Chapter 9: The First Drop of Blood
The final minute felt like an eternity.
Ryn and Leora's footsteps pounded the earth, their breath rising like steam in the cold night air.
Suddenly, the countdown in Ryn's mind stopped.
[ 00:00 ]
[ Alert: The Pursuers have arrived. ]
[ Temporary Combat Status: Activated. ]
Ryn halted abruptly, jerking Leora behind his back with a force that made her gasp.
From the tangled trees, three massive shadows emerged.
They were not human; they were clad in dull black armor, their faces hidden behind iron masks resembling wolf skulls.
A scent of ash and burning emanated from them, and in their hands, they held swords dripping with a pale blue light.
"Son of Shadows..." a hiss escaped one of the pursuers, "we have waited long for this moment."
Ryn felt a primal terror trying to paralyze his limbs, but the System would not let him succumb.
[ Threat Detected: Level "Shadow Soldier." ]
[ Do you wish to activate Skill: "Abyssal Vision"? ]
[ (Yes / No) ]
"Yes!" Ryn screamed in his mind.
At that moment, the world exploded before his eyes.
The darkness vanished, and he saw everything with terrifying clarity; he saw the flow of energy in the pursuers' bodies, he saw their weak points flashing in a deep red.
He even saw the movement of the air around their swords before they even swung.
The first pursuer lunged with lightning speed.
But to Ryn, the movement felt slow... deathly slow.
Ryn moved instinctively, sliding under the blade, feeling a dark power gathering in his palm.
[ Secondary Skill Activated: "Touch of Annihilation." ]
Ryn struck the pursuer's chest with an open hand.
There was no explosion, only a haunting silence.
The pursuer's black armor began to crumble like burnt paper, and a silent scream escaped his mask before his entire body turned into black dust, vanishing into the wind.
The other two pursuers recoiled in visible fear.
Ryn stood looking at his trembling hand, his violet eye glowing brighter.
"Leora..." Ryn whispered without looking back, "close your eyes... and do not open them, no matter what you hear."
)؟