"Now It's Over. Nameless Selldagger."
As Tiger Beetle's dagger, cloaked in a dark aura, sank into Diverte's back, Diverte—his entire body stained with thick blood—froze in place.
"Urghhh…"
Sticky blood erupted from Diverte's mouth, streaming down his chin and pooling onto the warehouse floor.
The venom churning through his body twisted Diverte's arm, forcing out a sickening crack. Moments later, his whole frame convulsed before he crumpled to the ground, lifeless, like a marionette with its strings severed, not a single twitch left in him.
"Phew… Looks like it's over."
Gazing down at Diverte's fallen form, Tiger Beetle let out a long, relieved sigh. Then, turning to Dragon Fly with a beaming smile:
"Haha! You really had a tough time with this one, huh? Let's patch up those wounds first."
"…Tiger Beetle, behind you! Look out!"
Dragon Fly's voice rang out, his hand jabbing toward the space behind Tiger Beetle, where Diverte was rising once more.
"What? What're you— Ugh!"
Tiger Beetle spun around just as Diverte brought his curved sword slashing down toward them.
Twisting their body, Tiger Beetle tried to dodge the diagonal strike aimed across shoulder and torso, but the sharp tip of Diverte's blade nicked their shoulder, drawing a trickle of red blood.
"Mmmhehehehe!"
The sight of blood flowing from Tiger Beetle's shoulder, down their arm, and onto the floor pulled a gleeful cackle from Diverte.
"Didn't I tell you not to drop your guard?! I'll save the lecture for after we finish this freak—step back!"
-CLANG!-
The warehouse reverberated with the jarring clash of steel as Dragon Fly darted past Tiger Beetle—still clutching their bleeding shoulder—and knocked Diverte's sword aside.
"Watch out… He's not normal."
Sprinkling white powder from a pouch on their belt onto the wounded shoulder and pressing a hand over it, Tiger Beetle shouted the warning.
"Not even sure 'human' applies to this thing, huh?"
Answering Tiger Beetle, Dragon Fly swung with such force that the small wooden debris on the warehouse floor was swept aside—yet Diverte evaded it.
With snake-like agility, Diverte contorted his body in grotesque, near-folding motions. Despite the venom twisting his arm and sending his body into spasmodic tremors, he kept dodging Dragon Fly's relentless strikes.
"Tch!"
Diverte's form blurred as he moved, a thin shadow trailing behind him, tinged with a murky green aura. His swift counterattack zeroed in on Dragon Fly's neck once again.
"Heeheeheehee! Can't dodge~ Too fast to dodge~ We're too fast! Hwaaa~!"
A strange voice, laced with a woman's tone, cut through the air—and in its wake, Dragon Fly's blood sprayed into the emptiness.
"You slither around pretty well for a lunatic!"
Diverte's attacks only grew swifter and more vicious with each passing second, carving multiple gashes across Dragon Fly's body, red blood spilling from every cut.
Even as the clanging of Dragon Fly's sword rang out, parrying blow after blow, the wounds piled up—thigh, collarbone, back of the hand, shoulder. And then, amidst Diverte's chilling, breath-stealing laughter, came the unmistakable sound of Dragon Fly's blade snapping.
"Damn it!"
"Hahaha! It's broken~!"
Diverte's tongue lolled out, his wild eyes flashing their whites incessantly as he lunged, slashing at Dragon Fly, who still gripped his shattered sword. At that exact moment, Tiger Beetle surged forward, blocking Diverte's path.
"I'll hold him off, Dragon Fly! Use that time to grab the Snake Bane(斬蛇刀)!"
Crossing both daggers, Tiger Beetle deflected Diverte's sword and yelled. The white powder on their shoulder must've worked as a coagulant—the blood had clotted with it, no longer flowing.
"Having to pull out the Snake Bane for this lunatic?! Still, smart call, Tiger Beetle."
"Do it fast, please, Dragon Fly."
"Got it. Just buy me a little time!"
Dragon Fly pulled away from Tiger Beetle, vanishing into the shadowed corner of the warehouse where the light didn't reach.
"Hmm… Guess I'll need to borrow some power from my tools."
From a pocket, Tiger Beetle produced two small glass bottles, sealed with purple and red wax, and gripped them tightly.
"So, you'll have to keep me entertained until our trump card's ready. Uh… what should I even call you? Doubt you'll give me a name, and Dragon Fly's choice of words… well, it's not exactly polite."
Peeling the wax off the tiny potion bottles and downing their contents, Tiger Beetle spoke.
"Hehehehehehaha!"
Diverte charged, his mouth splitting into a wide, manic grin as he barreled toward Tiger Beetle, who advanced with daggers in hand.
"Hmph… Not much for chit-chat, are you? Fine by me—I've got these potions to put to use. Hah!"
-CLANG!-
Deflecting Diverte's rushing strike, the warehouse echoed with the ringing of steel. Then came Tiger Beetle's follow-up assault.
"Raaaah!"
A furious barrage of attacks unfolded, fueled by the twin daggers' relentless momentum.
Black blood seeped from multiple wounds across Diverte's body, courtesy of Tiger Beetle's blades, yet he showed none of the pain a normal person would.
"Hehehe, it doesn't hurt, Rheabella… Doesn't hurt…"
The splatter of black blood on the floor, Diverte's laughter, the thud of feet launching off the ground, and the whistle of swords slicing the air filled the space.
The battle between Diverte and Tiger Beetle raged on.
The clashing of blades resounded as they darted between the warehouse's stacked crates and pillars.
Those two potions Tiger Beetle drank—elixirs bought from an alchemist for a small fortune—delivered effects beyond anything expected.
At first, the unfamiliar bitterness of the liquid hit hard, an unpleasant sting lingering even after it slid down their throat, numbing their mouth and scrunching their face involuntarily.
But that lasted only a moment. Strength flooded their arms, gripping the daggers so fiercely the hilts might've dented. Limbs quaked, eyes snapped wide as raw power surged through Tiger Beetle's frame.
Mana flared above their shoulders and head like a roaring flame. With each breath, the excess energy settled, coalescing into something manageable—familiarity sinking in after blocking Diverte's sword and swinging the daggers a few times.
The potions' full effects, unleashed after breaking the wax seals, far exceeded what Tiger Beetle had dared to hope for.
"Whoa! This is unreal!"
It felt like a single leap could launch them 10 cubits (5 meters) skyward. Like they could pulverize a rock in their fist.
"Now I'll wipe that grin off your face!"
Raising both daggers high overhead, Tiger Beetle vaulted into the air.
Diverte's eyes tracked upward, following the motion—but then another Tiger Beetle flickered into his vision.
One kicked off the floor, veering sharply to strike at Diverte's legs with daggers reversed in grip. Across from that, another crouched low, thrusting a blade up toward his chin. In front, a third extended an arm, slashing at his right shoulder. To the left, yet another poised to plunge two reversed daggers downward.
Each wielded their weapons differently, but all bore the same icy glare, brimming with lethal intent aimed at Diverte.
Normal grip slashed; reverse grip stabbed.
Targeting the neck, slicing the legs, piercing the thighs, shoulders, collarbones, shins, arms, sides—countless attacks from Tiger Beetle converged on Diverte.
Like a flock of birds startled into flight by a hunter snapping a thick branch, the daggers in the hands of multiple Tiger Beetle figures bore down on him.
"Lots of you, huh~? This'll be fun~!"
Dozens of blades collided, their clamor ringing out.
Amid it all, Diverte's laughter pierced through, joined by Tiger Beetle's sharp cry as they pushed past their limits.
'Move! Move! Faster!'
The phantom dagger strikes hit their mark. But Diverte? He shrugged off the gaping wounds like they were nothing, countering Tiger Beetle's onslaught without faltering.
"Raaaah!"
With a roar, readjusting the daggers' grip, teeth grinding with a clack, Tiger Beetle's attacks surged even faster.
"You're quick~! Getting quicker, but how long'll that last~? Heeheeheehee!"
Blood poured from the gashes on Diverte's arms every time he swung at Tiger Beetle. Deep cuts laid bare bone and shredded muscle, yet he fought on as if the pain didn't register.
"Not done yet!"
-WHOOSH-
A shrill sound zipped past Tiger Beetle's ear. A split-second blink—not even time for a full breath.
In that fleeting gap, maybe from the potion's explosive power recoiling, Diverte's sword exploited a falter in stance, slicing across Tiger Beetle's shoulder.
"Ugh!"
Biting their lip to stifle the pain radiating from the shoulder, Tiger Beetle blocked Diverte's blade as it—still slick with their blood—shifted course to aim for their neck.
A dull, heavy metallic thud sounded.
One of Tiger Beetle's daggers spun wildly through the air.
'Not an easy foe. Taking cuts like that without even flinching…'
Barely fending off Diverte's strike, Tiger Beetle leaped back, widening the gap, and raised the lone remaining dagger into a defensive stance.
"Down to one now, huh~?"
Diverte smirked, one corner of his mouth curling as he pointed at Tiger Beetle with a lazy finger.
"Still got one left."
The potion's lingering effects dulled the sting of Diverte's sword wounds, if only a little.
'Just a bit longer… Dragon Fly's coming.'
Trading blows with Diverte, Tiger Beetle had subtly maneuvered them both toward the warehouse's far side, stealing glances to gauge when Dragon Fly might return.
"But… you… don't… hear… it… do you?"
"What? Hear what…?"
Tiger Beetle's brow furrowed, eyes narrowing at Diverte, who kept pointing. Sounds came muted, like they were submerged underwater.
Normally sharp enough to catch faint footsteps, Tiger Beetle's ears now only registered Diverte's mouth flapping—his voice barely breaking through.
Realizing his words weren't landing, Diverte gave a careless shrug and pressed his attack.
-Clang clang clang-
Even the clash of steel sounded muffled to Tiger Beetle, like it echoed from beyond a wall.
Diverte's laughter faded to a whisper, but another sound sharpened in its place.
What started as a woman's faint chuckle grew clearer, blending into a voice that sang alongside the laughter.
Each parry of Diverte's sword burdened Tiger Beetle's body with crushing weight.
A strike slipped past, grazing Tiger Beetle's body as they failed to deflect it fully.
With each new wound, movements slowed. Every gash burned like an iron hook tearing through flesh.
"Ugh…"
Barely blocking Diverte's latest blow, Tiger Beetle stumbled, shoved back toward stacked wooden crates packed with metal ingots.
The crates splintered, metal clattering loudly to the floor—but to Tiger Beetle, it was just a dull rumble.
"A little late, Tiger Beetle."