—Determinant Of The World Destiny—
Insane
"Damn it..." Velyna muttered, her voice low and laced with frustration as she saw Vincent, the Sandstorm Sovereign, now blocking their path.
Warning sirens wailed in the distance. "All residents in the Auera Aetas city, once again, all residents in the Auera Aetas city, please evacuate to the city hall immediately. Riots are currently in progress. Thank you." People—adults and children alike—fled the area.
Vincent leaped down from the rooftop of the building in front of Velyna and Nathan, the concrete ground cracking slightly under the impact of his landing. Velyna took two slow steps back, attempting to flee.
"You're not going anywhere," he declared, a smug grin on his face.
Velyna glanced out of the corner of her eye, searching for an escape route. Vincent noticed, chuckling before he said, "I told you, didn't I? There's no escape for either of you." His eyes gleamed with malicious delight.
Velyna could escape without me, but knowing her, she'd never leave me behind. In that case, this is the only way. Nathan reached for his waistband, where he kept his potions and crystals. He pulled out a bright green crystal. Velyna, realizing his reckless intention, hissed with a frustrated and hesitant expression.
"We're barely at the start of the mission, and you already want to use that?"
"There's no other choice." Nathan then crushed the green crystal in his right hand.
Velyna gently lowered Nathan from her back, propping him against a nearby building. "Don't you dare move until you're—"
"Look out!" A sand tendril, shaped like an octopus tentacle, suddenly lashed out at Velyna. She narrowly dodged it with a leap. Nathan, too, avoided it by tilting his head slightly, the sand narrowly missing him.
"A healing crystal, is it?" Vincent's sand shot towards Nathan's unprotected head as he leaned against the building, the crystal's effects not yet fully active.
For a fleeting moment, Nathan saw Vincent as the Grim Reaper. A mask of fear and frustration contorted his features, his eyebrows furrowed. Biting the inside of his cheek, he thought, Damn you, Sandstorm Sovereign.
Velyna intercepted the attack with her nebula weapon. Its tendril-like rope ensnared Vincent's hand, the one aimed at Nathan. The sand, which had been rushing towards Nathan, halted and cascaded to the ground like ordinary sand. Nathan's blue eyes, previously half-closed in fear of imminent death, snapped open.
"Always interfering." Vincent's face contorted with rage and annoyance at Velyna for thwarting his attempts to kill Nathan twice. He struggled to free his hand from the binding, but no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't break free. The 'rope' was merely its form; it was actually iron, made flexible by Velyna's rune—the power to manipulate the form of objects. However, it had one weakness.
Vincent drew his sword from his left hip and sliced through the 'rope' binding his hand. "Can't maintain it for long, can you?" he sneered. He then lunged towards Velyna, his sword arm drawn back, before swinging the straight blade diagonally at her.
Velyna managed to catch his blade with her tendril, wrapping it around the sword and deflecting it to her left—the same side as Vincent's sword hand, his right. Just before his hand could collide with his own hilt, he momentarily released his grip. Velyna twisted the sword 90 degrees. Milliseconds later, Vincent re-gripped his sword, now in a reverse grip.
He attempted to slash both the tendril and Velyna, but while Velyna dodged by ducking, her tendril was severed by Vincent's strike. Velyna retaliated with a kick aimed at the right side of Vincent's head, her boots plated with light yet dense iron. Vincent reacted swiftly, adjusting his sword grip and parrying her kick. Sparks flew as his sword met her iron boot.
After a few seconds, they disengaged, each taking several steps back. "Not bad, young lady. What's your name?" As was his custom, the Sandstorm Sovereign always asked the name of any sufficiently strong or promising opponent he fought.
"Sorry, but I don't like being flirted with."
Velyna summoned her two orbs to counter Vincent's sand. Her gaze flickered to Nathan; the healing crystal seemed to be taking effect. Two sand tentacles surged towards her. She dispersed them with a swift strike from her orbs.
"Tch." Vincent advanced with his sword, attempting to press his attack on Velyna, but they seemed relatively matched in technique and combat experience. Nathan watched their fierce battle, helpless for the moment.
Velyna and Vincent clashed fiercely. Though Vincent appeared to have the upper hand, Velyna skillfully parried his onslaught, striking back whenever an opening appeared. She continually intercepted his sword swings, shattered his sand constructs, and deflected his kicks and punches.
The two of them retreated a few steps, creating distance for their next moves. Vincent readied himself, stepping forward with his right foot, knee slightly bent. His right hand, gripping his sword, rested by his hip, while his left hand hovered over the blade—a sandstorm began to swirl around his body and sword.
He lunged towards Velyna, swift as the wind, his blade aimed precisely at the right side of her neck. Up close, his murderous intent was unmistakable—his pupils dilated, his reddish-brown eyes burning.
Before his blade could deliver the fatal blow, an ice shard flew through the air and embedded itself in the palm of Vincent's sword hand. Instantly, his right arm went limp, and his sword clattered to the ground.
Vincent whirled to his right rear, the direction the ice had come from. Suddenly, two orbs shot towards his face, converging on him from two directions. There was no escape; even his sand wouldn't be fast enough to protect him. And even if he somehow dodged them, Velyna was already behind him, poised to kick his head.
From a nearby rooftop, a purple potion arced down, landing just in front of the converging orbs. An earthen wall erupted from the ground, intercepting the orbs and knocking them back towards their wielder, Nathan.
Velyna's kick was caught by a long-haired blonde individual—likely a woman. Nathan immediately fired an ice shard at the woman, forcing her to release Velyna.
"Let's go!" Nathan yelled, already sprinting. Velyna followed suit.
"Pursue them. Don't let them escape," Vincent commanded his companions, his tone calm despite his injury. They all nodded. Vincent's allies were now hot on Velyna and Nathan's heels.
"Split up! I'll follow you from behind," Nathan instructed. Velyna nodded. She veered left while Nathan continued straight ahead.
Nathan sprinted, dodging a hail of arrows. He glanced over his right shoulder to see a swordsman right behind him. Fortunately, Nathan managed to parry the man's strike with his own blade. They exchanged blows for a few moments, their swords clashing.
As two more pursuers closed in, Nathan pulled a bomb from his pocket and slammed it onto the ground at his feet. The three recoiled. When the bomb detonated, it caused no damage but instead launched Nathan upwards onto the roof of a nearby building. He grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up. His three pursuers could only watch from below as Nathan took off, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
The trio gave chase from the ground, firing arrows and bullets at him. "He's clever. Be careful," warned the swordsman who had duelled Nathan. The other two nodded in agreement.
Seeing a T-junction on the rooftops, Nathan caught a fleeting glimpse of Velyna fleeing from Vincent's allies before an arrow whizzed past his head, demanding his attention. He glanced down at the three pursuers below.
He retrieved another bomb from the pouch at his hip. This wasn't an ordinary explosive; it was designed for Regular-tier Rune users to make the impact of their Rune bigger. Nathan coated the bomb with a layer of ice from his hand, then eyed a nearby building. A small, reckless smile touched his lips as his audacious plan formed.
He sprinted and leaped towards a glass window of a building diagonally below him. Mid-air, he hurled the ice-coated bomb towards his pursuers, forcing them to halt momentarily. The bomb exploded just as Nathan crashed through the window. Peering out, he saw the street below now blocked by a massive, jagged wall of ice—his handiwork—capable of injuring anyone who dared approach.
"That damn lunatic," the swordsman cursed, now unable to pursue Nathan further.
Nathan crossed to the other side of the building and spotted Velyna with two pursuers on her tail. He shattered a window with his fist, then leaned out, gripping the window awning for support. He pulled out another concussive bomb and cocked his pistol by sliding it against his thigh.
He slammed the bomb down hard at his feet, launching himself forward through the air. While airborne, Nathan squeezed the trigger twice, aiming for the heads of Velyna's pursuers. Both bullets found their mark. The two figures collapsed, lifeless.
Now, all that remained was the landing. But Nathan had already planned for that; he spotted a dangling rope he could use to break his fall. Glancing down at the two lifeless figures, he swung, holding on with one hand.
"Are you completely insane?" Nathan looked down to see Velyna, breathless, her right hand clutching her side.
"Shouldn't you be thanking me?" Nathan retorted playfully. Unconsciously, a faint smile touched Velyna's lips.
"Yeah... thanks," she conceded.