*RUMBLE*
Tremors passed through the cave as Wilhelm passed through the path made by Yami by ramming into the walls of the cave that would not collapse otherwise, since it was powered by magic.
*BOOM*
Soon, these tremors evolved into faint sounds of collision that echoed through the passage. These sounds were mixed with the sound of wind rushing past him. Sending a faint pulse of mana, Wilhelm felt it come back after hitting other sources of mana.
'It seems that battle has begun. Luck and Magna's mana signature seem to be evolving as well. And I could use that too…possibly, the best use of Beast Magic that I can think of.'
Wilhelm thought with repressed excitement in his heart, even though he was about to face Rhya himself, who would definitely be on guard against him this time, seeing that he had fooled himself and killed two of his friends. In his mind, he thought of Rhya as a worthy opponent who would be the perfect person to use it upon.
It took him a few more seconds until he finally arrived at the site of the battle.
*TING TUNG*
*WOOSH*
*THRRP*
With a series of sounds, Wilhelm was greeted by the sight in front of him. The ground in front of him was in upheaval, with chunks of rocks on it, broken in all places.
In the distance, he could see Noelle, along with a person wearing a Dolphin mask that Gifso had sent as their opponent before everything went haywire. Beneath their feet were the figures of Luck and Magna, and from what he could observe, both of them were being healed by the Dolphin.
"Captain Yami!!! How do I hit him?! I cannot even see him!!!" Asta shouted, taking Wilhelm's attention out from observing the surroundings.
'Oh, Asta was here too. Seriously, he is not easy to sense with mana sense. He has no magic. Unless I look really hard in an area, he blends with the surroundings. When he appears, he appears as a small magic black spot.'
Wilhelm shook his head while Captain Yami, who appeared to be a blur at this point, said with his voice coming from seemingly everywhere, "There is a thing called *CLANG* Ki that I told you about before."
*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*
"BUT HOW DO I SENSE HIM WITH KI?! HIS FIGHTING STYLE CHANGES WITH MAGIC HE USES!!!" Asta questioned.
*BOOM*
*CLANG*
"Ki. *CLANG*
The gesture that everyone makes subconsciously. Don't look at what he does with a specific *CLANG* Magic. Look at what he does in general."
*CLANG* *CLANG*
"I would like it if your focus were on me instead," Rhya said in a bored tone, though his sword strikes were alert.
"Shut up, overworked salaryman! *CLANG*
Listen here, kid. Notice your opponent's movements. Focus on them. Feel them. And then…*CLANG**CLANG**CLANG* HUP!!!"
*BOOM*
He broke mid-speech as he kicked Rhya in his abdomen, which made his back collide with the wall of the cave, and made spittle leave his mouth.
'Now is my chance.'
Wilhelm spoke internally as he aimed his rifle at the momentarily still figure of Rhya and…
*THUNG*
…pulled the trigger.
Instantly, the bullet shot at Rhya at incredible speed. But Rhya was not a normal human. He was a person who was enhanced by magic. He was a person whose purpose of existence was revenge. He was not a human. He was an elf.
He felt something, something familiar approaching him at breakneck speed.
Death.
'MOVE!'
These words screamed into his mind as his body moved before his mind could even process anything. Just as the bullet was about to hit him, he rolled to the side, and the bullet hit where his head would have been and disappeared into smoke.
'Huh, Mr. Creepy arrived.'
"So you are here, huh?"
Yami thought while Rhya spoke, both of them not being able to see Wilhelm, but their gut screaming to them the identity of the person.
"…" But no sound replied to Rhya's question.
"Shy one, it seems." Rhya said dismissively as he stood up and stretched his back.
"Mrrp, but does not matter. We have a score to settle, you see."
He cracked his fingers, and his tone changed from lackadaisical to more intense bit by bit.
"You know, you killed my friends and all."
"…"
"Well, we were about to kill you, so I can see where you are coming from…"
"…"
"…but that does not mean that I will let you go scot-free and all, you see. Revenge and stuff-"
*THUNG*
Another bullet that shot at him, which Rhya parried with his sword.
"Got the message. Loud and clear." Rhya said with a release of a sigh, and then…
*WHOOSH*
…he blitzed at the spot where the bullet came from and started to move his sword at breakneck speed, but all of it slashed through thin air.
After a while of slashing, he stopped and then turned to look at the place where Yami and Asta were standing. He spoke out loud.
"Well, that was expected. If I had hit you that easily, this would have put me more on guard. Also, seeing as how your Captain did not move to attack me, I guess that you have explained your plan to him."
"…"
"Thanks for answering." Rhya muttered with a shake of his head, and he leaned forward a bit and then disappeared from his spot.
*CLANG*
With a distinct sound of metal clashing, he appeared right in front of Yami, who met his blade with his own.
"Not so fast, you will receive your salary at the end of the month."
*THUK*
Saying that, Yami kicked back, and Rhya used the momentum from the kick to turn and balance himself in mid-air. Just as he was about to land on the ground opposite to Yami, Yami rushed at him with his blade coated in Dark Magic.
In mid-air, Rhya brought out his hand holding a sword that too became covered in Dark Magic, and was about to meet it to negate Yami's attack when he felt something.
From his feet.
"WAIT!! HE DID NOT!!!" Rhya could not help but speak wide-eyed as he felt countless needles pierce through his feet and travel up his legs through his bones.
'He filled the ground with spikes made from diamond-like material and hid them with an illusion that got into my skin before I could even register the pain, and had his Captain rush at me.
If I attack him, these spikes will pierce through my heart and brain, but if I don't, Yami will heck me.'
With begrudging respect for his enemy, Rhya decided to do neither.
*KRRRP*
Instead, fire covered his body, and with as much strength as he could muster in his legs at this awkward angle, he moved aside.
*THWCK*
*DRIP DRIP*
This action, while freeing him, also caused those thin spikes made from diamond to rip out of his legs, damaging them in the process, but here is where the fire comes in.
Not even a second had passed since he moved, and all of the injuries were healed. Before he could land, the space behind him became volatile.
*WHOOSH*
He could once again feel it in his guts that something was wrong, turned around, and placed his sword in front of him to parry the attack that was about to land on him, like he had been doing for a few minutes since the start of the battle.
But this time, something strange had happened.
His blade, coated with Dark Magic, did not parry the attack. The sword of the shimmering figure, who turned out to be Yami, cut through his attack as if it were nothing.
Cut through his magic as if it were nothing.
'Just like anti-magic…cuts through magic…
He did not!!!'
The realization set in.
The one in front of him is not Yami.
IT IS ASTA!!!
'Oh no! His sword is too close to dodge.'
To gain distance, he subconsciously took a step back, but once again felt Yami behind him. The real one.
'I cannot use Spatial Magic. It takes time, and Flame Recovery Magic will become useless in front of Anti-Magic. What do I do?'
Rhya's brain went into overdrive, and he devised a solution.
'UP!'
*THUNK*
But this one sound was enough to take his hopes away.
At his forehead, a bullet was shot that would still give him fatal damage, and a golden opportunity for Asta and Yami to finish him off.
'WHAT TO DO!! NOTHING WORKS!!!
Wait! Light Magic!! How did I not think of it?! Am I becoming stupid as I fight?!'
Rhya chastised himself internally as he was covered by emotes of light and…
…disappeared.
"Haaah…Haaah…Haaah…That was…haaah…close." Rhya muttered with a mouthful of air as he hid behind the wall of the cave that had yet to collapse when…
"Where-"
…he saw that he, in fact, was not hiding behind any wall. He was, in fact, straight in line for a Dark Slash emanating from Captain Yami's sword.
"FUUUU!!!"
Making an unintelligible sound, he disappeared from his position and ran with the speed of light behind the one who was definitely Yami, since he had launched Dark Slash.
'Need to take him out. After that Wilhelm guy, he is the most dangerous.' With firm eyes, he moved his sword, this time made of light, and slashed through Yami's neck, who felt the attack, but due to the high speed of the attack, could only lean forward, making the sword leave a deep gash on the back of his neck instead of decapitating it.
'Got you!'
Or so he thought.
*THWACK*
"BAH!!"
Rhya bent back over with spittle leaving his mouth. The one that he hacked at was not Yami, but Asta, whose height was so small that the blade did not even cut his hair. And the same Asta slammed his sword in the gut of Rhya, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
"How…"
'How is it possible? I saw the one I attacked use Dark Magic. He has to be Yami.
Wait! I 'SAW' him use Dark Magic. This does not mean that he used Dark Magic. I was caught under an illusion!!'
With this thought, he was pierced in his heart by a blade that just shimmered into existence.
"WelplafffFFF!!" Rhya was about to say something before he started to cough and choke on his own blood, and his eyes grew heavy.
*SHING*
With the speed blade plunged into his heart, it withdrew too, leaving behind a giant blood leak on his chest, that soaked his whole white cloth with blood. Some of that blood leaked and spurted on Asta's face.
"WHAAA!!!! I HAVE BLOOD ON MY FACE!! I HAVE SALARYMAN'S BLOOD ON ME!!"
"Shut it. You are hurting my ears.
Seriously, is there a dial on you, or is this your default setting?"
Wilhelm spoke, massaging his ear as he shimmered into existence.
"I also want to ask the same thing, kid. Tell me that you come with an off switch at least." Yami said as he walked over, moving his pinky finger in his ear.
"Captain!! We defeated RHYA!!!" Asta shouted once again, throwing his hands in the air in triumph.
"Well, I wouldn't call skewering him a win. More like a…wipe out." Yami replied, scratching his chin.
Then he switched his focus to the two standing and said, "Anyways, good work with the plan, kid. Using Shrimpy's shrimp-like height was a good idea.
And Shrimy…"
"Yes, Captain?"
"Good job not screaming the entire time we were fighting."
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CAPTAIN!!! I WILL NEVER DISAPPOINT YOU!!!" Asta started to shout with tears and snot running down his face.
But then, Wilhelm's face scrunched to one of confusion.
'Why isn't his grimoire floating into mine?'
And as if answering the question…
*WHOOSSH*
…mana in the room became volatile.
The air around Rhya became thick. Almost on instinct, Wilhelm, Yami, and Asta jumped back from the spot.
After creating a sufficient distance, Wilhelm kept his eyes still on Rhya, who was glowing an ominous purple.
"Captain, what is happening?"
"I don't know. Maybe he did not take a dump before dying and is coming back to life for the last time to do that."
"Not helping." Asta said, realizing Yami's drawl tone.
"You know what will help?" Wilhelm spoke in a tone of finality.
"What?"
"Hitting him when this process is going on so he may die before…whatever is going on."
And instantly, revolvers appeared in his hands, and he started to empty onto Rhya. Bullets with Enhanced Piercing and Explosion were shot at Rhya.
*PTUI PTUI*
Bullets were pelleted on Rhya until…
*THRRUM*
…he was set on fire.
"Oh, for God's sake. Why don't you just die when you are killed?"
"He…he…he…he…HAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!" But the only reply he got was in the form of a small chuckle that turned into a full-blown cackle filled to the brim with madness.
"What's so funny, huh? Did you go mad because they fired you before you could get a pension?" Yami joked but tightened the grip on his sword, as for Wilhelm, he just disappeared in thin air.
"Captain! Don't you think we should not make fun of him? He seems to be getting more and more dangerous." Asta said, trying to be the voice of reason with undertones of panic in the same voice.
As if in agreement with Asta's words, Rhya's mana flared much more than this.
'Heh, are you kidding me? He has more mana than Julius and Beanpole combined. What is this bull crap?!' Yami thought, clearly tired of his enemies getting power-ups.
"He is right *crackle* hmm...you know?" Rhya said as he cracked his back, but their attention was not on him. Rather, it was on his face. He had an eye.
An extra eye.
"Woah! I guess someone is going overtime." Yami said, clearly not at all listening to the warning that he had been delivered.
"This is getting old." Rhya grumbled as he tossed his robe aside, and Dark Magic flared on his sword, and another sword made of light appeared in his other hand, and a fiery cloak covered his body.
"You what else is getting old? You."
And hearing that, Rhya disappeared from his sword.
****
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