts imploding and scattering everywhere was taken care of by [Higher Healing Factor] dresuction. Sure, the pain was a big factor in not using it,I did pass out the last time I used my aspect, but I'd rather deal with that than die by Itri's ruthless hands. No, it was me that was lacking.
I had chosen to not practice it since the first time I used it during my first day in the Awakened academy. I reasoned back then that it was because it was dangerous to practice it, having to clean it up, the large chance of being found out (the academy would never let a sleeper using an aspect in his dorm slip by), and--of course--the chance of death.
The only way I saw to win this fight was going into frenzy.
I wasn't an idiot, I remember how I killed all twenty four nightmares creatures in my first trial. The sudden burst of strength, the mindless yet effortless efficiency, and my euphoric battle intuition going into a different level—it was all the result of what I called, "Frenzy".
The first case was when I was swallowed by the armored worm and then I cut it in half from the inside. The second time was when the entire ant colony was trying to kill me, only for 22 of them to be beheaded in succession—and even when I was cradling my intestines outside my body, I was killing them. I only stopped when I reached the limits of my body. I vividly remember it all.
And the jumpstarter for Frenzy was Mongrel.
I didn't know whether it was because of inspiration or his otherworldly battle intuition awakening my own, or maybe both, but the black masked warrior clearly had a part in Frenzy.
I needed to remember that feeling. The memories of Mongrel swinging his sword, his passionate and wise words, and his resilience. I need embody those words into myself, carve them into my soul and eliminate Itri-
My thoughts were cut off by my front leg collapsing inwards, then I fell to one knee.
"Huh?" I blurted out involuntarily.
My eyes wide and my hands shaking, I stared at the ground in disbelief. 'What's happening?' I thought as I felt my grip on the [Moribund Sword] weaken.
No. Why? Why? WHY?
Sure, Itri's horse kick was horrible, but it shouldn't have done that much, he didn't hit any vital organs. Exhaustion? No, even if I was tired from walking and from fighting, I knew the limits for my stamina. Anyway, the stance I was in before I collapsed was very stable, I shouldn't be falling to my knees.
Why? Why? WHY?
What causes this? What was the flaw I was overlooking…
The realization struck me like a wrecking ball.
"Humors" I mouthed, and then four lines of runes appeared.
Blood: [————]
Mind: [— — -]
Energy: [-]
Essence: [— —]
[Energy], the humor which depleted my physical strength, was on its last dregs of life.
I overlooked my flaw. The "Flaw" which was one of the most defined part of being awakened—and it went right under my nose.
I heard a squelching sound to my left, and I looked up to see the silhouette of Itri. His front was hidden by the shadows casted by the fire. With his dark longsword resting his shoulder, painted him more like the grim reaper than a human teenager.
The campfire died.
"Damn…" was all I could say as I dropped the [Moribund Sword] to the ground.
I was gonna die, without even being able to show off my aspect.
Itri turned his blade to the flat slide and swung. He's going to bash my skull in.
I opened my mouth to scream at least, but I was pushed aside by one… thin white hand.
I saw the figure of Eternity pass me, staring right at Itri, then her arm bent as the flatside of the blade hit her.
She was then hurled to the other side of our camp, skidding into the ground and leaving a trail behind like a meteor.
Did she just die?
"Eter…?" But all my doubts were removed when Eternity screamed, "LORELEI."
..!
My head spun to where I last saw Lorelei. She was standing now, and the madness that was in her bloodshot eyes was now gone.
I was breathless as she audibly whispered, "Dusk. Kill him."
A sudden shadow enveloped over the entire camp. Itri looked up, only to meet with an open maw resembling a dark cavern.
Itri then disappeared under the mass of darkness, which I then realized was actually a gargantuan wolf with jet black fur.
As if three surprises weren't enough, Ford got up groaning as he grabbed his stomach. For a few seconds, his blurry onyx eyes studied the mess that was the camp.
"Were we attacked by the Moonlight Surge..?" He blurted out.
"Fuck." I heard Eternity moan in pain. Simultaneously all our gazes started to turn to the place where the sun set.
A small light flickered near the horizon.