Chapter 28 Bloody Halloween XV

Freya's hands trembled as she rubbed them against Damien's pale face. "Damien, Damien, wake up!"

Aiden's urgent yell cut through the air. "Freya, move!!"

She spun around, her heart racing. A silver blade sliced through the air with deadly precision, its edge glinting menacingly in the light. Freya's breath caught as she jerked backward, her body bending in an unnatural arc.

Time seemed to slow. Her hair cascaded down, a dark waterfall framing her terrified face. The blade cast an ominous shadow on her skin as it zoomed past, mere inches from her throat.

In an instant Aiden was beside Dante his arm stretched forward with full strength, instinctively Dante raised his arm up.

DUN!

Aiden's fist collided with his arm, immediately the second impact activated shooting Dante's arm away. 

"You again" Dante's face twitched with fury, "It's becoming harder and harder to ignore this guy."

Without hesitation Aiden launched a swift kick towards Dante's gut but in a blink he vanished.

He reappeared next to Aiden his elbow already in motion.

Dante's elbow crashed into the side of Aiden's face with devastating force. His head snapped leftward sending saliva flying from his mouth. 

Immediately his gaze shifted towards his original target– the seal.

With a single stomp of his feet he closed the gap between himself and Freya his blade gliding through the air effortlessly heading straight for Freya's neck.

Freya reacted instantly bending her torso backwards evading the blade by a hair's length.

"This is the second time she's dodged my attack, what's up with these people they're like pests that are so hard to kill." Dante muttered inwardly.

"I can't attack this guy while holding the seal, and I can't run away either, the instant I look away from him I'm dead."

"Freya move!!" Damien yelled.

Damien stomped his feet on the ground the air grew bitterly cold as a wave of frost like ice spread throughout the arena like a shockwave, jagged ice spikes exploded from the Earth and moved forward in a straight line each spike erupts with relentless force as it grew taller and moved faster with each second heading straight for Dante.

Without a second thought he swung his blade, the ice spikes in front of him shattered into tiny glistening pieces bringing the ice spikes to a halt.

"Freya get out of here!!" Aiden yelled, reappearing at Dante's side his arm stretched forward with full strength.

Dante became furious at Aiden's relentless attacks.

Immediately he swung his blade heading towards Aiden's arm, surprisingly his blade moved quicker than Aiden's attack, the distance breached in a single breath.

Aiden's eyes widened in shock, retreat wasn't an option, he raised his left arm as a shield, like Landon's blade, Dante's sword cut through effortlessly.

Fortunately the blade hadn't gone deep enough before Aiden struck Dante.

 Dante caught Aiden's fist with his palm but the sheer force pushed his arm back. In an instant Aiden's braces activated unleashing a second impact.

The sudden force sent Dante skidding backwards his feet tearing through the ground as he struggled to stop.

Aiden was becoming harder and harder for Dante to ignore. He knew about the second impact, yet he kept forgetting it in the heat of battle. With each strike, his fury grew, frustration boiling over as Aiden refused to back down. 

Dante's eyes locked onto Freya as she made her move, trying to flee with the seal. Without hesitation, he stomped his feet, the ground beneath him trembling with power. Aiden, already anticipating his next move, launched himself toward Dante to intercept him.

In an instant, Dante thrust his arm forward, his sword blasting outward toward Freya.

Aiden's eyes widened in shock as the blade flew past his face, barely missing him. His head snapped around, tracking the sword as it zoomed toward its target.

The sword tore through the air, reaching Freya in the blink of an eye. Dante stomped once more, and from the earth erupted a barrage of ice spikes, shooting straight for Freya. The force of the attack slammed into her, sending her flying, the seal slipping from her grip as she soared through the air.

The sword pierced straight through the ice with a sickening sound, its path unimpeded.

Everyone's gaze followed the seal as it spiraled high into the air, sailing over the gate, out of reach.

Ryder, Dax and Kagetsu were still locked in combat, their gaze also followed as the seal sailed over the gate their entire movement coming to a halt.

Without hesitation Ryder's blasted flames outward from all four limbs sending him flying across the massive court yard, Dax took a deep squat, the ground beneath him shattering as he exploded forward.

Everyone's priority shifted towards the seal.

Before Aiden could react, Dante's fist slammed into his cheek, a shockwave rippling through his entire body. Aiden's head jerked to the side, his neck twisting unnaturally, before he collapsed to the ground.

Dante wasted no time. He zoomed toward his sword, gripping it tightly from the ice. With a single swipe, the frozen shards exploded into pieces.

Without a second thought, he coiled his legs like a spring, sword clenched in both hands. He blurred into motion, disappearing from sight and reappearing in front of the gate. His blade sliced through the air with deadly intent.

*BOOM!*

The massive concrete walls crumbled into countless shards, disintegrating under the force of his strike. In a fluid, almost violent motion, Dante shot forward, as if propelled by some unseen force. Dirt and debris swirled around him in a chaotic cascade.

His head snapped to the side, eyes narrowing as he tracked the seal soaring through the air. It landed in the hands of a teenage boy, who merely stood there, staring at him. Dante studied him for a moment—he was human, but that didn't concern him in the slightest.

Dante shot forward, intent on reaching Kai and retrieving the seal—even if it meant killing the boy to get it.

But then, his movement came to a screeching halt, as if time itself had frozen. Two arms, familiar and unmistakable, locked tightly around his gut.

Aiden's voice rang out as he stomped his leg into the ground. The braces on his leg whirred to life, propelling both of them backward into the shadows.

"RUN!!!" Aiden yelled, the words urgent as they flew into the abyss.

Kai stood there, frozen in silence, his mind still trying to process the chaos that had just unfolded. After a long pause, he slowly turned around, taking hesitant steps. His breath came in shallow gasps, and with each step, his pace quickened, his instincts urging him to move.

Then, with a sudden burst of flames, Ryder exploded from the gate, closely followed by Kagetsu, who used his black smoke to propel himself, moving faster than Dax. 

Ryder's sharp gaze scanned the streets, searching for Aiden, Dante, or the seal. But all he saw was a blue-haired kid in a bloodied white shirt, dashing off at incredible speed.

His eyes narrowed, trying to place him, but nothing came to mind.

"Hey!!" Ryder called out, his voice sharp.

Kai's feet dug into the ground, his body skidding to a stop. He turned, his gaze snapping to Ryder.

Ryder's eyes flicked to the seal in Kai's palm. His expression shifted, his anger flaring as he stretched his arm out. "Give me that!" he shouted, his voice filled with demand.

Kai, still unsure of who was friend and who was foe, ignored Ryder's command. He turned and bolted, his legs carrying him down a new path. 

Ryder's arm shot out, a fireball launching toward Kai with blistering speed.

Kai swerved at the last second, cutting down another road, the fireball grazing past him by mere inches.