A New Group Approaches

The monsters were back on their feet now.

Seeing them rise from the dead, I couldn’t help but be both terrified and impressed.

Standing on a roof ‌across the street, the moon shone onto King, casting his long shadow over us.

He had just one word for us.

“Die!”

The monsters flew and ran, shrieking and roaring at the top of their lungs.

Holding onto Ophelia’s hand, we ran towards a wooden building opposite from where King stood.

“Arnold! August! Buy us time! Mia, Cici, help us, please!”

Mia and Cici turned to us, looking confused.

“Just do what the boy says!” Bertram yelled at them.

The girls didn’t question any further. They ran in our direction.

But once we made it to the front of the building, I sensed a figure emitting mana coming straight towards me and Ophelia.

I pulled Ophelia behind me and raised my dagger.

“Ack!”

The dagger’s blade slid along dark knuckles, causing a shadowy fist to head straight for my face.

I swung my head back.

The punch missed.

Thank goodness.

I swung my head back and saw my shadowy attacker.

It was the shadow humanoid from earlier.

King cackled. Was he the sort of guy who always laughed at anything he found remotely funny?

“Did you really think I would let you and your mage get away? Well, think again! I know what you’re up to, and I won’t let it happen!”

The shadow creature continued throwing hooks and punches that I wasn’t prepared for.

I raised my dagger to block and pretty much twisted my body from side to side as if I was some sort of professional dancer to try and dodge this thing’s attacks.

Though I couldn’t do it for long.

The shadow creature got me good with a kick on the side of my noggin.

Luckily, the shadow creature wasn’t discreet at all. I raised my arm to block the blow, but man did it hurt.

I stumbled to my left.

“Tai!” Mia and Ophelia yelled.

Ophelia swung her staff. She didn’t use magic. Though that made sense. If she was going to break this magic circle, she needed all the mana she could gather. Wasting it on a single fight would only be detrimental.

Ophelia’s swing was clumsy and sluggish. The shadow creature dodged it with ease.

Then it swung at Ophelia with incredible speed.

Ophelia barely managed to block it with her staff, but still, she fell to the ground.

“Ophelia!” Mia yelled.

Damn it! I gotta do something!

I regained my balance and slashed at the shadow creature’s side.

But the only thing my blade connected with was the air between us.

The shadow creature jumped away, and while it was in mid-air—the thing kicked me right in the face.

“Urmph!”

I fell to the floor.

From the ground, I saw the shadow creature sidestep one of Cici’s arrows before dashing out of sight the moment I blinked.

It charged at Mia and Cici with nimble footwork.

Kicking, dodging, and then throwing a few punches—the shadow creature moved with fluid motions. It was as if its body were a leaf floating through the air.

Though the same couldn’t be said for its attacks. They were harsh and fast.

Cici jumped back and ducked from the shadow creature’s high kick, but she wasn’t prepared for what the shadow creature did next.

Using the momentum of its high kick, the shadow creature swung down onto Cici’s head with a devastating axe kick!

“Ack!”

Cici collapsed face first onto the stone.

I looked on in fear.

We needed to get rid of this shadow creature.

And fast.

It swung at Mia with its fast punches and fluid footwork, but it was difficult for any of the shadow creature’s attacks to land.

Mia dodged each and every one. Whether it was by ducking, dashing, or sidestepping—not one move hit her.

She could keep up with the shadow creature’s speed!

But the thing wasn’t ever going to give Mia a chance to attack.

It continued throwing punches and kicks. Would the shadow creature ever grow tired? It seemed as if its goal was to keep going until Mia was exhausted so it could land a soul-crushing blow.

And if that was the case, then I had to help.

Getting up and keeping my body low to the ground, I held onto my dagger and moved towards the shadow creature. Mia glossed over me before turning her focus back on dodging.

She seemed to know what I was up to.

I waited for the perfect moment.

Once the shadow creature went for a roundhouse kick—I made my move.

I dashed towards the creature from behind and slashed at what should have been his back.

Instead, I slashed at nothing.

The shadow creature swung its leg around for a wheel kick straight to my noggin.

I ducked.

Grasping both hands on my dagger, from my crouched position I leaped towards the shadow creature—thrusting at it.

The shadow creature jumped away.

Right into Mia’s slash.

It moved its body mid-air, but she got its left arm.

“Nice one, Mia!”

We got it on the ropes!

I rushed towards the creature. Mia did the same. We couldn’t give it the luxury of regaining its composure.

Lunging at the shadow creatures, we swiped and stabbed at it. Even though our attacks didn’t connect, the shadow creature struggled to counterattack.

The shadow creature swung with its feet once it dodged my attack, trying to perform a wheel kick out of desperation.

But I was able to block it and continue pushing forward.

Mia and I kept rushing the shadow creature. By this point, Cici had recovered from her attack and joined the fight as well.

She glared at the shadow creature and showed her clenched teeth.

“You’re gonna pay for what you just did!” she yelled.

With her bow, Cici swung at the shadow creature.

And her attack landed!

“Nice!” I yelled.

We’ll win this!

But then I heard a raspy voice.

“Not so fast. Nightsmoke.”

All of a sudden, I sensed mana from my left.

The thick dark smoke from earlier clouded my vision.

It was dark. So very dark.

Damn it!

I didn’t think this through enough. I couldn’t have. It was all in the heat of the moment.

I knew that King would be after us, but how were we going to deal with him?

Come on, Tai. Clear your thoughts. I need to take this one step at a time.

I felt a presence rush past me.

It had to be King! But he should’ve taken me out. Surely he could see me.

Unless…oh, no.

The realization hit.

“Ophelia! Run away!”

I ran in the direction that King ran.

“Too late!” he cackled.

Ophelia squealed.

“No!” I yelled.

I ran and ran, despite not knowing where my surroundings were.

But it didn’t matter.

I continued running anyway until I ran face first into a bandaged fist.

“Umph!”

I keeled to the stone-cold floor.

“Kakakakakaka!”

King laughed as Nightsmoke faded.

Raising my head, I saw him place his dirty foot on Ophelia’s head.

Seeing her tears and the fear in her eyes as she stared at me—pleading for help with just her body language alone—I couldn’t contain my anger.

With a grunt, I chucked my dagger at King. Die with it. Please!

But of course, that wasn’t the case.

It flew right through King.

He cackled.

Even Cici’s arrow went through him.

He glared at us all, then down at Ophelia’s terrified and tearful face. He smiled. It must’ve brought pleasure to the sick bastard.

I jumped towards King, but he had already raised his foot.

Even if I tackled him, it would be too late.

And with a wicked, malevolent grin, King cackled once more.

“I win.”

He drove his foot down, but it didn’t stomp on poor Ophelia.

In fact, King’s foot didn’t reach the ground.

Because an arrow flew straight to the center of King’s forehead, knocking him back.

“What?!” he yelled.

I pulled Ophelia away and brought her to her feet.

“Are you okay?!” I asked.

I couldn’t contain the tears. I thought we were gonna lose her.

Ophelia nodded, wiping a tear from her eye.

“I-I’m fine. Thank you.”

We ran towards Mia and Cici for cover.

“Thank you, Cici!” I yelled with tearful enthusiasm. “That shot was amazing!”

Cici shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but that wasn’t me.”

“Huh?”

I looked at Cici’s quiver.

There were no arrows.

“Wait a minute,” I said. “If you didn’t shoot King, then…”

Who did? That was what I was going to say when someone behind us screamed King’s name.

It was like a roar that was filled with bloodlust and animosity.

The four of us turned to the source of the voice.

Standing front and center was a large man with an injured arm and a sword in his good hand. The way he was hunched forward showed the brutal battle he previously must’ve been in.

A stripe of blood went down the side of his face as the injured man glared at King.

Standing behind him was a man in armor and a young archer boy around my age.

Wheezing and with labored breaths, the injured man’s body rose with anger.

“King!” he screamed. “I’ll kill you!”