Chapitre 187: Eye for an Eye
*BOOOM!*
The scattered firebombs all explode at once, momentarily covering the area in smoke while sending Michael tumbling away from the shockwave. Fortunately, Shadow Dance activates due to the smoke concealing him, which helps in healing the injuries he'd sustained from being so close to the explosion in the first place.
Once Michael stops tumbling head over foot, he spits a bloody tooth onto the floor and hastily pats out the flames covering his left arm, the heavy burns quickly beginning to heal and fade away under the effects of Shadow Dance. "Thank god I picked Slark or I'd be dead ten times over by now." he mutters while shaking his head and getting to his feet.
The smoke was still obstructing his sight, but he could hear Sheffield's quiet breathes and exertions. Those invisible platforms might be useful, but jumping between them must be tiring to do constantly.
"Fuck this." he whispers to himself, deciding to try and finish this fight as fast as possible. He points over at the ground and quietly casts, "Serpent Wards." causing Rhasta's giant serpent spirits to manifest, each of them instantly looking in one direction in particular... Could they sense Sheffield without seeing her?
The answer was yes, judging by the shouts of surprise given by Sheffield as the Serpent wards begin firing flame darts at her, she was thoroughly taken off-guard by this ability.
Michael grips Derflinger tightly and dashes towards where he could hear her, running out of the smoke cloud and spotting her using her Shadow Hands to block the Serpents flame darts. "Blink Strike." Michael quickly whispers, appearing behind Sheffield and her defences, allowing him to finally get a hit on her.
Only...
*Clang!*
For a shield of energy to manifest and block the strike, a shield looking remarkably similar to what Nicholas Grimpt's artifacts granted him. Fortunately, he wasn't in the same situation as he had been back then.
The new skill that he'd learned from his Anti-Mage spirit called Mana Break activates, causing Derflinger to glow blue as a similarly coloured after image trailed behind it.
*Waum*
The distinct yet familiar sound of the skill activating alerts Sheffield to his presence, but its effect combined with Derflinger does way more damage than one would expect. Not to Sheffield, but to the artifact that'd shielded her.
The energy shield barely blocks his Mana Break-enhanced attack, but the blue energy that ripples through it almost instantly causes the life-preserving artifact to shatter, shocking Sheffield at the ease of which Michael had destroyed it.
This artifact wasn't the same as the ones used by Nicholas Grimpt, he had elected to use quantity over quality, each of his many artifacts only blocking a single blow before breaking... But Sheffield's had been given to her by the King of Gallia, it should've been able to resist a couple Square Mage tier spells before breaking... Which is why its shattering had shocked her so.
Still, the feedback of his blade being blocked by the energy shield runs up his hand and arms, almost splitting the skin between his fingers. But he quickly recovers enough to perform yet another strike. "You're done, Sheffield!" he roars as he swings down at her, intending to split her completely in half.
Sheffield scowls and thrusts her hand at him, the Ring of Andvari shining brightly along with her runes as she attempts to take control of him. "Not yet I'm not! KNEEL!"
*Flash!*
The Ring releases another burst of light which slams into Michael with full force, and despite his defences, it felt like Sheffield's words were boring into his brain through his eyes. As if a foreign electrical signal was attempting to highjack his senses.
"F-Fuck off!" he growls, rapidly shaking his head and opening his eyes before locking the Sheffield with a furious glare.
"Partner! What are you doing! Stop trying to harm her you crazy sod!" Derflinger shouts, obviously affected by the Ring of Andvari. Fortunately, he was just a sword and was unable to do anything to obstruct Michael.
Sheffield brings up her hand in some vain attempt to block the strike, accidentally putting the Ring of Andvari in its way. Derflinger strikes the ring, but pauses in mid-air as the blade rests on it...
...
Michael locks eyes with Sheffield for two, three seconds, until bright white cracks start forming on the ring's surface. The Mind of God's eyes open wide as she attempts to take the ring off, only for it to finally explode and blow her right arm completely off. Shrapnel scatters everywhere, puncturing Sheffield's torso, but also striking Michael, causing him to stumble backwards as metal shards pierce his chest, arms, face, and legs.
He falls to a knee, somehow having avoided any lethal damage, but seriously injured regardless. He looks over at Sheffield, who has a thin, shattered-looking energy shield dissipating from around her, blood steadily beginning to seep from her many new wounds. "G-Gandalfr, you, the ring..." she growls, glancing down at her missing right arm. Using her left, she retrieves another firestone and presses against her stump, causing her to yelp out in pain as she cauterizes the wound closed. "I'll kill you for this!"
Michael grins at her, planting the still somehow mind-controlled Derflinger into the ground and unsheathing a dagger from his waist. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this. All that time imagining the things I'd do to you for revenge. I'm about to make them reality." he states before activating Shadow Dance, covering him in the blackest cloud of smoke imaginable, with the only other distinguishable thing visible being Michael's two dimly glowing eyes.
He menacingly advances towards her as his wounds rapidly knit themselves closed, fragments of metal shrapnel from the destroyed Ring of Andvari pulling themselves from his flesh and dropping to the floor, leaving a good deal of blood behind as he walks.
"An eye for an eye, Sheffield." he growls while raising his weapon.
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