Free Web NovelChapter 119: Black Stalker’s Retreat
Despite failing to land the previous attacks, the Black Stalker showed no trace of frustration. If anything, the hunter only became even more relentless in it’s attacks.
The very instant the green-eyed stranger seemingly phased through the three incoming knives, the assassin exploded forward...
To Regaleon’s eyes, the cloaked figure no longer resembled a living creature. Instead, it became a streak of living darkness as it’s speed had increased dramatically.
Compared to the overwhelming swiftness it had displayed while fighting the trio earlier, the assassin now seemed to have ascended to an entirely different level...
Regaleon instinctively strained his golden eyes, desperately trying to follow its movements. But he failed.
Not even the afterimages of the Stalker’s movements were visible. As a matter of fact, it was only the occasional ripple passing through the surrounding shadows hinted that the Black Stalker was still moving at all.
Then...
CLANG!
A sharp metallic ring echoed throughout the crimson forest, followed by a shower of brilliant sparks bursting into the air.
Regaleon’s eyes widened.
Honestly, he hadn’t even seen when the stranger draw his sword but somehow, the green-eyed youth had parried the strike.
The Black Stalker’s knife slid harmlessly along the silver blade before the assassin vanished once more.
A heartbeat later, another blur appeared behind the stranger and a knife flashed toward the back of his neck.
Without so much as turning around, the green-eyed youth casually rotated his wrist...
CLANG!
Steel collided once again and the incoming knife was effortlessly knocked aside.
The impact was so overwhelming that the weapon was ripped straight from the assassin’s grasp before hurtling across the battlefield and embedding itself deep within a nearby crimson tree...
Yet the Black Stalker refused to relent.
Darkness rippled as the hunter suddenly descended from above, another blade already aimed at the stranger’s skull...
The green-eyed youth merely shifted his body a fraction to the side, allowing the knife to slice harmlessly past him...
At the same instant, his foot snapped upward...
BOOM!
His kick struck the assassin squarely in the chest, the force behind it sending the Black Stalker stumbling backward.
For the briefest instant, Regaleon thought the hunter would lose its balance. But the next instant, it’s body dissolved into darkness before touching the ground...
Then...
CLANG!
Another interception echoed across the clearing as the green-eyed youth deflected an attack from the left...
CLANG!!
A second strike erupted from below but once more, it was redirected....
CLANG!!!
A blade appeared behind the stranger. As usual, it was blocked by him...
CLANG!
Another descended from above but without even taking a step from his spot, he simply turned to the side, allowing the blade to pass him...
CLANG!!!!!
The attacks continued...
Every strike came from an impossible angle and every attack targeted a vital point; sometimes it was the throat, sometimes the heart and other times, it was the temples or the kidneys. At times, it was even the joints or major arteries in the body...
Every movement made by the Black Stalker displayed flawless precision as each attack flowed seamlessly into the next and every strike possessing a perfect execution.
Yet despite such terrifying skill, every single blade met nothing except the stranger’s sword..
Regaleon’s expression gradually became solemn. By this point, the silver-haired Knight no longer doubted the outcome of the battle.
The mysterious stranger was unquestionably superior to the Black Stalker. But by how much, he couldn’t tell yet.
This was because the green-eyed youth still hadn’t displayed anything resembling effort. And something deep within Regaleon told him that the stranger hadn’t even begun fighting seriously yet.
And nowhere was that more obvious than in the way he moved. Every action he made was... Economical. There was no wasted strength, no unnecessary flourish, and no exaggerated swings.
Instead, he used only the smallest movement to neutralize each incoming attack.
In fact, if Regaleon hadn’t been witnessing the battle himself, he might have believed the stranger could read the assassin’s mind.
This was because every knife attack was intercepted before it became dangerous and every ambush answered before it fully unfolded.
As a matter of fact, the stranger needed only the slightest tilt of his head, or a subtle shift of his footing, or even a casual turn of his wrist...
To dismantle attacks that had nearly claimed all three of their lives.
Most astonishing of all, he hadn’t moved from the spot where he first drew his sword.
It was almost as though he wasn’t fighting at all. Instead, he looked like a man absentmindedly entertaining himself...
The Black Stalker vanished again. But this time, six knives appeared simultaneously.
Each blade spun through the air with terrifying speed; together, they sealed every conceivable avenue of escape. And even Regaleon himself felt his scalp tingle merely watching them.
Yet the stranger simply sighed. He slowly shook his head and spoke. "You never learn, do you?"
Even as he spoke, his sword was already moving. A graceful silver arc bloomed before him, then...
CLANG!
The sound exploded across the battlefield...
Every single knife was deflected; some buried themselves deep within nearby tree trunks and others disappeared into the undergrowth.
One even rebounded straight toward the assassin itself...
The Black Stalker calmly tilted its head, allowing the returning blade to whistle harmlessly past it’s shoulder before embedding itself somewhere deeper within the forest.
Silence followed as neither combatant moved...
The assassin’s emerald, serpentine eyes remained locked upon the stranger.
For a brief moment, Regaleon believed the battle had ended when he saw this standoff.
Then... The Black Stalker lunged once more.
Its cloak billowed behind it, twin knives slashing toward the stranger’s throat and abdomen...
The stranger raised his longsword once more...
CLANG!
The first knife flew away...
Then, the stranger’s wrist rotated effortlessly and...
CLANG!
The second followed immediately after.
Yet the assassin simply refused to stop. It executed a flurry of moves; a knee strike, an elbow, a reverse-grip slash, a spinning kick...
Every movement flowed seamlessly into the next with terrifying precision. Yet regardless of what it attempted, the stranger calmly answered every attack.
His expression never changed even once during the movements.
Then eventually and without warning, the Black Stalker retreated as it’s figure reappeared several meters away beneath the crimson canopy.
Silence descended once more as neither side attacked...
The stranger slowly lowered his longsword.
Then, with complete composure, returned it to its sheath.
CLICK!
The quiet sound echoed softly throughout the clearing...
The assassin remained perfectly still, it’s emerald eyes never leaving the stranger.
Several long moments passed until it’s hidden lips finally moved...
"Va’sheren... Kel nar’shul."
The ancient runic words drifted quietly through the forest like whispers carried upon the wind.
Still, neither Regaleon nor Vaelorin understood their meaning. But the stranger... He simply smiled.
He rested one hand upon the pommel of his sheathed sword before replying. "I think that’s for the best, don’t you?"
The Black Stalker offered no response. Instead, it’s gaze slowly shifted away from the stranger and those emerald eyes settled upon Regaleon...
The silver-haired Knight instinctively straightened. Although no killing intent accompanied that stare, something about it caused every instinct within him to tense.
It was as though the assassin was silently engraving his face into memory through that stare. The two remained locked in silent eye contact for a few seconds, then...
A cold gust suddenly swept through the Crimson Forest while scarlet leaves spiraled high into the air.
The assassin’s cloak fluttered gently and it’s figure gradually blurred. Then like smoke carried away by the wind, it dissolved completely into the storm of crimson leaves.
There were no sound of footsteps nor lingering aura. Instead, there was only the whispering wind which was drifting softly between the ancient trees.
Silence reclaimed the forest...
Regaleon continued staring at the place where the Black Stalker had vanished, his grip unconsciously tightening around Veyrath’s leg resting over his shoulder.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, he couldn’t forget those emerald eyes.
The assassin had retreated today; of that, there was no doubt. Yet somewhere deep within his heart, a quiet certainty slowly took root.
This would not be their final encounter. And when fate caused their paths to cross again, the battle awaiting them would be far deadlier than the first...
