55 Friends in Body, Not in Soul (IV)
A cold sweat ran down my back.
_I lost myself in the emotions for a moment there and probably sounded like an entirely different person._
"Vague, accusatory, and with nothing concrete. Your language is manipulative. I don't really care about what you have to say; you look like a puppet to me, Adrian."
Kharn let his rebuttal sit in the air and stepped back, not willing to talk any further.
The others were more contemplative, but their expressions changed upon hearing his argument, and they nodded slightly.
_They must trust his analysis._
_I could only grit my teeth._
_For a moment, I thought I had been totally seen through... Because he's right, Adrian is just a puppet right now, but the cause is a misunderstanding._
_Even if I tell them, they'll question why I protected her—it'll only demonise her further._
I kept my expression emotionless; it was obvious that they were still curious as to how I'd reply.
_Which means they don't quite believe it, or they don't want to, but they're still going to act on Kharn's conjecture..._
_But... I have nothing left._
_Again, I'd underestimated my lack of any good common sense... They trust Adrian, but they're not going to concede all rational thought._
_To them, Rena being responsible is simply far more believable..._
My mind drifted back to Karin and her box.
_If Angels die as often as Demons do, then one life is just inconsequential; even if they're wrong and she's killed, perhaps it's not a mistake they care much about._
_Considering my strange behaviour, strange style, strange abilities, and willingness to "sacrifice potential"—which I imagine is something far removed from Adrian's personality—then me pointing out their bias isn't going to dissuade them._
_There's nothing else I can say._
I glanced over to Laurie, noticing her face scrunch in thought, like there was still something she wanted to figure out.
_I can't give them anymore room to think..._
Lightning sparked, intertwining with my fingers, rising up my arm, and dancing across my body in sudden, brief flashes.
Their expressions immediately shifted as they readied themselves for another fight.
My eyes dilated as I spread my focus to the surroundings as much as possible, mapping the ground within my mind and memorising the unique intensity of each of their gazes.
_I'm going to need to tap into [Spatial Awareness] as much as possible here._
I leaned more of my weight onto my toes and raised my arms with a relaxed posture, trying to immerse myself in the fight like I usually do.
I focused on the tips of my fingers, visualising potential movements.
_It's like peering into a foggy crystal ball—the mindspace of the bloodletting style skill; I'm only able to glean the bare minimum of understanding from it, and I can feel a vague pull towards different moves and outcomes._
_The same seems true for all skills; it's some kind of... space of intention._
All three of them looked at each other, nodded, and suddenly dashed in different directions.
Kesef threw himself at me, his fist aimed squarely at my face.
I simply pivoted on my foot and used my palm to redirect the momentum, forcing him to move aside as I continued to step away while carefully avoiding the damaged terrain.
The fist of a golem flew past, blocking Kesef's view of me.
I grasped its elbow joint and pulled myself towards its body.
Laurie's blade struck the stone where I'd just been, chipping away at its surface.
She never took her eyes off me, kicking off the stone and shooting for me once again without changing her expression.
The blade swung down in a diagonal arc, but I noticed her attention waver.
_It's only a faint._
I lurched my head back and avoided her outstretched leg, shooting up at a speed still faster than my own.
Without waiting, I slammed my palm upward into her ankle, forcing her off balance.
She grunted softly and managed to use the golem's swinging arm to recover in the air, flipping over it in the process.
I could only dash back, its massive arcing sweep barely skimming my chest.
My breathing was surprisingly steady as they came in for another round.
_There's another golem behind me..._
I was ready for it, already dismantling another of Kesef's violent attacks and dodging to the side.
_It's going to be a battle of attrition._
We quickly fell into a three-pronged dynamic.
_The golem's limbs are like temporary walls that I can manipulate in order to gain cover, but this is true for them as well._
_Laurie is the only one with a stat advantage, and she's surprisingly adept at using the golems when jumping around and avoiding attacks._
_But she's too obvious—her trajectory is too linear, and she struggles to change it._
_I probably have the same issue in my body, but with this strength, I'm able to make changes they're not trained for._
Another of her strikes came in from behind, and I shot around, unleashing a powerful kick.
However, she'd seen through my actions and had gone slow on purpose. She kicked to the side, avoiding my blow, and reached behind me in an instant, cutting a narrow slash across my back while I moved away.
I found myself forever on my toes, constantly shifting my weight around without losing my balance.
Some strikes I avoided; others I deflected; a few cut me.
They started to see through my method and separated the golems, forcing me to move with only one of them at a time.
Kesef seemed to be a master of timing, acting as an abrupt destructive element, dismantling the careful rhythm between me and the other two each time we fell into a pattern.
I focused most of my attention on Laurie and the rest on the golems' limbs.
We rotated around, and I kept sticking to its back, giving me more time.
_But he's not enough on his own; his slow attacks are too obvious for me to handle, and they need both golems to tie down my movements, but they're also worried I'll be able to use that attack again—they don't all want to rush in at the same time, and their reactions are noticeably dampened by how dark it is now._
And there's still no advantage on either side.
He jumped away, and Laurie rushed in from the side.
The other golem came in from behind, its arm elongated far more than before.
_I'm trapped between both._
My eyes narrowed.
I didn't have much time to think about it, so I jumped into the strike and slammed my palm against the thinner stone with [monumental shift].
It tore apart, giving me an opening.
Laurie's sword pierced through the veil of dirt and dust.
I smiled lightly.
_So that **is** what they expected me to do._
They'd planned for this.
Kesef jumped in from behind.
They must have switched places while I was occupied, which I didn't expect.
Her eyes widened.
_She thought I'd fall back and isn't ready to actually strike me._
Instead, I leaned in and slammed my palm against her chest.
She flew away and her wings outstretched reactively to slow her down in the air.
Reacting appropriately, Kesef switched to a kick at the last moment, and his leg slammed into my ribs, taking me off my feet and throwing me into the body of the golem.
I coughed and pulled myself free, dashing away in the opposite direction to recover for a few seconds.
The cuts were growing on my body, and no small amount of blood was squeezing out with each counterattack of mine.
_I never expected [Steel Skin] to be so useful... I'm glad I have it._
Without a word, they began moving towards me again, and I rushed forward after catching my breath.
_I want to get this over with._
We had a few light exchanges—testing the water and finding our footing again—before duking it out once more.
Our breaths were noticeably heavier now, and most of my attacks were deflective and light.
Only one or two opportunities for counters presented themselves, but the golems would always find a way to take them in their place.
We were both being more tactful now.
_At the same time, it's impossible to unleash any large-scale lightning attacks; I simply don't have enough mana... But the damage they're taking is accumulating, just slowly, and that protective ward doesn't seem to have completely vanished either._
Time went on, my muscles grew more tired, and my strength decreased as more blood drained from my body and stained the ground.
_We've gotten too used to each other; even though I'm getting slower, I can still avoid their attacks, but it's becoming more and more desperate._
_I actually don't know what to do._
The feeling of how helpless I'd felt when being summoned flared in my mind, and my attention on the fight lulled.
I misplaced my foot on the cracked earth and tripped.
Their golden eyes flashed like wolves in the night, gleaming in the dim light as they hounded on their prey.
A fist slammed into my chest, fracturing bones and forcing the air from my lungs.
I flew back and collided with the ground several times, tearing chunks of skin from my body.
_If only my blessing hadn't disappeared when I used Siege..._
_I'm so unlucky._
I lamented in my mind.
The dry dirt felt like burning oil had been rinsed onto my skin; it stuck to my flesh, and a searing wave of pain rushed through me each time I coughed.
_I only hope Rena ran away._
Their slow footsteps sounded in my ears, and I looked up to meet their eyes.
The three of them were all breathing heavily, and a faint trace of astonishment was hardly concealed in their gaze; however, Laurie still looked a little distracted, not that it mattered to me right now.
_At least I gave them a shock._
A faint smile subtly crossed my face, and I glanced to the side.
[Class: (Choose)]
The golems had already reached my side and locked my arms in theirs.
A golden tentacle materialised near Laurie; it grew and grew while bunching up like a compressed spring, ready to launch at any moment.
_Insurance? For a second, I thought she was going to kill me, but I don't sense any desire to actually attack yet, and they still want to take 'Adrian' back._
I took in my surroundings: the crisp shadows of the trees that, even in the dark, looked like artwork carved into the ground.
_We've moved away from the village..._
Laurie's face grew resolute, and her mouth opened as if to speak.
"Y..."
A figure jumped down from a tree.
"GET AWAY!"
A high voice screeched from nearby, startling everyone.
We barely had a moment to turn our heads before an extraordinarily luminous light violently tore through the atmosphere.
I was completely blinded; the entire area was far brighter than the day had been.
A golem barely had the time to turn and block the attack.
The heatwave of their collision washed over me, searing my wounds, while the golem only lasted a second before rupturing apart like brittle sandstone.
It abruptly shifted cold, and the light bitterly caressed my skin; it engulfed each and every fragment of stone, disintegrating them out of existence with a mundane ease that only made it more startling.
What once was a mangled fist of light diverged into a dense stream of tens of blinding projectiles.
Their faces, filled with fear, now shone noticeably in the dark.
Only Kesef had the sense to move, pushing in front and seemingly using some kind of skill to take the remaining energy head on.
Despite that, the bleak light dug through his magic and burrowed into his flesh like a swarm of scarabs.
He buckled to his knees, and his jaw unhinged.
The moment his mind caught up, he was already screaming in agony as the energy ravaged his body.
His flesh wriggled under his skin, and he collapsed to the ground, only for a faint golden light to suddenly envelop him and rapidly close the worst of the wounds.
However, it wasn't long before the magic flittered out, barely seeming to keep him alive.
Kharn panted heavily from the side, dazed but not as lost in shock as everyone else—including me.
The light dimmed.
Suddenly an audible crunch sounded in my ears, followed by a harrowing wail.
My vision narrowed, and it felt as though I shot to my feet, but I couldn't tell what I was experiencing at all.
Something was changing, and I felt my mind being pulled away from my body by some invisible force.
Rena fell to her knees, half her arm limply hanging at her side, with Arshe staring at her maliciously.
Faint whispers of light still touched the tips of her fingers.
I snapped back into my body, hit with overwhelming instinct.
Dense streams of lightning exploded out from me; my skin, my eyes, even my hair shifted into a violet colour, and a staggering force pushed me forward without thinking.
I didn't even see it happen at first.
His face crackled under my fist, and his eye burst against the sudden, sheer pressure of the attack.
Time seemed to catch up, and his body flew into a tree, folding his spine against its trunk before falling to the ground.
[Conditions satisfied]
[Special-Black Class: [Emulser] Acquired]
[[Emulser-Store] Acquired]
[[Paths of the Contractor] Acquired]
[[System Properties] Acquired]
[You can now obtain contract rewards]
[Spatial Awareness lvl3 --> lvl4]
[Pain Tolerance lvl2 --> lvl3]
[Lightning Magic lvl3 --> lvl4]
[Ability: [Scale-Cast lvl4] has transformed into Variant Ability: [Lightning Scale-Cast lvl3]]
[You have acquired the skill [Boost lvl1]]
[You have acquired the skill [Thunder-Flash lvl1]]
[You have acquired the skill [Dark Step lvl1]]
[You have acquired the skill [Green Fingers lvl1]]
[Ability: [Breath of the Soul lvl0] has upgraded to [Breath of the Soul lvl2] and will now show in the interface.]
[Due to Special-Black Class: [Emulser] and perfect assimilation of [Crystallised Source Fruit], class options have been emulsed.]
[You have acquired the skill: [Synergism lvl1]]
[You have acquired the skill: [Thunder Faculty lvl1]]
[You have acquired the skill: [Wisp of Decay lvl1]]
[Excess energy can increase base HP and MP by 10%]
[Energy partially diverted]
[Base HP and MP will increase by 7%]
[Your HP has recovered by 25%]
[Your MP has recovered by 25%]
