Chương 159: Elion vs Abrafo

Elion and Abrafo stared at each other for several long seconds, motionless as statues. From a distance, Felicity and the others watched in silence, while several people drawn by the impending clash slowly approached, forming a circle around the two. Abrafo attacked first. His burst of speed was devastating: his muscles tensed, and the force of his movement sent dirt and dust flying. Despite his enormous build, he was surprisingly fast, and in an instant he was upon Elion.

The blow would have been fatal, but Elion managed to dodge at the last moment, shifting to the side. Abrafo turned around. Four thin cuts appeared across his body, as if they had emerged from nowhere. He lowered his gaze in confusion.

"How…?" Elion smiled and raised his saber back to eye level. Still incredulous, Abrafo attacked again. Elion dodged, briefly leaped onto his shoulders, then landed behind him, immediately returning to his guard. More cuts appeared across Abrafo's body. They were all superficial, as though there had not been enough time to make them deeper, yet they continued to appear across every part of his body, especially his legs. Felicity watched closely, trying to understand the impossible technique.

"When did he hit him? I can't even see his strikes". Abrafo tensed his muscles and glared at him with hatred.

"How did you do that, worm?! How can you cut me without me even seeing it?!"

"I warned you", Elion replied calmly.

"I'm extremely fast". He shot forward like a bolt of lightning. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Abrafo blocked four slashes with his two short swords and attempted to counterattack, but three more deep wounds opened across his back. He gritted his teeth and stepped back, taking a defensive stance. Elion was breathing more and more heavily.

"I'm already running low on energy…this technique always drains me". He took a deep breath, continuing to study his opponent.

"I can divide a second into several sequences, but I can't always use all of them. Some are necessary to get close without him noticing. Each sequence lasts only an instant, so I can't make the cuts any deeper. If he were an ordinary man, he'd already be dead, but his muscles are like stone. I don't know how many more seconds I can divide…" He cut his thoughts short and dashed forward again.

As he ran toward Abrafo, however, he noticed that Abrafo's swords were lowered and that the cuts across his body were still bleeding.

"Maybe I overestimated him…he's already lost a lot of blood. One final strike should be enough". But as soon as Elion came within range, Abrafo suddenly lunged forward. A tremendous punch slammed into his stomach. Elion was caught completely off guard. He vomited blood and was sent crashing to the ground, rolling several meters across the scorching sand. He struggled to get back up, clutching his aching abdomen, his saber still tightly gripped in his hand.

"What…?" he muttered. Abrafo advanced slowly, heavy as a mountain.

"I don't know what the hell kind of trick you're using", he said, "but all I have to do is hit you before you attack. That makes your strange technique completely useless". Elion raised his saber back to eye level and took a deep breath. The pain in his stomach was excruciating, making even breathing difficult. Beneath Aqareth, Ethan was covered in blood, his sword dripping with it. Thirteen corpses lay before him, all bearing fatal wounds.

Some had their stomachs torn open, their organs spilling onto the floor; three had been decapitated, and two had even been cut in half. Ravetrisk's last subordinate stared at him with pure terror in his eyes, one hand pressed against his bleeding stomach.

"You're a demon! Your strength isn't human!" he screamed as he charged. Ethan blocked without hesitation and drove his sword straight through his heart. He pulled the blade free, and the corpse fell backward. He was the last one. Ethan walked through the blood and bodies without slowing, his eyes empty and his mind focused on a single name.

"Hey…friend…free me. I'll help you defeat that guy", Shigeru said from behind the bars. Ethan walked past him.

"Ethan! Where are you going? Free me and Firmin!" There was no response. Ethan no longer seemed like himself, as though his body were being guided solely by rage. He continued walking, his face smeared with blood, his gaze increasingly consumed by hatred.

"Agnes…" he muttered.

"I'll kill him, and then I'll come find you…I'll protect you…"