482 Battle
"Arghh, damn, here we go again," Seth said in his mind, and then the next second, he gritted his teeth and as fast as possible he ripped out the top flesh on his chest. A small wave of blood burst out of Seth after his actions, but it only lasted for a second as Seth's body kicked into action, his now-uninterrupted flesh quickly knitting itself and building new blocks as it regrew. Not even waiting to be totally healed, Seth stood to his feet, his bloody appearance and red angry eyes a menacing sight that sent even Tera, who was on the winning side, moving a bit backward.
"What is your relationship with the guardians?" Seth said as he spat out a mouthful of blood, blinking his eyes, and lowering his stance.
"A few days after you left, I subdued and took control of them," Rose said as her figure gently landed on the ground. Rose's simple reply had Seth's eyebrows furrowed, considering that both he and Rose actually had similar plans for the guardians in mind, but there was something wrong.
"Great minds think alike. I was planning to do just the same thing after I beat some answers out of Tera, but there is just one problem. You've never concerned yourself with what happened with the rest of the world; Morrc City had always been all you cared about."
"Things change, people change. I have come to realize the foolishness of my actions and leniency, and so I'm correcting my mistake. Right now, the only mistake left to correct is you."
"Mistakes, changes; it's only been 5 months since we last saw. You can't have changed this much," Seth pointed out, but then all he got was a look from Alice that asked if he was just plain stupid or retarded.
"It's been a year and a month, and I don't know what backup you're stalling for, but I don't have time to wait for them. So, I'll just deal with you now and then them after," Rose said, and the next second, a red sword appeared in her hand, and with her eyes narrowed, she kicked off the ground and charged Seth.
The news from Rose about how long it had been since they last saw occupied all of Seth's mind immediately it was dropped, but unfortunately, it could not stay for long, as Seth had to also wave his hand and wield his red and black blade. Ignoring all the lingering pains in his body and zeroing in on Rose, Seth decided not to be passive and also charged forward.
As the two of them charged each other, they formed two very different contrasts, with Rose coming in like a ghost, her steps and movements silent, while Seth had his every step shattering the ground, his qi brimming within his skin and ready to burst out. In no time, there was a heavy clash of the two blades, and when both opponents took a step back, Seth was left with blood going down his lips and a sword cut along his right arm and a bit of his chest.
"At least I don't have to rip my skin out," Seth thought as he tensed his muscles and smashed his blade against Rose's. After their first clash, Rose had immediately recovered, and now she was going for an onslaught. From the left, from the high right, and from the middle, with every block, Seth found himself taking a step back, forced to continue retreating because of the power in Rose's strikes.
It wasn't just a matter of Rose's qi being stronger; it had to do with the fact that Rose was also physically far stronger than Seth. While Seth was putting all his strength into the fight and activating every muscle to withstand Rose's onslaught, Rose, the woman who was battling him, had only her right hand holding her sword while the rest of her body moved and contoured with grace, facing not a single obstruction.
With every clash that Seth and Rose had, Seth gritted his bloody teeth and tightened his lips in resistance, because though it seemed like all Rose was doing was forcing Seth to run about, the truth was that the woman was very patient and looking to break Seth; she wanted to capture him.
By the time Seth and Rose had battled for 3 minutes, Seth's arms and legs were aching, and his qi flow and control were thrown into chaos. From their countless clashes, Seth's eyes were already bloodshot, but he refused to do what he knew the woman wanted. Seeing her image prime and pristine, the next time Seth parried Rose's strike, he had his dantian churn out qi and then, without warning, had tendrils of darkness burst from the ground, rise to the air, and move to pierce Seth's fierce red-headed opponent.
With Rose's demonstration from when she destroyed his darkness with a simple move, Seth knew that engaging the woman in a battle that involved qi techniques was a very bad idea, but at the moment, he had no choice. Seth was in a bad condition both internally and outwardly; Rose's constant attack was giving him no time to plan or calm the restless energies in his body, so he could only go poking the bear.
Seth's attempt to seek reprieve worked, as when those black tendrils appeared and surrounded Rose, the woman stopped her attacks on Seth and instead focused on protecting herself. "Thank God, that worked," Seth, who was rapidly jumping backwards and away from Rose thought, and he aggressively circulated his qi throughout his body, seeking to readjust its flow and also give life to his numerous numb muscles.
Seth was still moving and quickly beginning to debate the possibility of a retreat when Rose's words, which sounded like her thinking out loud, reached his ears. "He's been bullying people with his darkness, it's only fair he gets a taste of his medicine."
Seth's brows furrowed, and his mind quickly opened up in anticipation of what Rose had for him, but unfortunately, his preparedness could not help him for the sudden red light that shined in the woman's position and then consumed him next. Seth had no idea how it had happened, and it was only some seconds later that he understood that the red light he was being bathed in was fire. Seth realized that he was standing deep in fire, and worse of all, both his hands and arms were being bound by it.
"I didn't even notice it," was Seth's last peaceful thought as all that his mind knew afterwards was pain. "Ahhhhhhhhh."
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