Chapter 203 [Island Of Drath] [18]
Chapter 203 [Island Of Drath] [18]
A heavy, threatening silence hung between them. Both looked at each other without moving.
"...Kill them," one of them ordered. He stood in the middle, his face covered with the hoodie he wore.
They stepped forward. Oliver moved, shielding Aaliyah, who looked unwell, her face pale.
A fine mist of blood moved between them, the rain dampening every sound.
"Run," Oliver whispered without looking back, as he took out a sword from his bracelet.
"No!" Aaliyah replied, keeping an eye behind her, making sure no portal emerged. "...I am not leaving you this time."
She opened the cap of a bottle, throwing its contents on the ground.
He clicked his tongue as he looked at the five of them forming a semi-circle around them.
He took a deep breath, whispering softly, "...Eyes of Horus."
His mind turned numb.
A blink later, his eyes changed from obsidian-black to shining golden.
The tension in his body eased, his confidence rising.
"...I won\'t say it twice," Oliver said, his voice echoing, "...Leave, because I won\'t promise a quick death."
They let out a hearty laugh.
"You are not the first to bluff his way out," one of them snarled, closing in. "...Though you seem to mask your fear well."
Oliver didn\'t respond nor correct them.
...He let them lower their guards.
"Kill him quick," the one who stood behind said, removing his hoodie. "We don\'t know if the leader will really come here or not."
A lesser Asura?
Oliver wondered, staring at him.
The man had two small horns curving toward his face, his skin light bluish, eyes a pale shade of amber.
Makes sense if it\'s one.
They are the race that discriminates within themselves more often than elves do.
A race that hates weakness could never expect those they deemed lesser or mixed—
The hair on the back of his neck stood, alerting him to the incoming strike.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw one of them prowling toward Aaliyah, sword aimed at her neck.
His hand moved, three circles emerging on it, rotating within.
A spike rose from the ground, following the movement of Aaliyah\'s hand.
It parried the sword, the man propelling himself back from another spike close to his leg.
"I will be fine," Aaliyah said, shifting her body and lowering it, "...Just take care of the others."
Two assailants prowled in front, eyes staring at him.
The circles in his hand moved, spreading in different directions.
Oliver moved, wind carrying him like its own child.
A portal emerged in front as he vanished from their sight.
They halted, confused.
A portal emerged beside the man on the left. Oliver appeared, sword spinning close to his neck.
CLANG!!
But before it connected, his partner blocked the attack, saving his life.
"Arghh!"
A gale of wind passed through the men\'s bodies, a shallow cut forming in his stomach, but not enough to take him out.
Clicking his tongue, Oliver submerged himself within the portal, returning to Aaliyah\'s side.
All five moved together, not giving them any more chances.
A shield of wind hardened in front of Oliver while spikes rose around Aaliyah.
A circle formed below Oliver, opening the portal parallel to a huge tree. He flexed his legs, the tree\'s branch left with his footprint.
Using the momentum, he flew towards one of them, twisting his body to avoid the sword.
The sound of flesh ripping echoed.
Oliver landed behind the man, whose head fell down, accompanied by his body.
A silence lingered. The men, focusing on Aaliyah, now slowly turned toward him.
A thunderclap, and all four rushed toward him.
Oliver\'s eyes glowed softly as portals opened around them, one around each.
They halted, alert. Oliver vanished within the portal again.
A fist emerged from a portal, hitting one of them straight in the throat.
A blast echoed as his body fell back, rolling before colliding with the large tree.
The portal around him vanished as Oliver emerged beside Aaliyah again.
His gaze turned toward the man, who coughed blood, lying against the tree, dying slowly.
Twisting the blade in his hand, making it face toward himself, he looked at them.
"Are you sure this is the right thing?" he asked, his voice laced with arrogance. "...Do you still think I was bluffing?"
They gulped down, turning back to look at their leader.
"Do you think that makes you look threatening?" he asked calmly, looking at Oliver. "...You know my brother is an Overlord, he is far more—"
"Overlord?" Oliver scoffed, interrupting him. "Are you trying to show off your measly Overlord?"
...Oliver remembered something at that moment.
Something his mother had told him long ago.
If you want to provoke any Asura who aren\'t pure blood...
"...You weak and pathetic lesser being," Oliver said aloud, a grin plastered on his face.
...Scratch their ego.
"...What are you doing!?" Aaliyah yelled quietly, standing beside him.
A silence lingered as the blue-skinned man looked at him coldly.
"...What are you looking at!?" he yelled at his subordinates, "...Kill him!"
Without thinking, Oliver quickly rushed toward the three who stood close to each other.
A portal emerged in front of him, and he vanished before appearing in front of one of them.
His sword collided with the assailant, forcing him to step back.
A portal opened behind both of them.
Oliver appeared from behind, his blade hovering for a split second around the man\'s neck, then sinking deep into it.
Oliver kicked his back, making him fall down, pulling his sword out of his throat.
The wind burst around him, stopping the other two from getting closer to him.
Without wasting much time, he moved toward the next man, throwing his sword above.
He curled his fist, enforcing it with mana before punching him in the face.
The man\'s face cracked, his body falling down.
Grabbing both his hands, Oliver pulled him closer, head colliding with his nose.
The assailant groaned in pain, but Oliver didn\'t let him go. A portal emerged above the man\'s head before engulfing his entire face.
Oliver smiled as he willed the portal to close, severing the man\'s head from his body.
Blood spurted, spreading on the ground as the man\'s body fell.
Oliver turned around, gazing at the last of them, who looked at him, eyes filled with fear.
He took a step forward while the man took a step back.
His legs buckled as he looked towards the blue-skinned man for help.
But the man didn\'t budge and just looked at Oliver.
He trembled violently as he tried to turn around.
But before he could, a spike made of different metals pierced his chest, his heart beating on the tip of the spike.
His body fell, Aaliyah stood behind him, her hand raised.
"I thought you would be useless," Oliver commented, looking at her.
Her face contorted with anger, but she controlled herself and turned to look at the last man standing.
Oliver did the same, looking at him.
"You have something else to say?" Oliver asked, tilting his head.
The man remained calm, his hands folded around his chest as he looked at them.
Only then did Oliver notice something...
...His calmness.
Even though all his subordinates had died, he remained calm, not moving from his spot.
...That irked him.
But just as Oliver parted his lips to say something, the bushes behind the man rustled.
A smile slowly crept onto the man\'s face as he looked at Oliver.
Someone walked towards them, the sound of footsteps echoing.
Oliver looked at the person, his face hardening as he recognized him.
"...You sure are a tough guy," the blue-skinned man commented, looking at Oliver. "But you wouldn\'t have guessed—ARGHHHH!!!"
His words halted, turning into a gruesome sound that echoed within the forest.
He looked down, a sword pierced right through his chest, blood dripping from its tip.
"ARGHH!!"
He yelled at the top of his lungs as the swordsman moved, lifting him into the air before throwing him down, the sword slipping away from his body.
Struggling for breath, he tried to turn around to look at the one he thought was his ally.
But before he could move, the sound of a sword slicing through echoed in his ears, and the next instant, his head rolled onto the ground. Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn
"...That was brutal," Oliver whispered softly, looking at the boy who killed him.
A grey mark spread across his body, thick curving lines wrapping around his shoulder and the side of his eyes.
Ethan turned around, walking towards Oliver, Ruby following behind him.
His gaze moved around as he looked at all the dead bodies sprawled on the ground.
"Did you do all this?" Ethan asked, looking back at Oliver\'s golden eyes.
"Why do you ask?" Oliver responded.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan parted his lips, the mark on his body glowing softly. "...Where is Azariah?"
Oliver asked again, "...Why... Do you ask?"
They stared into each other\'s eyes.
The crunching of a branch made them turn their heads toward the side...
...Someone was coming towards them.