Free Web NovelChapter 492: Moon Ambushed
Moon raised his staff on instinct, twisting his body sideways at the last possible moment to redirect the incoming attack.
~SHRRK~
The blade still caught him.
Blood sprayed into the air as a deep gash opened across his right cheek, running from just below his eye down to the line of his cheekbone. The heat of the cut bloomed across his face.
Moon landed several meters away, his footwork carrying him back into a defensive stance, his staff already up. His hand brushed against the wound briefly, coming away red.
’If I hadn’t deflected with the staff at the last second, this wouldn’t have been a gash.’
’I could have lost an eye.’ Moon thought, slowly growing more wary of the figure behind the attack. ƒreewebɳovel.com
He raised his gaze to the person standing in the clearing where the attack had come from.
The man was tall and lean. He wore baggy dark trousers and a loose white t-shirt that hung off his shoulders unevenly.
A real snake belt was wrapped around his waist, its head clasping itself near the buckle like it was about to strike. His long, dark hair reached down to his upper back, hanging in messy strands across his face.
He held a thin, curved blade in one hand. The edge gleamed wet with Moon’s blood.
"Ooohhh," He tilted his head, studying Moon with eyes that seemed too eager. "Now this is a face I recognize. Aren’t you that little boy from the S-Rank gate? The one all the news channels were drooling over a few months back?"
His mouth stretched into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"To make it this far in the tournament... oh, oh, oh, you’re indeed quite the genius." He raised his blade and licked the flat of it slowly, tasting the blood.
His eyes never leaving Moon. "Mmm. And I just love geniuses the most. They taste so much sweeter than the talentless garbage I usually play with."
He took a single, lazy step forward.
"Tell me, little prodigy. Did you scream when you got out of that gate? Because I’d love to hear what your screams sound like in person. The recordings just don’t do them justice, you know? They cut out all the good parts."
His grin widened. His tongue lingered against the edge of the blade for another second before he pulled it away.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle. For the first few minutes, anyway."
Moon activated Eye of Truth as the man took another step forward.
The information unfolded across his vision.
[Class: Assassin
[Order: Second]
[Skills: Veil Step II, Crescent Reaper II, Bloodthirst II]
’An assassin with three skills...he isn’t weak.’
That explained the ambush. That explained why Moon had felt nothing until the blade was inches from his face. Assassins specialized in suppression, in moving through blind spots, in striking before their targets ever registered they were being hunted.
And judging by how the man had landed a hit on Moon at all, even a glancing one, his strength couldn’t be ignored. Moon’s reflexes and senses were sharp enough to detect almost anything. For this man to get close enough to draw blood meant he was at least peak Three Star Evolver. Possibly early Four Star.
Moon didn’t reply. He kept his weight balanced, his staff angled defensively, his eyes locked on every shift of the man’s body.
The assassin’s smile faltered.
"Why aren’t you speaking to me?" His voice dropped into a whiny, almost petulant tone. "That’s not very nice. I introduced myself. I complimented you. The least you could do is have a conversation with me before I gut you."
He twirled his blade between his fingers casually.
"You know what? I think I figured it out. You’re scared, aren’t you? That’s why you’re so quiet." His grin came back, wider this time. "Oh, that’s even better. I love the quiet ones. They scream the loudest at the end."
His feet suddenly left the floor. "Speak to me!"
The assassin blurred forward. His body dissolved into a smear of motion, his outline rippling like a heat distortion, his speed crossing the distance between them in a single heartbeat.
"Let me hear your pleasant voice! Speak! Scream! Cry in my ears!"
His blade arced upward in a vicious slash aimed at Moon’s throat.
Moon activated [Air Step] and launched himself diagonally backward, the slash passing through the empty space he had occupied. As he flew, his staff swept in a wide arc and a torrent of pressurized water exploded from its tip, slamming into the assassin’s side.
The man twisted in midair, the water catching only his shoulder. He landed in a crouch, his free hand braced against the ground, his grin somehow wider than before.
"A pretty mage that likes to fight back...even better!" He laughed, "I get to chase you! I get to hunt you! This is going to be so much fun!"
He launched himself forward again, faster this time.
Moon raised his staff and unleashed a wall of flame between them, the blue fire roaring upward in a curtain that filled the gap. The assassin didn’t try to push through it. He veered around it, his speed unhindered by the obstacle, attacking from the right flank instead. freewёbnoνel.com
Moon was already there. A wind blade screamed from his staff, forcing the man to twist again to avoid losing his arm.
The two of them circled the clearing in a brutal yet magnificent dance.
Moon kept casting, kept moving, kept creating distance. Every time the assassin tried to close, Moon answered with a different element, a different angle, a different obstacle.
He stayed at range. Refused to engage in close combat. Refused to draw his sword or rely on Weaponmaster or Dual Wielding.
’Not yet...It’s too early to showcase that power.’
The assassin felt the distance and his grin began to twitch.
"Come on! Don’t run! Don’t be boring! Mages always run! It’s so disappointing!" He charged again, his blade flashing. "Stop making me work for it! Let me CARVE YOU!"
Moon answered with another attack, forcing him to leap backward.
The clearing was beginning to look like a battlefield in its own right.
’This isn’t going anywhere, I need to change tactics...’
