"Okay man… I'll just step aside so you can go," Azael said while moving to the side.
'Well, whatever. I don't want to get involved in unnecessary things until I get stronger,' Azael thought as he stepped aside.
The strange man glanced at Azael for a few seconds, clearly suspicious. Just when he was about to run.
A loud voice echoed from a particular direction. "Stop him! Don't let him go!"
The man frowned, confused by the sudden shout. His instincts immediately warned him that staying here would not be a good idea.
But before he could move, a blazing attack shot toward him from the right side.
From the corner of his eye, he saw it, a beautiful golden-red flame rushing straight toward his face.
"What—?"
The man reacted instantly, kicking off the ground and jumping backward.
He lunged back just in time, barely avoiding the fire. The flames passed right in front of his face.
His head snapped toward the attacker.
And of course it was Azael. He didn't waste a single moment. His sword moved next with lightning speed.
A clean blue line appeared in the air as the blade shot toward the enemy.
But the other man was not weak. He moved even faster than Azael. Two daggers instantly appeared in his hands.
He crossed them, blocking the incoming strike.
Clang!
Sparks flew into the air as their weapons collided.
Their eyes met.
"Why are you attacking me?!" the man demanded angrily.
Azael smirked slightly. "Didn't you hear it? I got an order to stop you… wait, not an order. It's a request. Yeah, it's a request."
"Fuck! It doesn't matter if it's a request or an order… you tried to stop me. So I'll kill you." The unknown man suddenly pushed forward with force.
The impact forced Azael to step back several steps.
'He's stronger… a lot stronger than me physically. She seriously wants me to fight him?' Azael thought grimly.
The man suddenly vanished from his position.
Then he appeared right in front of Azael in the blink of an eye.
Azael's eyes widened in shock. His sword moved almost instinctively, faster than before.
Clang!
The clash echoed loudly.
It wasn't teleportation that made the unknown man appear in front of him in seconds.
Azael could clearly tell the man was simply too fast for his eyes to follow.
This time, when Azael's sword clashed against the daggers, the impact was far stronger.
He slid several steps backward.
His muscles strained under the force. "Arrghh!"
Before he could stabilize himself, the man attacked again.
His daggers moved like flashes of silver. They were merciless toward Azael.
Slash!
Azael barely tilted his body to the side. The blade still cut across his arm, leaving a deep wound.
"Gahh," Azael groaned lightly in pain.
Blood immediately flowed down his sleeve. The man didn't give him any time to recover. He dashed forward again.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Their weapons collided repeatedly. Each strike from the man carried terrifying strength.
Azael was slowly being pushed back. He tried to counterattack, swinging his sword with precision, but the man easily avoided or blocked every move.
The gap between them was obvious. Azael suddenly raised his left hand. Phoenix Fire burst out again.
Golden-red flames shot toward the enemy. But the man reacted instantly. He twisted his body and avoided the fire effortlessly. It was as if he could see things in slow motion.
At the same time, a strong gust of wind erupted around him.
Azael's eyes narrowed. 'Wind element…'
The wind wrapped around the man's body, increasing his speed and power. He moved again. This time even faster than before. His dagger struck down.
Clang!
Azael barely blocked it. But the force behind the attack was overwhelming.
Boom!
A powerful kick slammed into Azael's stomach.
"Ugh!"
His body was sent flying backward, crashing against a tree trunk.
Pain exploded through his body. Before he could even recover, the man appeared in front of him again.
Slash!
A deep cut appeared across Azael's shoulder.
Blood splattered onto the ground.
Azael staggered back, breathing heavily. His entire body screamed in pain. He tried to focus.
Tried to predict the man's next movement. The only reason he was still alive was because of the fighting experience from his past life.
Years of battle as a hunter allowed him to read small movements and predict attacks to some extent.
But against someone far stronger than him. It was barely enough. The man attacked again.
Clang!
Azael blocked another strike. But the next moment.
Crack!
A heavy kick slammed into his side with strong force. A horrible pain shot through his ribs.
"Gaah!" Azael gasped.
One of his ribs had broken. He heard a cracking sound coming from his ribs' side. His body stumbled back again.
His arm was bleeding. His breathing was ragged. And the enemy in front of him was barely even trying.
The man slowly raised his daggers again. His cold blue eyes stared at Azael. The fight was clearly one-sided.
Spit!
Azael spit some blood from his mouth. Despite being beaten like this, he was not afraid.
Because he knew his sister would intervene when he was in a dire situation. But damn, when? He was getting beaten like hell. All he could do was defend himself.
Wind energy wrapped around his two blades.
He crossed slash at Azael.
Two wind blades shot from his daggers toward Azael, tearing through the air with a whistling sound.
"Fuck!" Azael put his remaining small amount of mana into his legs and threw his body to the right side.
The two crossed wind blades passed from the position where he was standing, then collided against the tree behind.
BOOM!
It exploded the moment it hit the tree.
While Azael, who had thrown his body to the right side, fell down and rolled.
Then he stood up on his feet instantly.
Pain shot through his whole body.
But he didn't get any time to rest. The enemy was already upon him. Azael moved.
Splash.
But he was late. One of the enemy's daggers thrust into his shoulder.
"Aarrgghhh!" Azael screamed in agony. The blade dug inside his flesh.
It was good that Azael tried to move and took the hit on his left shoulder. If not, it would have been thrust into his chest, at the position where his heart was situated.