Meanwhile, while all of this was happening…
Lazarus fell from the sky and hit a branch, breaking it off and falling to the ground.
Lazarus held his stomach in pain, "Ugh what the hell. That damn creep, can't believe I got separated from them." He paused, "Hope Zephyr's safe." Then suddenly he felt a presence lurking nearby, and was immediately on alert.
A voice came from the bushes nearby, it was coming from all directions so it was hard to pinpoint, "My my, must be my lucky day!"
Lazarus looked around rapidly, "What the—" he thought, before narrowly dodging a dagger from pure instinct.
The man looked surprised when Lazarus dodged his attack, "Oh my… you're quite skilled aren't ya?"
Lazarus, who was on high alert, spoke up, "Who are you?"
"My name is Zhura Nova." The man said.
Lazarus's eyes went wide with shock, "Zhura?! That means you're from —"
Zhura, tried to attack Lazarus once more, however Lazarus was quick enough to dodge.
Zhura: "Yeah, im from the famed house of Assassins, Nova."
Lazarus, wiping a drop of sweat from his face, "Well damn, didn't expect someone of the likes of you here."
Zhura, licked his blade, "Oh is it so surprising though? This is a death tournament, I simply couldn't pass up the offer!"
Lazarus: "You're a sick freak."
Lazarus then closed in on Zhura, launching a flurry of fast blows, however they were all parried perfectly by Zhura.
Lazarus: "What the—"
Zhura then proceeded to kick him with enough force to pulverize a boulder to fine dust. Lazarus, albeit barely, managed to block the attack but his arm was severely damaged in the process.
Zhura, who was surprised, spoke up, "Well, Well, Well, looks like you can handle your own."
Lazarus smiled and started to retaliate, he pushed Zhura back while simultaneously materializing a sword made of pure Essenz.
Zhura, his eyes wide, "Oh my…"
Lazarus, wasted no time and rushed forward, swinging down at Zhura, who attempted to block the strike with his dagger, however the Essenz blade melted the steel dagger and cut Zhura's hand off.
Zhura screamed in agony, "AGH, WHAT THE FUCK!"
Zhura attempted to poke Lazarus's eyes out with his other hand however, that one was also cut off.
Zhura fell back onto his rear. He felt something he hadn't in felt many years, Fear. The man standing before him was no goon, or run of the mill grunt, but a man capable of ending him with one quick strike.
Zhura: "Y-you d-don't come any closer!" he screamed.
Lazarus slowly walked towards him and in one fluid motion, cut his head off.
Lazarus sighed, "So much for a famed Assassin."
His Essenz blade then dissipated and Lazarus fell to his knees, "Damnit, I can't deny, he was powerful. My arm's in shambles." He then raised his hand near his shattered arm, his fingertips glowing as fine strands of light descended from them and started threading the skeletal structure, muscles, nerves and veins together.
Lazarus smiled, "That's much better, but now I have to get a move on before someone catches me like this."
Lazarus got up and started making his way.
Lya, who had landed not too far away from Lazarus, was facing her own nightmare. The hunter infront of her moved like a predator, striking with the utmost precision, cutting her left thigh.
Lya winced, "WIND CORE: ALL WIND!"
A barrier made of wind proceeded to shield her against the onslaught.
Hunter: "Damn you! Stop hiding like a coward and face me!"
Lya: "No way! You're way too fast!"
Hunter: "WATER CORE: SEA DRAGON!", A massive dragon made of water made its way towards Lya, however it was still no match for her barrier.
Hunter: "Damn you." He scoffed.
Lya, quickly dispersed the barrier, "WIND CORE: COMPRESSION BULLET!", she fired a small compressed blast of air towards the hunter however the hunter dodged and retaliated with an attack of his own.
"WATER CORE: LEVIATHAN ROAR!", A stronger and much larger version of the previous attack raged towards Lya, crushing the ground in its wake. However, Lya barely managed to dodge the attack, however it wasn't without consequence.
A small chunk of her thigh had been cut out.
Lya screamed in pain unable to move, while the hunter simply smiled and slowly made his way towards Lya.
Hunter: "Stupid girl, you shouldn't have dispersed that barrier of yours.", the hunter got closer to Lya and held his palm against her face.
Hunter: "Any last words before I chomp off your head?"
Lya then smiled, which caught him off guard.
"WIND CORE: AIR THREAD!", A thin line of thread surrounded the hunter's body, rendering him of any movement.
Lya, winced through the pain as she got up, "Looks like y-you fell for it, dumbass."
The hunter's eyes were filled with fury, he attempted to break free but to no avail.
Lya: "Don't bother trying to break free, it won't happen." She then held her hand to his neck, "What was it you said earlier? Oh right, any last words?"
Hunter: "DAMN YOU TO—"
His throat was cut with a small wind slice.
The hunter fell, choking on his own blood, before dying.
Lya looked disgusted, however she soon left the area, looking for a place to lay low in.