Chapter 19: Chapter 19
The seven other humans appeared from the south. There were four women and three men, with the one leading them being a rather well-built fellow. He wore a military uniform and had a sharp look, reminding Blake of those veterans.
It seemed that they have not ventured out of this forest, instead deciding to stay within this region and establish a safe zone. Blake could deduce this much from their clothes, and it wasn't a bad tactic. Though, that also meant that their levels weren't that high.
The seven otherworlders stopped, noticing Blake standing in the middle of four dismembered bodies, his attire full of blood. The soldier in the middle, whose name Blake heard to be Howard, frowned deeply.
"You fucking bastard." Howard gritted his teeth, staring straight into Blake's soul. "Open fire! Kill him!"
At his command, the two women and one man behind him lifted their hands. Water collided with electricity, flying straight at Blake, who tried to dodge. Unfortunately, the area covered was too big and he was submerged in attack, electricity stalling his nerves.
As he stopped, a boulder came flying his way, hitting him straight in the head. He got thrust away, colliding with the tree. It was painful and he felt his consciousness drifting away.
Howard put his hand down, grabbed a sword by his waist, and sprinted forth. Glancing at the map, he made sure that the dot was actually there, and then increased his speed.
"Go to hell." He mumbled, raising his sword, which shone with a translucent glow. At that moment, he was so submerged in his emotions that he didn't notice how the dot has suddenly shifted. Howard's sword cut Blake's figure into two, yet there was no blood.
The body simply disintegrated into the shadows. He frowned, immediately turning around. Another Blake appeared right in the middle of the other group, startling them.
It was all a very delicately executed plan. He climbed the trees and stood right above his clone, utilizing the fact that the map showed those dots from above. Now, he just had to finish the most important part.
Howard was already rushing back, but another Blake formed right in front of him. This time, the clone wouldn't just be used as bait. Instead, Blake's clone attacked like a wild animal, startling the enemy.
While Howard was busy, Blake already started his massacre. Catching the group off guard, he sliced with his axe right and left, managing to kill the two humans who have attacked him with elemental magic.
Unfortunately, the surprise effect didn't last long, as he ducked down, managing to dodge a bloke of earth flying his way. Once he did so, a few other strange attacks flew toward him, but he dipped in the shadows in time, escaping the encirclement.
"He is using the shadows!" Howard, who was still fighting evenly with Blake's shadow clone in the distance, shouted loudly. "Amelia, use your skill!"
Blake suddenly felt a bad premonition, as he glanced towards a blonde woman, who rose her hands into the air. Consequently, a lighting orb flew into the air, settling a few feet away from the ground.
It illuminated the darkness of the forest away, and only a few, miserable shadows remained. Blake frowned as he was forced out of the darkness, appearing not that away from the main group.
Immediately, two men rushed at him, holding similar swords to Howard's. Blake clicked his tongue and grabbed his axe. There was no point in retreating anymore. If he did so, Howard would eventually defeat his clone and it would be even less probable for him to come out victorious.
There was no point in hiding anymore. He would just kill them all.
Blake rushed forward at the two men and, as he was about to swing his axe, he felt danger approaching from above. He moved his head a bit to the side, a flickering arrow flying just past him.
The two men utilized this moment to strike with their own weapons, a similar translucent light covering their weapons. Blake took one step back, desiring them to miss by a few millimeters.
Yet, a boulder rose from behind him, leaving him with no way of retreating. It was a bit too late, but Blake still managed to put his axe against one sword. However, one of the men stabbed Blake's left shoulder, forcing him to completely lose connection to that hand.
"You will pay," Blake mumbled, sharpness in his eyes. He put one foot against the boulder and pushed with all his power to kick the enemy in the leg. His knee snapped in half, and he screamed, letting go of the sword.
Another arrow flew his way, but Blake ducked once again. The remaining swordsman was already mid-swing to finish the job, but Blake had enough. He grabbed the still-screaming man from the ground, throwing him forward as he collided with his companion.
Blake utilized this moment and coated his axe in darkness. The ground beneath moved again, surrounding the men in an earthly adobe. Blake cared little, stepping forward and swinging with everything he got.
The earth cracked like it was not there, and Blake killed the swordsmen on the spot. There were no thoughts in his head, only adrenaline and the feeling of power rushing through his veins.
He glanced at his axe. It was hungry. It wished for more blood, more death. So, Blake complied, as he rushed at the remaining four figures like a wild beast. It didn't matter if he couldn't use the shadows.
There was a man with earth control, a girl with light magic, and an archer. Additionally, there was another woman, who stood in the rear. Blake still didn't know what she could do, but it didn't scare him.
Rushing forward, Blake lifted his axe and swung the approaching boulder in half. The archer and that woman didn't just stand still either, as they continued to pour their attack at him. Blake was especially wary of the light balls the woman was shooting from her palms, they seemed pretty dangerous.
However, his dexterity in combination with [Authority of Time] proved to be lethal against any long-distance attacks. Blake rushed through the woods, his steps rhythmic with the rain droplets falling from the sky.
In a matter of a few seconds, he was upon them, swinging his axe sideways. The man with earth control stepped forward, covering his hands in a layer of rocks. Yet, Blake didn't stop his swing, and not without a reason.
The axe easily penetrated the defense, ripping the enemy's hands apart, until severing his head itself. Blood splurted into the air again, and Blake felt the danger approach again. The same light flickered in the air, flying at him only to miss Blake by a few millimeters.
Blake grabbed the dead man by his collar, lifted him up into the air, and threw it at the light woman. Her focus shifted from Blake to the approaching body, as she lost her balance and stumbled against the ground.
Blake felt a huge amount of Chaos Energy leaving his body, understanding that his clone had suddenly died. Gritting his teeth, he jumped towards the woman. He had to kill her as soon as possible in order to regain his [Shadow Movement].
At that moment, however, the woman in the back finally moved. She pointed his finger at him, focusing intensely, and Blake prepared for whatever she would pull. Yet, nothing ever came, and both Blake and the woman stared confusedly at each other.
"Hella! Run!"
Blake heard the woman in the distance cry out in shock, as the woman below him gasped in fear. Unfortunately, Blake didn't intend to let her go as he immediately swung his axe at her.
Yet, it was still not enough. Another problem occurred. The woman's body had suddenly disappeared and instead was replaced by Howard, who put his hand against his face. For the first time ever, the axe had not killed the man in one swing, instead getting stuck in his forearm.
"That hurts, you bastard." Howard frowned, blood escaping his mouth. It looked really menacing, but Blake cared too little right now. Lifting his head up, and staring into the trees above, he frowned. The archer was up to no good.
Blake grabbed his axe and staggered back when suddenly an arrow flickering in rainbow light flew out of the forest. It was fast. Too fast. Only by relying on his authority had Blake managed to guess its general trajectory. Yet, his muscles simply weren't that fast to react, so his axe collided with the arrow at a strange angle.
The force hidden in that one arrow was so intense that Blake felt his bones shaking, as his body was flown out of the way. He let go of the axe and tried to stabilize it, rolling continuously against the ground, colliding with rocks and trees.
When he came to a stop, he understood that his body was a mess. He staggered against the nearest tree, rising upward. There was a piece of wood stuck in his thigh, and there were many little cuts covering his body.
Fortunately, his right hand had not been damaged, though he felt the weakness in it from the earlier attack. The rain in the air turned even heavier, as he scanned the battlefield. Howard was already standing on his feet, though his state wasn't anything better than Blake's.
The woman utilizing light stood a little further away, where Howard had been fighting with his clone. It seemed that someone of them had the skill to swap with each other, though it probably couldn't be used too frequently.
The woman, which pointed a finger at him, still stood in the same spot. She seemed to have been shaken the most. Blake guessed her attacks were mental, so, due to his skill, it had not worked on him.
Still, the archer hadn't shown himself yet, and the situation was truly not looking good for Blake right now. He was low on Chaos Energy and had life-threatening injuries.
However, could he just give up?
Never.
Blake took a few steps back, pointing his hand behind the tree, where a few shadows remained. The leftover energy left his body, and another clone formed there. It moved immediately, hiding from everyone, searching for that archer.
Hopefully, that otherworlder wouldn't cause any more trouble.
Then, Blake took a deep breath and rushed forward.
The axe was hungry, it wanted more blood, and Blake wasn't any different.
"When we got that quest, I thought that it was too easy compared to what it usually gives us." Howard stepped forward, shifting the sword from one hand to the other one. "However, I admit I was wrong. You are a freaking monster."
The brilliant luster of a veteran soldier shone within his eyes, as he got into a battle position. The woman who was utilizing light pointed her palms at the man, as he started to shine in white color. His muscles bulged and his strength increased.
"Now, you won't even be able to scratch me." Howard had a serious expression on his face as he stared at the masked man. Blake saw that the light woman was stumbling onto the tree, her energy clearly depleted.
The archer should be currently dealing with his clone, and that woman in the back didn't seem like a threat. Thus, Howard was the main obstacle in his way of completing the mission.
"We will see." Blake continued to sprint, ignoring the throbbing in his leg. Howard also began to run forth, and their weapons collided in the air, seemingly stopping the time for a moment.
Yet, the rain continued to pour, and the battle ensued. They were both trained, and both strong, but it was clear who was superior. Blake not only dodged every attack but also managed to pull off a counter every time.
Their power was evenly matched, and it truly turned into a beautiful fight. However, Blake frowned the further the battle progressed. Not only did this blinding light give Howard a boost, but it was also really difficult to penetrate the enemy's skin. Even Blake, using his axe, couldn't really cause any real damage to him, as it felt like he was hitting a rock.
Eventually, Blake hat to retreat, huffing heavily. The other side wasn't any better, though Howard wasn't alone, and that was his advantage. Tightening the grip over his axe, Blake once again rushed forward. He used the last bit of his Chaos Energy to coat the axe in darkness, and, ducking beneath the sword, swung at the man with all the remaining strength.
Yet, he was met with the same fate. The blade cut Howard's stomach a bit deeper than before, but it was not life-threatening at all. Once again, he was forced to retreat.
"It's pointless. My [Authority of Toughness] protects me at all times." Howard said and Blake finally understood what was happening. It was an authority all along. Now everything made sense, and Blake understood what he had to do.
Suddenly, he felt a rush of power coming from within, and he understood that his clone had killed the archer. Retracting the skill, he regained some of his lost Chaos Energy. He rushed forward again, and Howard prepared.
Yet, at the last second, when they were about to collide, Blake changed his direction towards the blonde-haired woman in the distance. Her eyes widened in shock, while Howard roared in anger, following closely from behind.
Blake stared at the woman, put his weight on his back leg, and threw the axe with everything he got. The woman was clearly not expecting the enemy to suddenly abandon his weapon, and it was this mistake that caused her to lose her life.
Blake then turned around immediately, meeting Howard's furious gaze. "Even though you have that authority, it doesn't mean that you can protect others."
Before Howard could respond, Blake felt the comfort of shadows beneath his feet. The light had disappeared alongside her death, and Howard lost the boost gained from that woman. It was finally time to go all out.
Blake dipped into the shadows, appearing behind Howard almost instantly. They were both tired, exhausted and their reaction had considerably slowed. Even Blake could no longer use the [Authority of Time], as it caused a hellish headache.
Coating his fist in shadows, Blake punched Howard straight in the jaw, causing him to fall against the ground. Still, it was Blake who has probably felt more pain from their collision since Howard's skin was comparable to some metal.
However, no matter how tough the outside was, the insides were still getting damaged. Clutching onto this fact, Blake kicked Howard in the face, forcing him back to the ground.
Then, Blake jumped on top of him, pressing his knees against Howard's hands. Howard resisted, trying to push Blake away, but it was for naught. The masked started his barrage of attacks. He punched once, twice, and thrice, until he completely lost count.
His left hand was unmoving, so only his other one could finish the job. His knuckles felt numb, as he stared at Howard beneath him. Blood covered his entire face, but Blake didn't stop for a moment, instead wrapping his fist in even more darkness.
And so, the rheumatic sound of falling rain and Howard getting punched filled the air, only one frightened woman being the witness. Blake punched and punched, letting the anger consume him. Not only did he feel enraged because of this fucked up mission, but he also hated how weak he was.
Letting the emotions consume him, Blake never stopped, and only once he felt a surge of power engulfing his brain did he look down. Howard... there was no such man anymore. Instead, there was an inverted face with a river of blood spilling away from it.
It was gruesome, even for Blake, so he instead glanced at his right hand. There was no skin left on it, letting Blake see his own bones. Due to the adrenaline, he didn't actually feel like it was that painful, but he knew that it was pretty bad.
He had lost too much blood.
Weakness was slowly consuming his mind.
So, he stood up, walked up to the dead woman, and took out his axe. Then, he slowly strolled towards the trembling short-haired girl, who looked at him like he was some kind of monster. Perhaps he was, but did he really care?
The woman tried to use her skills, and Blake felt like something was trying to force itself into his mind. Thankfully, it never gained the chance to do so, and Blake took another step. He swung his axe, with it almost retaining no strength.
Fortunately, it was enough to end it all. The woman's head flew away, as the final otherworlder got defeated. The notification of reaching a new level appeared in his vision and Blake accepted the reward immediately.
He didn't even inspect the potion before gulping it down. It felt peculiar as if something was exploding in his chest, but it was exactly the push that he needed.
Blake clutched onto this feeling, noting that his strength was gaining attributes at rapid speed. However, he didn't check the screen anymore, beginning to walk away from the battle. It was too dangerous to just remain here, in the middle of dismembered bodies.
The weakness once again settled onto his mind, blood loss being too big. His head seemed like it was going to explode at any moment, yet he kept on walking... and walking
Blake's vision was blurry, but he still saw the house in the distance. It was probably something this group had built while staying in the forest. It was so near, yet it also seemed so far away. Every step seemed like an enemy, and every moment was an eternity.
He continued to walk when he suddenly tripped against the rock. Blake couldn't really register what or how he passed out, and only the memory of water splashing against his face remained.
Did he perhaps fall into a river?
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
ChaoticSnowflake
ChaoticSnowflake 3042 words
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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