Black vs Adeysus

Black swung his body through the wind, searching for the source of the dark aura he'd been feeling.

It made sense that the foreign, menacing flow of mana would be responsible for the chaos, but since the explosion which sprang up a few minutes earlier, finding the source became a pain.

Mintugakye froze for a brief second, as though caught in a trance. A strange feeling ran through his body, as though his skin were being felt by an unseen presence, brushing its hand against his features.

Snapping himself out, he shook his head, surveying the remnants of what used to be the Poor Districts, now a plot of scorching land. Burning flames lit up every direction as the embers from the burning houses made their way to the sky, dark smoke covering the sun's light, one could mistake it for night.

"It hurts to see this so much..." A strong squeezing sensation struck his chest, his heart getting heavier within his body.

TAP... TAP... TAP...

The sound of light footsteps reverberated from the direction of the outskirts, the path blocked by flames, yet the silhouette of a dark figure, cloaked in the smoke, made its way towards him, taking its time as though going on a stroll.

A familiar presence swept through Mintugakye's body, mana he could never forget, that he'd grown fond of since little, that he'd been close to for years...

"Urane, is that you?" He called, squinting his eyes to get a better view.

"............"

His words were responded with an eerie silence, the person's figure still covered in smoke and ash.

Bright ambers clung to Black's features as he stood in wait for a response, his gaze locked onto the distance, furrowing his eyes intensely.

"Are you the strongest one?" A cracking voice spoke from behind Black.

WHOOSH!

"What is this? When did?" Black exclaimed.

Its speed was faster than the wind could react, an arrogant display of speed to intimidate him.

Black's attention lapsed for only a brief second, yet his opponent already stood behind him. He couldn't even get a glimpse; the difference in their speed was already painfully obvious.

Instinctively, Black leaped backwards, trying to gain distance. His feet scratched against piles of burning rubble as he slowed himself down, turning his head to catch a view of the enemy.

He wasn't fast enough; it had already vanished, the place where he thought it once stood already vacant, masking its presence in the vicinity.

"You're not very fast, are you?" The figure reappeared before him, boasting full confidence where it stood.

Its features were clearer than before, thanks to the flames' ambient nature. Somewhat dark, armor-like skin adorned its body from head to toe, long claws stretching from its fingers, and its face... had a somewhat hardened layer of skin, resembling a mask, only empty eye sockets etched on it.

"Just... what are you?" Mintugakye's hands trembled where he stood, eyes twitching in disbelief, teeth chattering as a cold air left his mouth when he spoke. "Are you human?"

"All these questions are so foolish," it replied, arrogance filling its tone. "Do I look human to you? I would never downgrade myself to such a level as being a feeble species known as humans."

Pointing its sharp claws at Black, "I've sensed you're the strongest weakling here, that's why I came to play a bit. Just make sure you're not boring, like that old human hag that challenged me earlier."

"Urane!" Black's mind flashed. "Is that the reason why I felt her presence earlier when it was actually you? Where is she?" His shriveled courage recuperated, gripping his trembling hands, his teeth clenched as he spoke.

"I'm done with answering all these foolish questions. I've treated you more than what you are; only those who challenge me are worthy of any attention," it replied in a menacing tone.

BOOM!

A large explosion of dense energy sparked from Mintugakye's body, visible mana of different colors ambientlyswirled around his body, making a path to the sky in a focused beam, clearing the dark smoke clouds hanging in the air.

"I'll ask again. Where the hell is she?" His voice cold as he spoke, malevolent intent filling his tone, with furrowed eyes locked on the creature's movements.

Mintugakye sidestepped, his movements tactical, keeping his eyes glued on the slightest change in the creature's position. Colorful mana still flowed out like steam.

Its body flickered like a flash of light, vanishing from where it stood once more. Before Black could react, the depiction of pointed nails briefed his eyes, light glistening on its edge, forcing him to tilt his head by instinct.

A sharp slash ran through the air like a whip. Black's mind still puzzled at what occurred, a stinging pain stretched across his cheeks, along with a dripping sensation making its way down his jaw. He'd already been cut, he didn't even notice.

The creature resurfaced a few steps behind him, sitting on the scorching ground with ease as a mocking gesture. "All you have? A little disappointing, I'm not gonna lie," its distorted voice teased.

Black brushed his thumb against his injured cheek, sealing the wound. His senses sharpened, his burdened mind cleared, and his focus heightened as the mana around him left his body. His figure became sturdy and composed, almost as if he became a different person.

Crouching his body to the side, Black surveyed his opponent before swiftly moving towards him, freeing his arms as he ran.

The creature, unbothered, remained where it sat, its actions boasting confidence.

Clenching his left palm into a fist, Black fired it with precision, carrying an immense force as he swung. The pressure entrapped flames, forcing them to swirl around it.

An explosive BANG! echoed as a result of the landing blow, the impact throwing everything that stood in its path like paper, except...

"Hmmm... impressive," the creature complimented, hot steam sizzling from its wrist, which blocked Mintugakye's attack. "My turn."

Within the blink of an eye, the air between it and Black curved and split, a strong propulsion shoving his abdomen until it sunk deep in his stomach, easily propelling him into the air. A sharp pain sunk in instantly, spreading throughout his body, red fluids seeping out of his mouth like an open tap.

CRASH!

His body dropped from its flight, slamming itself against the crisp floor, the resulting wave of the impact killing the burning flames around him.

"He's too fast; even if I can make up for our difference in strength, his speed is unreal," Black muttered, gritting his teeth, tightly gripping his abdomen, leaning on scorched concrete.

"What next? Is that it?" The creature paced towards him, sharpening its nails against burning concrete, splitting it in the process. "You're also very disappointing. This fight's become boring... I'll do you a favor and end this with one strike."

"We haven't even gone round 2," a deranged grin stretched on his face, the air around him intensified.

Slamming his fists against the ground, he pushed himself back on his feet, ignoring the pain, launching his body once again, giving it another attempt. His movements were quick as lightning, breaching their gap within seconds. Swinging his fists again, trying to land a hit.

The creature skillfully slid to the side with ease, watching Black pass by like a crawling tortoise, stretching its claws to strike.

SLASH!

"!?"

Its claws cut through the wind like fabric, a few inches from beheading Black, until he tripped at the last moment, only losing a few strands of hair from his head.

'He slipped on purpose? Such a desperate move.'

About to hit the ground, Black twisted his body whilst still suspended, his center of gravity lightened due to the fall. Folding his right palm into a fist, he propelled it upward in that instant, catching it off guard.

BANG!

IT HIT!

The sound of the successful blow was like a choir celebrating his trump. Though it was just a lucky hit, the boost to his morale was clear as day, shining a confident smile through his lips.

"Lucky hit," the creature spoke, tiny hints of rage in its voice, covering its face with its right palm. "But who do you think you are, laying your unholy hands on me!"

"........"

"My name is Adeysus, the Dark Knight of Heaven, a being far beyond your low-life understanding!" It boasted, still covering its face with its palm.

Black continued to observe in silence, 'He's arrogant, that's for sure. If I can get him angry enough, even with his unreal speed, I can create openings and land a finishing blow.'

A small CRACK! came from Adeysus' face. He removed his palm, showing a pattern of cracks stretching from the left side of his face. His expression was indiscernible, but the sense of rage oozed from him like a rotten stench.

Suddenly, a bright crimson red radiated brightly from it. The intense light nearly blinded its shape, changing as if modifying. Its once dark, armor-like skin turned crimson, leaving an empty hole in its face, changing the entire ambiance as well.

"Uh..." Black's senses tingled like bells, each instinct screaming, begging him to flee, but he put his foot down, refusing to turn his tail and run.

Steam oozed from Adeysus, his form almost the same, except for a color change. Nothing else was really impressive nor significant. Stretching his hand, a purple surge of energy gathered at his palm, distorting the air around it.

Adeysus fired, but Black was prepared. The surge, fast as a bullet, flew in a straight path. Its appearance, at first glance, deceptive, clearing everything in its trajectory as an intense orb of mana pulsed, disturbing the air with a large charging sound.

"Absolute."

Unlike Urane's spell, there was no explosion, nor was there any flames nor rubble left behind. Everything in the direction was simply gone.

Black only survived by a hair's breadth, his reaction speed coming in handy at the last second, but only for the first problem.

Out of the blue, various slash marks and wounds swept his body like a cold breeze.

He tripped over his own weight, nearly tumbling to the ground, yet managed to keep himself together barely. His arms, chest, legs, face, and clothes had all been torn, leaving marks like decorations.

Adeysus had already made his move this time, his movements faster and more focused than before. Intentionally missing his vital parts to keep him at the edge of life.

"I didn't even feel him move this time. Has he gotten faster?" Black concurred, but even then, determination filled his eyes, unwilling to give up just yet. "Even then, I'll keep on..."

"Black!!"

Hyosung screamed from the distance, maneuvering over the large pile of rubble. Luckily, most of the flames were put out by the clash between the two, leaving him with less to worry about.

After his entrance, Hyosung first used his eyes to access the situation. Black stood with blood-soaked, tattered clothes, large cut wounds spanning throughout his body. Right in front of him was a weird, demonic-looking figure. It didn't take him seconds to reach a conclusion.

"Well, sorry, it seems I'm interrupting something. I'll just be..."

FWOOOSH!

Adeysus' body flashed from its position, resurfacing before Hyosung, sharp claws already aimed at his skull, about to tear it like a bag of chips, while he stood frozen in place, only able to gaze at his upcoming death, similar to the feeling he got from White.

Hyosung's pupils enlarged, the claws reflecting in them like diamond mirrors.

BANG!

Black leaped in at a calculated moment, thrusting his fist into Adeysus' chest. Sparks birthed from the collision with its armored skin, propelling him several kilometers away in a second.

A sore, bulging sensation held his fingers. "His skin's gotten stronger. I actually fractured my fingers," he muttered, staring at his bruised fingers.

Redirecting his gaze towards Hyosung, he advised, "Run as quickly as possible. I don't think we can beat this guy al..."

"I'm 5 steps ahead!" He yelled, already gaining a massive distance.

'I don't think I can keep relying on luck in this fight. In the moment when Hyosung arrived, I was lucky to have gotten a glimpse of his speed, but two things were odd in that moment. The fact that, out of nowhere, I caught up to his speed means I'm either adapting, or... Hyosung's presence found a way to lapse his speed just enough for me to keep up, though my instincts played a bigger part. This being, Adeysus, is nothing to scuff about.'

"We'll have to retreat and get as much help as possible. This might be worse than what happened 10 years ago."

Adeysus rose from the pile of rocks which he was previously buried under,

gazing at them despite the distance stretching between them.

Dusting the specks on its skin, its distorted voice spoke in a cheerful tone, "I love a good game of chase."