Chapter 298 (2/2)

The skeleton scratched his head, looking at the toppling tree, and the smoking body. “...Probably way too hard. But the way he fucking moved… Anyways, probably we have at least 5 minutes of unconsciousness, and 5 more minutes of afflicted weakness after that, unless-”

The black hair young man stood smoothly. Then he casually cracked his neck, looking at the three of them. Coppernicus froze, and Vandal involuntarily took a step back. Drake just raised his halberd and hurried forward, aiming to join the other two, but he was far, far too slow.

“-unless he has a Resistance over 50, in which case-”

The young man rushed forward, this time aiming for Coppernicus, who seemed to realize what was going on, and drew several strange runes in the air in a single breath. For all that Coppernicus’ fate had cursed him with this body, it had also given him some advantages, including his general resistance to fatigue, fear, and his quick reactions.

Those curses formed and flew forward. The young man made to avoid them, but they homed in, landing on his body, glowing brightly purple. Flaring brightly, the curses immediately went to work, slowing and weakening the young man.

“He’s going to-” Coppernicus shouted, but it was too late, the curses flared bright, then shattered, broken within two seconds.

Luckily, Vandal moved much more quickly than Drake did, and had arrived at the young man, slashing once more with his claws. What happened next Drake more heard than saw, as several pops and cracks reached Drake’s ears, and suddenly Vandal was on the ground, completely still.

Drake blinked slowly, the mental movie replaying the scene in his mind.

The young man had deftly caught the strike from Vandal, and then twisted his arm, as if he was dealing with a child. He punched Vandal’s right shoulder, knocking it out of its socket, then smashed his palm into Vandal’s sensitive feline nose. As Vandal reeled back in pain, the young man unleashed a low kick, hitting the side of Vandal’s knee and making it bend sideways.

Finally, the young man reached up, grabbed Vandal’s head, and brought it down to meet his knee. The teen fell boneless to the ground. Surprising himself more than anyone else, Drake felt a sharp pang of fear. Vandal was one of the only ones who could make Sydney smile. If he died...

But the young man was moving past him now, and Coppernicus sent an even thicker swarm of curses his way. These the young man didn’t even avoid, but allowed to hit his arm, and to his surprise, stopped and studied them briefly.

Then the young man turned to Coppernicus. “You… are a person.” It was a statement, not a question. This seemed to confuse the young man, which was the first time that Drake had felt some sympathy for him. Even Drake, who had been there at the beginning, when it happened, was still slightly confused as to what Coppernicus really was. What he had become.

But then the young man shrugged, and flexed his hand. The curses flared brightly and then popped. Then he turned to walk away.

Panting with the effort, Drake arrived by Coppernicus’ side right as the opponent seemed to leave. The two stared at his back, both very confused.

“Who….” Coppernicus began, but then he shook his head, and walked over to Vandal, who was shifting back into his human form. Luckily, the worst of the damage sort of just seemed to fade as he shifted back, and after a few seconds, Vandal sat up, burping lightly. With bright eyes, he looked at the departing back.

“Hmph, I knew we could win.” Vandal declared. “That asshole wasn’t so tough.”

The young man paused, and then turned around. All three of them tensed. Some of Drake’s men were near the young man, halberds raised, but he gave the order to stand down. If that guy could handle Vandal in a split second, a normal person, even one with a Class, would be absolutely useless.

Then the young man pointed, and all three raised their arms, in defense. With his usual quick reactions, Coppernicus summoned a shield of darkness between them and the assailant, hoping to blunt the worst of the damage.

Nothing happened. The young man turned and continued to walk away. The three blinked, and exchanged a glance. Then they all jumped, as three flaming hammers the size of mopeds crashed down, one destroying the long legs of the Reanimator, one smashing its torso, and the final hammer, slightly delayed, annihilated its head after it fell to the ground.

For several seconds, there was only the sound of fire.

“Is it too late to change sides…?” Vandal muttered. “I thought the Wild Rider was supposed to start off weak.”

“That wasn’t a Champion, and he wasn’t even pledged.” Coppernicus said, his voice, even without vocal cords, thick with fear. “That was just… a guy.”

No one had anything to say to that.