Chapter 14: Bitter Struggle
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
‘That’s bad!’
As the sharp edge of the large axe flew forward to split Marvin in two, he forcefully turned his body at the last moment.
[Stiffness lifted!]
Marvin’s rich fighting experience saved him once again, letting him quickly lean to the side to dodge the mortal blow.
Boom!
Diapheis clearly used all his strength to swing the great axe, and was unable to stop the blow from cleaving into the floor.
A cloud of dust flew.
Now!
Marvin’s eyes shined as he was dodging, and he suddenly dashed toward Diapheis’ back. 19 points of dexterity gave him an extraordinary response time. He was as agile as a swallow, his legs clutching onto Diapheis’ lower body while raising his twin daggers horizontally!
Cutthroat!
A hint of fear appeared in Diapheis’ eyes! He didn’t think his powerful Intimidating Presence would only produce the lowest effect on Marvin!
‘This can’t be!’
Barbarian’s Intimidating Presence was usually enough to stun low level adventurers for 2 seconds, not just a short 0.5 seconds.
However, he couldn’t have known that Marvin was someone who had transmigrated and gone through many battles, which had made him strong-willed. He wasn’t that cowardly youth any more. Even if his willpower stat wasn’t high, his soul was so tough that it played a crucial role in the check.
Miscalculating the Intimidating Presence duration made Diapheis careless for a split second. But he was also an experienced fighter, so he directly let go of his great axe and quickly used both hands to protect his throat from Marvin’s Cutthroat.
Woosh!
Blood flew violently, as Diapheis’ left and right hands held onto Marvin’s curved daggers!
Cutthroat failed!
But Marvin’s attack wasn’t over. He sneered, pivoting his whole body around his arms and above Diapheis in a gravity defying stance while twisting his curved daggers.
"Ow!" Even with the strong willpower of a Barbarian, he still couldn’t stand that unbearable pain. He pushed the curved daggers away but then felt an even more excruciating pain at his back. In that split second, the tip of a dagger stabbed into the left side of his spine.
Marvin’s body was fluttering in the air, his left hand already leaving the curved dagger behind while his right foot kicked it.
"Argh!" Diapheis let out a pained scream as the dagger was nailed on his shoulder blade, approaching his heart.
Marvin’s body completed a perfect somersault in the air and stably landed on the ground.
The elite team on the side felt coldness running down their backs while watching. This wasn’t something a human could do! Exercising this kind of control over his body, only the abilities of those legendary high elves could compare.
Diapheis wasn’t an ordinary gangster. He wore heavy armor and apart from his throat and vitals there were only small gaps in his armor that one could exploit.
Marvin could stab his dagger that accurately while in midair; even a 2nd rank Phantom Assassin would not dare to say that they could do it. This was the most natural skill and fighting instinct, tempered from experiencing countless battles. There was no shortcut to get there.
These gang members already began rejoicing that they hadn’t fought, because if they had, they would have certainly died.
This dual wielding ranger’s strength was not as simple as it looked. He certainly was a super-expert!
"I heard some powerful experts could hide their strength, making their it appear lower by several levels."
"This Masked Twin Blades is surely a super expert."
"He is done for! We shouldn’t irritate that super expert! Who knows how much that troubled noble paid to hire someone so powerful?"
The few elite Acheron members had already been trembling in fear.
...
But Marvin didn’t care, because he wasn’t able to kill Diapheis with those moves.
‘There was no critical hit.’ Marvin took a quick glance at the battle logs, somewhat regretful. Those moves were already close to the limit of what he could do with his body. He had used up quite a lot of stamina.
Diapheis had lost more than 60HP and was bleeding but he was still alive. He painfully covered his back while panting. Every minute, every second, that dagger stuck on his body would both take some of his HP and reduce his willpower.
"Damned Ranger!" He bitterly withstood the residual pain, displaying his abnormal Barbarian willpower. He picked up his great axe once again and did a powerful low sweep.
Marvin’s pupils dilated as he skillfully dodged with a roll. But Diapheis had clearly learnt his lesson as this time he did not give Marvin an opportunity. He only used part of his strength so that he could keep attacking. The crazily waving great axe painted violent and disordered shadows across the wide back yard. It seemed quite cold and lifeless under the moonlight.
Marvin depressingly wandered outside the great axe’s range, occasionally trying to launch an attack, but Diapheis would put his life on the line to threaten a mutually deadly exchange of blows to force Marvin back. Diapheis could take one of his blows but Marvin didn’t dare to try taking one hit from that great axe.
Both sides were caught in a bitter struggle. This was a willpower race. Marvin’s stamina was quickly depleting while Diapheis' HP was crazily dropping.
That dagger played a key role in this battle. Unfortunately, Marvin hadn’t had time to dip it in poison earlier or it would have gone smoother. But that kind of product was very restricted so getting ahold of it wasn’t easy.
The two were relying on willpower and instincts to fight, and the situation was deadlocked.
The remaining five elite members looked at each other and suddenly moved forward to surround Marvin.
The little girl hiding in the corner lost hope.
They wanted to go against Marvin because they all saw that Marvin’s stamina would soon run out.
He began to pant. Dealing with Diapheis’ axe already took a lot out of him. If they were to attack now, they would certainly defeat Marvin. No matter how strong, without stamina one still couldn’t do anything.
His threat and oppression weren’t in effect anymore.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" While doing a sliding step to once again dodge Diapheis, Marvin asked, "Could it be that you want to die?"
"He is all talk!" A Thief among them said, "Let’s surround him and push him around a bit and the boss will be able to dispose of him!"
After he said that, the five came over from behind him.
Enemies on both sides!
A pale Diapheis was dragging his axe, cursing these opportunistic bastards in his heart, but nevertheless, they cooperated to get rid of Marvin.
"Quickly escape!" The little girl couldn’t help but rush out from her corner. At this time she saw Marvin turning his head and giving her a splendid smile.
The next second, Marvin suddenly dashed toward those five people. The group of five immediately turned nervous, putting their weapons in front of them. But Marvin didn’t attack them, instead skillfully dashing up a crate and jumping.
Marvin exhausted all his stamina with this one jump, leaving those five behind him.
"He is trying to run!"
"Quick! Grab him!"
"Idiots, chase quickly! He is already an arrow at the end of its flight!"
Diapheis cursed loudly, and those five and Diapheis himself closed in on him in a fan shaped encirclement.
At that time, the little girl hiding in the corner suddenly rushed out, standing in front of Marvin. She was holding a very small dagger while wearing an unyielding expression.
She and Marvin would live or die together!
"Thank you, Isabelle." Marvin suddenly tossed aside his curved dagger and petted the little girl’s head.
"This is the only thing I can do." The little girl voice was shivering but firm. "Mister Mask… Can I call you that?"
"Of course." Marvin smiled.
The little girl then closed her eyes. Marvin’s right-hand formed a fist and was aimed at the six approaching people.
"Vs’bon!"
A queer word came out of Marvin throat like a sudden clap of thunder in the middle of the courtyard. This was Fairy Turin’s language. There were less than fifty people proficient in it in the whole human world, and more than half of those had a Great Wizard title.
A bright seven colored halo appeared on Marvin's finger.
Isabelle opened her eyes only to see a continuous rainbow flow gushing out of Marvin’s hand.
It was as beautiful as holiday fireworks. But also exceptionally cruel.
This was one of the most frightening magics, [Rainbow Jet]!
The six chasing people were all under the area of effect of the Rainbow Jet. The five 1st rank adventurers’ bodies were hit by the rainbow ray and their bodies began to crystallize from fleshy human bodies to seven colored crystal.
In an instant, these crystals broke down into pieces one after another, exploding into a large amount of blood and bone fragments, flying in all directions.
This was a very bloody scene!
Only Diapheis was a bit better because he had retreated and only his chest was hit by the rainbow ray. Despite that, his HP also dropped and he only had 30 HP left.
The other five were definitely dead.
"No!" Diapheis was sorrowfully screaming. Both his hands were crystallizing and he gradually lost the ability to swing his axe.
"Lend me the dagger," Marvin asked.
The little girl immediately handed it over. Marvin weighed it in his hand before it suddenly flew.
Bang!
Right in between the eyebrows!
Diapheis’ eyes were wide open with disbelief as he fell backward along with his great axe.
"Scary?"
Only Marvin and Isabelle were left in the courtyard.
She tilted her head to one side and surprisingly, a smile appeared on her face. "Very beautiful."
"Remember, don’t touch them. People hit by the Rainbow Jet will carry crystal energy for two hours and this could infect others," Marvin warned.
"Mister Mask, are you a Wizard?
"No, I am only a Ranger," Marvin said. "But magic really is the most powerful killing tool nowadays."
He quietly continued in his heart, ‘I’m afraid that it won’t be in half a year.’
After that great calamity, a considerable number of Wizards exploded from absorbing too much of the world mana flow, while some were forced to drop a rank and the remaining ones turned into monsters due to the chaotic mana.
This was a terrible calamity. The fourth Wizard Era was destroyed in such a short time. After a long period, mankind’s wisest were able to re-learn how to use magic, but it obviously was a totally new kind of magic system.
"Let’s go to the basement."
Marvin pulled Isabelle’s hand and they entered the tunnel.