Liam was strong.
He had removed his upper clothing, exposing his muscular physique that put even Halo's build to shame.
He moved through intensely as though practicing shadowboxing routines, eyes narrowed in concentration as if he didn't want to miss a glimpse of Halo.
However, as a professional assassin, hand-to-hand combat was Halo's forte. He was outmatched in raw strength due to Liam's experience fighting Sinners, but to Halo, combat transcended mere strength.
His years of experience before death weren't something months could out class.
Still, Liam kept him on his toes, forcing a reaction out of him when he believed he had completely avoided an attack.
'He's good! Too good!'
He watched as the very anxiety within Liam vanished from his eyes, his strikes heading directly for his jaw and upper body.
His footwork was slick, he stayed agile on his tiptoes, and he swiftly and smoothly shifted between footwork to confuse Halo.
This would have worked if Halo didn't know anything about Liam's fighting style. He had willingly given Liam multiple openings, hoping he would use his legs to attack, but it seemed he was rigidly stuck with his principles. Liam fought like a principled boxer.
"Too bad, Liam…" Halo said with a cocky smirk and finally began taking the duel seriously.
Halo was a jack-of-all-trades. To become a renowned assassin, he'd made sure to master every fighting skill he could think of.
This made his hand-to-hand combat unpredictable because he fluidly shifted between whatever skills the moment demanded.
Some called it disrespectful, but none of them survived the disrespect.
He wore his confident smirk proudly as he launched powerful jabs at Liam, watching him block them with an agonizing expression.
Yet Halo knew Liam could be dangerous if he didn't capitalize on this opportunity. One clean strike could be the end of him.
Seizing the moment as his jab motioned toward Liam, he abruptly paused mid-strike and rotated his body, channeling all of his strength into a single strike.
His leg connected heavily with Liam's ribcage, and though Liam tried to defend, Halo's kick proved too devastating.
It sent Liam crashing into the ground.
Halo let out a sigh and watched as Liam rose to his feet.
"This is good, my friend. You are strong. Too strong."
Halo scoffed.
If this world were devoid of magic, then yes, he was strong. But with everyone having unique abilities, and his own being nothing unique enough to directly enhance his skills like Seraph's, Saint's, or Noah's did, his combat skills weren't all that impressive.
"I'm tired…"
The words left Liam lazily, with his movements growing sluggish and his body leaning slightly against the ground.
His bizarre posture bemused Halo, and his expression darkened. The moment he saw Liam's crows vanishing one after another, he understood what was happening.
He hurried toward Liam and caught him before he could fall.
Liam's ability to make crows and control them came at a price. It seemed overpowered in Halo's eyes, but whenever his crows moved, the energy was derived from his body instead.
And worse, he had a duel with Halo while controlling over five crows who scouted the areas for any signs of threats.
"You should have said something, you know?"
Halo said and watched tiredness overtake Liam, who had a smile etched across his face.
Halo sighed.
He adjusted Liam gently in his arms as he intended to leave the courtyard for Liam's room. However, before he could move, a voice echoed from behind.
"Halo, I'm going to Mirror Steppe to get us some food. I'll be careful, it shouldn't take long."
Halo turned to Seraph, who had a captivating smile for someone who was going shopping.
He gave her a firm nod, but before Seraph could leave, something crossed Halo's mind. Mill, the guardian of Mirror Steppe, once asked him to get food supplies from him whenever needed. He couldn't let Seraph go to anyone after such kindness.
Without a moment's hesitation, he told Seraph about Mill and told her how she could easily locate him. But her response made Halo flinch, something not even death was able to force out of him.
Seraph's smile widened, her eyes slightly squinted, and she gave a subtle movement that made her curvy body jiggle for a moment as she acted like an obedient child.
As he watched her walk away, he couldn't tell if he was annoyed or shocked. But he knew he was confused.
Her Flaw was deception, but that didn't mean she should be acting all that jiggly. What was wrong with this girl?
After a moment, Halo let go of his confusion. Liam's body was taking a toll on him, and he needed to put him to rest.
***
It'd been almost an hour since Seraphim left for Mirror Steppe, and Liam was also sleeping. But Halo spent most of the time exploring the castle, trying to figure out what made it so terrifying.
But there was nothing but the eerie feeling the atmosphere let off.
Now, he stood before the castle walls, right at the border of the Rascal Land.
Before him stretched a land seemingly ripped from a horror film. For a brief moment, despite the grim atmosphere it exuded, Halo could have sworn he saw the dark soil evaporate into smoke.
Perhaps his senses were fucking with him.
Yet still, before he could leave this castle and attend to his personal needs, like killing the Dark Saint and making her his clone, this land before him had to be destroyed. But how?
The system didn't give any specifics on how exactly this land could be destroyed, but it still was what he had to wait for. How long this was going to take was a mystery to him.
However, as he stood there, flickering his daggers between his fingers and his mind jumping between confusing thoughts, something terrifying caught his eye.
Some distance on Rascal land stood a white creature resembling a reindeer. Ten feet tall, with massive antlers nearly matching its height. Its limbs looked as sharp as blades, capable of shredding flesh with a single strike.
Halo scowled.
The sight of the Sinner moving through the snow, white fur gleaming as flakes beat against it, was captivating. But Halo wasn't buying it.
The Sinner was about to kill him.