Harem 10
'What the actual fuck!'
I stood, rooted to the ground, not in horror but shock.
The man rose at once, knocking his seat over in the process. His wife acted far more quickly.
She leapt straight of her seat, and landed with feline grace and stance in front of her man. She held out an open palm to the approaching comet. Arxra swirling and closing in around it.
I had my own problems, however.
'If that shit hits me, Imma die for sure.
What should I do? I just got my system, a few moments ago. Not to mention, I can't see how it could be of use in this situation.
Well, I had to do something. Anything.
I could just dodge. But then, that didn't feel right. A whole lot of people were behind me, and they could die.
Lol, what a stupid heroic thought. What if I died too?
I might be the main character, but I'm sure as hell that I had no plot armor. Not with the circumstances of my coming here.
Case closed.
I leapt aside, landing lightly.
Not so surprisingly, the comet changed tack, still focused on me.
I had only a few seconds before impact!
I braced myself, crossed my hands over my chest, and tried my best to stimulate what I hoped would be arxra emission.
A groan slipped through my lips as a tinge of pain flitted through my frame. However, it paid off.
I struggled to keep my eyes open as the approaching brilliant white light burned into them.
Seconds later, visible wisps of arxra welled up around my crossed arms. But I knew this feeble smoke wouldn't be much of a resistance against this obliterating strike hurtling towards me.
At that moment, once again, my instincts acted up again.
Gratefully, graciously and swiftly.
My gaze flicked to a guard who stood, eyes bulged and mouth ajar in shock and fear.
In a blur, I spawned beside him and drew his blade roughly. His scabbard detached and fell off.
I felt arxra leave me through my hand and flow into the sword, imbuing it so that it gave off a blue glow.
The light seared closer, clawing at my skin beneath all my clothing. A sudden wind tore at my face and hair, sending my sleek hair fluttering wildly.
The effect almost buffeted me away: I could hear maids and guards screaming as they were being thrown back, but I stood my ground.
Just at the right moment, I swung the blade. However, it did not connect with what I'd intended it to.
A flicker of lightning flicked out of the comet, speeding forward and hit the sword. It sparked and shattered abruptly, falling out of my hand, hilt and all in the process.
'What the actual fuck? It's sentient!'
There was no time to be surprised now.
I crossed my arms across my chest again, this time hoping entirely on my arxra emission.
I had to survive! Something had to happen! If I died, then it'd mean I'd lost to Kamirn.
At that instant, his maniacal laughter echoed in my ears, mocking and arrogant.
"I won't let you win Kamirn, you bastard!"
Immediately, arxra exploded around me, not quite enough to encase the whole hall, but good enough to create a second commotion towards anybody who still had their eyes open.
A stream of bluish particles spread radially from me, imbuing me in a thick casing of arxra, like an armor. My clothes bristled with energy, becoming stiff like over-starched garments.
I waited, more confidently now, ignoring awed gasps from maids on the floor. Suddenly, just before the comet hit me, I remembered something.
Unknowing, I'd just said that out loud. But then, in the chaos, nobody would hear, right?
BOOM!
An explosion that rattled reality sent a sonic boom radially through the room, sending everyone to bite the dust. The building groaned as pillars crumbled, windows widened and the ceilings carved into the room.
The searing comet finally crashed into me, jerking me back in sharp recoil. My feet didn't leave the ground, but it nearly did.
After a few seconds, the noise and crumbling of pillars seized. I looked around, for a while, before my eyes caught the glint of the moonlight, seeping through the broken ceiling.
My face fell at once. 'So there was still this much damage? I thought I blocked it!'
I waited for the dust to clear before examining any further. When it finally did, nothing much. Just a deformed hall and shaken people face down on the floor clutching their ears or face in fear.
Just then, I felt a warm liquid dribbling down my arm, then dripping to the ground. From the dripping frequency, I knew I'd been hurt pretty bad. As I made to examine my injury, another shadow rose from the smoke, stifling a cough.
I remembered Rald and his sisters and looked around for them. With their parents here, I knew they'd be safe.
SWOOSH
The dusty haze vanished in an instant, almost like a magic spell. Visibility increased. The maids remained down on the ground, some still shuddering. Guards rose at once, drawing blades and advancing, though cautiously.
It was Rald's dad just as I expected. He gracefully bent to pick his pipe, and sat back. I was astonished to see the table unaffected. Rald and his sisters were completely unharmed, but they all were standing, looking out with worried gazes.
I knew they were looking for me.
I opened my mouth to call out, but just then I felt a presence behind me.
I stooped at once, picking the hilt of my earlier broken weapon. It still had a bit of blade on it, so it'll make do.
A metallic glint of metal swishing heavily caught my eye. Immediately, I switched to gripping the hilt with two hands.
I caught the slash on the narrow bit of blade. The brute power bore by that strike forced my hand downwards.
I looked up at the attacker, and dropped my blade in surprise.
The Great lord, Monarch, Balak.
His face held none of that smile I'd seen earlier. Instead, a maniacal glare danced in his eyes, complemented by his dangling dreadlocks.
"Don't lose your guard!" he growled, and hit me in the stomach with the sword hit. I leapt back, holding a wince.
That hit would be enough to rupture a few organs and kill any regular guy.
I didn't get a chance to ponder on the extent of my injury, as Balak blurred from sight again.
My mind went blank due to panic. I closed my eyes, and breathed deeply.
Time to do it cool and calmly.
In mini-moments he reappeared just above me, jabbing at my head. I sidestepped, cleanly dodging the sword. If he decided to swipe at that moment, I was done for. It was an uncalculated risk I'd only realized just then.
Fortunately, he didn't.
I swung my leg upwards, trying to strike him in midair. He twisted aside to dodge, driving his upper body closer to the ground (and to me.)
Perfect.
As his face sailed closer, I fisted my hand tight, concentrating a light dose of into it. Just as his face came into the perfect proximity, I swung my fist outwards.
As expected, he saw it coming, and somersaulted, still in midair. Gauging his landing position, I blurred from my positon, reappearing there a split second later. As Balak's feet touched the ground, he looked around for me.
He noticed me too late.
I swung my feet upwards with deadly accuracy and all the power I could muster. Balak felt a rush of air near his neck and tried to turn.
My leg crashed into his neck, precisely the position of carotid artery. Balak's hand shot out for my leg, but I leapt backwards, to a few meters away.
Balak turned to me, his playful smile gracing his face once more. That docile glint reappeared in his eyes. Blood seeped from his lips, slow at first, but it increased, seeping from many corners of his mouth.
Balak swallowed repeatedly before he could actually speak.
"It's been ages since I saw my own blood. But, you lost, Ashkin."