Beacon

Amik had always felt a satisfying urge for hunting. Being a hunter wasn't easy—in fact, the risks had discouraged a lot of people.

And that's the reason there were only a few of them.

But still, he wanted to wield that name, to be someone of importance and great achievement, to be written boldly in the history books.

However, that was easier said than done, as he didn't possess the power to claim such fame.

Though he didn't give up, there still lingered an aching feeling that a vast gap needed to be crossed to achieve what he desired—and it seemed like that perfect opportunity had presented itself.

'I just have to push myself to cross that vast gap, and this person will be the stepping stone to success.'

Yes, he clearly knew how suicidal this was, but there was a chance—and that chance was what he held onto, even if it was extremely slim.

"I am the protagonist of my story," he quietly encouraged his delusional thoughts.

Without even giving it another thought, he went for an attack from behind, slicing the air with one of his blades in an attempt to end Borack.

It hadn't even been a few seconds since his friend was split in half, but he didn't care. He just saw an opening to strike.

His blades were thirsty for the blood of the one before him, and it was only right to feed his companion that blood.

Unfortunately, the blade eventually met steel with a loud clang that echoed through the silence.

"You sly rat, can't wait your turn?" Borack spoke in a cheerful manner.

Amik surged with alertness and felt a shiver down his spine. Immediately, in an instinctive measure, he leaped into the air, backing away from the danger his senses warned him about.

'Ah! Such a frightening being,' Amik remarked as he composed his breathing.

It was unexplainable, but he was sure that in the moment he got close to Borack, three slashes had been performed.

"Hmm, you seem to be a smart one," Borack said.

"Well, I guess I'm weak in this body. I can only use 5% of my power to avoid damaging it. Sigh... I hate humans."

'Good thing the barrier was up or I'd be dead,' thought the petrified Amik.

It was a never-dying habit of his to always use half of his energy to create an aura barrier around him during close encounters. A habit that had saved his life multiple times—even now.

Although it came at a cost. The strikes had destroyed the barrier, depleting half of his energy in one go. He wasn't out of the woods yet, because the threat was just getting started.

"Now to bring this human to extinction," Borack said.

He raised the sword, perfectly positioning it between his gaze. Both his eyes illuminated a sea-blue glow, and the space around him distorted, making it hard for Amik to clearly see his face.

The space moved randomly in almost all directions, lacking stability and density.

Upon closer inspection, one could clearly see that the fluctuating space wasn't coming from Borack—in fact, it was emitting vigorously from the katana he held.

He was about to unleash hell upon Amik when suddenly, something obstructed his vision.

[Lunar Dash has timed out. Five minutes to cool down.]

'What? So soon?!' he said. 'Well Victor, you're on your own now.'

His body slowly reverted to its original form of pure weakness. Victor blinked a few times to stabilize his vision as he came back to his senses.

'Fuck... damn system. He hasn't killed the last one.'

The panicked Victor locked eyes with Amik, who was confused by the sudden change in the person before him. The eyes were no longer fierce and completely white, nor was his appearance the same.

He just looked like a human—no longer with that terrifying aura exuding from him.

"Hehe... Don't tell me," Amik coughed out blood, actually amazed.

The calculation of that attack before it was obstructed had almost crushed him with just the pressure. But now, it was completely gone.

"You've depleted your power, haven't you? Hahaha!"

'Damn, what should I do?' Victor thought, holding the saber across him in a defensive posture.

'System, what should I do?!'

[Both Bloodlines are in cooldown. I would suggest Draconic Overdrive, but it has two minutes remaining.]

'If I can possibly survive that long, that is…'

"Eat this, you bastard—Chaos Land!" Amik performed his move once more, conjuring multiple aura blades in the air.

The protagonist, seeing this, instinctively turned his back and ran in the opposite direction in a shameless manner.

"There's no place to run," Amik thought as blood dripped from the side of his mouth.

He had been drained of all his energy throughout this fight, and it was taking a toll on him. Right now, he couldn't feel his legs properly—they just felt numb.

He used his blades to balance himself while controlling the aura blades, though not without extreme pain and blood spilling from his mouth, ears, and nose.

His vision blurred by the minute, until it finally turned dark.

Thud!!

Victor, who had been running at top speed, suddenly slowed down and turned.

'The aura blades… where are they? The fuck… don't tell me I've been running like a fool with nothing following me? Haa…'

Well, it was then that he spotted the enemy who had intended to end him, now lying unmoving on the barren ground.

"Oh, there he is..."

He took about eight to four steps before reaching Amik and saw that he was still breathing.

"The bastard's not dead yet? Well, that can't be acceptable," Victor said with a blunt expression, before burying his blade directly into the skull.

There was not an ounce of hesitation, nor regret—but instead, relief.

He pulled out his blade, the end stained with blood. It was quite satisfying as it slid out.

But then, just as he was about to contemplate the next thing to do—most importantly, to find civilization, because it was quite lonely in this forest—

His eyes caught hold of an object in Amik's hand that gave off a light beeping sound. A surge of information flowed into him as he understood what that device was—from the memories of the past owner of the vessel.

"Fuck. A satellite beacon."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the sounds of engines from a certain ferocious vehicle came from the distance—surrounding him from all directions.

****