Chapter 691: ALIVE |
Garina was losing ground. Blows that she would have ignored completely before were now enough of a threat to force her to dodge. There wasn’t even a point to try blocking them. Noah’s pattern didn’t seem to care if it connected with her stomach or her arm. It stole power from her runes and rattled her body like a toy all the same.
She leapt back to avoid a kick, only to find Noah’s fist streaking through the air toward her with a shrill whistle. Garina dropped to the ground, vaulting under the strike and springing to her feet a fair distance away from Noah.
A droplet of sweat rolled down the side of her face. Calling on her Runes would have changed the flow of the fight in an instant. Even limiting them to the powers of a Rank 6 would have been enough to wrap things up.
But the first time someone achieved a full merge was often one of the most important. Achieving such a state of consciousness was incredibly difficult. It would not last forever. The more time Noah spent within it, the more understanding would imprint itself into his mind.
I pushed him to this point. I took on the role of a teacher. That means it’s my job to see this through. Bringing out my runes would just ruin the potential he’s unlocking. Noah is just a Rank 5. I refuse to believe I am actually struggling against someone of his rank, no matter how powerful his soul is.
Garina shifted to the side to avoid another strike. Despite her thoughts, she was not about to let Noah hit her again. She could give herself all the reassurances she wanted to. Nothing changed the fact that, right now, Noah’s blows could actually hurt her.
She, a Rank 7, had no choice but to dodge. If she didn’t, there was actually a chance that Noah could push her so far that she’d be forced to use her runes to defend herself. The shame from that would have been overwhelming.
It didn’t matter if she was the only one to remember it. Garina still remembered little of the actual fight against the monster that had killed her family. Her first full merge of consciousness was a blend of fury and grief so sharp that she could still feel it today. The day surrounding it was as sharp as a glistening blade — but the actual events of her merge was smudged and lost.
To achieve a perfect merge required the mind to be shattered. It was the most resistant of the three components that made a living being up. The most set in its ways. Undoing that enough to reach the point where it could accept body and soul to be one was not a task that could happen without some damage.
And that was why it was absolutely vital that Garina let Noah continue fighting until he had absolutely nothing left to give. Every single second mattered. The longer he was fully merged, the easier it would be for him to find his way back to this state.
He’s basically nothing more than a mindless animal now, running entirely on instinct. The only saving grace is he doesn’t know how to throw a punch for shit. Nobody ever trained him in real combat skills. He’s like a crazed wild animal, but—
Garina lurched back to dodge a kick. Chaos energy crackled around Noah’s leg and it repositioned itself into her side. The breath exploded from her lungs as a vibration tore through Garina’s body and chewed into her magical reserves.
She hit the ground in a roll, snarling as she shot back to her feet. There was no way she’d have been able to keep a fight like this going without being completely humiliated if he’d actually been trained in real combat skills… but a crazed wild animal with enough strength was dangerous in its own rights.
That was doubly so when said wild animal was calling on chaos. How Noah had managed to form a rune that contained traces of one of the fundamental forces in the universe was completely beyond her.
She really didn’t have time to worry much about it at the moment. Noah showed no signs of relenting. He somehow still had energy to fight. If she let her guard down for a moment, he would be upon her — and if that happened, she’d have to use her runes to keep the crazed man from ripping her to shreds. She barely even dared think about just how powerful he would become if he reached Rank 7.
Garina leaned back, narrowly avoiding a kick that sailed through the air where her chin had been moments before. Crackles of chaos energy trailed in the wake of Noah’s foot, joined by the thunderous orchestra that accompanied his pattern.
Sweat prickled against her back. That blow had nearly caught her. The urge to draw on her runes and start empowering her movements was starting to grow stronger, but she crushed it down. Something between pride and professional manners kept her from doing it.
Garina had kicked this snowball down the mountain. She was going to see it through until it hit the bottom, no matter how big the avalanche it caused on its way down was.
Just a little more. How powerful could his soul possibly be? There’s no way he’ll be able to hold on for much longer.
***
Revin was losing.
And, more than almost anything else in the world, Revin hated losing.
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His muscles tightened. Determination drove through his mind like a spike. Resolve burned within his heart like a molten furnace. Revin would not be defeated. He was Revin the God Eater, 8th of the Apostles. There were a dozen other titles that had been attributed to his name.
There had been a great many opponents that dared stand in his path before. He had slaughtered every single one of them. Revin had never faced an enemy that had vexed him nearly as much as —
Ah.
The knot Revin had been struggling to get open finally gave in and slithered apart, granting him access to the beef jerky that he’d stored in his favorite travel bag. He’d been tying the bag tighter ever since he’d returned to Arbitage.
Leaving it open anywhere within Lee’s presence was liable to draw the little monster over. She was far too perceptive. Measures had to be taken to ensure she couldn’t liberate him of his meals when he wasn’t watching. As unlikely as it was for anyone to catch him off guard, only a fool would underestimate Lee’s determination to weasel her way into food.
Revin stuck a hand into the bag and pulled out a handful of dried meat. He tossed it into his mouth and chewed happily.
Much better.
A gentle breeze coiled through the night sky to brush through his hair like the hand of a lover. Grass swayed at his feet to tickle his legs and he sat upon a particularly smooth and comfortable rock.
Revin smiled.
There were few things in life that could top this.
He tossed another handful of jerky into his mouth.
A loud crack echoed through the grassy field.
Blood splattered across the ground.
“Ouch,” Revin said through his mouthful of food, leaning forward with a delighted grin. “That looked like it hurt.”
Garina staggered back, clutching the side of her face. Blood dripped from her nose. Her lower lip was swollen and she was breathing heavily, the effort from the fight finally starting to get to her.
Noah didn’t relent. He came at the Apostle again and again. No matter how much Garina dodged, he would always be there a few moments later. He wasn’t faster than Garina. He wasn’t more talented than Garina. He certainly wasn’t stronger than Garina.
But he was a hell of a lot more persistent.
Revin snickered to himself as he shoved another handful of jerky into his mouth. He couldn’ t even take his eyes off the fight. It had been so long since he’d last seen anyone give Garina a real challenge.
“See, that’s the problem with Rank 7s,” Revin said, shaking his head in disapproval. “Gotta keep in touch with your roots. Getting manhandled like this by a Rank 5… come on, Garina. That’s embarrassing. It’s a good thing nobody’s here to see it.”
And the other Apostles wonder why I occasionally limit my Rank and wander around the lesser areas. Idiots. Nothing reminds you what to focus on like the thrill of getting the shit kicked out of you by someone far weaker than you are.
Runes are great, but there’s more to fighting than pure magic. There is technique. Endurance. Sufficient nutrition. A thousand more things, and many of them get overshadowed by smacking your opponent around with sheer firepower. Those who don’t stay in touch with their roots will forget them… and forgotten roots will rot.
Garina spun out of the way of another attack. She brought her foot up in a blur, sending it cracking into Noah’s side with enough force to send him rolling across the ground.
Revin located more jerky from the bag into its proper position in his mouth.
Oooh, nice one. Honestly, I never thought Garina would be a good teacher. Didn’t think she had it in her. But she’s been getting the shit beat out of her for nearly ten minutes now. That’s some dedication.
And I have to give some credit to Noah. He’s a little monster. Garina is no slouch, even without her runes. The fact he’s managed to push her this far is incredible. I’m glad I didn’t decide to try to train him myself. That would have been such a pain in the ass… and there aren’t things lamer than getting tossed around by someone two ranks lower than you, no matter what the circumstances are.
Noah shoved himself back to his feet and charged Garina once more. She jumped away, dodging several of his blows before sending a kick of her own back at Noah. Her shin slammed into his neck and clothlined the poor bastard. There was a loud crack as his neck snapped.
He crumpled to the ground.
Revin blinked. Garina had killed him. The flicker of surprise passing through her own eyes told Revin that it hadn’t been intentional.
I’ll be. That was instinct. Noah actually managed to push her so far that her body reacted before she could stop it. He’s really something else. I wish the other Apostles could see this. The looks on their faces would be incredible.
Black smoke poured out of Noah’s gourd. It twisted into the shape of a man and formed into his body within a few short seconds. Garina stared at it, panting for air, her shoulders finally starting to relax now that the fight was —
Noah shot to his feet, charging Garina without so much as a second of hesitation. Revin drew in a sharp breath. Even though he sat hundreds of feet away from the two of them, there were few things that could escape his gaze.
Noah’s eyes still raged like a storming sea.
Death hadn’t severed the connection between the three parts of himself. He was still fully merged.
Garina only had a moment to realize the same before Noah’s fist slammed into her cheek. Chaos energy roared down his arm. Streaks of angry red lightning tore out from the point of impact, and all the magic that Noah had yanked out of Garina’s body suddenly ignited.
There was a deafening boom. Garina skidded back, coils of magic arcing around her face and coursing down her body. Her hand shot up to her face as her eyes widened in disbelief.
Revin started to laugh.
Now that was pretty damn cool. I knew I liked him for a reason.
“You’ve really got your hands full with this one, Garina,” Revin said. He shoveled another handful of jerky into his mouth and chewed eagerly, unwilling to tear his gaze away from the fight for even a moment. “I’m glad someone else took the lock off the rabid animal’s cage. It needed to be done — but I’d hate to be the one doing it. I wonder how much of this he’ll remember. Even the Prophet might be jealous at this rate.”
Noah lowered his hands. Revin’s head tilted to the side.
Did he finally run out of energy after that stunt? I wouldn’t be surprised. What a show. I wonder—
“Could you maybe try a bit harder?” Noah asked Garina, his eyes still crackling with power. “I’m trying to test something.”
Revin’s grip on his bag of jerky loosened. It slipped from his fingers to fall at his feet, spilling meat across the ground. Revin barely even noticed. All he could do was stare, lips parted in disbelief.
Has that crazy bastard been awake this entire time?
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