The rain had stopped. Now all that was left was the smell of concrete and ozone in the ruined subway station of Neo-Seongnam. Kang Ji-Hoons chest was moving up and down as he held the blade tightly his eyes fixed on the woman with hair who was crouched on the other side of the platform. The womans coat was wet. Her hair was stuck to her face but her eyes were sharp and she did not look away. Kang Ji-Hoon and the haired woman just stared at each other. The womans gaze was strong and unyielding. Kang Ji-Hoons grip, on the blade did not loosen.
The knight was standing close to him. You could hear a sound of metal scraping against the stone floor. The knight had a glowing symbol on its chest. It was making a low humming noise. Having the knight there was really comforting. It just stood there still and you knew it would jump into action the moment it was needed. The knight was, like that always ready to respond away the knight was a quiet reassurance the knight was unmoving and unflinching.
Ji-Hoon let out a breath very slowly. "I told Ji-Hoon you this would happen " Ji-Hoon said to the person.
She smiled a bit. ". I ignored you. That was really smart."
The moment the words left her lips the air changed. Something you could not see started to move. The shadows, on the walls got long and did not look right. Dust and little pieces of things went up in the air like something was pulling them. The subway station was not a broken place anymore. It had turned into a place where people would fight. The subway station had become a battlefield. The words had changed the subway station into a battlefield.
She made a move without any warning. This happened fast. Ji-Hoon could not even see her properly because she was moving fast. Then she did something that looked really smooth and easy. She covered half of the space between her and Ji-Hoon. Her blade was shining like a line of silver because of the light, in the room. The blade was moving quickly it looked like it was flickering.
Ji-Hoon reacted fast. He got down low. Rolled under her strike. Sparks went flying as the metal hit the concrete. At the time the knight jumped in and stopped another blow that could have hurt Ji-Hoons side really badly. The knight and Ji-Hoon were moving together trying to avoid getting hit. Ji-Hoon was lucky to have the knight helping him out.
He figured it out away. The observer was not just really good at what she did the observer actually had special powers that changed the way things really were. The air around the observer seemed to move a little which made light and sound do things that the observer did and you could not tell what was going to happen next, with the observer.
[Foreign Authority Detected – High Level]
[Threat: Extreme]
Ji-Hoons heart was beating fast. This was not because he was scared. Because he was excited, about what was going to happen. The System was showing him warning messages. They were not very strong. They kept coming up over and over again.
[Legion Authority Sync: 3.8% → 4.0% | Stress Detected]
He held the blade tight. Every time he swung the blade every single move he made had to be just right. The blade had to be used in the right way. There was no room, for making mistakes with the blade.
The first fight was really brutal. Her sword hit his sword. Sparks went flying everywhere around them. He felt a lot of force go through his arms when he blocked her hit then he hit back. Spun around. The force of her sword hitting his was very strong. Her sword and his sword were still clashing.
The man said "You are fast". He was trying to sound calm. It was clear he was hurting a lot from the pain, in his ribs.
The woman said "not enough" with a smile on her face. Then she struck again. Pretended to attack. She quickly moved away. Hid in the dark. Ji-Hoon rolled on the ground just missing a blow that would have killed him. The woman appeared behind him ready to strike. Ji-Hoon was lucky to be alive. The woman was very sneaky. Ji-Hoon had to be careful to avoid her attacks. Ji-Hoon was fighting for his life, against the woman.
The knight moved again. It took a really bad hit that cracked its shield. The metal made a noise. Ji-Hoon felt something strange happen in his body because of the Legion link. He felt pain. He knew he had to survive. The knight was, in trouble. So was Ji-Hoon.
He had thought it would be a tough fight but this was something much bigger than just living or dying. It was a test that went way beyond life and death a test of the person he was and the things he believed in, like his life and death.
He swung back at her moving quickly forward his blade hitting her shoulder. It was not an injury but it was enough to make her do something. She. All of a sudden there were many dark figures standing behind her. These were signs of her power, like ghosts that she could make appear. They all attacked at the same time.
Ji-Hoon stopped moving for a moment. And that was all it took. The projections swung at Ji-Hoon. A big gash appeared on Ji-Hoons arm. It hurt a lot blood was falling from Ji-Hoons arm. Ji-Hoon did not stop.
[System Alert: Fatal Damage Threshold Approaching]
The knight acted fast grabbing the nearest dark figure that was not really there and throwing it at the wall. Every time he hit something it went through the fake things that people saw. Ji-Hoon figured out that every time he did not get hurt by an attack it made him and the knight work better together. The System gave rewards to people who could take a lot of hits and keep going.
He took a breath. Looked around at the shadows. The way things were set up was like her. Everything was fast and precise. Meant to hurt. He needed to finish this thing with her. The way she did things was always like that. Fast and precise and lethal. He had to be done with her and this situation soon, as possible.
Ji-Hoon darted forward again going after the threat Ji-Hoon was determined to stop it. His blade met her blade. A lot of sparks flew everywhere. The air, around them started to shimmer. The walls of the station were groaning under all that energy. She was able to parry his moves and she was grinning her eyes were glinting with excitement Ji-Hoons opponent was really good.
She told him that he is stubborn. She said that she likes that about him. The woman really likes the fact that he's stubborn.
Ji-Hoon smiled a little to himself even though blood was dripping down his face. He said "I made it this far because I am very stubborn the fact is I am stubborn and that is why I survived this long by being stubborn."
Another attack came at him. It was faster this time. The man ducked down then he rolled away. His knee hit the womans side. This collision made her lose her balance. The woman fell back a step. Her smirk started to fade away.
[Legion Authority Sync: 4.0% → 4.5% | Adaptive Response Detected]
He felt the System responding to what he was doing the knight was. His body was moving without him thinking about it. The System was affected by how he could keep going if he could survive and being alone. All these things were making the power that was inside him grow stronger. The power inside him was getting bigger because of his endurance and his ability to survive and be alone, with the System.
She got up with her blade in the air and Ji-Hoon saw something he had not seen before. She was not sure what to do. It was, for a second.. That was all the time Ji-Hoon needed to make his move.
He jumped forward his sword cutting through the air. The knight stood next, to him protecting him from being hit. Ji-Hoons attack hit her it struck her side. She stumbled. She fell to one knee.
The rain outside had started again. It was dripping through cracks in the ceiling of the station. When the rain hit the concrete it made a hissing sound. The station really smelled bad. It smelled like metal and blood and ozone. The station was, like a battlefield. Nobody was there to see it. The rain and the blood and the ozone were all still there just like they had been left behind. The station was a mess. The rain was making it feel even worse.
She looked up at him. Her breath was really heavy. Her chest was going up and down. Her eyes were shining with something. It was not just that she was being tough. Maybe she had some respect for him. Maybe she was curious about what he would do.. Maybe she was actually interested in him. The thing in her eyes looked like a spark. It was like she was thinking that he was interesting. She was looking at him with intrigue. Her eyes were saying that she wanted to know more, about him.
Ji-Hoon felt a pulse in his chest. This was not because he was tired, from doing something. It was because he realized something. Someone else saw the thing that Ji-Hoon saw in the knight. They saw the Legion. They saw the authority that the Legion has. They saw the force that is waiting for Ji-Hoon to take control of it. The Legion is waiting for Ji-Hoon to claim it.
She said to me in a voice that I am strong.. If I am alone then I will do one of two things. I will become very strong. Nobody will be able to stop me or I will die. The woman told me this. She said that being alone is not good for me. I am strong. Alone the woman said, I am, in big trouble.
Ji-Hoon wiped the blood from his lip. He gave a little smirk. His smirk was faint. He said "Then I will just have to survive Ji-Hoon "
The System was flashing in his eyes. Then a new line showed up:
[Legion Authority Sync: 4.5% → 5.2% | New Trait: Adaptive Commander – Dormant Activation]
She stood up. Stepped back, into the shadows. The station was really dark. It was like she disappeared. You could still hear a laugh. It was a chilling laugh that echoed all through the station.
Ji-Hoon put down his sword, his chest moving up and down as he breathed heavily. The knight was quiet standing next to him. The fight was done for the moment. Ji-Hoon knew that the battle with the knight was not finished yet. Ji-Hoon was pretty sure that this was not the end of the encounter, with the knight.
The city lights of Neo-Seongnam were flashing on and off like they knew he was still alive. Neo-Seongnams city lights were a sight. Away a new threat was starting to emerge it was a very faint signal but it was definitely there a new danger was coming to Neo-Seongnam.
Kang Ji-Hoon figured out that walking alone was not just going to bring him monsters. Kang Ji-Hoon was starting to understand that his solitary path, the one he had been on for long would also bring other things into his life. Kang Ji-Hoon realized that he would have to deal with more, than those scary creatures.
He was alone.
But not invisible.
End of Chapter 8