Chapter 84 - The Mysterious Man [1]
BOOM!
Dust and stone fragments rained down from the shattered rock wall, filling the high-arched cavern with a hazy cloud of gray smoke.
What came out of the secret entrance was a man.
He was wearing a black robe that covered his whole body and a mask that hid his face completely, leaving only two cold, shadowed eyeholes visible in the dim light.
"What was that...?"
Zion asked, coughing as some debris flew over to him.
He turned to look where the small explosion came from, wiping a layer of dust from his forehead. And as his eyes landed on the mysterious man—
BAM!
"Huh...?"
The mysterious man already kicked off!
He ignored Zion and Lilia for now. He went straight to Vael, who he noticed was looking at the secret entrance!
SWIIIISH!
Holding a one-handed axe in his right hand, he swung it overhead, aiming directly at Vael’s head with lethal speed.
TINK!
But Vael was prepared! He used his silver dagger to block the attack and deflect it to the side, causing the heavy blade to miss him completely!
The moment Vael heard the voice and a bad feeling washed over him earlier, he had already taken out his weapons and prepared for the worst.
SWOOSH!
But just as he thought the mysterious man was done, the attacker followed up with another attack! He had another one-handed axe in his left hand, and he swung it horizontally, aiming straight at Vael’s right rib!
"?!!"
Vael didn’t see this coming. The second axe moved with incredible precision, and Vael knew he was done for if he couldn’t block this in time.
TWHACK—! CRACK!
So immediately, he covered his right rib with thick ice and used it to block the axe!
"KEUK...!"
Vael felt a rib or two crack along with the ice from the raw impact, but he swallowed up the pain and countered with [Frost]!
CLANG! SWOOSH!
He thrust twice in rapid succession. The mysterious man blocked the first strike with his right axe, then avoided the second jab by jumping backwards through the air.
"Ugh, fuck..."
With finally room to breathe, Vael let out a curse as he fully removed the shattered thick ice from his right rib with his left hand.
It hurt like hell for him, the dull ache throbbing with every breath he took, but at least he was still fine and standing on his feet.
"VAEL!"
And now—Zion and Lilia had joined him, stepping up to his side with their weapons drawn.
"Are you okay?!"
Zion asked, holding [Excalibur] with both hands as golden mana began to ripple across his broad blade.
"Yeah, just a broken rib or two."
Vael replied, gritting his teeth and getting into a stable fighting stance again.
"Do you know that guy?"
Then, Lilia asked the two of them. She was looking at the mysterious man that appeared, not taking her eyes off him for a single second.
Her pink-tinted spear hummed with a sharp, steady vibration.
"Even if we did, it’s clearly obvious that it’s not on friendly terms."
Vael said with a small, tense smile on his face.
"Vael Frostguard..."
Then suddenly, the mysterious man muttered Vael’s name. His voice was hoarse and raspy, making it hard to identify his true age or identity.
The three were surprised, their attention shifting completely to the man.
"As soon as I heard you received a silver plaque from the headmaster, I already became wary of you... But how did you find the secret passage? And how long has it been since you found it?"
He asked, adjusting his grip on his dual axes.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Vael denied it instantly, keeping his expression completely blank.
"..."
The Mysterious Man didn’t say anything after that... He just stared at Vael’s eyes for a while.
"Fine then... I’ll just ask you again before killing the three of you."
BAM!
Though, without warning, the mysterious man rushed at the three of them!
The black-robed man moved like a dark blur across the cavern floor, kicking up loose gravel as he closed the distance.
SWAAAAAH~!!!
The dual axes in his hands flickered with a faint, dangerous purple energy that crackled around the metal blades.
"Like hell you will!"
TAP-
Zion shouted, stepping directly into the attacker’s path.
WHOOSH!
He swung [Excalibur] upward in a powerful diagonal strike, pouring his golden mana into the blade.
CLANG—!
Sparks erupted from the metal impact.
The golden arc met the masked man’s right axe mid-air with a heavy collision!
"GUH?!"
The raw physical force behind the masked man’s strike was immense, forcing Zion’s boots to skid backward two feet across the floor.
"Zion, don’t take him head-on!"
Vael called out, ignoring the sharp pain in his chest as he stepped to the left flank.
Before the masked man could bring his second axe down on Zion’s head, Lilia moved.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Her pink-haired frame darted forward with incredible grace. She thrust her white spear three times in rapid succession, targeting the masked man’s throat, chest, and wrist. The sharp thrusts carried enough speed and precision to leave small trails of pink light in the air.
"Tsk... Z Class."
The hoarse voice grunted from beneath the mask.
The attacker pulled back his left axe, using the side of the weapon to swat away Lilia’s spear tips.
TINK! TINK! TINK!
Every time her white spear collided with his axes, the masked man absorbed the momentum smoothly, stepping back just enough to keep out of Lilia’s lethal range.
He was clearly an experienced combatant who knew how to handle multi-target pressure.
’He’s fast, and his physical strength is way above to be a normal student or staff.’
Vael thought, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the traitor’s movements.
’And that purple aura on his weapons... it’s the exact same dark mana energy from the catalyst in the secret room!’
Vael slammed his left boot onto the floor.
TAP! CRACKLE—!
A wave of sub-zero cold spread across the ground, forming a thin, treacherous sheet of ice right beneath the masked man’s feet.
The attacker felt his footing slip for a split second, his posture wavering as the smooth ice ruined his balance.
"Now!"
Vael barked.
"Got it!"
THUD!
Zion took advantage of the opening, lunging forward with a heavy shoulder tackle backed by his golden aura!
"...?!"
This made the Mysterious Man even more off balance.
FWOOSH!!!
And not missing that opportunity, Lilia swept her spear in a low horizontal arc toward the man’s knees, intending to take out his legs completely!
The masked man gritted his teeth under his mask.
Realizing he couldn’t dodge on the slippery floor, he drove both of his axes directly into the ground!
BOOM—!
"Ugh...!"
A surge of dark purple mana exploded outward from the base of his axes, shattering Vael’s ice sheet into dust and sending a shockwave that knocked Zion and Lilia back a few paces!
The force of the dark wave blew Vael’s hair back, making the skin on his arms tingle with a cold, uncomfortable sensation.
"Corrupted magic...?"
Lilia muttered, her stoic eyes narrowing slightly as she landed cleanly on her feet next to Vael.
"That energy isn’t normal mana."
"Don’t let that dark aura touch your skin."
Vael warned them, keeping [Frost] raised in his right hand while holding his dagger in his left.
"It erodes physical defenses and weakens your core if it gets inside your body."
"Got it."
Zion said, adjusting his grip on [Excalibur].
FWISH~
The masked man pulled his dual axes out of the stone floor, his breathing slightly heavier now, but his stance remained solid and dangerous.
"You brats have sharp instincts."
The hoarse voice rasped.
"Especially you, Frostguard. You’re far too dangerous to be left alive in this academy."
BAM!
The man kicked off the ground again, but this time, he didn’t charge in a straight line.
BAM! BAM! BAM-
He zig-zagged between the large stalagmites in the chamber, using the rock pillars as cover to obscure his approach!
"He’s circling around!"
Zion called out, turning his body to track the moving shadow.
SWOOSH!
The attacker suddenly erupted from behind a stalagmite on Vael’s blind side, his left axe swinging down toward Vael’s neck in a silent, deadly strike!
CLANG!
Lilia was already there. She thrust the end of her white spear upward, intercepting the axe head mid-air and deflecting the strike high over Vael’s head.
"Thanks."
WHIISH!
Vael said, before immediately thrusting [Frost] forward into the gap created by her block!
The rapier moved like a blue flash, aiming straight for the traitor’s chest.
FWIP— SLASH-
The masked man twisted his torso at an awkward angle, letting the tip of [Frost] graze the black cloth of his robe instead of piercing his flesh. A layer of white frost immediately bloomed across his side where the blade touched, making his movements stiffen slightly.
"Ugh!"
The traitor grunted.
Taking advantage of the traitor’s stiffened movement, Zion closed in from the right.
"Heavy Slash!"
SWOOOOSH!
Zion roared, bringing [Excalibur] down with full force.
The golden light on Zion’s blade flared brightly, illuminating the entire cave chamber as the massive strike came crashing down.
The masked man crossed his dual axes above his head to block the blow.
TIIIIIIIIIIING—!
The impact was loud enough to echo down the long cavern corridors.
CRACK-
The ground beneath the traitor’s boots cracked under the sheer weight of Zion’s heavy strike, sinking an inch into the solid stone.
"Lilia, now!"
Vael called out.
Lilia didn’t waste a single millisecond. She channeled her vibrant pink mana into her white spear until the weapon practically glowed like a torch.
"Spear Art: Point Piercer!"
FWOOSH!
She thrust her weapon straight at the center of the traitor’s chest while his axes were locked in place by Zion’s sword!
"..."
The traitor’s eyes widened behind his mask.
And now, sensing real, life-threatening danger, he let out a low growl... Then released another violent burst of dark purple mana from his body!
BZRRRT—! CLANG!!!
The black-and-purple energy erupted around him like a protective shell, clashing directly against Lilia’s pink spear tip and Zion’s golden blade!
The violent explosion of opposing mana forces forced all three of them—Zion, Lilia, and the masked traitor—to spring backward to create distance.
TAP—
The trio landed back near the center of the chamber, their boots scraping against the ground.
Vael stood between Zion and Lilia, his left hand pressed lightly against his cracked ribs as he monitored his breathing. The pain was sharp, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins kept him focused.
Across the chamber, the masked traitor stood near the ruined stone archway of his secret room. His black robe was torn in multiple places, showing small patches of frozen fabric from Vael’s ice and cut marks from Lilia’s spear.
"You freshmen..."
The hoarse voice snarled, carrying a heavy mix of frustration and killer intent.
"I underestimated you."
He raised both of his axes again, the dark purple aura around the metal blades growing twice as dense as before, crackling with violent dark sparks that hummed dangerously in the quiet cave.
"I won’t hold back anymore."
The traitor warned, his hoarse voice echoing against the cold stone walls.
Zion raised his sword, Lilia adjusted her spear grip, and Vael tightened his hold on [Frost] and his silver dagger, ready for the next clash.