SWOOSH.
"I WILL GET YOU!" Nathaniel shouted.
He was behind Erik, consuming mana to hit him in the back. The flyssa wielder avoided his enemy's attack countless times. Nathaniel punched again, and a huge shock wave was hurled toward the awakener. The young man sensed the huge amount of the ethereal substance traveling toward him and jumped to the side just in time, narrowly avoiding the blast.
Erik knew he couldn't keep dodging Nathaniel's attacks forever. He needed to end this fight quickly before he ran out of energy and ended up dead.
He kept running, avoiding move after move. He went through the empty streets to distance himself from the thaids and isolate Nathaniel from his goons. Apparently, his tactic worked since the four remaining guys were left behind.
He didn't know what had happened to them, but they were probably dead since they weren't that strong. Once the young man got enough distance from the monsters, he suddenly turned around and confronted his opponent. His heart was pounding in his chest as he prepared to face Nathaniel. He knew his survival was at stake in this fight, and he was determined not to succumb.
As he turned, he unsheathed his sword, which glinted in the sunlight. Nathaniel stood at the other end of the street, his arms in fighting position and mana circling around them. The air crackled with tension as the two men squared off, neither attempting to make the first move.
Then Nathaniel shouted, "DIE!" He vomited all his rage and frustration into that shout. His hand moved lightning-fast to impale Erik with his trident, and then suddenly, he lunged forward, his weapon flashing through the air. Erik sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the powerful attack.
He countered with a quick swipe of his flyssa, but Nathaniel blocked it easily with his force shield. The two men circled each other warily, neither willing to commit too much in case they were wrong about their opponent's intentions.
The two men battled back and forth for what felt like hours, neither gaining the upper hand. Nathaniel punched at Erik countless times while the latter tried to cut him down with his sword. Nathaniel was strong—stronger than all the guys he battled until now.
Every time they clashed, Nathaniel's blows were dodged or blocked, and every single one of them was met with an equally powerful counterattack from Erik. It wasn't a contest as much as it was a stalemate. They both fought well enough that there would be no winner in this battle unless someone gave way first or one managed to land a hit. That was all that was needed to win the fight.
Nathaniel suddenly found himself with his back against a wall as he lost focus on Erik for just a moment since he was briefly distracted by some movement behind him. A sudden burst of pain erupted across his shoulder, where Erik had struck him before he could even turn around.
He hadn't been able to block the attack with his shield. Nathaniel's problem was that he couldn't get close to Erik due to his other power, the bone-related one, and he had to spend a lot of mana to increase his attack range.
However, Erik was beginning to tire, his arms feeling heavy and sluggish, as he didn't have enough time to rest after his previous fight. But he refused to give up, knowing Nathaniel was counting on him to falter.
The fight quickly resumed, and despite the injury, Nathaniel unleashed a flurry of attacks on his opponent. A too-wide movement was all that Erik needed; as he saw his chance, he struck, his flyssa slicing through the air. But Nathaniel was quick, dodging the blow and returning with a fierce counterattack, hitting Erik in the chest. However, the young man used his metallization and exoskeleton power to dissipate the damage.
Nathaniel observed his skin becoming metal and was surprised again.
"WHAT THE…?! ANOTHER ONE?!" He shouted. Nathaniel had already seen Erik's multiple powers before, but this was something entirely new and unexpected. He wondered what other changes the young man's body could undergo. However, the curiosity about how this guy could have so many powers was strong. He had never seen anyone with so many of them, and he knew he had to be careful, since he could have even more.
"What, do you have a problem with it?" Erik sarcastically asked.
"You damn monster!" his enemy shouted again. The tension between the two men was palpable as they glared at each other, fists clenched and weapons at hand.
The fight continued, with the two men locked in a deadly dance. They seemed evenly matched, each one anticipating the other's moves. But as the minutes ticked by, Erik's strain increased, and his mana depleted.
Nathaniel seemed to sense his weakness, and he pressed his advantage. Erik fought back as hard as he could but knew he was in trouble. His flyssa felt heavy and unwieldy in his hand, and he struggled to keep up with Nathaniel's lightning-fast punches.
The young man still had many tricks up his sleeve, but of course, it was clear he couldn't win against Nathaniel in terms of mana, so he kept avoiding using his powers as long as possible.
The young man concentrated on his physical prowess and increased his energy output. His attacks became more focused and precise. Nathaniel seemed surprised by the sudden change and faltered for a moment.
It was all Erik needed to accumulate another wound. With a fierce cry, he launched himself at Nathaniel, his flyssa flashing through the air. Nathaniel tried to block the blow, but he was too slow. The blade caught him on the shoulder, but Nathaniel blocked the move with his force shield just in time but was sent stumbling backward.
The fight wasn't over yet, though. Nathaniel regained his balance, his eyes flashing with rage. He attacked with renewed fury, determined to take Erik down once and for all.
The two men clashed again, their attacks echoing in the silent street. With a sudden burst of insight, Erik saw his chance. He feinted to the left, then spun around. He channeled mana again through his neural links and used Logan's power once again. The amount of mana he imbued into the dart was a lot, and he almost depleted his reserves.
He then threw the dart, which flew through the air and struck Nathaniel in the belly. The blow caught him off guard, and Nathaniel stumbled back, clutching his stomach, as he looked up at his opponent in shock. He was surprised again, as he had never expected his opponent to use such a sneaky tactic and to have another power. Nathaniel quickly regained his shock but was enraged.
pαпdα Й?νê1,сòМ "YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" He wasn't surprised anymore by the fact that Erik used another power.
"You are screwed now!" Erik said with a grin.
Nathaniel started feeling this foreign mana spread in his body, trying to ravage his insides; for this reason, Erik's opponent used a lot of his mana to fight against the poison, but it was not easy. The fight continued, but to contrast, the poison, the once member of the Red Palace, started to lose focus on the fight, and his attacks grew sloppy.
He started making mistakes and using his shield more often, severely decreasing the amount of mana he had available. Erik noticed Nathaniel's struggles and quickly realized that the poison was taking a toll on his opponent.
He also took advantage of Nathaniel's lack of focus to launch a series of blows at a fast pace. One of them hit Nathaniel in the chest, making him stumble backward. As he stumbled, he tripped over an uneven stone, falling onto his butt. Nathaniel groaned in pain as he struggled to get back on his feet, realizing that his opponent had gained the upper hand.
However, he was not stupid, and fighting was akin to second nature to him. As soon as he fell, he acrobatically moved and supercharged a kick, increasing the range of his attack by channeling more mana. He unleashed a powerful attack towards Erik's head, but the latter blocked with his arms, which he metalized. He also reinforced his bones to mitigate the damage and was able to sustain Nathaniel's attack, which was by no means weak.
As Nathaniel landed on the ground, he jumped up, pushing his legs forward to propel himself higher. He kicked the ground and got quickly on his feet. Then he followed up with a punch. Erik avoided the attack again, then countered with a kick of his own. It looked like a blur to anyone but Nathaniel, who was strong enough to see the move and avoid it.
He sidestepped again and delivered a brutal uppercut to Erik's stomach. Erik was still able to protect himself with his other powers, but this time the fist directly connected to his body, increasing the damage. This made it so that he started having some problems breathing. However, he couldn't let this stop him. Instead, he projected several bones out of his shoulders, and Nathaniel ended up having to avoid them again.
"Again, this shitty power!" Nathaniel said.
"I know, right?" Erik replied calmly. "It's frustrating, isn't it?"
Nathaniel's anger soared. "I swear I will kill you, Erik!"
They exchanged blows, and even if Erik was getting tired from using too much of his mana but could still maintain his superiority in terms of strength. However, at the same time, the poison kept affecting his opponent, and the fact that Nathaniel had to fight it and couldn't fully concentrate on the fight gave a considerable advantage to the awakener.
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