Free Web NovelChapter 207: Checkmate (1)
The room crackled with tension as Shinon and Marcus locked eyes. Both knew this confrontation would decide more than just their fates, as whoever won would build the settlement in their image.
Shinon’s gaze was unwavering, his determination and righteousness cutting through like a knife through butter.
On the other hand, Marcus’s expression was a mix of anger, desperation, and a hint of madness. The intense, murderous aura he leaked was enough for Shinon to know he couldn’t take things easy.
"You’ve always been good at hiding your true self, haven’t you, Marcus?" Shinon’s voice was steady, his tone laced with a hint of disdain. "But your secrets are catching up to you, and it’s only a matter of time before everyone gets to know your true colours."
Marcus, lying on the ground after a swift leg sweep from Shinon, struggled to regain his composure. He had been willing to kill Aric to protect his secrets, but now, he faced a far more immediate threat.
Even so, he was prepared to do whatever was necessary to eliminate Shinon once and for all.
"And what about you, Shinon? You think you’re some kind of saviour?" Marcus’s lips curled into a bitter smile. "You’re just a pawn in this game, just like the rest of us. Do you think I don’t know who you’re working with?"
"Working with? I don’t need anyone’s help to kick your ass. Not anymore, at least."
With a grunt, Marcus pushed himself to his feet. His body, seemingly ordinary before, began to undergo a grotesque transformation.
Muscles expanded, bulging beyond their natural limits as if they had a life of their own. It was a terrifying sight, a display of physical augmentation that bordered on the monstrous side.
"You underestimate me, Shinon," Marcus hissed, his voice strained with the effort of his transformation. "You think martial arts and fancy swordplay will be enough to defeat me?"
"I don’t need to underestimate you, Marcus," Shinon’s face remained resolute as he prepared to fight to the death if necessary. "I’ve seen what you’re capable of, and I know I have what it takes to stop you."
With a furious roar, Marcus lunged forward, his massive fists swinging toward Shinon with crushing force. Shinon, however, was no ordinary opponent.
Thanks to [Combat Instinct], Shinon flowed like water, dodging Marcus’s blows easily. But with every strike he dodged, Marcus’s attacks became more intense.
"Let’s see if you can dodge this!"
Marcus charged again, his fists slamming into the ground with enough force to send shockwaves through the air. Shinon leapt back, narrowly avoiding the impact.
Shinon was safe, but at that moment, he knew that relying solely on hand-to-hand combat would not be enough against Marcus’s enhanced strength.
He needed an edge, something that could counter Marcus’s physical augmentation. With a swift motion, Shinon unsheathed his sword, the Blade of Chaos gleaming in the dim light.
However, Marcus had more tricks up his sleeve as he covered his fists in a substance that hardened them. At that moment, Shinon wondered how many abilities Marcus had been hiding from them.
The clash of steel against flesh echoed through the room as Shinon and Marcus engaged in a deadly dance. Shinon’s sword moved with the speed of thought, its shadowy form weaving through the air.
But Marcus’s enhanced physique made him a formidable adversary. He absorbed blows that would have incapacitated a lesser man and retaliated with raw power, pushing Shinon back whenever he struck him.
Marcus’s attacks were brutish and unrelenting, each strike carrying the weight of his augmented strength. But Shinon’s skill and agility allowed him to evade the blows while his blade blocked the strike he couldn’t.
As the fight raged on, Shinon’s strategy shifted. He began incorporating his shadowmancy, summoning shadow weapons to enhance his offensive capabilities. Shadows swirled around him, forming ethereal blades that cut through the air like a deadly dance.
But Marcus’s relentless assault forced Shinon on the defensive, his agility and mastery of martial arts barely enough to keep him ahead.
"You can’t defeat me, Shinon!" Marcus bellowed, his voice laced with arrogance. "I’ve long transcended the limitations of the human body! Something none of you can ever achieve!"
Shinon’s response came in the form of a flurry of strikes. "It’s not just the body that matters, Marcus. It’s the mind, the heart, and the determination to do what’s right. Something you clearly don’t know anything about."
With a sudden burst of speed, Shinon closed the gap between them, his blade slashing through Marcus’s defences.
A crimson line appeared across Marcus’s cheek as blood trickled down, infuriating Marcus even more as it was the first time someone had managed to break through his crystallised skin. freewebnovёl.ƈom
Marcus staggered back, clutching his bleeding cheek. The shock of the wound seemed to clear his mind, if only for a moment, from the arrogance that had consumed him.
"You... you actually hurt me," Marcus muttered, his eyes widened in disbelief. "YOU BASTARD!"
Shinon knew it was an opportunity, his blade poised to strike the finishing blow. But before he could act, Marcus’s body underwent another grotesque transformation.
His muscles swelled even further, forming a grotesque and towering figure. Shinon’s blade now seemed pathetically inadequate to chop through the hulking figure before him.
With a triumphant roar, Marcus swung his massive fist downward, aiming to crush Shinon beneath its weight. But Shinon was not so easily defeated. Drawing upon his shadowmancy, he created a protective barrier of darkness, blocking Marcus’s devastating blow.
The sheer force of the impact sent shockwaves through the room, the ground trembling beneath their feet. The darkness that enveloped Shinon absorbed the brunt of the attack, but Marcus’s strength proved too much, and Shinon gritted his teeth against the strain.
"You... won’t... win!" Shinon grunted, his determination unwavering.
With a burst of strength, Shinon pushed back against Marcus’s colossal fist, driving him back. It was a battle of wills, a contest of strength and endurance. And in that moment, Shinon’s resolve burned brighter than ever.
This was a fight he had been waiting for ever since returning to the settlement, and he wasn’t going to let Marcus go without facing the consequences of his choices. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Now pushed to his limits, Marcus began to lose control over his grotesque form. His muscles spasmed, and he cried out in pain as his augmentation spiralled out of control. It was a fatal flaw, one that Shinon exploited without hesitation.
With a final, decisive strike, Shinon drove the Blade of Chaos forward and sliced through the air, landing a devastating blow that sent Marcus crashing to the ground.
Breathing heavily, Marcus sprawled on the floor, his augmented form slowly receding. Shinon stood over him, his sword pointed at Marcus’s throat. The room was heavy with silence, broken only by the ragged breaths of the defeated man.
"You’ve lost, Marcus," Shinon’s voice was firm.
"You think you’ve won? This settlement is a powder keg waiting to explode. Without me, it will crumble." Marcus’s eyes burned with anger, but Shinon smirked and snapped his fingers.
"Settlement will crumble without you?" Shinon mumbled. "Who do you think these people are?"
Light flooded the room as Shinon said that, and Marcus realised he had been made a fool. Aric wasn’t the one strapped to the chair... it was Lova, and the remaining Phoenixes joined them as soon as the lights were switched on. At that moment, Marcus knew it was over for him.
