Chapter 145: Yves vs Twins [4]

Arnold’s eyes remained focused on the spot where Yves had been struck by his attack. The entire area was covered in thick smoke, making it impossible to see what had happened inside.

However, he couldn’t feel anyone’s presence there anymore.

That could only mean one thing.

Yves had been eliminated.

A smile formed on Arnold’s face, although he couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.

He had wanted to torture Yves, just like he used to when they were younger.

It’s been two years since I last beat him. Hmmm... I quite miss it.

Arnold was the type of person who enjoyed seeing those he deemed unworthy suffer. He loved watching them squirm beneath him, their faces twisted with fear as they begged for mercy.

That was simply the kind of person he was.

He lowered his hand while the miniature sun above him continued floating in the air, illuminating the entire battlefield.

"You did a wonderful job, brother. But what a shame... I wanted that to last a little longer."

Ana slowly sheathed her katana and smacked her lips in disappointment.

"Me too. But that bastard was weak, so he got what he deserved. Pathetic."

Arnold spat on the ground.

He had actually been delighted when they discovered that their opponent was Yves rather than their older brother.

Sure, he wanted to fight stronger opponents, but fighting Yves—the person he hated most—was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

The moment they had encountered him, Arnold’s heartbeat had grown louder in his ears.

He could barely contain his excitement as he imagined all the horrific things he wanted to do to that bastard child.

He wanted to hear him scream in agony as he slowly burned his flesh.

He wanted to hear him beg for mercy and apologize for ever daring to challenge him.

Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone as he expected.

From the moment they clashed, Yves hadn’t been hit even once.

At first, Arnold thought it might have been a fluke. Yves had managed to block both twins’ attacks, but surely he wouldn’t be able to keep that up.

So they attacked again.

And failed.

Again.

And failed.

Yves had fought the twins without showing any signs of struggle. He had kept up with two opponents who possessed considerably more combat experience than him.

Arnold couldn’t help but frown.

How is this possible?

Yves moved and fought as though he had participated in a thousand battles.

His swordsmanship?

Insane.

Arnold hated admitting it, but Yves wielded his katana as though it were an extension of his own body.

Every attack, every slash, every parry seemed like a natural expression of his intent. There was no hesitation in his movements, and not a single unnecessary motion.

Whenever their katanas clashed, Arnold couldn’t help thinking the same thing.

Did this trash actually learn the sword only two months ago?

He would attack Yves at a vital point, only for the latter to parry and immediately counter with a deadly slash aimed at his neck.

It wasn’t even Josh’s counter ability that made Yves dangerous.

It was his speed.

He was simply too fucking fast for someone at the Peak of the Ascendant rank.

And then there was his strange footwork.

Yves often moved on the tips of his toes, shifting his weight with an almost unnatural lightness. It allowed him to dodge and block attacks from both twins without losing his balance or momentum.

No matter how much they tried to overwhelm him, or how well they coordinated their attacks, Yves always seemed to be one step ahead.

They hadn’t managed to touch him even once.

He actually wasn’t lying when he said he was different.

Yves had changed so much that it was almost abnormal.

The old Yves would never have dared talk back to Arnold during the banquet. He would have lowered his head and avoided him, just as he always did.

But the current Yves was nothing like that.

He was... strange.

Still, whether Yves had changed or not didn’t matter to Arnold.

All he cared about was beating him.

Arnold’s thoughts returned to the fight.

He had noticed that Yves’ presence would disappear whenever he entered the darkness or shadows.

Sometimes, Yves would vanish completely before suddenly reappearing behind one of the twins in the blink of an eye, nearly catching them off guard.

Fortunately, they always watched each other’s backs, preventing Yves from landing any sneaky attacks.

Arnold didn’t know the full extent of Yves’ abilities, but from what he had observed during their brief encounter, he had managed to piece together a few things.

Yves possessed some kind of stealth ability that allowed him to conceal his presence. It was probably connected to his darkness.

On top of that, he could somehow travel through shadows.

That was strange.

As far as Arnold knew, only the Schatten assassins possessed that ability.

Regardless, those abilities made Yves incredibly dangerous in environments with plenty of darkness.

Fighting him at night would have been a nightmare. He could disappear into practically any shadow and attack from unexpected directions.

Fortunately, Arnold had a way to deal with that.

If they had known about Yves’ abilities beforehand, the twins wouldn’t have needed to worry about his stealth for long.

Arnold could simply create a massive fireball above the battlefield and illuminate the entire area with his Fire Authority.

That was the perfect counter.

No shadows meant no Shadow Step.

No darkness meant no hiding.

And that was exactly what he had done.

He had created a massive sphere of fire above the forest, producing enough light to erase every shadow within the surrounding area.

The effect had been immediate.

Yves could no longer teleport through the shadows, nor could he use the darkness to conceal his presence.

And when he was caught off guard by the sudden illumination, Arnold seized the opportunity.

He launched another fireball.

It travelled so quickly that Yves had been a second too late to dodge.

Now, the entire area where Yves had been standing was destroyed, covered in dust and smoke.

Arnold believed Yves had been teleported away by the system, but he was certain that the attack had burned at least part of his body.

And that must have hurt.

Knowing that, his quick elimination wasn’t quite as disappointing anymore.

A wide smile spread across Arnold’s face.

He finally sheathed his katana.

Click.

"We won."

He spread his arms wide.

"Yes, we did! Hehe."

Ana laughed as she walked toward him.

Arnold couldn’t wait to receive praise from his family.

More specifically, from his father.

The man rarely showed any reaction to his children’s achievements, regardless of how impressive they were.

But this time would be different.

With this, Father will definitely look at me instead of always looking at my older sister.

He clenched his fist.

"You know what you have to do, right?" Arnold turned toward Ana.

"Yes."

She nodded.

"I’ll forfeit so you can take first place."

She smiled.

"You know me so well."

Since only one contestant could remain standing, Arnold intended to have Ana forfeit, securing first place for himself.

However...

Something was wrong.

Lord Altair hadn’t appeared to congratulate them or teleport them back to the estate.

That made Arnold frown.

Why hadn’t the Rite ended?

Just as Ana was about to forfeit, Arnold noticed something inside the smoke.

A dark silhouette.

It was barely visible, but as the dust and smoke slowly settled, its outline became increasingly clear.

Arnold narrowed his eyes.

"What is that?"

Ana turned around.

She noticed it too.

"N-No way..."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"Did he actually survive that?"

Arnold stared at the silhouette.

He had been thinking that their victory had come a little too easily.

Considering how confident Yves had sounded earlier, it was strange that he had been eliminated so quickly.

Both twins instinctively reached for the hilts of their katanas.

The smoke finally dispersed.

The scorched ground came into view, revealing the aftermath of Arnold’s attack.

And right in the middle of it stood a figure clad in dark obsidian armour.

The armour was pristine.

Not a single scratch could be seen on its surface, and the light from Arnold’s miniature sun reflected off it, making the entire figure look strangely majestic.

"...Is that Yves?" Arnold asked suspiciously.

The figure was covered in armour from head to toe.

An obsidian helmet concealed its face, with a long black plume flowing from the back of its head and reaching down toward its shoulders.

There was nothing visible beneath the helmet except for two narrow openings.

Behind them, a pair of dark purple eyes glowed faintly.

In its left hand rested a black katana.

The entire appearance was gothic, almost as though something had crawled straight out of a horror book.

That was the only way Arnold could describe it.

And, for some reason, he couldn’t help feeling a chill run down his spine.

The figure slowly raised its katana and pointed the tip toward the twins.

"Oi. Who said you had already won?"

It tilted its head slightly.

"Impossible... How the hell are you still here? I’m dead sure that you were hit by my attack!" Arnold shouted.

"You should’ve burned and been teleported away," Ana added with a sneer, although her grip on her katana had tightened.

Yves tilted his head.

"Did you really think a measly attack like that could eliminate me?"

His voice sounded considerably deeper than usual.

Perhaps it was because of the helmet.

He wasn’t sure.

"I should’ve burned, you say?"

He paused.

"Who decided that?"

The darkness around his body began to move.

"I am the one who decides whether I lose or not."

His voice grew colder.

"And in this case, I don’t feel like losing."

A black aura began leaking from his armour, swaying around him like dark smoke caught in the wind.

"I told you."

His katana remained pointed toward the twins.

"You’re the ones who will be losing today. Not me."

He spoke calmly, but every word carried the weight of an ultimatum.

"Don’t make me laugh!" Arnold shouted.

"Just because you survived once doesn’t mean you’ll survive a second time!"

The air above him groaned.

Several more fireballs began taking shape around the miniature sun.

"You can’t win! Without your stealth, you’re nothing!"

With a flick of his hand, the fireballs launched toward Yves, leaving bright red streaks across the sky.

Yves watched the approaching projectiles with a calm gaze.

Then he slowly raised his hand.

Dark energy leaked from his body.

It spread through the air like a massive net, wrapping around the incoming fireballs before they could reach him.

The flames struggled for a moment.

Then, one by one, they were swallowed by the darkness.

Their light disappeared.

Their heat vanished.

And within seconds, nothing remained.

"What the fuck?" Ana cursed.

"My fire... How?"

Arnold’s voice trembled.

"How is that possible?"

Yves began walking toward them.

"It’s quite simple, really."

He raised his hand, his palm facing upward.

"It’s just darkness."

Swooosh!

Darkness erupted from Yves’ body like a raging sea.

Enormous waves of black energy surged toward the twins, threatening to swallow everything in their path.