Kapitel 20: Night Tamer’s Upgrade

"Huh, my sight…" Hao's vision began to fade, the familiar world of darkness closing in on him. Without Vibe Edge in his grasp, he was incapable of seeing the world with the clarity he was accustomed to. Desperation penetrated him deeply as he blindly reached out, hoping to find his sword, the lifeline that connected him to the world he had come to know.

"Look at him acting pathetic."

"So laughable."

"He's completely useless without that sword."

"Should we give him a hand?"

Colgate and Diana stared down at him mockingly, smirks plastered on their faces. Their laughter, loud and resounding, echoed off the shelves of the archive. Hao could feel the contempt and amusement in their laughter as if they were revelling in his vulnerability and helplessness.

"Now kindly hand it over," Colgate demanded one last time while sounding condescending.

"No!" Hao could no longer see, yet he refused to let go of Judgment Day. He clung tightly to it as his last means of recourse. "Get back! I'm warning you, I'm not afraid to use this." He tried to intimidate them, but it didn't work. Diana and Colgate were already aware that it was impossible for any random Blade Master to unsheathe Judgment Day, and they saw through his empty threat.

"You little annoying shit!" Colgate snapped, kicking Hao in the face. The force of the blow sent him sprawling, and he was brutally beaten. Blood streamed down his face, mixing with the dirt on the floor while he struggled to maintain consciousness.

"Come on… open!" Hao tried to unsheathe the X-class weapon in one last reckless attempt to defend himself, but failed, just as Colgate had expected.

"Damn, you useless thing!" In a final, desperate bid, he flung it behind him, where it crashed into a shelf and collapsed on the ground.

"He tossed it?" Seeing this, Colgate couldn't afford for the weapon to be stolen by someone else, so he and Diana both rushed to retrieve it. Their mission had been to secure the weapon, after all; they could come back for Hao later.

"Where are you? Where...?" Hao used the distraction to search for Vibe Edge, his hands desperately reaching out for any sign of his sword. Seeing his desperate search, a member of the crowd, perhaps moved by pity or admiration, used their foot to slide Vibe Edge into Hao's grasp.

"There you go, mate."

"Hmm?"

The second Hao's fingers closed around the hilt of Vibe Edge, his sight returned. The world around him was once again a symphony of blue-beat tones, each synchronized with a specific rhythm. Bitterness welled up inside him, fuelling his determination as he recalled the humiliating defeat he had suffered earlier. His grip on Vibe Edge's hilt grew firmer, and he whispered, "I won't lose to them ever again."

Vibe Edge understood Hao's emotional state and responded automatically. Using the bond formed from their Sword Link, it gained possession of his arm to release a peculiar slash before him.

Whoosh!

The air shimmered and split, opening a narrow portal where Judgment Day lay.

"What the hell is that?" Colgate noticed the strange occurrence lingering by the X-Class sword. He and Diana exchanged glances, both curious and alarmed by the sudden appearance of the portal.

"What the…?" Meanwhile, Hao was in a daze. In his mental state, he began perceiving a strange window buzzing into existence. His Sword Details zoomed in on a particular tray of information.

Night Tamer - Ability Tab

Level 1: Shadowstep Slash

• Description: A swift and precise slash that surrounds the user in a veil of dark noise, allowing them to teleport a short distance. This ability can be used for evasive manoeuvres or to close the gap between the wielder and their target quickly.

• Range: Short

• Cooldown: 10 seconds

Level 2: Twin Portal Slash

• Description: With a powerful and accurate slash, the wielder creates two narrow linking portals within a short range. These portals allow the user to bypass obstacles or traverse the battlefield with ease. The portals remain active for a brief period, enabling the user, an item or their allies to pass through them multiple times.

• Range: Short

• Duration: 5 seconds

• Cooldown: 30 seconds

"I've unlocked a new ability? No… this is an upgrade, right…?"

Hao was shocked by all that was happening so quickly, but he knew he couldn't let the Imperial Hounds get their hands on Judgment Day. With a burst of adrenaline, he quickly shoved his arm through the narrow portal, grasped the sealed scabbard and pulled Judgment Day back through the portal. The moment the weapon was securely in his grasp, the portal vanished without a trace.

"I've got it!" Hao exclaimed triumphantly.

"Huh?" Diana and Colgate stared in astonishment as they saw the weapon missing from nearby the shelf, the portal had disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared. Turning back to Hao, they witnessed him clutching Judgment Day tightly with a revamped expression on his bloodied face. Bewilderment washed over their faces, replaced quickly by frustration and anger.

"You little turd!" Colgate roared, charging back toward Hao with Diana close behind.

"I'm going to cut him up!" Diana billowed like the wind, her appearance began to blur ahead of Colgate as she sped up to mutilate her intended target.

Whoosh!

Hao was amazed by his newfound ability, but he didn't have time to be wowed, for Colgate and Diana were gunning at him in enraged frequencies, more so Diana than anything. Her Blade Edge—Flash Essence, increased her speed by drastic leaps. Hao's Vibe Sense could barely keep track of her. It was as if her presence flickered in and out of existence, the vibrations in the air struggling to keep up with her deft movements.

"Huh!" Hao secured Judgment Day at his rear then quickly grasped the hilt of Vibe Edge, preparing to unleash his skill, Quick Draw. The intensity of this process weighed heavily on him because he had to get the timing just right to counterattack Diana.

As Diana closed the distance, her movements blurred, yet Hao predicted where she would strike from. But before she could land a hit, he made his move. "Now!" Hao unsheathed his sword, releasing Quick Draw that repelled Diana, and in the same motion, slashed at the ground to create a dust cloud that temporarily blinded the Imperial Hounds. Their expressions were of brief delay and annoyance. Hao had only bought himself a few precious seconds so he couldn't waste it.

"I can't beat both of them at once," Upon realizing this, he dashed off towards the archive's exit apace. His motion was swift. The onlookers hastily cleared a path for him. Just as he thought he was in the clear, the illustrious Diana appeared before him in a swift blur, blocking his path with her sword raised. His smile faded quickly as he saw Flash Essence rushing downward to cut him in half. Diana wasn't messing around anymore.

"Hmm?" With Vibe Sense, Hao viewed the world in slow motion while he was calculating the moment of impact.

<0.54 Seconds… 0.12 Seconds…>

Would he be able to evade in time or get separated from the middle into two individual humans???