Chapter 20: Fighting the Demon Worshippers (3)
POV Calez:
I stared at the child standing before me. Moments ago, we were close to capturing the Saintess, but look at us now.
I was facing a boy no older than twelve. (Because Ren was quite tall for his age, Calez misunderstood.)
Stranger still, he could use both aura and mana simultaneously! And the worst part? He controlled them as if it were effortless. What class did he possess that allowed him to do that?
His crystal-blue eyes, with star-like flecks in his pupils, stared at me coldly. His white hair fluttered as lightning crackled from his body. It was rare—no, extremely rare.
Then there was the phrase, "Think, kids." I didn't know what he meant, but it was clearly a taunt. My brows furrowed hearing it.
"What did you say?" I asked, annoyed.
But the boy did not answer. He just stood there—clicking his tongue?, his lightning creeping along the ground, burning the grass. The suppressive aura he released was putting a slight pressure on me.
"A boy like you... why do you possess such power?" I muttered softly, asking myself, denying the reality.
He looked at me, his eyes reflecting the lightning flashes.
"I don't know," he answered flatly, "maybe you are the weak one." The boy said with a widening sneer.
I gritted my teeth. "You... truly want to die." I muttered:
[Stealth Technique: Shadow Mist.]
I raised my hand and absorbed mana from the surroundings. Black mist appeared on the ground, forming dozens of shadows. They stepped out of the fog—clones of my body.
"Look, boy! These are my Shadows! My best technique!"
Dozens of my clones rushed toward the boy. I watched with a satisfied smile—he also stepped forward. My shadows reached him. We stabbed at him, but just as the daggers were about to hit, they stopped in mid-air.
My eyes widened. The boy counter-attacked, slashing one of the shadows. The shadow split apart like mist, then instantly reformed.
Another shadow attacked him from behind, but he spun around as if he had predicted it. Steel clashed again. I took the opportunity to strike at his chest.
I thrust, but once again my dagger stopped in mid-air, as if something was preventing me from hitting him. I cursed under my breath.
'Damn it! What is that? A transparent shield??' I thought, jumping backward.
As I was about to attack again, the boy struck first. He passed through my shadows and ran directly toward me.
"What!? How did he notice!?" I said in shock. My shadows were almost identical to me, except they didn't cast shadows. But this was in the forest.
'So how?'
He arrived in front of me, attacking with a sword enveloped in mana and aura. The sword split the air like thunder. Precisely at that moment, the ground he was stepping on turned into mist, causing him to stumble slightly.
His eyes widened. I smirked and punched his chest with a full aura strike in my hand, "Taste this, you bastard!"
Buuukh—!!
The blow struck the boy like a meteor, sending him flying backward, crashing into the trees that blocked his trajectory. The ground cracked beneath me, resisting the pressure of my terrifying force.
Booomm!!!
I stood my ground, taking a long breath. My shadows slowly disappeared. Using that technique was not without risk; every movement of the shadows drained my mana.
I looked toward where the boy fell. Dust flew around the area. "Is he dead? No matter how strong he is, taking a blow with Master-level power should have crushed him."
A few seconds later, a silhouette emerged from the dust. My eyes widened in disbelief. The boy, who had received my punch just seconds ago, was standing there.
"Haah... Bastard, that almost gave me a heart attack, damn it!" the boy cursed. His body was clean, without a single scratch.
I stared at him. No wound. No blood. No sign that he had just been struck by a Master-level force.
Even the ground around him was still smoking from the remnants of my attack—yet he stood in the middle of it, unharmed.
'What the hell is this boy made of... what is his body made of!?' I thought, panicked and furious.
He looked at me, then gave a faint, forced smile. "You almost gave me a fatal heart attack from shock, damn it!"
Lightning flashed behind him, forming spiral patterns in the air. The air vibrated—I could feel it, his power was increasing.
"You, what is your body made of??" I asked, genuinely curious—extremely curious. Who could withstand a full-force Master-level attack? No one.
"You ask too many questions, so let's just finish this fight!" he snapped.
He took his stance and shot toward me. I gripped my dagger tightly, stepping forward. Our weapons clashed, and the boy was jolted backward, losing out in strength.
But he didn't care. He attacked again, his sword slashing at my neck, but I dodged and stabbed at his shoulder. He ducked and counter-stabbed at my stomach with his sword.
The battle of strength and speed continued for several minutes. He attacked, I parried, and vice versa.
Moments later, we both retreated a few steps, catching our breath. In terms of speed and strength, I was clearly superior, but something was odd...
In this fight, I realized something: my attacks never touched him at all, as if there was a transparent shield blocking me. I initially thought it was a rare artifact. But no, it was his own power.
And second, the boy, he could adapt while fighting... Every time our swords clashed, his movements and tempo became sharper. He also adapted to every one of my attacks—knowing where I would appear, as if seeing the future.
'Damn! If I'm not careful, I will definitely lose!' I cursed inwardly. 'Hmph... Looks like I have no other choice...'
I exhaled slowly, then muttered:
[Maximum Aura!]
In that instant, my aura exploded like a tidal wave. My teeth clenched, resisting the pressure of my own power.
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