CHAPTER 44: YOUR HEAD IS ALL I NEED

The party was shocked to see their leader on the ground. They all pulled their weapons and were about to go into battle, wanting to take vengeance for their master, but he yelled,

"Stop! This is my fight. Get the fuck away!" he cursed. Rage filled him, there was no more thought, just a man with blood in his eyes.

He struggled back to his feet. His party member tried to help him up, and he knocked away the hand. He gripped his sword, igniting the flames again.

Blood dripped from his face like a countdown. Then he lunged forward. "Arghhhh!" he roared, thrusting the sword. Grey dodged to the side, yet didn’t keep his eyes on the blade—he kept it on the hand.

He had learned from his years of fighting that the body and the hands were where the actual attack happened. Every feint could be read if you watched the muscles closely and saw what direction they actually tensed toward and in what way they tensed up.

It was a technique an old fighter told him, and it stuck, and also kept him alive through the ages. The sword was simply an extension of his body.

The man became enraged by the fact that Grey was dodging his attacks with ease and decided to go all out, regardless of what would happen. He channeled his bloodline and mana, slashing with all his strength and releasing a flame arc.

It was unexpected and fast. Grey couldn’t dodge in time. He crossed his arms and took the attack head-on. He was thrown back; he managed to land on his feet, skidded back a few meters before coming to a stop.

He opened his burnt arms only to see the leader already in the air, thrusting at full speed. This time, his vampiric reactions kicked in. He dodged, it felt like his body knew exactly what to do in that moment.

The blade stabbed the ground, and he kicked it immediately, removing it from the leader’s arm. Then he kicked the leader in the stomach, sending him in the direction of the sword.

The leader got back up, his steps wobbly. He picked up the sword again, but rather than rush in again, he let out a loud cackle, gas blood mouth opened wide as he laughed.

"To think I would have to go this far to defeat an NPC, truly a sad moment for me. But I’ll make up for it. I’ll make sure you suffer!" he yelled. Suddenly, his chest glowed with a fiery light, and then the entire armor erupted in burning hot flames. The only place that wasn’t covered in flames was his head.

"Hahahaha! Let me see how you’ll touch me now," the leader said.

"You left your head open. That’s the only place I need," Grey said before lunging forward again.

"You cocky brat." The leader charged in as well, running at top speed. He attacked with a slash, leaving his side completely empty and free for attack. He believed that his flames got him covered.

Bam

His eyes opened wide in shock when Grey actually risked his unguarded hand to land a punch right in his side, forcefully denting the armor and hitting the man’s ribs.

Grey’s knuckles shattered and his hand burned when that happened, but he didn’t care. He gritted his teeth. Now that he had landed that punch, the man was still in shock, so he used the fist with the gauntlet, and without holding back, he struck.

His fist collided with the face, bone shattered in the process, and as the claws tasted blood, they gave him boosts of strength and speed.

He grabbed the man’s face and pulled him forward, then lifted his fist and sent it down like a hammer, slamming into the head of the leader, sending him to the ground with so much force he cracked the floor.

The fight was over. There was no going beyond this, even for a player. Zane watched with a proud look on his face.

He looked up and saw the fireball. He was about to block it when a dagger slashed through the fireball and dissipated it.

Zane stood there, his eyes glowing. He pointed his dagger at the group. "I told you that if you tried to attack, I’ll be the one to take you on."

"Get away from our leader!" the man with the staff yelled and started casting a spell, but before he could finish, Zane was already in front of him, eyes glowing like a devil, faces a few inches apart, and a dagger already swinging for his neck.

The man was frozen in fear. He could barely even breathe in that moment. More than anything, he wanted to get away, but he couldn’t.

Clang

The lady in revealing armor blocked the attack before it could reach the neck of the mage.

"I’ll not let you harm any more of my party," she said.

"Your party looked for this beating," Zane replied. He twisted his dagger and allowed her sword to slide to the side, got closer, and sent a kick into her guts, sending her flying.

Whoosh

An arrow flew past his ear, slicing his cheek and sticking into the wall.

"Your arrows are undetectable. That’s a nice skill," Zane said and turned. He lunged forward toward the man.

The ranger knocked up his bow again and fired another arrow. Its movements were fast and unpredictable, yet at the last moment, he did see the arrow and then threw his dagger.

The dagger lunged into the shoulder of the ranger. Pain shot through his body. He glanced at the blade in his shoulder and then looked back at Zane, only to be met with a knee to the face.

He smashed the nose and shattered many teeth, slamming the man through the wall and cracking the back of his head as well.

"Fireball!" the mage yelled, but Zane grabbed the ranger and used him as a shield. The flames slammed into his chest and left a very deep burn.

He tossed the ranger aside and locked eyes with the mage.