My body moved faster than thought. Ice had turned the man into an icy statue as I pulled Eliya from his hands. I couldn't see, my eyes blurred with both exhaustion and the sting of sweat. Muscles strained and bones creaked under the pressure of my own body. It felt as if an illusory rod had been jammed into my skull.
My hand came down on Eliya's neck, a move I had learned from the books Levi had made me read. The bruise on her neck told me I had done it wrong, but all that mattered was that she was unconscious.
A thin sheet of frost covered the walls and windows, isolating us from the outside world.
Gently, I placed her down and turned towards the two people who had stood. I couldn't see them, but my ears could. A woman, armed with a gun, and a kid with a knife. Kill the woman, then the kid.
Simple.
I leaned forward and let a lump of bile leave my stomach as I retched. I felt awful. I was weak, cold, blind, and nauseous.
Once I was done, my attention turned to the two adversaries. Unless I wanted to throw up organs next, I could only use my powers three more times on inanimate objects or once on a living being.
I dashed towards the woman, the sound of her breathing was starting to piss me off. The kid got in my way, slashing a knife at me. The sound of steel cutting through air was infuriatingly loud.
I planted my feet and just barely dodged the sharp edge, landing a punch on the kid's face. He tumbled backwards but refused to back down.
Despite my injuries, I was at least happy to have learned something.
Fighting was incredibly easy. I simply had to understand 'it', the advantage my opponent had over me. Once I understood that, I could turn the tables of any fight. After all, they were only human, I was not. That was a truth no gap in skill could overcome.
BANG!
I didn't dodge the bullet, I predicted where it would go and moved accordingly. I had heard the sound it made as she lifted it, the sound of her fingers touching the trigger, and the sound of the firing pin.
A hole appeared on the wall behind me as a wave of ice flew towards the woman. Had I just a bit more stamina, I'd have killed her. The wave stopped less than a few centimeters from her.
She shot, this time hitting my legs. A layer of ice covered my entire leg, making sure I didn't collapse.
The boy dashed towards me and I barely dodged the slash aimed at his throat. He was fast, recovering from the failure and aiming another slash towards my face. I shot my head up, he barely missed, leaving a thin line of blood along my jaw.
My foot embedded itself into his chest, sending him back. He heaved heavy breaths.
I barely dodged another bullet, the same way I had dodged the first. I hated fighting blind.
But that didn't matter, I understood it now.
The advantage they had over me, synergy. They had likely been fighting together for some time, and they covered each other's weaknesses perfectly. How could I break that?
A truly evil grin appeared on my lips. If I broke one, mentally, the other would automatically be compromised. My closed eyes turned to the kid; he was the easiest target.
"Hey, kid!" I called, a creepy smile still drawn on my face.
"Do you know what a demon looks like?" I dashed towards him and his blade flew up to retaliate. I didn't dodge, letting the knife embed itself in my face.
It was the same strategy I had used against the girl from last night; I'd scare him within an inch of his life. Trained or not, he was still a child.
I forced my eyes open and a cold wind blew my hair into the air, I rolled my eyes to the back of my head. My hands reached for the boy's shoulders, shaking him violently. I tried to recreate what I imagined a demon to sound like.
Blood from the knife ran down my face in a harrowing sight. It seemed as if I had really lost it. It took physical effort to stop frost from covering my face, I'd pass out if I did.
"AAAAAGH!" A throaty cry left my lips. The boy, trembling at the sight, fell to his knees. His eyes trembled, unsure how to react. He had been paralysed with fear.
I didn't waste a second, dashing towards the woman with the gun. She shot, the bullet embedding itself in my chest, a few centimeters from my heart.
Slash!
She let out an unsettling sound before collapsing to the ground, throat slit.
I turned to the kid, raising my blade. His neck was exposed, I could've killed him.
I should've…
But I couldn't. I had been in his position at some point. I took off my shirt and used it to bind him tightly. With what was left of my rationality, I walked towards the old man. He had a rather nice pair of clothes.
I threw the naked body in one of the bathrooms. He wasn't dead, only unconscious.
[Sigh…]
That was it, all I could do. Anything else would kill me. Looking at the scene through bloodshot eyes, only one word came to mind.
Ruthless, I was ruthless. I hated it, the feeling of disgust I felt couldn't be put into words, but it was the truth.
My body lost strength as I could no longer stop the frost from covering my face and chest. Layers upon layers of ice enveloped my body like a chrysalis and for a moment, my heart stopped.