CHAPTER 32: FACE TO FACE WITH MY MORTAL ENEMY (2)

The scythe glimmers under the moonlight and the faint glow of the streetlamps, ready to swing at the neck of that arrogant bastard, when...

—CLANG!

Something slips between the blade and the man’s neck, blocking my strike.

A sword of white flames, yet solid—the weapon of a Monster Reaper.

That Monster Reaper.

The one from that night.

That masked bitch...

How the hell did she find me again?! And right when I was about to crush these insects!

There’s no other explanation—she’s been tailing me day and night, just waiting for a single misstep so she can kill me!

But this time won’t be like last time! I’m stronger now... I’ll be the one to kill her!

I raise my scythe again—this time aimed straight at the Monster Reaper...

—SBAM!

Shit!

That whore moves first, slamming a kick straight into my stomach and smashing me against the alley wall.

Damn it, I felt my bones crack, my organs twist—what kind of inhuman strength is that?!

I press a hand to my mouth, holding back a gush of blood.

One kick? Just one kick did this much damage?

Luckily, my regeneration does its filthy job, but the pain stays—oh, it stays.

I struggle to get back on my feet, while the three thugs run for their lives.

As if the cops weren’t enough—now even the Monster Reapers cover for that kind of trash.

What a shitty world...

Doesn’t matter.

First, I’ll take care of this bitch.

Then I’ll track those bastards down again—just follow the trail of blood from the hand I chopped off that idiot.

She caught me off guard once, but it won’t happen again!

I grip my scythe with both hands and lunge at her—blinding speed, the kind a normal human eye couldn’t even follow, especially in the dark.

And yet...

—CLANG!

Again.

That bitch blocks my strike like it’s nothing!

No, this is insane... this is insane!

Another swing of my massive scythe of metallic blood.

Another!

And another!

God, from the outside I must look desperate—and maybe I am... but she’s just defending.

Not even trying to counter.

Is she mocking me?

Or maybe she’s struggling more than I think... maybe I’m actually pushing her to the edge, not giving her the chance to fight back!

If that’s true... then I have to keep going! Harder, faster!

—SBAM!

A punch slams right into my face—I didn’t even see it coming!

Before I can react, a knee smashes into my stomach.

Instinct bends me forward, clutching my gut, and she follows with another knee—this time to my nose—hurling me across the asphalt.

My stomach twists, blood floods from my mouth, breathing burns like hell—and my nose... completely shattered.

No, it can’t end like this... it can’t!

I stretch my arm toward her and...

«Blood Word: Burst!»

A crimson energy beam bursts from my palm—shooting straight at her.

I still can’t control this spell properly. Back at John Hawkley’s mansion, it always dissolved before hitting the target—about ten meters out. But the Monster Reaper is less than five meters away—at this range, hitting her shouldn’t be a problem!

—SWING!

She... sliced it?!

An instant before the beam could hit her, she literally cut it apart with her flaming sword, dissolving it.

Damn, her strength is insane... but I expected that!

That’s why I charged her the moment I unleashed that spell—trying to catch her off guard.

My body’s still far from regenerating the damage I’ve taken, but I’ve got no choice if I want to kill her!

She just nullified my Blood Word—she’s open, her vision blurred by the faint explosion when she deflected my crimson beam!

I leap high—above her—scythe raised to the sky, ready to bring it down...

—SBAM!

S-Shit... she caught me off guard!

She launched herself upward at the same time, just an instant earlier—her rising uppercut smashing me right under the chin.

More blood bursts from my mouth.

My jaw... I feel it break apart from my skull, shattering into a thousand pieces!

I can’t... she’s... too strong...

Thrown upward by that brutal punch, I crash to the ground after a parabolic fall, smashing against the asphalt.

I can’t move... not a single muscle... my strength is gone... and my blood... maybe a few drops left, the rest soaking into the street under me.

My vision’s blurred, my regeneration... not even worth mentioning.

And yet... why hasn’t she killed me yet?

She could’ve done it at least three times during this fight—if you could even call it that—just by using her sword.

Instead, she’s been hitting me on purpose with her bare hands... is it just to make me suffer before finishing me off?

Oh... so this is what it feels like to be at someone’s mercy—someone who could kill you at any moment, but doesn’t, just to enjoy watching you spit blood.

She must be a real sadistic bitch if she takes pleasure in seeing me get back up, weaker and more broken each time, only to slam me down again even harder.

Yeah, it’s hypocritical coming from me, since that’s exactly what I planned to do to those three thugs earlier...

I guess I’ve learned my lesson: if there’s an afterlife, I’ll never torture anyone before killing them. I swear...

I don’t even bother trying anymore.

I just lie there—flat on my back, arms and legs spread out, like I’m sunbathing, staring up at the night sky.

Isabelle, Elaine... forgive me.

And you too, Brianne—sorry I won’t be there to watch your show tomorrow, but I’m sure you’ll look amazing anyway.

They say that when you’re on the verge of death, you relive all your happiest moments in an instant... but maybe I’m so wrecked I don’t even have the strength to think back to the good times with the woman I love.

Not even one last satisfaction before dying. What a joke...

The Monster Reaper steps toward me—looking down, her gaze full of hate and contempt even through the mask.

She raises her sword.

I close my eyes tight, bracing for the inevitable—for the moment I’ll feel the worst pain imaginable, and then... nothing, ever again.

One... two... three seconds...

Nothing.

My eyes snap open—but she’s gone.

I’m alone, lying in a pool of my own blood, in this narrow, dark alley on the outskirts of Long Island City.