The clash of blades rang out in the room, sharp and metallic, sounding like the death knell of a sentence.

Jarek narrowly repelled the crushing pressure of Anton's sacred sword, but Markus immediately lunged at his side. His daggers traced two deadly arcs, swift as lightning, aimed directly at his wounded side.

Jarek spun around quickly, dodging the first attack, but the second bit into his bandaged arm. A searing pain shot through his nerves, making him grimace. He responded with a sharp kick that hit Markus in the stomach, knocking him back a few steps. But already, the effect of the Shadow Tooth was coming down on him again, clouding his senses.

Anton seized the opening. His hand clenched the pendant around his neck: the Night Howl Necklace glowed with an ominous light. A low, piercing scream burst from his throat, filling the room with oppressive vibrations.

Jarek staggered. His movements, already slowed by Markus' distortion, became heavy, as if stuck in invisible molasses. His speed, his reaction time... everything was slipping away from him, suffocated under the combined weight of their powers.

The two attackers lunged at the same time, converging on him like two rabid beasts.

"Damn... their powers are really annoying. I have to crush them quickly," he thought, his eyes frantically scanning their attacks as they rained down on him.

It was impossible to block everything. He knew that. Anton struck with devastating force: taking his blade head-on would be suicidal. So he made his choice. It was better to turn his back on Markus and his daggers, even if it meant taking a hit, than to be cut in two by the chief's sword.

But he had no intention of taking it lying down.

As Anton's blade came down on him, Jarek raised his sword to parry, his muscles screaming with the effort. At the same moment, he unleashed a blast from his Ushi. A burning wave shot out from his back, igniting in the air.

The veil of flames spread behind Jarek like an explosion of rage. Heat filled the room, making the walls vibrate and the torchlight flicker.

Caught off guard, Markus grimaced. Quick enough, he leapt backward, but not fast enough: the flames licked his shoulder, burning the fabric of his coat and marking his skin with a reddish trail.

A hoarse cry escaped him. He rolled on the ground to extinguish the burning rags, cursing under his breath. Then he stood up, panting, a vicious grin on his lips despite the pain. His fingers tightened on his daggers and he looked at Jarek a few feet away with an almost palpable murderous intent.

"Hmph... clever, your little curtain of flames," Anton hissed, his eyes shining with a predatory gleam. "But you won't be able to repeat that kind of trick for long."

"Anton, if we want to beat him, we're going to have to give it our all now."

Looking alternately at Jarek and Markus, Anton nodded and didn't let up the pressure. His sacred sword struck Jarek's blade with a violent clash. But this time, his hands were covered in a metallic sheen, as if the steel had been grafted directly onto his muscles and tendons. His fingers closed around the hilt of his weapon with superhuman strength: the Iron Grip. The power unleashed forced Jarek to buckle under the pressure, his boots scraping the ground as he struggled not to give way. His muscles trembled, his lungs burning with exertion.

"There you go, finally using your Ushi... I was wondering when you'd need it," Jarek gasped, slowly bending under the power of the blow.

Normally, such striking power would not have caused him so much trouble, but with injuries to his arm and sides, his resistance and guard were reduced, preventing him from defending himself fully.

Markus, his eyes wild, slowly recovering from his burns, tapped the blade of his dagger against the floor. A jolt shook the room, a shockwave spreading through it. Fine cracks snaked across the tiles, heralding the raw violence of his ability, sending a shiver down Jarek's legs as he nearly lost his balance.

"You bastard... you'll pay for this a hundredfold."

Jarek took a deep breath. His bandaged arm ached with every movement, and his entire body was slowed by the echo of Anton's scream. Yet his eyes remained fixed on them, hard and cold.

Two rabid predators, united against him.

And each wielded a power capable of breaking him.

But he had no intention of giving in.

He gripped his sword tighter, his sharp eyes reflecting the glow of the flames.

"Very well... come," he whispered through clenched teeth, ready to set the room ablaze once more.

He took advantage of the tremors to take a few steps back before concentrating for a few moments. His breathing deepened, his free hand trembling slightly with the effort. He opened his mouth slightly and a whisper imperceptible to his opponents escaped: "Dance of Embers."

The heat began to vibrate around him, as if the air itself were ablaze. Slowly, small spheres of fire began to appear one by one in the void, swirling around his body like a deadly swarm. Each one pulsed with a fiery glow, like a glowing firefly ready to consume everything it touched.

"What the..." Markus growled, his eyes widening as he saw the dozen projectiles materialize.

"You wanted me to give it my all, huh?" Jarek whispered in a low, icy voice, his lips stretched into a wicked smile. "Then burn in my flames."

He stretched out his arm, and the spheres flew out in rapid succession.

The first volley crashed into Anton. The man raised his sword to deflect them, but the Iron Grip was no match for the suffocating heat. Each ball exploded on impact, splattering the room with incandescent fragments. Anton gritted his teeth, taking a step back under the relentless hammering. His coat blackened in places, his muscles straining as he fought to hold his ground.

Markus, quicker on his feet, leapt between the columns of fire, his daggers slashing through the air to cut the projectiles. But every time he split one, the explosion blinded him and lacerated his skin with superficial burns. He cursed under his breath, his breath becoming short.

The entire room became a glowing inferno. The floor was covered with burning cracks, the walls spewed suffocating heat, and the light from the torches disappeared, drowned in the blaze.

Anton roared, sweeping in front of him with a brutal gesture to disperse the flames. "Tss... kid! You think a little fire will stop us?"

But a new volley came at him, even denser than before. The flames showed no sign of abating; on the contrary, they were multiplying. Jarek advanced step by step, his eyes shining with a fierce glint. "You're wrong to think I'll go down so easily," he said, his voice echoing between the explosions. "I, too, intend to win this fight."

Markus narrowly dodged a ball that grazed his face, the incandescent shard crashing into the wall behind him. Cold sweat trickled down his temple. He turned his head toward Anton, a spark of doubt in his eyes.

"Anton... if he keeps this up, he'll burn us alive."

"Don't worry, I haven't said my last word yet," replied Anton, who was struggling to block the numerous explosions surrounding him.

But when all he could see was a wall of flames rising before him, he used his artifact again and a low, burning cry burst from his mouth, extinguishing all the flames Jarek had just created.

Burned and feeling the fatigue building up, Anton and Markus took advantage of this moment to both lunge towards Jarek, who was also beginning to weaken from the attack he had just used.

The ground shook beneath their feet as the two attackers swooped down on him like twin blades ready to pierce him. Jarek raised his sword, breathless, his pupils still animated by the glow of the flames. But the moment their weapons clashed again, he understood.

An excruciating coldness crept into his muscles. Not the bite of a blade, no, but that dull, insidious pain that arose with each blow from the Blade of the Executioner, Anton's sacred sword. His arm trembled, his movements became jerky. It was as if his own body, betrayed by an invisible poison, refused to obey him.

"What the...?" he cursed, taking a step back, his fingers clenched around the hilt of his weapon.

Anton smiled savagely, his sword dripping with a dark, almost palpable aura.

"You can feel it, can't you? Every cut, every contact with this blade... it's as if your body is cracking from within."

Jarek clenched his teeth, trying to shake off the invisible shackles that bound his muscles, but his movements lost their fluidity. Every step became a struggle, every breath a burn.

Taking advantage of his slowdown, Markus struck. His dagger ricocheted off Jarek's sword, then the other came down in a lightning-fast backhand. The impact wasn't deep, but it was enough to make his whole body vibrate with a shock that resonated in his bones, prolonged by a brutal jolt that caused new cracks to burst open in the ground.

Jarek almost buckled at the knees. His flames flickered around him, as if hesitating between consuming the air and extinguishing themselves.

Anton didn't give him time to catch his breath. He raised his sacred blade, his muscles bulging with the Iron Grip, and brought it down with all his might. Jarek barely parried, but the dull pain doubled, radiating, relentless. His sword trembled in his hand, as if the metal itself were about to give way. His body grew stiffer with each blow he received.

"Damn it..." he thought, gasping, every fiber of his body on fire. "Is that their game? To slowly wear me down until I collapse?"

His breathing became ragged, but despite the pain, despite the heaviness that weighed down his movements, his eyes lost none of their fiery brilliance. A stubborn, unyielding flame continued to burn within them.

"Hmph... If you think I'm going to die on my knees before you... You're sorely mistaken."

He swung his sword away abruptly, a shower of sparks flying from the impact. His feet scraped the cracked ground, tracing a glowing arc as he leaped backward, his flames reigniting around him.

Markus sneered, his voice grating. "Still standing, huh? I can't wait to see how long you last before your body gives out."

Anton, more serious, lowered his sword slightly, but his steely eyes remained fixed on him.

"No matter how much fire you spit... your end is already engraved on your body."

The room still vibrated with the echo of their powers, the cracks snaking further and further, the stifling heat mingling with the oppressive aura of the sacred weapon.

Jarek knew he couldn't keep fighting like this indefinitely; his body would eventually give out. Their artifact, the sacred weapon, and their Ushi were all working together to wear down their enemies over the long term.

With no real strategy to counter this, Jarek decided to focus his attention on Markus, who had suffered the most damage since the start of the fight. His body was burned in several places, none of which were really serious, but they were certainly enough to cause him pain or make him lower his guard.

Lightly igniting his hand, Jarek then ran it over his curved sword, which instantly burst into flames. With each movement, a fiery red trail followed the movement of his blade.

His body still rigid, even though the effect was gradually wearing off, Jarek completely ignored Anton and headed toward Markus, who was a few meters away.

Markus gritted his teeth as he saw Jarek charging straight at him. His daggers were still vibrating from the wave he had projected, and the burn on his shoulder shot through him with every breath. Despite everything, a twisted grin spread across his face.

"You think you can finish me off like that? Come on, you bastard. "

He plunged one of his blades into the ground. A jolt shot through the pavement beneath his feet, cracking it and sending shards of stone flying. The ground shifted slightly, unstable, as he leaped forward, his second dagger ready to strike his opponent's throat.

But Jarek, despite his heavy movements, dodged with a slide to the side. His curved blade, glowing red-hot, described a brutal arc. Markus crossed his two daggers to block, but the impact sent a shower of sparks flying. The heat burned his palms, and the metal vibrated unbearably, as if it were burning from within.

"Tch..." Markus jumped back, shaking his hands to relieve the pain. A thin smoke rose from his fingers, but his eyes remained fixed on Jarek with a predatory gleam.

Anton, standing slightly behind, coldly analyzed the scene. He could see Jarek's strategy clearly: eliminate Markus first, destroy their duo before he had to face his own sacred sword again. But that only fueled his determination.

"Idiot..." whispered Anton, his necklace pulsing with a faint glow.

Jarek raised his sword, the incandescent blade illuminating his features with a hellish glow. Then he lunged at Markus in a flurry of blows. Each strike was heavy, burning, relentless. Markus managed to parry, but his arms trembled under the assault. Each contact ignited his daggers a little more, heating the metal until it made him grimace in pain.

Finally, Jarek feinted a sideways blow, then swung his blade in a circular arc. The flaming curve sliced through the air before striking Markus's thigh. The smell of burning flesh rose immediately.

A hoarse cry escaped the assassin's lips as he collapsed to one knee, winded.

"Markus!" roared Anton.

Jarek didn't waste a second. Taking advantage of his enemy's weakness, he raised his sword again to finish him off with a vertical blow.

But at that very moment, a guttural scream echoed behind him. Anton, his eyes ablaze, had activated his artifact once more. The scream vibrated through the air, seeping into his bones like invisible poison.

His muscles froze. His breath caught in his throat. The fire around his sword flickered, unstable.

A split second of hesitation. It was enough.

Markus, despite the excruciating pain, lunged forward and plunged his dagger into Jarek's abdomen.

A violent shock. Jarek's breath caught, his body bent under the impact, and a spray of blood splattered the cracked ground. But in his eyes, the flame had not wavered.

He gripped his own blade, still ablaze, and with a hoarse growl, plunged it toward Markus in a final counterattack.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.