Riyan's POV...
As I stood firm, a hail of Mana-infused bullets hurtled towards me like a swarm of deadly, shimmering hornets. With lightning-quick reflexes, I summoned the dark, mysterious energy of my Aura, channeling it into the sleek, razor-sharp Yunling Spear that seemed to hum with anticipation in my grasp.
The air around me crackled with tension as I unleashed a blur of motion, swinging the Spear in dizzying, concentric circles that left behind a trail of faint, ethereal ripples in the air.
The bullets, imbued with the essence of Mana, glowed with an otherworldly light as they homed in on their target—me. But I was ready.
With a fierce cry, I whipped the Spear around in a dazzling display of speed and agility, the dark Aura-infused blade slicing through the air with a soft whooshing sound that sent shivers down my spine.
The bullets, mere inches from my face, were suddenly halted in mid-air, suspended by the Spear's unyielding defense. The sound of screeching metal and the acrid tang of ozone filled the air as the projectiles were deflected, their kinetic energy absorbed by the Spear's dark, pulsing Aura.
*Ping! Ping! Ping!*
The bullets, now spent and harmless, clattered to the ground, their Mana-infused cores flickering out like dying embers.
I stood tall, my chest heaving with exertion, the Spear still trembling with the aftershocks of its defensive fury. The air was heavy with the scent of ozone and smoke, and the echoes of the battle still lingered, a reminder of the heart-stopping, adrenaline-fueled thrill of facing down the unknown.
"Impossible!" the woman with the pistol gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief.
But I gave her no time to process her shock.
....
With lightning-quick reflexes, I burst into action, my feet pounding the ground with a ferocity that sent shockwaves through the air. My eyes locked onto the woman, her rugged features set in a determined glare as she grasped the pistol with a grip that seemed unyielding.
I could sense the tension emanating from her, the coiled energy of a predator ready to strike. Undaunted, I charged towards her with a speed that defied human limits, my movements a blur as I closed the distance between us.
"Wha—" she began, but her words died in her throat.
In the blink of an eye, I materialized before her, my hand shooting out with precision to clamp down on her wrist, the one that held the pistol. The metal felt cold and unforgiving beneath my grip, a stark contrast to the warmth of her skin. For a fleeting instant, our eyes met, and I glimpsed a flicker of surprise, of uncertainty, before her expression hardened into a mask of determination.
"Too slow," I whispered.
With a swift, economical motion, I plunged Yunling into her, the crimson blade slicing through the air with a deadly whisper. The sound of her gasp, the soft 'oof' of expelled air, was the only warning she had before the spearhead bit deep into her flesh, piercing clean through her chest.
Her eyes widened, a look of shock and disbelief etched on her face, as her body began to crumple, the pistol slipping from her grasp and clattering uselessly to the floor.
I withdrew the spear smoothly, letting her lifeless body fall.
Five became four.
...
As I stood amidst the eerie silence, the remaining four adversaries locked their gaze onto me, their eyes blazing with a mix of fury and desperation as they beheld the lifeless body of their fallen comrade.
"You bastard!" the leader roared, his voice cracking with rage. "Kill him! Now!"
With a collective battle cry, they charged towards me with reckless abandon, their swords and guns at the ready. The air was electric with tension as they unleashed a flurry of sword art moves, their blades slicing through the air with deadly precision, while their guns fired off a hail of bullets that whizzed past my ears with a deafening roar.
The dual-dagger wielder came at me from the left, his blades spinning in a deadly dance. The shotgun-wielder charged from the right, his weapon leveled for a point-blank blast. The rifleman took position at the rear, providing covering fire, while the sword-wielding leader came straight down the center, his blade wreathed in crackling blue Mana.
It was a coordinated assault, the kind born from years of operating together.
Against anyone else, it would have been overwhelming.
But I was no ordinary opponent.
Undaunted, I grasped my trusty Yunling Spear, its crimson blade pulsing with barely contained power. With a swift, practiced motion, I invoked the Second Move of Raging Fire Spear Art, unleashing the devastating Whirlwind Dive.
The spearhead began to glow with an intense, fiery energy, as if the very essence of the inferno had been distilled within its metal core. The ruby gemstone embedded in the blade blazed like a miniature sun, casting dancing shadows across the corridor walls.
"Second Move: Whirlwind Dive!" I roared, my voice echoing with power.
As I thrust the spear forward with all my strength, a colossal burst of flames erupted from its tip, unleashing a maelstrom of fire that ravaged the corridor like a tempest.
The blast was so intense that it created a literal whirlwind of flames, a spiraling vortex of crimson and gold that engulfed the four attackers, sending them flying backward as if they were mere rag dolls caught in a hurricane.
The corridor was instantly transformed into a blazing inferno, with flames dancing across the walls and ceiling, casting flickering shadows that seemed to writhe and twist like living serpents. The heat was so intense that the paint blistered and peeled, the very air itself seeming to catch fire.
*WHOOOOSH!*
The roar of the flames was deafening, drowning out even the screams of my enemies.
The air was thick with the acrid stench of smoke and char, making it difficult to breathe as the flames continued to rage on. I stood at the center of the inferno, protected by my own dark Aura, watching dispassionately as the fire did its brutal work.
But as the smoke began to clear, the flames gradually dying down to reveal the aftermath, a grim tableau was revealed.
Three of the attackers lay lifeless on the ground, their bodies charred and blackened beyond recognition. The dual-dagger wielder was missing both arms, his weapons melted into slag beside him. The shotgun-wielder's massive frame was twisted and burned, his weapon exploded from the heat. The rifleman lay in a crumpled heap, his body little more than ash and bone.
The sheer ferocity of my attack had left them unrecognizable, their once-proud forms now reduced to smoldering, lifeless husks.
But one of them, somehow, had managed to survive the onslaught.
The leader.
Through some desperate, last-ditch effort, he had conjured a fragile Mana barrier, a shimmering dome of blue energy that had protected him from the full fury of my attack. His sword, still clutched in his trembling hand, had served as the focus for his defensive technique.
Yet, even this tenuous defense was no match for the unbridled power of the Whirlwind Dive. The barrier had been shattered, its remnants dissipating like mist in the face of my spear's unrelenting fury. Cracks spider-webbed across its surface before it finally burst apart in a shower of fading light.
The sole survivor, now bereft of his protective shield, lay stunned and helpless on the scorched floor, his body covered in burns, his once-pristine black uniform reduced to tatters. His eyes, wide with shock and terror, gazed up at me—the victor of this brutal, one-sided battle.
"Im... impossible..." he gasped, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "You're just... B-rank... how..."
I said nothing, simply advancing toward him with measured steps, Yunling still burning with residual flames.
...
As I approached him with deliberate slowness, my footsteps echoing through the smoke-filled corridor, he unsheathed his sword with a swift, desperate motion, its blade still glinting despite the damage it had sustained, wreathed in flickering Mana that sputtered like a dying flame.
With a battle-hardened cry that was equal parts rage and terror, he charged towards me, his sword flashing in a blur of steel and fury, drawing on reserves of strength he didn't know he possessed.
But I was ready for him.
With a practiced hand, I raised my trusty Yunling Spear, its crimson blade still radiating heat from the previous technique. The sword clashed against my spear with a resounding crash, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through the air, but I held firm, my grip unyielding, my stance unmovable.
The sword's blade slid down the length of my spear, sparks flying as the two weapons scraped against each other in a deadly dance, his Mana-infused edge leaving trails of light against Yunling's dark surface.
I took advantage of the momentary hesitation, and with a swift, economical motion, I drove my spear forward, its razor-sharp tip piercing the air with deadly precision.
The spearhead bit deep into his chest, punching through his weakened Mana barrier like paper, the sound of his labored breathing growing more ragged as his eyes began to take on a crimson hue, blood filling his vision as his life force drained away.
His body shuddered, his limbs trembling as if seized by some unseen force, and his eyes, those windows to the soul, locked onto mine with a desperate, pleading intensity. His voice, barely above a whisper, was a mere shadow of its former commanding tone, yet it still conveyed a sense of stunned incredulity.
"Ri-Riyan De-Descartes..." he stammered, recognition finally dawning in his dying moments. "Wh-Why...?" Blood bubbled at his lips. "We didn't of-offend y-you or De-Descartes an-and Maris Fa-Families...? We... we just wanted... money..."
I gazed back at him, my expression a mask of impassivity, my heart long since hardened to the brutal realities of this unforgiving world.
"You chose to betray Sirus," I said coldly, my voice devoid of emotion. "You chose to sell weapons to Nexus. You chose to take hostages. Those choices have consequences."
I didn't flinch, didn't blink, as his eyes, those burning coals of defiance, slowly lost their luster, their light extinguished by the cold, dark hand of death. With a final, defeated gasp, his body slumped, his sword slipping from his grasp to clatter against the scorched floor.
I withdrew Yunling from his corpse, the blade sliding free with a wet sound.
Five down. Three remaining.
I turned away, leaving his lifeless body to join his comrades in their eternal slumber, my footsteps echoing through the ruined corridor once more as I made my way towards the stairs, my thoughts already focused on the next floor.
The fourth floor awaited, and with it, the final three traitors.
And then, Sia Crimson and her team would arrive to find their problem already solved.
My mission was nearly complete.
But something nagged at the back of my mind—a sense that the last three wouldn't go down as easily as these five.
After all, there was a reason they were on the fourth floor.
The strongest always positioned themselves closest to the hostages.
*To Be Continued...*
...
**Q&A CORNER**
**Questions for Readers:**
1. What do you think of Riyan's combat style? The combination of Spear Saint talent and Raging Fire Spear Art is proving devastating!
2. The leader recognized Riyan despite his infiltration. How will this impact the mission if word gets out about the Descartes family's involvement?
3. Three traitors remain on the fourth floor. What rank do you think they are? Will they be stronger than B-rank?
4. When will Riyan use "Nemora" for the first time in actual combat? What kind of enemy would require such overwhelming power?
5. How close is Sia Crimson's team to arriving? Will they witness Riyan's capabilities?
Share your theories and predictions below!
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The final three traitors await. The strongest opponents yet. And perhaps... a surprise that will change everything.