Chapter 147: Yves vs Twins [6]

The forest became completely dark again as Yves’ darkness swallowed Arnold’s miniature sun.

Arnold, who had been watching in disbelief, couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. That miniature sun was one of his most powerful skills, yet it had been swallowed by his bastard little brother’s ability just like that.

It was impossible. He had a Legendary-grade Story—the highest grade of the second tier. It was supposed to put him above almost everyone else. Above Yves.

And his arms were currently aching from a single punch, despite having reinforced his body with mana.

’I am supposed to be stronger. No, I am stronger than him, damn it!’ Arnold cursed internally.

Despite what he believed, Yves’ current display of power suggested otherwise. The bitter realization that Yves might actually be stronger than him rose in his throat.

He was fast... too fast. He had sent Arnold flying with a single punch. Arnold possessed a powerful physique, yet even that hadn’t been enough to prevent him from being launched through the air. ℴ

His fingers curled against the earth, digging into the soil and leaving marks behind.

That could only mean one thing. Yves’ Story was stronger, and most likely of the same grade as his own.

Two people could possess Stories of the same grade and still differ greatly in strength. That was because Stories themselves were not equal. Sharing the same grade did not mean they possessed the same power.

One person’s Story could completely dwarf another’s, despite both having the same grade.

That was why one had to be careful about who they chose to fight. After all, they could never truly know what kind of Story their opponent was carrying.

Arnold remained silent, his head lowered, until—

Smack.

He slapped himself across the face.

That caused Yves to pause as he was about to approach Ana, who was bleeding from her nose and struggling to get back on her feet.

"What did you just slap yourself for?" Yves asked.

He lowered his hand, and the darkness surrounding the forest gradually dispersed. The miniature sun was nowhere to be seen.

’I was being swept away by my emotions. What a fool I am.’

Arnold shook his head and slowly rose to his feet. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

"That’s what I’m talking about. I know you two haven’t given it your all yet. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to get back at you properly." Yves said, clapping the sleeve of his left arm.

Both twins felt an extreme chill wash over them. The night was already cold, and they had been using mana to keep themselves warm. Yet the temperature had dropped so drastically that even reinforcing their bodies with mana wasn’t helping. They could see their breath escaping their mouths in white clouds.

Arnold assumed Yves’ darkness was responsible for the sudden drop in temperature. After all, darkness was associated with the night.

Arnold sighed deeply before addressing Yves.

"We haven’t been taking you seriously. We completely underestimated you from the very beginning." He cracked his neck, his voice carrying clearly through the forest.

"I didn’t actually think you could put up a fight, but here you are, making me bleed. Funny, isn’t it?" He chuckled. "Who would’ve thought that the little brat I used to beat and torture would eventually fight back? How nostalgic."

"Don’t make it sound like those were good memories," Yves replied coldly.

"It was only memorable for you because you weren’t on the receiving end."

Arnold nodded. "That’s true, youngest."

As he spoke, sparks began emerging from his body, illuminating the darkness surrounding him.

"That’s why I have to make you experience it all over again. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be nostalgic." His expression grew serious. "You are not going to win this. There are two of us, and you’re just one. No matter how much strength you show us now, it won’t be enough to stop us."

Despite acknowledging Yves’ strength, Arnold remained arrogant. He still refused to believe that he could lose.

He wouldn’t.

"Yeah..." Ana sneezed, blood trickling from her nose. "You’re really starting to piss me off. You dare slap my face? I’ll make sure you suffer a hundred times worse."

A blue aura enveloped her body, and suddenly, she split into five identical copies.

Each one pointed a katana at Yves.

Yves said nothing.

"So prepare yourself, young—"

The sparks emerging from Arnold’s body ignited into golden-red flames that wrapped around his entire body. The flames illuminated his surroundings, but they did nothing to dispel the darkness.

He bent down and picked up his sword. The flames continued to spread until they completely enveloped his katana.

They crackled around his body, making the air groan with heat. Arnold took a step forward, leaving behind a glowing red footprint where the earth had melted beneath his boots.

"How dare you go against us?"

Yves sighed and attempted to pinch the bridge of his nose, only to remember that he was wearing a helmet. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Blah, blah, blah." He brought his fingers together, forming the shape of a mouth, and opened and closed them mockingly. "You talk too much. Just come at me and let me prove you wrong."

Arnold didn’t need to be told twice.

He leaned forward before his body shot ahead, leaving a golden-red streak of light in his wake. From above, he resembled a living meteor tearing through the forest.

Ana and her copies also bolted towards Yves. However, despite being closer to him than Arnold, he was the first to arrive.

That was how fast Arnold was.

He crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye and appeared directly in front of Yves. Pulling his flaming arm back, he clenched his fist and unleashed a punch.

The air groaned as the heat around his fist ignited the surrounding oxygen.

A flaming arc followed closely behind his punch as it hurtled towards Yves’ face.

Yves watched the flaming fist approach. It seemed to move in slow motion, allowing him to observe every detail of the incoming attack. Then, with a swift movement, he leaned to the side, dodging the punch by mere inches.

A wave of intense heat erupted from Arnold’s fist. Everything within a twelve-metre radius behind Yves was completely melted.

Yves wasn’t sure whether he could have tanked that attack, but he certainly didn’t want to find out.

His katana was already sweeping towards Arnold’s left ribs, drawing a black arc through the air. However, Ana—or rather, one of her copies—was already there to intercept it.

She parried his attack.

"Not a chance, you bastard!" she sneered.

Yves sensed another presence approaching from above and swiftly stepped backwards. Right on cue, another Ana landed where he had been standing, driving her katana into the ground in an attempt to impale him.

Yves sensed three more presences circling him, each approaching from a different direction. He raised his weapon and settled into a stance.

He was now greatly outnumbered.

One against six.

Ana possessed a Gift called [Mirroring], which allowed her to create copies of herself. It was a useful ability, but it came with a significant drawback: her overall power was halved when using it.

Meanwhile, Arnold had activated [Body of Fire], a Gift that enveloped his body in flames and greatly enhanced his physical attributes. In addition, he could release heat blasts from his body, powerful enough to melt carbon steel with ease.

Yves was surrounded from every direction. Arnold stood to his left, while Ana and her five copies occupied the remaining sides.

For the first time, Yves considered that this fight might not be as easy as he had initially thought.

But when had things ever been easy for him?

Dark energy began leaking from his body like smoke. The air around him grew colder, and the oppressive chill pushed back against Arnold’s heat.

Another interesting aspect of Arnold’s ability was that he could choose who his flames affected. As a result, Ana felt nothing more than a warm, prickling sensation while standing beside him.

What a kind brother he was, wasn’t he?

Then everyone moved.

And so did Yves.

He swung his katana vertically to the right, blocking Ana’s attack aimed at his shoulder. He then lifted his leg, allowing another copy to sweep beneath it. Before she could recover, he brought his foot down towards her, but she rolled aside and avoided the stomp.

A blade sliced through the space where his head had been as Yves ducked beneath another attack.

Using the momentum, he spun on his heel and swept the legs out from under one of Ana’s copies. She hit the ground hard.

He didn’t have time to follow up.

An intense presence descended from above. Arnold’s flaming blade was cleaving down towards his head.

Yves rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. However, Arnold redirected his blade with a swift movement and aimed for Yves’ neck.

Mana coursed through Yves’ veins. Gripping his katana with both hands, he raised it beside his neck to intercept the strike.

Clang!

Their blades collided, producing a shower of sparks and flames. A powerful gust of wind erupted from the impact, scattering the surrounding leaves.

Then the seven figures blurred.

Golden-red, blue, and black streaks darted through the forest at incredible speeds, colliding and separating before clashing again.

BOOOM!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Explosions erupted throughout the battlefield, tearing through the earth and sending debris flying. Trees and grass were reduced to ashes, filling the air with the acrid smell of burning wood.

The metallic symphony of blades colliding echoed through the forest, accompanied by the relentless crackling of flames.

Everywhere they went, destruction followed.

Yves ducked beneath a hook and retaliated with one of his own, driving his fist into Ana’s stomach. She gasped in pain and was sent flying backwards.

For a brief moment, Yves paused. His glowing, deep-purple eyes shifted from one direction to another as he surveyed the incoming attacks.

Then he moved again.

His eyes left faint purple streaks behind as he accelerated.

Ana approached from the left, launching a swift diagonal slash towards his chest. Yves’ hand blurred forward, and his katana met her blade.

He immediately retaliated, bombarding her with a relentless series of slashes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Ana’s blade met his attacks head-on. Her hands blurred as she desperately blocked the strikes coming from both sides.

She managed to keep up at first.

So Yves increased his speed.

Ana frowned at the sheer absurdity of his movements.

’He can go even faster?’

It didn’t take long for her to become overwhelmed. Before she could react, Yves’ blade swept across her neck.

Her head fell from her shoulders.

Then her body dissolved into blue sparks.

As Yves had suspected, it was merely another copy. He had been trying to identify the real Ana, but so far, his efforts had been fruitless. There was nothing he could use to distinguish the original from her duplicates.

At that moment, Yves’ body blurred to the side. A fraction of a second later, a wide golden-red arc of flames tore through the space where he had been standing, leaving a gaping wound in the ground.

Arnold appeared directly in front of him, swinging his sword towards his heart with incredible speed.

But it wasn’t fast enough to catch Yves off guard.

Clang!

Yves parried the attack, redirecting the blade away from his body.

Arnold tightened his grip on his katana and began swinging faster, aiming for every vital point he could reach.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Another Ana had already positioned herself behind Yves, thrusting her blade towards his back. Blue energy enveloped her katana as she attacked.

Yves shifted to the left before launching forward with a horizontal slash, which Arnold blocked effortlessly. Arnold then opened his left hand, releasing a powerful heat blast.

Yves reacted immediately, sinking into the shadows before reappearing a short distance away.

"Tsk. That damn Gift."

Arnold dashed forward, clashing with Yves once more.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every time their blades collided, dense shockwaves erupted from the impact. The force cracked the ground, scorched nearby trees, and occasionally swept Ana off her feet.

Yves was so focused on his battle with Arnold that he failed to notice Ana sneaking up behind him. Her katana was already raised, its blade aimed directly at his back.

But before she could thrust it forward—

Stab.

Something pierced her stomach.

Blood surged up her throat and spilled from her mouth.

"H-How...?"

She looked down.

A black tentacle had emerged from Yves’ back, piercing straight through her stomach and protruding from behind her. Crimson blood dripped from its surface, staining the ground beneath her.

Yves didn’t even turn around. He continued blocking Arnold’s furious attacks, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Got ya."