Return of the Mythic Bloodline

Chapter 523: Ume vs Alaric

The archer monster did not waste the chance of finishing off the target with an open back. In an unordinary speed, it moved its hand back as if taking something from the empty quiver before stretching the bow. An arrow of darkness with living flame like shadows materialised on the bowstring, pulsing with malevolent energy.

He shot five such arrows within a single second, all targeted at Subaru’s retreating back, their trajectories curving through the air like seeking serpents.

Before the arrows could reach their target, a wall of plum blossoms appeared between them, materializing from thin air. The arrows struck the wall at multiple points, spreading darkness outward across the petals, turning them black and withering them away. The blossoms crumbled into ash as the dark energy consumed them, but not a single arrow could pierce forward. It was a perfect defensive wall that crumbled after taking the five shots.

The monster pulled the bowstring again, its eyes never leaving Subaru’s retreating figure. However, before he could launch the arrow, a soft but firm voice entered his ears.

"You must be the Assassin King, Alaric from Vespera," Ume said, standing behind him on the roof. Her pink eyes were calm, her dress swaying gently in the night breeze.

Alaric did not let himself be caught by surprise. He slammed his hand on the ground, twisting his body in a fluid motion, launching a foot toward Ume’s neck with devastating speed. (Changing from it to him now that monster has a name)

"You must be the one that took down the Twilight Sword," Alaric said, the bones of his jaw visible as he spoke, his voice a dry rasp.

The kick that he launched was stopped by a shield of multiple petals appearing beside Ume, materializing in the blink of an eye. The pink petals began glowing the moment the foot struck, pulsing with stored energy. Before Alaric could react, the petals blasted with a huge explosion of pink fire, obliterating the entire roof of the building. The shockwave rippled outward, shattering nearby windows.

The impact sent his body flying outward, tumbling through the air. Amidst the flight, he took out a pair of daggers and stabbed them into the wall of a nearby building. The concrete was slashed for a few feet before his body slowly came to a halt, his momentum bleeding away. Sparks flew from the grinding metal.

His grey eyes lowered toward the leg that he had launched at Ume. Half of it was gone below the knee, only grey liquid dripping from the stump, falling to the far ground below.

Meanwhile, Ume gracefully landed on the ground, her body slowly descending like a falling leaf, her dress settling around her.

"You are mistaken. I did not kill the Death Knight," Ume said, her demeanor composed and calm, a serene smile forming on her lips. "It was my soon-to-be husband who took her down."

The word felt more beautiful than she had thought as she said them aloud, her eyes narrowing in delight. She could not wait to remove that annoying "soon-to-be" prefix from the title.

Meanwhile, Alaric’s grey eyes narrowed in annoyance and fury at her. How dare she appear so relaxed when she was facing the strongest of Vespera? Even the King of Vespera did not dare treat him so lowly.

The darkness around his body turned violent, flames of dark shadows dancing around him like living serpents. His leg, along with the destroyed cloth of his trouser, regenerated to its previous condition as if it had never been broken before, the grey flesh knitting together seamlessly.

"You lowly creature, who stands in the way of reviving my world," Alaric shouted, his knees bending on the wall of the building, crouching like a predator. From the pockets of his trouser, he took out two sharp daggers, their edges gleaming with a dark sheen. "I will cut you into a thousand pieces!"

With that, he launched downward, forcing the concrete of the building to crack and shift backward from the sheer impact as he descended upon Ume with a sudden burst of speed.

As he reached closer, a wall of petals appeared again between him and Ume. He knew better than to touch those strange, glowing petals. Amidst the descent, he twisted his body, changing his trajectory to the ground behind her, landing in a crouch.

"Your speed at materialising those petals has surprised me," Alaric said, a wicked grin appearing on the side of his face that still had skin, the exposed bone of his jaw gleaming. "But can it surpass my speed of attack?"

The darkness around him increased several folds as he bolted at Ume again, this time with a speed that was several times faster than before, leaving afterimages in his wake.

Still, at the last moment, he was again blocked by the petals. The sharp blade struck a few of them, but he had already retreated before the explosion from them could catch him.

"So even that is not enough. In that case..." He let out a loud scream, erupting a pillar of darkness from his body, crumbling the ground beneath them. The asphalt cracked and split, sending debris flying.

This time, his body moved like a blur, breaking the sound barrier behind him as he hurled at Ume. The shockwave followed in his wake, rattling the surrounding buildings.

The petals tried to form again, but his speed proved too fast. His dagger reached Ume’s throat, passing through the barrier in a fraction of a second.

A shallow mark was left on her throat before he retreated his hand, a thin line of red welling up. The petal walls only formed afterward, too late to stop the strike.

With the same blinding speed, he hurled at her from every direction, his body just a blur of motion. He struck from the front, the side, the back, each attack coming faster than the last.

Several shallow and deep slashes carved across Ume’s body from every direction, her red and black dress darkening with blood. The petals struggled to keep up, appearing a heartbeat too late each time.

"Hahahaha, die! Die! Die!" Alaric released frantic laughs, his face twisting into delight, the darkness dancing wildly across his body as Ume’s whole form was turned crimson from the injuries.