Chapter 18 - Assault

My eyes widened, and a cold sweat broke out across my body. Something was coming.

Ronan's muscles tensed, and he shot forward with a roar, his fists raised and ready. They landed squarely on my gut. "Die!"

I spat blood from the force of his blow, stumbling a step backward. Then, a second hit. I nearly doubled over, and Ronan pounced at me. He wrapped both hands tightly around my throat. He squeezed tightly, trying to crush my trachea, and slowly started lifting me.

"Shit," I thought. This wasn't how he used to fight. What had happened to him? He was never a hand-to-hand fighter, yet his fists were fast and strong enough that he didn't need any fancy tricks or skills to deal with an opponent. I guess that's why the hero hired him, to be a sort of unexpected variable.

With all my strength, I managed to push his hands off my neck. "Hah!" He roared, bringing them back up and trying to grab me. I ducked under the arms, slid underneath his body, and tackled him into the stone wall behind him. Ronan crumpled to his knees, holding his face. Then he rose unsteadily, launching a barrage of haymakers, destroying the wall behind me like paper. I swerved, dodging them all, and prepared myself for another counterattack.

This wasn't good. I knew from my past fights with this guy that when I faced him, he tended to fight with a different style. Instead of fighting me one-on-one as he should, he'd focus entirely on his skills to disable his enemy before they got close enough to hurt him. Forcing me to keep dodging so he wouldn't get hurt himself.

So why was he suddenly going on a punching spree now? Did he get the idea I wasn't capable of dealing with it? I had to admit, being hit like this did drain me considerably, and the pressure was making me increasingly unsure if I could take him down.

Still... something didn't feel quite right about the entire fight. It felt as though Ronan was baiting me, forcing me into attacking him so I'd slip up. Which made me wonder... What would be the best result of him doing this?

I stared straight at him. "You're the one setting me up, aren't you?"

A large smirk split across his features. "Oh? I was wondering when you would notice. I'm going to drag your body into hell!"

He dashed forward. This time, he aimed higher. I met his punches head-on and jumped. As our hands interlocked, the force between his muscles and mine caused me to move faster than usual, leaving an imprint in the ground beneath me. The shock of the blow reverberated throughout every single nerve ending, forcing a grunt out of my lips.

Another strike hit my face. A third smashed into my stomach. Then, the world exploded as pain laced across every inch of me. At the same time, the floor cracked beneath me. I managed to break free from his never-ending combo and slid several meters away.

Drenched in sweat, Ronan smirked. He wiped his brow with his forearm. "This is a neat skill I've picked up from fighting against a certain berserker. As long as we engage in a physical conflict, I'm bound to win."

His cocky nature made it extremely difficult to break his posture. So, I decided not to reply verbally. My own skills would suffice. I hopped off the ground, twisted my body, and spun around 360 degrees in mid-air before landing a flying kick directly to his chin, which he easily blocked with his right arm. He took another step back to steady himself and punched forward again.

Ronan's hand slipped through my defenses, catching me in the throat, and I yelped. Using all my willpower, I raised my feet above his head and kicked downwards.

The next thing I saw was red and white as a familiar feeling swept over me. Heat burned the inside of my face and veins, sending fire to every fiber in me. Power overwhelmed me, threatening to tear my soul apart. My whole body pulsed, and the world shifted, changing my vision to dark.

The world blurred again. I groaned and stumbled to one knee. Then I stood up, blinking repeatedly to regain the lost sight, and clenched my fists, brimming with the last tiny bit of energy that I had left. I stood on two feet again, and Ronan turned to me with a triumphant expression on his face.

I sneered, putting more distance between me and the hunter.

My voice was raspy and hoarse as it left my throat, "Gosh, give me a break..."

My vision cleared slightly, allowing me to see better. Red and black shapes floated all over the place, each moving a fraction of a second before they should've. It was like I was looking at a shadow world, only seeing blackness where people usually were.

"Sure. Goodnight, young devil."

Suddenly, he stood right before me with both his hands clenching my neck and an intense hatred in his eyes; his lips parted in a crooked grin.

I couldn't comprehend how he had appeared behind me, but whatever. He could be dealt with soon enough. I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, allowing my fingernails to pierce through the flesh underneath, but he remained still despite the blood seeping from the cuts. My vision blurred again, and my eyes closed involuntarily. "Augh!" I gasped.

At the edge of my vision, I could see a young woman standing next to the broken floor. She held the same legendary Godweapon, Aztalr, in her hands, and she approached me. I could see her mouth moving as if telling me something, but I couldn't hear anything else a ringing in my head and my own heartbeat.

Slowly, I succumbed to the urge and finally collapsed to the floor. And so did my consciousness.

squidball

Thanks for reading~

I'm finally back from a hiatus!! Btw, I've rewritten the first few chapters, so check them out if you'd like :)
You can check out my Patreon for uncensored pics/sex scene pics and early access!
www.patreon.com/squidball
anyway, squidball out!