Garrick stood silently on the thick branch of the old pine tree, unmoving, like a vulture waiting for its prey.
The wind tousled his tattered cloak, carrying with it the scent of smoke and blood. The battle down below had long ended—but this one, the one that mattered, was just beginning.
With a sharp pulse of energy, nma appeared beside him in a blink, sword recharged and crackling with crimson light.
His sudden presence snapped the branch beneath them, the brittle wood unable to hold the weight of two killers anymore.
Their eyes locked.
nma didn't blink. "Why co all the way here just to die again?"
Before Garrick could answer, the branch split with a loud crack, and both n fell. Neither panicked.
They flipped midair with practiced ease, blades drawn and clashing mid-fall with a tallic screech that echoed across the forest.
Sparks rained as their weapons t again and again—precise, vicious strikes exchanged in fractions of seconds—until their boots hit the forest floor.
The ground trembled under the weight of their landing.
nma didn't waste ti. He took one breath, then released a controlled surge of demonic energy—20% of his power. A red-black aura wrapped around him like fire, distorting the air around his body.
He lunged forward with terrifying speed.
Garrick parried the first strike, barely holding back the force, then grinned, mocking him. "How much can you control before going berserk again?" he asked through clenched teeth. "Like back in Lulusia?"
nma's answer was a sharp smile, colder than ice. "Enough to kill you. Over and over again."
The two broke apart. Garrick imdiately summoned illusion clones—dozens of them flashing into existence around nma, each holding a blade, each identical.
But nma just shook his head, his aura flaring brighter. 30%.
A burst of demonic pressure rippled outward. Every illusion around him cracked like glass, dissolving in an instant.
"Is that it?" nma asked, tone casual, almost amused. "What's wrong? Scared of ?"
Garrick didn't respond imdiately. His fists clenched. His throat tightened.
Why... why does this kid still unnerve ? he thought. I've killed witches stronger than him. I've led attacks on entire covens. I've slaughtered anyone who dared oppose . And yet... this kid... this fucking kid...
His voice trembled. "I've killed hundreds of witches... and anyone who helped them. But you... I'm afraid of you?"
nma didn't give him the chance to reflect. He dashed forward again, their blades clashing in a fierce volley of strikes. Garrick retaliated fast, pushing nma back just long enough to activate hidden traps—glass vials embedded in nearby trees shattered mid-air, releasing flammable mist and razor-sharp tal fragnts.
But nma's aura surged again—40%.
The shockwave from his power alone incinerated the mist and sent the weapons clattering harmlessly to the dirt. He wasn't even breathing hard.
"You're stalling," nma said, stepping through the smoke, untouched. "You're hoping soone else is coming."
Garrick growled, then snapped back, "And what if they are?"
nma raised a brow. "That's what I wanted to ask you. Why are you here alone? You've got more rcenary friends. Where's your old man? The uncles? The ones that used to wipe out entire cities?"
Garrick's smirk faltered.
"They said it wasn't worth the effort," he finally said, voice low. "Said the witches were already dood. That I could handle it myself."
(When in reality they couldn't co because they all had their own targets to kill, they advised Garrick to wait until they are free, but he didn't listen and ca alone.)
nma scoffed. "So they sent the weakest of their family?"
A flicker of anger lit Garrick's eyes, but he didn't deny it. Instead, he shifted into a lower stance and muttered, "You'll regret underestimating ."
"No," nma replied flatly, "You'll regret overestimating yourself."
The next burst of power ca like thunder.
50%.
The ground beneath nma's feet cracked. Trees swayed. Even the air scread. His form blurred, vanishing for a blink, then reappearing in front of Garrick with a swing aid at his neck.
Garrick blocked just in ti, but the impact sent him flying back. His illusionary skin cracked and fell away, revealing the truth underneath—his real form. Bald, bearded, older than he let on. Wrinkled from years of bloodshed.
nma chuckled, lowering his sword slightly. "Nice beard."
Garrick didn't move. His legs trembled beneath him. He felt it now—not just the difference in strength—but the sheer intent behind nma's attacks.
This wasn't the reckless boy from Lulusia anymore. This was soone controlled. Precise. Terrifyingly calculated.
And he was staring death in the face.
"I should've brought an army..." Garrick muttered under his breath.
A second later, nma closed the gap, kicking him full-force in the gut.
CRACK.
Garrick slamd into a thick tree trunk. Bark split from the force, and blood spewed from his lips as he collapsed to his knees. His vision doubled. The taste of iron filled his mouth.
nma walked forward slowly, every step echoing like judgnt.
"This ti," he said, sword glowing crimson with his aura, "for real. Don't co back."
He raised the blade, the tip gleaming, humming with death.
But just as the blade descended—
CLANG!
It t a wall of light.
A glowing flail, radiant and divine, blocked the strike.
Annie.
Light Creation // Light Hands
She stood between them, her eyes unwavering, her arm outstretched, holding back nma's fury with nothing but will and creation.
nma's eyes opened, and he quickly removed the sword, so that it wouldn't hurt Annie.
"What the hell, Mother?!" nma roared. "He deserves to die! He was the mastermind in Lulusia! He tricked everyone, pretending to be a witch just to kill them!"
Annie's eyes didn't waver, but a shadow of sorrow passed through them. "I know," she said quietly. "But we might need him. His power... his knowledge... it could be useful. For what's coming."
nma clenched his jaw, furious. His sword trembled in his grip. "You want to use him?"
"I want us to survive," she replied. "Even if it ans saving soone like him."
Behind them, Garrick's body slumped, barely conscious. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth. He looked up at the fading light of the sky, eyes glossy.
"I'm sorry... brothers... I failed you..."
And with that, his head dropped to the ground, and he passed out cold.
"Move Mother!" Said nma with a angry expression "If i don't kill him now, he will trick us again."
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