Rikk's attention was on the twins when suddenly, a blur caught his peripheral vision. However, it was too late. Before he could react, Ashton's lightning-fast strike connected to Rikk's lower jaw, sending him hurtling through the air, much like Ashton had been earlier.
But unlike Ashton, Rikk's impact with the mine's wall didn't halt abruptly; instead, he crashed through it and vanished from sight, crashing through several walls.
Despite the deadliness of his attack, Ashton knew soone like Rikk would have barely been affected by it. The only reason he had pulled a hasty manoeuvre like that was to create so space between him and the colonel so that he could get the twins to safety.
"Sven, Celeste, Atlas!"
As Ashton called their nas, the summons imdiately appeared out of the darkness, eager to execute his orders.
"Escort the girls safely to Lycaon and Frank," he instructed, his grip tightening around the Reaper's scythe. "Should you encounter Vulcan or Flintmace, inform them that the black protocol is now in effect."
Despite Ashton's command, they refused to move, their attention drawn to the breach in the wall nearby. Rikk's overwhelming aura was leaking through, conveying the imminent threat he posed. The summons sensed their master's peril and couldn't ignore it.
"What are you waiting for?" Atlas asked his fellow summon. "Our dull-headed master isn't weak enough to lose to the kind of those. Just do what he asked us to and get going!"
Saying so, Atlas lifted the twins on his shoulders and made a break for the outside. Sven and Celeste, on the other hand, kept staring at their master as if they knew the danger he was about to face.
"I appreciate your concerns, but now isn't the ti," Ashton urged them toward the exit. "Just follow my instructions. Go, now!"
"...as you wish, master," Sven replied as he grabbed Celeste's wrist, still unwilling to leave Ashton and ran towards the exit.
"Even they realise the danger, huh?"
[They did, and probably better than you.]
"...if we're talking on a scale from 1 to 10, how fucked am I in this situation?"
[An 11 seems accurate.]
"An eleven, huh... I can work with that."
As Ashton said, he realised the ti for playing as a vampire or a werewolf was over. He needed to get serious, or it would be his final fight. With that in mind, Ashton imdiately turned into his zompirewolf form. After all, he would need to put everything he had to win against the Xyran.
Amid his transformation, Rikk erged from the breach without a scratch on his body.
"That attack of yours was unexpectedly strong," Rikk mumbled, flexing his neck. "It almost broke through my skin. Now then... tell , who are you?"
"Do I have to tell you that?" Ashton shrugged, trying to act nonchalant.
"I'd be happy if you did," Rikk replied, taking a fighting stance. "But dragging the answer out of your bloodied corpse will be more fun."
With that, Rikk darted towards Ashton, moving around him and throwing punches whenever possible. His strikes were calculated, each aid to exploit weaknesses in Ashton's defence.
But Ashton's agility surprised Rikk. Ashton lunged forward, his scythe slicing through the air. Rikk effortlessly evaded the swing by jumping over Ashton.
As he landed behind Ashton, delivering a powerful kick to his back. Ashton staggered forward, his fur bristling with the impact.
"Impressive," Rikk said once he was back on his legs. "It feels like you have undergone special training to fight Xyrans... how strange is that? Now you have got all my attention on you."
Growling, Ashton retaliated, his claws swiping at Rikk. But Rikk sidestepped with surprising agility, avoiding the attack yet again.
Rikk then countered Ashton with a rapid flurry of punches and kicks; his attacks found their mark, further pushing Ashton back. Despite his supernatural strength and agility, Ashton struggled to keep up with Rikk's lightning-fast strikes.
Having no other way, Ashton decided to use his scythe's phasing ability. As Rikk lunged with a punch, his fist connected with nothing but air, and he stumbled forward in surprise.
Ashton finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for and delivered a roundhouse kick right into Rikk's face. The kick connected, and blood drizzled from where Ashton's kick had landed.
"You are full of surprises..." Rikk smiled, wiping the blood off his face. "Ti to get serious."
Rikk charged once again at Ashton, but this ti things were different. The Xyran had changed his approach, aiming to overwhelm Ashton with a relentless barrage of attacks. He closed the distance between them with surprising ease, his strikes coming from all directions.
Ashton phased through a few attacks and countered so, but Rikk's speed and precision made it difficult to predict his movents. A punch grazed Ashton's side, followed by a knee to his abdon. Ashton grunted in pain, his grip on the scythe faltering.
Rikk saw his advantage and seized it. He launched a powerful spinning kick, catching Ashton off guard. The blow landed squarely on Ashton's chest, sending him crashing. The scythe slipped from his grasp, skidding across the floor.
"Is that it?" Rikk mocked Ashton. "I expected more from you, but then again, soone with as filthy a species as yours will never be able to match the strength of a true Xyran."
"Haha, you're not the first Xyran I have fought and won against who had a superiority complex," Ashton scoffed, blood gushing out of his mouth. "And nor will you be the last."
"You sure have a big mouth for soone licking dust off the ground," Rikk said as his smile faded. "Dogs like you should go around barking at others."
Rikk kicked Ashton without any warning, connecting with Ashton's side. The force of the kick sent Ashton sprawling once again, his body crashing against the ground.
"You're nothing but a pathetic excuse of a living being," Rikk sneered, his eyes shining with sadistic pleasure.
He raised his foot again, ready to deliver another humiliating blow. But this ti, Ashton caught it before breaking the leg. It was Rikk's turn to feel so pain.
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