Bab 141: Bloodbath
It was noon, the sun was shining brightly down on the usually peaceful town, the air was dry but not suffocating.
The weather told that today was a good day.
The weather was unfeeling and heartless however.
Down in the town, all of the inhabitants were running around like headless chickens, fearful of something they had no idea about, they could only look over there shoulders as they all rushed in toward the same point.
Bumping into one another, tripping and falling to the ground, stampeding over one another without realising.
They believed that they were escaping danger but the reverse-faced monster's ability wasn't as simple as irrational fear.
It was meant for his kind to catch their preys more easily.
They were all converging toward the very monster at the source of their dread.
It didn't take long for the street were he and Superstes were having a standoff to be crowded with panicked citizens.
Now in the eye of the storm, they couldn't go far from the monster even if they tried to, always being brought back by illogical terror.
'Now you're done for, you won't be able to fight as you should amongst all of them' the monster sneered silently, a wicked smile forming on his upside down visage.
"Ah!" he let out a sound through his teeth as he charged at the heroine, tearing through the mass of people, grabbing and impaling some before using them as projectiles.
His killing intent sharpened, making it appear as though his claws were growing in size as he neared Superstes, stabbing two of his fingers toward her eyes.
She evaded the blow and thrusted a rapier at his face, he would be in trouble he had to keep on dodging her attacks but it was no problem when he had live and healthy hostages running around.
He simply needed to back down behind civilians or grab one and use them as a meatshield.
He had to admit, he had trouble following her movements, she was making use of her peculiar physique very well, her long limbs moved in a serpentine fashion, which made it night impossible for him to guess what she was going to do.
This was even more true since she could definitely pull out any weapon at a moment's notice.
'Close-quarters won't work' he believed and thus, using townsfolk as a cover he took his distance as raised his right arm straight up, as if he was trying to get picked by a teacher to answer a question.
The way he was standing and the time he kept his arm in the air was weird, it wasn't something one had any reason to pull in a fight, just like spinning, most of the time.
Superstes thought back on another lesson of Sir Solitar.
'Battle art' she tensed up and got ready for whatever was to come.
Art was the word used to define a technique that didn't require any sort of energy, it could a magical art, battle art and even alchemical art.
To achieve the expected result of an art, one needed to know it and follow particular guidelines, it could both produce little things and dreadful attacks.
Here, the monster seemed to only require to hold one arm up, perhaps the right one specifically, and wait a few moments, at least those seemed obvious.
Once he brought his arm down, visible slashes tore through the air, a few people and air again as Superstes just turned to the side, her lean figure fitting in between two slashes.
The monster followed it up with another art as he stabbed into the ground and began running forward, slicing through the hard soil beneath for a few seconds before pulling his hand out.
The result was another set of slashes, only that they travelled along the ground this time.
Superstes morphed her weapon into a quarterstaff and used its leverage to leap over the slashes in very, aesthetically pleasing movement before bringing one of her feet down on the monster's skull.
He leaned his neck forward to avoid receiving the full brunt of the kick and used the momentum to thrown himself away from where she would landing.
At least, that's what he had in mind but Superstes was much more agile than he had given her credit for.
She killed any of her accelaration by putting the sole of her boot against his skull and by by arching her back backwards as if she was possessed by a devil straight from hell.
Instead of moving further away, she just did a backflip in the air.
The monster, who had turned his head while crawling away after feeling her feet on his head was, understandably, quite shocked at what he had just witnessed.
He couldn't believe that she had done pole vaulting and a backflip, this sort of hijinks should be relegated to stupid stories and anyone attempting them in a fight would normally be instantly killed.
The fact that she had done both, one after the other and that he had been powerless to stop her felt like the worst and most shameful of insults.
Not only that, but as she was upside down in the air, their eyes met and she shot him square in the mouth with a crossbow.
'That bitch! Ranged weapons too?!' he would have voiced his complaint directly to her but his mouth was full.
Crawling even further, he pulled out the bolt and grabbed two little children off the panicked crowd.
"T- Don't you move from here" he coughed up some blood.
Even if he couldn't deal with her, he didn't have to die trying!
'I'll just use those kids to bargain and escape, she's strong but still no match for the our general or his direct subordinates'
'Since she is the hero too, they won't just send what they believe is enough, they'll wipe her existnce off of this world!'
The monster didn't feel so good...
The bolt hadn't pierced his brain but it had still sent quite the shock into his skull.
He felt like throwing up and passing out.
'What is she doing?' his eye widened in surprise as he saw her shift her weapon into a swordstaff and imbue the blade with that golden radiance.
'Oh, why didn't she use that more anyways?' he felt lightheaded but still realised the weirdness.
'It doesn't matter, she can't do anythin-'
"Why are you swinging it?!"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone