"Come on, Archer, stop running and face me!" Asagi shouted from the back as she continued chasing down Maeyurai.
Maeyurai continued running through the alley, his mind racking up a plan.
Asagi chased Maeyurai relentlessly before bending over and placing her hand on the ground to place a Link.
[Once the Emanator steps on this Link, explode—set flames intensity: very low—blast force: high.]
Immediately after, Asagi brought her feet forward and stepped on the Link. At the same time, the Link was activated, she jumped forward, the distance and velocity boosted by the explosion.
The loud eruption instantly caught Maeyurai's ears. He turned his head over his left shoulder, his eyes carefully watching Asagi.
In his left eye, a vertical slit was visibly glowing dark.
Her legs are shaking. So she does take damage from her own Links...
Asagi swung her katana when she neared Maeyurai, the blade reaching for his neck with zero killing intent.
The blade stopped once it was five inches away from Maeyurai's neck, the Link activating after the condition was met.
Time passed at a snail's speed, Maeyurai's eyes shifted from Asagi's face to the katana. But he lost concentration, and the mark in his left eye disappeared.
A loud explosion echoed in the alleyway.
Maeyurai rolled forward, unaffected by the Link that exploded right on his face. Asagi flew above him from the carried momentum before sliding across the ground, hand anchored down.
"That didn't feel satisfying," Asagi said in a hushed tone. "He did something about the Link..."
Asagi raised her blade to eye level and examined each Link one by one.
"Nothing seems wrong... Did he manage to alter that specific Link when it activated?"
Her vision turned ahead, locking on to Maeyurai's figure as he slowly stood up, seemingly unfazed.
With such a stoic expression on Maeyurai's face, Asagi couldn't help but feel as if he was finally going all out.
"What did you do?" Asagi asked out in a firm voice, her gaze sharpened like a newly brandished blade of tungsten.
"Me?" asked Maeyurai obliviously. "I did nothing."
Maeyurai's expression steadied as he delivered a final reply. "That Link was simply too weak to hurt me."
"Hmph, lies," Asagi scoffed. "I set a weaker Link earlier on your stomach, and you say something stronger than the former doesn't have an effect on you?"
"Unless," she continued. "You're hiding a Personal Mana that allows you to endure an attack, the stronger it is."
"Huh? Personal Mana? Oh, that super rare, super powerful type of mana," replied Maeyurai. "Sorry to break it to you, but I have no such thing," he continued, his voice carrying an undertone of incredulity.
"Right, an ability like that doesn't make sense at all," Asagi added as she lowered her katana, her grip still as firm as it was earlier. "Either way, I know you did something. You can't hide it from me."
Then, Asagi pounced forward, her blade a blur as it swung horizontally to Maeyurai's midsection.
Maeyurai, knowing that Asagi doesn't have the intent to cut him down, brought his arm up to block the next explosion.
The Link activated once the katana neared Maeyurai's body, bursting out a powerful cloud of fire, pushing Maeyurai a few meters away.
However, unlike earlier, he was slightly affected. Or more specifically, his stomach was stained by the explosion—as if it were the only part affected by it.
"Tch," Maeyurai clicked, an annoyed expression painted on his face.
"What's this?" asked Asagi. "Your stomach is the only area that is affected by my attacks. Why is that?"
Asagi started to walk forward, her gaze sharply locked on Maeyurai's face, occasionally shifting to his stomach.
"Show me more," she said. "Then I'll counter it."
Maeyurai held his longbow tighter. "What? I don't know what you're talking about. Whatever it is, I'm sure the problem lies with you."
"But even if I did anything," he added. "I wouldn't tell you—"
Before he could finish, Asagi cut him off both literally and verbally, her katana headed for Maeyurai's abdomen. The third Link was activated, followed by the belch of its blast.
Maeyurai reacted much quicker than he had earlier, ducking to block the explosion. Using his newfound knowledge from running away, he conjured a barrier of fire over his head down to his thighs, covering the area that would be affected by the explosion.
Receiving almost zero damage, Maeyurai was sent a few meters back, but he had finally become accustomed to the explosions.
I didn't think that covering my body with fire would work so well. I managed to succeed in blocking her attack on the first try... Though that was purely out of instinct.
A smirk tugged on the corner of his lip. "Heh," he lightly chuckled. It was an impulse.
"What are you laughing at?" Asagi asked, her confusion growing even more.
"Nothing," replied Maeyurai. "I'm just filled with joy, nothing else."
Asagi flicked her sword forward and sent a slash of fire in Maeyurai's direction. In response, Maeyurai dodged to his right and drew his bow, loaded with a fire arrow.
Even if I shield myself, I'm at a disadvantage if I don't have anything to use offensively. She is quite resistant to my flames, and my lightning arrows never hit her. My only bet is tricking her into going into a spot where I can strike her at close range.
He shot the fire arrow, followed by a crackling swish. The arrow was easily blocked by Asagi, and right after, she immediately rushed down to attack Maeyurai—aiming at his stomach once again.
Maeyurai jumped back, the blade of Asagi's katana almost reaching him, only missing by an inch.
But when he anchored his foot, he felt a sudden residue of mana underneath him, the same residue he always feels whenever Asagi's blade neared his body.
[When an Invoker steps on this Link, summon a vertical blast of fire.]
"No way!" Maeyurai exclaimed in surprise as his feet were engulfed by the sudden rush of heat.
When did she place this Link?! Earlier?! I'm in trouble if there are other ones like this. Now, I really have to be careful where I go in this alley.
He retracted his affected feet from the ground and gently pressed them against the floor. "You clever woman," he said in admiration.
"Strange..." Asagi muttered as she approached. "My direct Links don't affect you—but hidden ones do. Why is that?"
Then, Asagi sent several slashes of fire towards Maeyurai. Each one is bigger and faster than the last. Maeyurai managed to avoid every single one of them, and while he dodged the last one, Asagi rushed forward and struck his midsection with her blade's dull part.
Maeyurai's body arched forward as he felt the intense force of Asagi's attack. "Ack!" he grunted, before being sent across the alley from the Link's explosion on the blade.
Several Links activated when he tumbled across the ground.
Bang-Bang-Bang!!
As Maeyurai rolled, the explosion left thick smoke curling through the air, clouding his vision. He could barely see through the haze, but the crackle of fire and the sharp scent of burnt fabric were unmistakable.
Though his eyes never left Asagi's figure, still burning with tenacity. His mind racked up several tactics until he was lost in his own concentration.
How will I defeat someone stronger than I am without going all out?
I just have to see everything.
With intense focus came the mark in his left eye. Due to his will to see everything, the same horizontal slit that once showed up in his battle against the Shrieker returned, and in his vision, he could see faint traces of Asagi's innate mana in the surroundings. They were like red glistening dust, almost imperceptible even with his vision.
Then he rushed forward with rapid speed. With such a feral approach, Asagi couldn't help but feel threatened by his sudden change of style. He weaved through the alley, as he could see the residue of Asagi's innate mana, which were actually her Links placed across the alley.
Asagi watched his movements in confusion. "He's dodging them all..."
In response to his approach, she lowered her sword and activated her technique, Burning Ascent, before whipping it up in Maeyurai's direction.
Maeyurai had anticipated her attack and evaded his right without his momentum lowering.
"You're a strange archer!" Asagi exclaimed before dashing forward with an enthusiastic smile. "I've never heard of a bow-wielder that pounces to attack at close range, haha!"
Maeyurai didn't respond—he was too focused. Fireballs flickered to life across his body as he ran. Even if he could conjure fireballs all over his body, he couldn't control them with his mind; he had to use his fingers to shape and throw them.
One by one, he threw each ball towards Asagi. She easily blocked and deflected each one of them. Then, Maeyurai made sure that one of the fireballs would explode upon contact with Asagi's blade, leaving two fireballs in his hand right after.
Asagi struck one fireball, and it exploded. "Dammit!" she exclaimed as she stopped and took a step back, still cautious of Maeyurai's next moves. She swung her sword and cleared the air of the smoke dust that surrounded her.
However, Maeyurai was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh?" she uttered in great confusion while looking around for Maeyurai. Then, she lifted her head to look up and saw a bright light directly above her head.
Maeyurai hung upside down, holding his longbow, the string pulled taut, loaded with a thick lightning arrow. Intertwined between his thighs was a long rope made of fire, anchored between two sides of the alley to ensure he didn't fall.
"That's not going to hit, you yourself know that!" Asagi shouted, her voice trembling. Her knees buckled underneath her as she stared at the crackling lightning above her.
"It only misses after five meters, and as I've calculated perfectly, I am four meters up in the air."
He released, and the lightning arrow struck down on Asagi like thunder. Because of its great voltage and power output, Asagi was scorched, paralyzed, and then fell to the ground, with parts of her body having patches of burns.
The rope made of fire between Maeyurai's legs dissipated. He turned his body and landed beside Asagi safely. Conjuring another lightning arrow, he pinned Asagi's body to the ground using his knee and pointed the crackling weapon at Asagi's neck.
"Give up," he demanded in a stern tone.
Asagi opened her eyes slowly, her chest heaving. She opened her mouth. "I... I surrender."
"My win, then." The lightning arrow faded as he stood. He pumped his fist. "Two wins out of ten! I just need eight more, and my streak will be complete!"
"Great job, Archer," Asagi praised. "It seems I can't call myself stronger than Kaienley... What's your name?"
"It's Yhodth Maeyurai," replied Maeyurai with a soft smile. "It was fun fighting against you."
"I had fun too. Now help me up, I'm still paralyzed."
Maeyurai chuckled before lowering himself to lift Asagi.
He started walking until they were out of the alley, back to where they first started their battle. At the same time, Asagi was no longer paralyzed.
"I'm fine now, you can let go of me," Asagi said softly.
Maeyurai nodded before releasing Asagi. She stood on her own, just beside him.
"By the way, Asagi," Maeyurai called. "Do you know where I could find Maname Kirsaki?"
Asagi raised an eyebrow and replied, "Kirsaki? I see, you're on a quest to defeat strong swordsmen here in Wyumatsui Island. About Kirsaki, she can be quite tricky to find. But, just find a densely populated area or a desolate place, then you'll find her."
"And," she continued. "I'll be telling everyone I lost since there's no one who witnessed the end of our battle—if they ask me what happened, of course. I won't go around and tell everyone about my defeat; it feels disgraceful."
"Hehe," Maeyurai chuckled. "That makes sense. Also, thanks for the information. That'll make it easier to spot Kirsaki."
"No problem."
"Well then, I'll be going now, I'm in a rush," said Maeyurai as he started walking away from Asagi.
The winds bellowed between the fiery swordsman and the archer, the silence breaking out into a roaring gush of wind.
"Wait, Maeyurai!" Asagi called out.
Maeyurai stopped in his tracks and turned his body halfway, his eyes shifting to Asagi. "Hm? What is it?"
"I'd like to ask a favor from you," said Asagi. "Can I come with you? I'm a friend of Sanrovina. I'm sure she's related to whatever you're doing because it's something she would do."
"You are?" asked Maeyurai, his tone carrying a slight interest. "You guessed right. She's the one who made me do this, actually."
"Let me guess, she wanted you to defeat ten people, right?"
Maeyurai paused.
"You guessed right again," he answered. "Do you know something about this?"
"It's something she wanted to do for a long time," Asagi replied. "Sanna's quite fond of archers ever since she was a child, but she grew up practicing the art of swordsmanship."
After a beat, Asagi continued, her tone thoughtful. "She once told me a few days ago that a female archer arrived on this island. Sanrovina asked this female archer the same thing she asked of you—defeat ten swordsmen—but she was turned down."
Maeyurai's gaze slowly lowered as he listened to Asagi's words, his mind clouded with new thoughts. The pieces snapped together in his mind like a puzzle.
A female archer? A few days ago? Now that I think about it, Sanrovina did say that she met a woman who told her about me.
It can't be a coincidence...
Is it Shienne? Or is it Mhiya? Either way, it has to be one of them.
"Did Sanrovina say anything about the appearance of this female archer?" Maeyurai asked.
"She did," Asagi answered. "Sanrovina stated that she was just a little taller than I am and had dark navy blue hair. But what struck her the most was the weight of guilt the woman carried—a melancholic energy that followed her everywhere."
After hearing her answer, Maeyurai's face tightened up even more.
So it really is Mhiya...
Is she still in Wyumatsui Island? I hope she is. I'll find her once I'm done here in Yugihanata. I hope I make it in time.
Asagi immediately noticed his pained expression and decided to keep quiet.
It was silent for a moment, with Asagi standing still as she waited for Maeyurai to finish contemplating. After a while, Maeyurai opened his mouth.
"You can come with me, let's go."