Chapter 105: ONESHOT
Billie shot upward like a rocket, aether coating her entire body as she pushed into the sky, spear brimming with power as it tore toward the attacker’s head.
The attacker shifted to the left, letting the spear pass.
The air erupted from the force of the thrust, the shockwave pushing the attacker backward in a ferocious blast.
Billie fell to the floor, creating a crater in the ground from the impact.
She turned to look up at the attacker again.
The attacker smiled from above.
"At least I have aerial advantage," he said.
In the same instant, a new spear formed in his hand.
He looked down at Billie, eyes locked on eyes.
The air screamed, a violent whistle that made it groan.
Billie’s body jerked to the side, the spear passing by.
Before it could pass fully, her free hand shot out, catching the spear by the shaft.
The attacker blinked.
That was all it took.
The spear was already in his face, mere inches from his nose.
His body moved before his mind could follow.
His back bent backward, the spear passing over him as it carved a trail of blue in the air above.
He raised his head again.
Boom.
Billie’s fist connected with his head.
The air detonated.
A vacuum was created in that space.
The attacker’s body began to plummet, breaking the sound barrier as he tore downward.
Billie followed, her fist clenched tightly.
Mere inches from the floor, she punched.
The air in the attacker’s lungs was sucked out.
The floor cratered beneath him, cracks spreading from that point in massive chunks.
Billie backflipped, looking at the attacker with a cold ferocious gaze.
The attacker coughed out blood.
A smile was on his face as he stood up.
"More," he yelled with a smile.
Billie did not respond.
He did not need her to.
He blurred into motion, a thick layer of aether forming on his fist as he punched forward.
Billie caught the punch with her hand.
She skidded backward, her feet digging into the earth behind her.
Before she could adjust, the attacker punched again, this time with his other fist.
Billie reacted on instinct, catching the punch with her other hand.
The attacker looked at her.
His eyes had changed.
They were pulsing with a red color that made him look mad.
That was not the only change.
Veins bulged on his head.
It seemed like he was in the same condition as Billie.
Billie threw his hands back, leaping backward to create distance between them.
He did not give her the chance.
His body tore forward before Billie could land, his leg driving toward her ribs.
Billie twisted as she landed.
The kick passed her narrowly.
She attacked immediately, before the attacker could pull back.
She caught him by the leg and lifted him.
Before the attacker could free himself, his head was already in the ground.
Billie lifted him again, smashing his head against the floor.
His head bounced off the floor, sending a tremor that spread through the area.
Billie released the leg and jumped backward.
The attacker’s chest began to rise, heavy and erratic.
Billie looked at him for only a moment.
Her katana appeared in her hand and she lunged again, this time with the aim to kill.
Her katana drew a clean silver line through the air as it sliced downward toward the attacker’s neck.
Clang.
The air was split cleanly, sharp gales spreading through it as the attacker caught the attack with his wrist.
The aether coating the wrist flickered, then cracked as the blade hit it.
The attacker looked at Billie, then punched with his other hand.
Billie backflipped before the punch could reach.
For a moment, silence.
Then the attacker pressed his palms against the floor and pushed himself up.
Before Billie could register the movement, a punch was already flying for her head.
She ducked, letting the fist pass over her.
Her left hand drove up, straight at the attacker’s chin before he could withdraw.
The attack connected, sending his body flying into the air.
Billie swung her katana upward in the same breath.
The attacker twisted mid air, the katana grazing his clothes slightly.
Billie pulled back, slashing horizontally almost immediately.
Aether pulsed in the air, creating a large shield in front of the attacker.
The blade struck, meeting the shield like a drum.
A loud sound echoed through the sky.
But it could only hold for so long.
Like fragile glass, the barrier broke into splinters that dissolved into pure aether as they drifted downward.
The katana continued forward, its speed unhindered.
But its target was no longer there.
The attacker landed on the floor with a gentle thud that had not completed its sound when he tore forward again.
A slim dagger formed in his palm as he thrust forward, straight at Billie’s open jaw.
Billie’s body dipped, only enough for the dagger to pass.
Her katana slashed upward in the same breath.
A loud chime rang through the air as the katana struck the dagger.
The dagger slid across the surface of the katana toward Billie’s neck.
Billie swung her katana, pushing the dagger off course before it could complete its advance.
Billie drove her leg into his chest simultaneously.
The impact made the earth shudder.
The attacker’s body was sent flying into the building behind.
Billie did not wait.
She lunged forward, her body releasing a wave of aether as she moved.
Her katana pulsed with aether as she thrust at the attacker’s side.
He sidestepped, the katana piercing into the brick of the building.
The impact shattered the building as aether rippled outward from that point.
Billie’s face whipped sideways.
Her body moved on instinct, her back arcing until it was parallel to the ground.
The attacker’s leg lashed through the air above her body, detonating the air in a violent burst of aether.
Billie came up as the leg pulled back, her katana moving in a low arc toward the attacker’s ribs.
"Okay, this has gone on for too long," the voice drifted through the air, calm and cold as Billie’s katana stopped mid air.
"And this skill of yours is really good," the attacker added. "It was fun using it for a while."
A sound filled the air after.
The sound of metal breaking under force.
Billie’s palm felt lighter afterward.
She looked at the attacker, who had a smile on his face.
Before she could register anything, her body was already flying through the air.
Pain wrecked her entire body, blood gushing from her nose at the same time.
A flicker.
Before she could land, the attacker was already there, his fist smashing into her back.
Billie’s body was thrown into the sky, hovering in the air for a beat, before she began to plummet.
At a speed that seemed to break all sound barriers.
On the ground, just beneath where Billie’s body was headed, the attacker stood, his body bent, his hand swung backward as a spear of pure aether formed in his palm.
The air in his immediate area seemed to distort and tear from the power the spear emitted.
As Billie neared, he let it loose, sending the spear flying toward her back like a cannon.
The wind stirred violently.
Then blue mist spread into the wind.
Then the spear disappeared, broken by something that seemed more like a flicker than an actual thing.
Billie’s body suddenly flashed out of the sky.
"You want to kill her?" A voice said gently.
Almost too calm, as if the other person was not worth a second glance.
The attacker’s frame froze in pure fear as he looked at who had spoken.
Alfred turned back to look at the attacker.
Before the attacker could raise his defense, Alfred shot forward, his fist smashing into his head.
The attacker was sent flying through the air.
Before he could stop, Alfred was already there, his leg lashing upward as it sent the attacker’s body into the sky.
A spear of pure aether formed in Alfred’s palm and he threw it.
Within a breath, blood and gore began to rain over Alfred.
None of it touched him though.
It was isolated by a barrier of aether that formed around him.
He looked at Billie.
He knew she was going to stand up.
After all, she was using her dual face skill and this face was made for pain.
Sure enough, Billie jumped up.
But Alfred did not get the reaction he was expecting.
Billie did not even glance at him.
She burst forward toward the place she had heard the explosion earlier.
Alfred shook his head at his sister’s actions.
"Too nonchalant," he said with a sigh.
Then without hesitation, he followed, his body moving in flashes of blue that seemed to glitch in and out of reality.
"Silas."
The voice split through the atmosphere, echoing over and over.
Then black flames erupted, enveloping the entire sky in their energy.
Such was the sight that met Billie and Alfred.
