Liam absolutely broke mentally seeing Elite Guard Rank 2, his blood ran cold. Hair like his, a deep, burning crimson that caught the light like fire. No T-shirt, showing his physical body, those markings on his skin...
He went through the same process as me, and that tattoo. There was no mistaking it.
His voice shuddered as death loomed in the atmosphere.
"He's like me. He's from the island."
No matter how far he traveled across the world, Liam simply could not escape his "family." He could not get away from his past.
Beside Elite Guard Rank 2 were his two lieutenants. They were holding huge bags, each full of weapons. So many weapons.
Liam believed they had entered this 800-meter radius without him even noticing, meaning all three of them had concealed their presence that well. Not just Elite Guard Rank 2, but his two lieutenants were top-tier fighters too.
Biting his lip, Liam faced the President's Elite Guard Rank 2, known as "Two," the Wielder of Two Thousand Blades.
In an instant, Liam closed the distance again. His kick came fast and hard, blocked just in time by Two's staff. But Liam jumped off his staff, flipping midair into another devastating kick.
The staff-like weapon blocked it once more, but the impact rattled Two's bones to the core. His feet cracked the ground below him, holding the weight. His expression shifted, grim realization dawning. Blocking this monster head-on wasn't an option.
Two sidestepped the next blow and thrust forward with his spear. Using his foresight, however, he aborted mid-strike, leaping backward just as Liam's hand swung through the air, shattering the spear like glass.
"His physical stats… are—"
"Yeah, they're inhuman. He's a monster. I've never seen anything like this," one of Two's lieutenants commented, shocked.
Two made a desperate attempt to retreat, but Liam's unnerving hand shot forward like a predator, aiming straight for his neck. "Get that the fuck away from me, wtf—" Two barely managed to dodge, leaving his guard wide open.
In a flash, Liam got LOW.
Sweeping him off his feet immediately, refusing to grapple with an opponent wielding blades. Liam's next blow was merciless. It was meant to end the fight.
Two tried to block it, but the sheer force shattered his weapon, the punch driving through the block and shattering his ribs into fragments.
Pain contorted his face, yet he didn't falter. Without missing a beat, a razor-sharp slice flashed across Liam's face, faster than he could see, cutting both eyes before Two drove the blade into his skull.
Reflexively, Liam put his hand to the side of his head, effectively blocking the lethal strike. However, the blade thrust through his palm into his skull rather easily, damaging his brain.
For the first time, Liam chose to pull back, blood leaking out of his eyes. He removed the blade from his skull. He realized the stakes of engaging Two up close.
Two backflipped gracefully, clutching his chest, his breaths ragged but somewhat controlled.
His lieutenants rushed forward, their concern evident as they offered their help.
"Fall back," Two calmly said, his lieutenants hesitating for only a heartbeat before obeying.
In one fluid motion, he reached into his pack of weapons, pulling free a chaotic arsenal. Fourteen weapons, glinting in the light.
Liam surged forward, but more carefully this time. He had no choice. He was a close-range fighter, he couldn't win unless he went in. He noted the life force Two carried, dozens of small to medium weapons strapped to his body, some even tucked into his clothes. He must be heavy. This was my chance.
Yet Two moved even faster than before.
Two whipped out a nunchaku-sword hybrid and swung it. Liam dodged narrowly.
Again.He swung even faster this time.
Liam dodged again.
But the third swing extended farther than expected, Two pinching the blade's tip between his fingers to increase reach. The strike slashed across Liam's neck, blood spraying as he stumbled back.
Frustrated, Liam backed off once again. Using his speed to his advantage, he retreated.
Without pause, Two slammed his staff into the ground, jumping on it and vaulting upward 38 feet into the air. Now midair, he released all his weapons into the air, stating,
"Moloch, speak to me."
The atmosphere shifted.
Two caught all 14 falling weapons in a blur of motion, kicking, spinning, and throwing them with impossible coordination. Each blade embedded into the ground in perfect rhythm. When he landed, every limb was armed.
The time he landed,the time he took to pick up all the weapons with his limbs,and the time he took to attack Liam
all happened in one motion.
Not even his lieutenants could see it.
Liam tried to react. But it was already over.
"Fire and Blood."
In a beautiful dance, Elite Guard Rank 2 completed his technique, slicing through Liam with effortless precision.
Liam staggered on his feet, bloodied and pierced by countless weapons, yet stubbornly upright. His breathing was ragged.
Then he felt it.
Or rather, the lack of feeling.
He held onto his shoulder.
Tightly.
If he let it go, his entire arm would have fallen off.
Elite Guard Rank 2 turned slowly, the fight was about to be over, a short blade clenched between his teeth. His confidence, however, quickly disappeared into the wind.
"One of the 10 Great Weapons."
Weapon Number 3: "The Voice of God was activated."
The moment his eyes caught the sight above, the pretense shattered.
His two lieutenants were gone, vanished into the sky as if swallowed by the very air.
His gaze moved upward, expecting sunlight.
But only found black.
The sun was eaten.
An endless void stretched beyond perception.
A distant sound filled the silence, like a helicopter hovering, but no.
It was a nightmare.
Hundreds of thousands of insects, their wings beating in perfect, unnatural unison, buzzing.
"Sin of Sloth.""Horseman of Pestilence.""Monarch of Madness."
A Dragon.
From the darkness, Siegfreed emerged, unshaken, smiling crazily while coughing up blood, slowly dying.
They raised a hand.
"You missed my heart."
"And now you must reap the benefits of your sin."
Siegfreed commanded the swarm with terrifying calm.
"Ancient Art… Secret Technique: Locust Death Swarm."