OLD-WORLD EXTRA

476  Fun Game

Judas reacted instantly, driving two punches into Emir's stomach in the time it took for the blade to descend.

His strikes were powerful enough to shatter Emir's force shield, but still, he didn't relent. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The blade continued on its path, closing in on Judas's head.

But just before it could land, he stepped back, letting it slice through empty air, missing him by a breath.

Emir, expecting such an outcome, released the hilt for a split second, his hand reversing its grip before he stepped forward, swiping the blade upward in a sharp arc.

Judas attempted to step back again, but Aquila was there, waiting for him with his revolver.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He smirked, eyeing the approaching bullets, then jumped up, dodging both the bullets and the blade.

But, again, the attack didn't end there.

Aquila's bullets tracked him, while Emir disappeared, appearing right next to him, high in the air.

This time, he didn't swing his blade, instead, he stabbed forward, intending to pierce through him.

At that moment, Judas had nowhere to move, nothing to push himself off of. But... he didn't need to.

He twisted his body and caught Emir's blade with one hand, bare, blood pouring from his palm as the weapon bit into his flesh.

Emir smiled at the sight—right before Judas used the force of the thrust to hurl him towards Aquila's incoming bullets.

"Aetheric Shield."

Emir, still sporting a smile, chanted an ability, yet, when looked at closely, nothing materialized.

He was mimicking a little trick he learned recently—pretending as if he had the maximum number of abilities active to hide his real attack.

Aquila had caught on immediately.

He extinguished his bullets and went after Judas from an unhindered location.

And just as he made his move, ethereal spears flickered into existence above Judas, all directly aimed at him.

Without delay, Emir launched them at the same time, the air crackling as they converged on Judas from every angle. Most streaked straight down, but some arced in patterns while others curved like serpents to attack from below.

Judas, finally realizing the stakes, acted, deciding to take things up a notch.

His right hand shot to his cloak, pulling out a staff.

But rather than wielding it like a traditional Sun Weaver, he swung it with brute force, smashing each incoming spear. They ricocheted, crashing into the ground and walls as if they were nothing but mere, Aetherless rubble.

Each swing and impact resulted in a push in the opposite direction, his body nearing the ground faster than they expected. Still, Emir didn't stop and more spears followed.

That only launched him further down, however, and it wasn't long before he reached the ground. By then, nothing had hit or even grazed his body.

He was too fast.

Worst still, the moment his feet touched the ground, Judas became a blur faster than before. He darted left, twisting his body in a way that seemed impossible, narrowly avoiding the spears by mere inches.

The second volley came from behind, aimed directly at his back.

He ducked low, his movements fluid as though he could predict where each spear would land before it even left the prince's control.

Though it seemed hopeless, Emir wasn't giving him any room to breathe.

And as another set of spears swarmed, he lunged forward, his curved blade aimed at the arm carrying his staff.

Judas deflected his attack, twisted his body to narrowly dodge a bullet precisely aimed at his heart, then jumped back, evading another sweeping arc of the blade while simultaneously sidestepping two more spears.

Each dodge was flawless, not due to skill but simply the speed of execution.

It was always at the last moment as though Judas was dancing on the edge of a blade on purpose.

But, he must not yet celebrate.

It wasn't just Emir he had to worry about.

Aquila, hanging back slightly, tightly held onto his Celestial Revolver.

He tracked Judas's every move, building up an attack, which started many seconds ago. As seen, however, his presence wasn't completely detached from the battle. Aquila had sent over Illusionary Bullets at random to mimic attacks, faking his participation. This little trick of his was simple but effective, and now, the results of how effective it was would be on display.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

A thunderstorm of shots resounded as tens of bullets streaked toward Judas, each one cloaked in Aether and Lighting, distorting the air as they traveled.

That in itself was a terrifying attack to face, but they weren't alone.

Illusionary Bullets had joined them—their paths unpredictable, shifting mid-flight in between their brethren to throw off any attempts to dodge the real threat.

As Judas dodged another spear, he quickly tilted his head to the side, avoiding a bullet that seemed to materialize out of thin air beside his ear.

It was an illusion.

Five bullets came in front, curving toward his chest.

He twisted to the right, letting it graze his shoulder as he sidestepped another spear.

Seven more came from behind, three from up top, and ten from the front.

Judas's left was filled with spears, and his right was Emir, the most dangerous threat.

He was surrounded.

And yet, even now, when he needed to use an ability to come out of the attack unscathed...

He didn't.

His pride didn't allow him to.

Against the earlier eight, it was fine, expected, accepted, but now, when facing a measly two?

Never... NEVER!

THOSE "FILTH" WOULD NOT FORCE HIM TO DO ANYTHING! Judas, using all his strength, stepped hard on the ground, sending a shockwave that spread in all directions.

The air almost immediately dug into the wall of their surroundings, as if escaping him, crumbling what remained and expanding the room. A crater formed right after, taking out the entire area around them, reaching further out as hundreds of cracks snaked through the concrete.

Rubble of all sizes flew into the air, covering them in dust. Only then was a roar-like explosion heard, reverberating in their ears. Aquila was blown away, and Emir almost was, using an Aetheric Construct to halt his body in place. The shockwave had essentially slowed the world around them, and that was enough for Judas.

He needed to care of the weakest link first.

The bullets above.

Judas raised his staff, launching it upward, yet nothing made contact.

'Illusions.'

A smug snicker escaped his lips as his attention snapped to the real threat.

Bullets aimed at his back.

Without pause, he swung his staff down, the motion so fast the air itself blurred. It spun on contact, striking down the bullets.

They were real. Each of Aquila's bullets dissipated in bursts of light as the staff fell upon them, destroying them in a fraction.

A speed so terrifying, that the clang of metal on Aether had yet to resound, simply unable to catch up. In the next fraction, he shoved the end of the staff behind him, destroying the seven remaining bullets with a single touch. Now, only two attacks remained, and they finally reached him.

One was the spears, and the other was the conjurer himself.

Emir, who had Flashed Stepped towards him.

His curved blade was held at an angle, whistling through the air in a sweeping arc, aiming to sever Judas's left arm.

Like earlier, when he fought against Weiss, he used momentum to his advantage, letting it take his blade home.

It was close, a fraction away from reaching that home, touching his skin, slicing through it.

The spears were as well.

Fast as he was, coming out of that unscathed was truly impossible.

Judas had to use his abilities.

But, again, he wasn't going to.

He, in the next and final fraction of the attack, allowed the spears to stab into his back.

Then, before they could even completely pierce through his skin, he twisted his body to meet Emir.

His blade cut into Judas, nearing the bone, but that was all it could do.

At the end of the fraction, it had stopped, and the reason for that was simple.

Judas's right hand had shot out.

"Who's dying now?"

It landed squarely on Emir's chest, collapsing him like a crushed can.