Chapter 535: The gap between them was simply too great
"Fuck!"
Amon cursed as another blade of crackling lightning sliced across his thigh.
Slash!
Fresh pain shot through his body. He staggered backward before glaring at the man before him.
"Why the hell are you trying to kill me?! What have I ever done to you?!"
Alaric’s lips slowly curled into a cold smile.
"You really don’t remember?"
He let out a mocking laugh.
"Tell me...Do you remember Lynira Vaelcres?She was there... the attacked that happened on academy airship last years. Near Lunaris city."
The name struck Amon like a bolt of lightning.
His pupils contracted. His mind was instantly pulled back to the events of the previous year.
The academy airship. The battle near Lunaris City. The ambush.
He remembered it all.
Lynira. The woman who had possessed the teleportation gate artifact.
The final hit. His shadow-coated hatchet crushing her skull while she was ready to run away using artifact.
The memory flashed through his mind in an instant.
Before Amon could react.
BOOM!
Alaric’s foot slammed into his abdomen. The impact drove every bit of air from Amon’s lungs.
"Cough—!"
His body flew backward like a broken doll.
CRASH!
He smashed violently into the trunk of a massive tree.
The thick trunk cracked from the impact.
Amon slid down onto one knee, coughing up a mouthful of blood before forcing himself to look back at Alaric.
"Damn it...She came to kill us...So I killed her."
His breathing was ragged.
"What’s wrong with that?"
For a brief moment.
Alaric’s smile disappeared. His expression became frighteningly calm.
"It doesn’t matter."
His voice was almost emotionless.
"She was everything to me. The person I loved. And you..."
His grip around the sword tightened until purple lightning burst wildly from the blade.
"...you murdered her."
Before he could continue.
Boom!
Golden magic circles appeared beneath his feet.
Chains forged from radiant light erupted from the ground and wrapped tightly around both of his legs.
The sudden restraint halted his movement. At the same instant a brilliant golden streak shot toward him.
Seraphina.
She had seized the opening.
Her sword cut through the air with all the strength she could muster.
Alaric turned his head at the last possible moment.
Without even drawing back his own weapon. He caught her sword.
With one hand. His bare palm gripped the glowing blade. Golden mana erupted violently around his fingers, yet he didn’t even flinch.
Seraphina’s beautiful golden eyes widened in shock.
’He... caught it?’
With a casual flick of his arm.
Alaric hurled her away.
BOOM!
Seraphina’s body was thrown dozens of meters before crashing across the forest floor.
She rolled several times before barely managing to stop herself.
Alaric didn’t bother chasing her.
Instead he slowly turned back toward Amon.
"Hey...Amon."
Amon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up.
Alaric smiled.
"This woman..."
He pointed his sword toward Seraphina.
"She seems important to you. You care about her."
His smile gradually twisted into something cruel.
"So tell me...How would you feel...if I killed her? And your other companions."
Amon’s eyes widened.
A chill ran through his entire body.
No he wasn’t joking. This man genuinely intended to do it.
Amon slowly pushed himself back onto his feet while countless thoughts raced through his mind.
’I need to use the teleportation artifact...No...Opening a portal takes time. He’ll never let me activate it. And even if I somehow manage...Getting all five of us through before he interrupts would be almost impossible.’
His gaze briefly shifted toward Seraphina.
’Could she contact her grandfather...?Alistair Luminous...He’s the strongest human alive.If she sends a distress signal...Would he arrive within few minutes?’
Amon couldn’t be certain.
Every second mattered. Every choice could decide whether they lived or died.
Alaric watched him quietly.
Then he laughed.
"What are you thinking about so seriously, Amon?"
His voice was filled with amusement.
"I can practically see the panic on your face. I have to admit..."
He slowly took a step forward, purple lightning dancing around his body.
"...watching you struggle is far more satisfying than killing you outright."
The oppressive killing intent surrounding him grew even heavier.
Every instinct in Amon’s body screamed the same warning.
Run.
But there was nowhere to run.
Amon exploded forward.
BOOM!
The ground beneath his feet cracked apart as he launched himself toward Alaric with every ounce of strength he had left.
His grip tightened around both his sword and hatchet.
Just before entering striking range he threw the hatchet.
Whoosh!
Wrapped in dense shadows, the spinning weapon cut through the night like a black comet, aiming straight for Alaric’s head.
Alaric didn’t even blink.
Clang!
With a casual swing of his lightning-covered sword, he deflected the hatchet, sending it spinning harmlessly into the forest.
But that had never been Amon’s real attack. The instant the hatchet distracted Alaric.
Darkness beneath his feet surged violently.
BOOM!
Gigantic black spikes like hands erupted from the earth in every direction around Alaric.
They rose like the claws of a colossal beast, curving inward as if an enormous hand was trying to close into a fist and crush its prey.
The spikes were razor-sharp, each one reinforced with condensed darkness until they were as hard as steel.
For a brief moment Alaric stood at the center of a prison of black claws.
Amon’s eyes flashed.
’Got him!’
Alaric merely smiled.
"...Cute."
Purple lightning erupted from his body.
CRACK!!
A violent electrical shockwave exploded outward. The surrounding air trembled beneath the overwhelming mana.
Without moving from his position, Alaric spun once.
His sword traced a perfect circle. A crescent of condensed lightning burst from the blade.
BOOOOOOM!!
Every shadow spike was sliced apart instantly.
Fragments of darkness exploded into black smoke before disappearing into the night.
Amon had already closed the remaining distance.
His sword swept horizontally toward Alaric’s waist. Black mana gathered along the blade before exploding outward.
A massive crescent of darkness raced toward the lightning swordsman.
Whoosh!
Alaric raised his sword.
Clang!
The shadow slash shattered upon contact as though it had struck an unbreakable wall.
"So predictable."
The words had barely left his mouth. He disappeared.
Amon’s eyes widened.
’Too fast—!’
The world blurred. A flash of purple lightning appeared directly before him.
Alaric was already standing within arm’s reach.
A cruel grin spread across his face.
"You’re wide open."
He didn’t even use his sword. His fist shot forward.
BOOM!!
The punch slammed directly into Amon’s face. The impact sounded like a cannon firing.
Several teeth shattered. His lower lip split open.
His nose broke instantly as blood sprayed through the air.
Amon’s entire body was launched off the ground like a ragdoll.
He spun helplessly through the air before crashing violently across the forest floor, tearing through bushes and scattering dirt and shattered stones in every direction.
The world spun around him.
Pain exploded throughout his skull. His vision blurred as warm blood flowed from his broken nose and torn lips.
Even with his shadow enhancement... Even with Death’s Shadow and Death’s Darkness strengthening his body.
He couldn’t withstand Alaric’s overwhelming physical strength.
The gap between them was simply too great.