My perception of the environment around me changed as I entered the immersed state.
The cascading multitude of bullet-like projectiles that hurled toward my direction under the blue-blooded spiff's command appeared to be suspended in the air.
But they only 'appeared' that way. For in fact, in my vision, they moved, albeit slowly.
In a motion so slow that my eyes and my mind had the time to observe and predict the trajectory of every single incoming projectile as my body moved.
My grey gaze widened, glowing with a keenly focused intent as my slowly moving feet thudded on the ground, actively causing soft echoes to travel from my heels toward my calves.
In the immersed state, my widened gaze was the only part of my body that moved at a free and relatively normal pace. And as a result, my gaze frantically scanned and analyzed the trajectory of the incoming flurry of projectiles as I made my way toward them in slow motion.
There wasn't much to analyze and scan, though.
Although their positions were different, all the projectiles had the same destination:
My head.
My lips slowly curled up as I made the connection.
My heart lit up, dancing as it thrummed with raw, untamed satisfaction that gave birth to an unfiltered rush of adrenaline that mixed with my blood and surged through every vein in my body.
Still running in slow motion, my eyes met those of the blue-blooded spiff who was also in a suspended state in my vision.
How foolish of you.
Quickly, I turned my gaze away from him, and toward my most imminent threat as I dived into the flurry of projectiles with an elated scoff that somehow slid out of my widened lips.
Almost simultaneously, all the streaking plethora of silvery hues converged just before they could individually hit their targets of different parts of my body.
They merged, morphing into a single, large and unified projectile that menacingly pointed at my forehead.
A prickling heat radiated on my forehead, washing over the wrinkled thing as a result of that vicious Ta energy that permeated from the projectile.
I took my gaze off the projectile that was a few inches away from my forehead, enduring the prickling heat that almost dawned on my strained eyes as I stared straight at the glowing nets of the blue-blooded spiff.
And the moment my gaze locked onto that glowing net, I swiftly tilted my neck, letting the projectile pass through.
The moment the unified projectile passed, I tapped out of the immersed state.
Boom–!
An immense air wave bellowed, brushing over the entire building, and causing the ground to quiver as I halted my motion.
The exploding Ta had done something utterly displeasing. It radiated a rapidly erupting heat that thrummed throughout the building, stinging my skin as I clenched my fists.
My coat fluttered behind me, moving along with the cascade of the heat wave.
An overwhelming urge pulsed inside my heart, tempting me to turn my neck. To take a glimpse at what could have been of me had I not dodged. And to observe the scale of that explosion.
Ah, but I was not a fool.
I refused to make the same mistake twice.
I held my head high, my gaze never leaving the sight of the spiff's nets as the curves of my lips stretched more and more.
I couldn't read the facial expression of Spiffs, so I wasn't one hundred percent certain.
But still, I knew.
There was no way I was wrong. I could feel it.
The spiff was utterly perplexed.
Wasting no time, I leaped, closing the already small distance between us as I made my way toward It.
It raised Its large upper limbs. The nets still shone bright with that same silvery hue, and the bladed edge was faced in my direction.
The moment I arrived just a few inches away from It, I outstretched my right hand, aiming to grab onto the net of the left limb.
Its third eye moved. It seemed It had noticed my intention.
I recalibrated my plan immediately.
It aimed to cleave my right hand with its right blade the moment I touched the net.
I twisted my waist, taking my sight, right hand and intent away from the net as I twirled, dodging the right blade that barely missed my right wrist.
I landed on the blunt edge of the spiff's right hand. And I must say, the massive, hairless, dark yellowish thing looked absolutely horrendous. My stomach rumbled as I almost gagged on the hand I stood on.
Bzzzzz–
My eyes widened immediately.
Shit. Again?
That same buzzing sound had echoed, and my widened gaze snapped toward the direction of the spiff's glowing, moving left net.
It was obviously controlling something.
Where's the projectile gonna come from this time?
I began to run up the spiff's right hand, sprinting toward the head as I incessantly moved my neck left and right in a bid to locate what It was controlling with its left net as I endured the occasional trembles of the spiff's hand — Its laughable attempt to shake me off.
Bzzzzz–
The buzzing sound grew louder as it echoed. It felt as though the source was right next to me.
My heart began to pound ferociously against my ribs. But I ignored the pounding, my gaze focused on the two left eyes glued on the spiff's head, which were fixated on me at the moment.
I'll punch the hell out of that face once I get there. Just you wait.
I gritted my teeth. I was just a few inches away from Its head.
But then I noticed something.
The two right eyes of the spiff weren't fixated on me like the others. They seemed focused above, like they were watching something else.
The eyeballs moved left and right…
As if they were tracing the movement pattern of something.
At this moment, my spine had begun to fold. It shivered as the beating of my heart tried its best to serve as a calm anchor to it. But alas, my instinct could not stop crying, because,
The source of the buzzing sound was just above me.
I halted my movement immediately. And slowly, I raised my neck upward, tracing the direction of the two right gazes of the spiff.
My eyes widened. My mouth followed suit.
Oh, shi–