Chapter 184: Crossroads (6)
As Ketelz fell to the floor, a tremendous noise echoed from below. Russell focused his senses.
Since he entered the chamber on the third floor and Ketelz changed something, his senses have been unable to expand beyond the building. The transparent force barrier that surrounded the building had not yet been dispelled.
Russell approached the hole where Weizen had fallen and descended into it.
Russell gazed around the second floor, surprised by the faint sound of the heavy object falling.
It was evident that Weizen had also had a harsh welcome up here. Russell observed that his boots were not drenched with water.
Among the several bodies, Russell discovered Weizen lying against a wall. Broken blades were imbedded throughout his body.
A single individual stood before him. His appearance was odd. It would be an understatement to say that his entire body was covered in black bandages.
“Cough, damn it. Dude, this guy is damn strong. . .”
Weizen spat blood as he spoke, and his head sank suddenly. He wasn’t dead. His heart was still beating. But it was obvious that he might die at any moment.
However, the bandaged man had remained motionless since Russell stepped onto the second floor. This was because Russell had violently entered his domain.
Russell noticed that something was blocking his cognitive senses, so he forced them to expand. It was like dumping a massive, solid stone into a lake.
Ripples rippled throughout the area, unbeknownst to those who could not perceive mana. The space on the second floor was divided in two, and the bandaged man could feel his dominion being pushed back.
“That doesn’t seem like a good outfit for a day out.”
Russell examined his senses while speaking. It was not an illusion or hallucination. He saw it directly in front of him, yet he couldn’t feel its presence.
He couldn’t detect a scent or the sound of a heartbeat, like a living human should. Russell had the feeling that a rock or a wall was taking on human shape.
His eyes soon turned to the bandages. The bandages wrapped around his entire body, without a single piece of clothing, were not white like ordinary ones, but black.
On the black background, golden characters appeared and vanished, casting a faint glow. The bandages clearly concealed the user’s presence.
“Is that so?”
The bandaged man, who had stood with his back to Russell, slowly turned around. Russell’s idea that his face would likewise be wrapped was incorrect. He wore a mask. It was a mask made of human skin.
A mask with hollow, eyeless sockets and pale, sagging skin. The skin moved independently as it stared at Russell, unlike wood, stone, or cold iron.
“T matters naught, lad.”
His voice was raspy and gruff, like the sound of a rusted iron blade being honed with a whetstone.
Russell’s brows widened as he saw the mask’s lips twist into a smile-like expression.
“We ain’t got no clue where this info came from, see. We picked Ketelz ’cause he was supposed to be a tough son of a b*tch. Turns out, he’s a wet noodle. Can’t handle nothin’ for nothin’”
Instead of responding, Russell chuckled. The skin mask moved on its own, this time revealing an expression of interest.
“Yer a damn interestin’ bugger. More so’n that lout lyin’ ’round here. What’s yer connection to ‘im, huh?”
“You should be worrying about your own, shouldn’t you? It seems like they’ve badly beaten.”
“It doesn’t matter. Them things is nothin’ but garbage anyway. Plenty more where they came from in them dingy alleys. Tossin’ out a couple ain’t gonna make a lick o’ difference.”
The bandaged man finished speaking and started walking slowly towards Russell.
Russell rarely encountered situations in which he was unaware of his opponent’s strength. Usually, he could tell how much mana someone had and their behaviors just by looking at them.
Of course, outer appearances were not the only indicator of strength, but they did account for a sizable percentage. However, he could not detect any mana from this bandaged freak.
He’s at least as strong as Weizen. Enough to destroy all of his weapons and toys with him.
As the bandaged freak approached him, his skin mask began to change expressions. Joy, despair, anguish, adoration, astonishment, and many other emotions.
“Say, I was a mite worried ’bout usin’ a bloody sledgehammer to bag a measly mouse, but I reckon I can finally take the weight off. Them lads’ll be right shocked when I show up with the likes o’ you in tow.”
The mask, which had been so tight that it was impossible to determine whether it was a man or a woman, eventually became expressionless.
Immediately after, a black flash struck Russell. Russell’s axe reacted fast and struck the flash, knocking him backwards.
The impact was so intense that his left hand, which held the Final Frost, trembled fiercely. The second-story floor shook and fell because it couldn’t handle the impact.
Dust ascended in heavy clouds from the shattered wood and stone. The dust eventually dissipated and settled.
“What kinda whinin’ and wailin’ will ya spit out when I peel the hide off yer face? It’s been a coon’s age since I’ve laid eyes on a pretty face like yers, and I’m itchin’ to get my hands on it.”
“This guy’s a real pervert.”
Shuaaaak!
The sound of air being ripped apart echoed belatedly. Russell heightened his senses as soon as he recognized the bandaged freak’s presence had vanished.
If he tried to perceive it with his five senses, it would be too late. He needed to capture the imbalanced movement of his mana spreading out.
Russell rotated his body as soon as he noticed a mana disturbance.
At the same time, the bandaged freak appeared in front of him and swung his left fist, which was covered in bandages.
Russell’s right hand, which had obviously seen through the movement, spread out his palm.
Kwaaang!
A tremendous shockwave centered on the two of them erupted, shaking the first floor fiercely. The dust that had collected on the ground rose anew, spreading in all directions.
In the midst of the foggy, ashen field of vision, the bandaged freak smiled twistedly through his mask.
“Ain’t too shabby. But how long can ya keep yer grip on this, punk?”
Russell did not respond and simply grinned.
Electricity crackled from the hand that did not grip his axe.
Pazzijijiji!
“You talk too much, just like you did upstairs.”
Russell murmured, painting the gloomy room with a faint blue light.
The mute, bandaged freak charged at the floor. Two streams of mana collided, resulting in innumerable bursts of light and shockwaves.
Black bandages spread continuously from the freak’s body, filling the space around him and squirming before bursting out. Russell’s Final Frost sliced through the black bandages, freezing and ripping them apart with electricity.
Hundreds of strikes and defenses were exchanged before taking a single breath. The black bandages, which were invisible to the human eye, flew out and swung around at breakneck speed, bouncing off the floor, walls, and ceiling before striking Russell again.
It was a skillful manner of attacking from within a building. The black bandages imbued with mana flew around with the strength and cutting force of steel, constantly attempting to pierce Russell’s skin.
Russell appeared to be a fly, ready to be caught in a tangle of spider webs.
However, Russell was not a fly. The bandages froze as he discreetly emitted cold with the Final Frost. Russell’s icy aura had progressed to the point where it could freeze not just objects but also mana.
The frigid aura formed by his mana seeped into the bandages, freezing the freak’s mana inside them. Naturally, the bandages weakened and sagged, and a blue electric current raced over them.
“Kuhahaha!”
The freak released a shout that was neither a cheer nor a laugh, scattering electricity. It was only natural that mana control would grow more difficult as he moved away from his body.
The freak kicked the frozen and severed bandages away without caring.
Kuung-!
The kick came from a body that was one head smaller than Russell’s, but the outcome was different. The first floor shook and vibrated severely, and the original black flare stretched out in concentric circles, engulfing Russell.
The air and its intent suddenly expanded, pushing Russell’s mana back. Russell’s eyes widened as he felt the chilly aura surrounding his axe and the electric spear growing in his right palm dissipate.
At the same time, the freak turned on his left foot and swung his right foot.
Kwaaang!
Russell’s waist bent backwards as the kick landed with enough energy to cleave through a steel beam.
The trajectory that grazed his chest and the tip of his nose struck the wall behind Russell, causing a loud, smashing sound. The wall did not fall, but the force field was clearly hit. The transparent force field, which appeared to have reached its maximum, repaired the shattered fissures with grating noise.
The freak, dressed in black bandages and a mask made of human skin torn off a human face, charged at Russell again.
His warped voice and thinking made it plain that he was insane. It was also evident that he possessed a high level of martial arts.
However, his attacks were more haphazard and vicious than they were learned from someone, and Russell could see their places of impact and trajectory clearly.
He only needed one hit. The amount of force required to break a solid rock was precisely enough to break that crack.
He continued to rely on his mana senses to detect and react to the freak’s motions, rather than his five senses. That sense, which could be called a sixth sense, revealed to Russell the course he should take, which he slowly followed.
He blocked and deflected the punch, slamming his left side with the side of his axe, as well as the left arm going for his neck as he turned backwards.
The strange, sharp-edged bandages that bounced off the floor and soared back up were prevented by the coat, which had a little quantity of mana imbued in it to boost its defense.
Russell had stopped transforming his coat into armor a while ago.
Russell knew exactly why. He didn’t want to be complacent.
Sturdy, thick armor offered the wearer a sense of security. It may appear that it can withstand any attack and that his attacks will always be lethal.
If he grew drunk on that feeling, he would fail to recognize that death was directly in front of him until it was too late. Russell stepped forward onto the wavering tightrope.
It swung and rocked, but it meant nothing to those who remained calm and confident. It could be a solid road or a void.
Russell’s extensive fighting experience and intuition showed the road he had taken and would continue to take.
The freak’s skills were highly reliant on the bandages’ strength and cutting power, as well as surprise strikes that targeted unexpected angles of reflection.
The assault paths were varied and sophisticated, yet defeating him was shockingly easy because his attacks were not motivated by murder.
Was his reckless charging motivated by excessive faith in the artifact he was wearing?
Suaaang!
The shockwave that missed Russell struck the ceiling above, scattering several pieces of debris. The corpses and flesh falling down below were an added bonus.
Russell’s feet moved gracefully without even attempting to avoid the blood and flesh.
He dove under the freak’s outstretched right arm into a brief space. The freak’s inaudible breathing and Russell’s deep breathing collided and merged.
Russell’s combat senses, which had been aware of this for some time but had been waiting for an opportunity to attack, rushed towards the target point with the help of his motor skills.
Russell’s right hand, which wasn’t holding anything, stretched without making a fist. His five fingers were bent, and just his palm faced forward in an unusual position.
Russell felt the freak’s unseen gaze drop in surprise as he used his mana senses, and his fist touched the freak’s chest.
The compressed mana poured forward with the power of a storm, heating Russell’s mana circuits. Russell pressed the phenomenon inside his swelling right arm into the freak’s chest.
A waterfall of highly compressed lightning surged from his palm and erupted into the freak’s body.
Kjajajajajajak-!
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