Bang!
Ping!
The two shot at each other and collided with a forceful impact that sent them both back.
The Headless Knight was surprised. In terms of raw strength, the Headless Knight shouldn’t lose to anyone that easily. Especially for someone in the same Advancement Stage.
Lito looked at the Headless Knight with scorn. "What’s your number? Are you not in the ninety-something?"
The Headless Knights are one hundred. All time, every time. And they are ranked based on their powers. The lesser the number, the more powerful they are.
Those that fall from the sixties and downward are those that are usually sent on errands that demand imperial presence but not important enough to send... someone important.
The Headless Knight froze. "What has my number got to do with getting your head?"
"Everything," Lito said, and then she launched herself forward. As she ran, she left faint purple afterimages behind. Those afterimages combined and turned to spears that were even faster as they shot forward.
The Headless Knight didn’t concern himself with the spears as he let his armor take the damage, but instead, he focused on his opponent, his sword flashing as he brought it down.
The two of them began to fight, purple energy against a Headless sword.
It was spectacular. The ground beneath them was cracked, they ground stones to dust with the energy that bellowed around them, and trees fell before them.
To the side, Jade swallowed and then looked down at Severin. "You... why are you doing all this?"
Severin didn’t know if he should laugh or feel pity for him. He sighed. "What did Darius Faulkner say I did?"
Jade hesitated, then he smiled sheepishly. "Well... nothing? I’m just following orders."
Severin’s eyes turned cold. "Right. So, you pretend as if you don’t know what’s going on, then ask me that question to get more information from me, right? Information. You are the Emperor’s agent."
Jade stiffened and his hand hardened on his bow. He muttered, "They should have given orders to kill you if things go wrong."
Suddenly they heard a loud crack and a blur of shadow was sent ramming into the trees.
The Headless Knight shook his head. "In the end, you still cannot match me in raw strength."
Lito pushed herself out of the trees, her left hand limp. "You are right. Right now, as a low-number Headless, you have a very powerful armor that deals with strength, and it takes almost all the Etherion you have to operate it.
"But as you grow, you get more powerful and able to use different techniques. And more fancy weapons and armor."
The Headless Knight raised his sword. "You know a lot about us, it seems."
Lito shrugged. "The Scar had to deal with one of you once."
They stared at each other, and then they leaped at each other again. And this time, Lito didn’t fight head-on. Just as she was closing the distance... she disappeared!
And appeared just beside him where she immediately unleashed a torrent of spatial energy that blasted the Knight to the side.
She followed closely behind, her right hand flashing forward, her sword cutting at the armor.
She grew frustrated because her weapon was not working as intended. If the Headless was wearing normal armor, then it would have been shredded since.
But what he was wearing was infused with different runes that countered different attacks.
The Headless recovered from the energy blast, his leg went firm on the ground, and in an instant, his sword changed to light and disappeared, while his own body flashed forward as if he did a short-distance teleportation.
His hand, that glowed with white light, launched forward in a punch that caught her across the temple. The small shield that appeared before her shattered on impact.
She reeled backwards, and the Headless used the situation, the brief moment of confusion, to pounce on her, his hand going for her chest in a blow meant to crush her cheek.
But she regained enough of her sense to flash away from him.
After going through a lot of tribulations at the hands of the Kareth family, Lito had been forced into advancement, and it was where she gained the ability to directly teleport herself instead of creating a portal.
She’s now an Ascendant, but her Advancement Stage wasn’t stable due to the fact that it was forced. In a way, she’s like a cripple.
As for the Headless. He’s one rank below her, and yet he still kept up with her. That’s what made the Headless terrifying. Their armor is built specifically and individually for each of them.
Most times, they don’t even have enough Etherion left to use any ability as they power the armor. But then, the armor is enough for them.
It’s fucking powerful and made it possible for him to punch above his weight.
Lito’s eyes tightened as she realized that her usual attacks wouldn’t work on the Headless. With her spatial sword, there was little she couldn’t cut, and now she had to add the Headless armor to the list.
The fact didn’t make her happy.
Her eyes flickered to Severin and she silently weighed her options. Her face darkened. For her revenge, she already knew she would pay the highest price. ’..if only I’m at my best..’
"Give up." The Headless felt the same as well. "You are wounded internally already. If you continue like this, then you’ll only hurt your powers even more."
Lito let out a sneer. "You don’t know shit."
In order to take revenge on the Heroes and Etherion users, the people responsible for her family’s death, she joined the Scar, built up her power, and then formed a team that was like family to her.
Ironically... or just plain sadistic irony, her new family was killed in such a casual way by an Etherion user as well.
It was humiliating and embarrassing. It was pathetic.
She gritted her teeth. And now one boy was trying to use her like a tool to fight his enemies?
Hate dripped off her. "You don’t know shit!"