Absolute Craft-Chapter 88: Anonymous House (7)

Chapter 88: Anonymous House (7)

As Alex calmed herself and straightened up, she adopted a rhythmic, bobbing stance that never let her stay still. The source of her powerful, agile movements was Capoeira. Combined with her battle experience and epic class, she was a truly formidable force.

Kyria sighed. "Blame yourself for letting things get so heated." He turned to Blake and informed the group that the two of them would be fighting Alex together. "I improvised a bit during my negotiation with her."

Wolfang nodded. "Yeah, I caught on to that. What kind of benefits were you thinking about?"

"Sending Hounds through Superbia’s Ice Paths," Kyria replied. "I can boost their movement speed with my class, turning those paths into cannons that launch our teammates straight at the boss."

It was an ingenious idea—even Blake approved.

The others nodded in agreement.

Kyria tilted his head and eyed Alex as she warmed up. "To sell her on my idea, we’ll have to beat her using only our skills."

"Can you switch between a healer and a damage dealer mid-combat?" Blake asked while removing his black robe, revealing gleaming white armor underneath. Alex took note of his new gear.

Kyria couldn’t resist sizing up Blake’s new equipment before answering that he could quickly shift from healer to damage dealer. It was one of his class’s biggest advantages—being able to heal gave him far more survivability than most classes.

"Two versus one?" Alex remarked. "Fine by me. Let’s continue our conversation in battle—just how I like it."

With that, she charged in.

Because Sol still refused to let go of Blake’s helmet, Blake swung his katana and formed three ice paths that slithered toward Alex. He and Kyria jumped onto them immediately. As soon as Blake’s feet touched the slick surface, thunder rumbled from within Kyria.

Kyria instantly cast a buff on himself and Blake:

<You have received the Red Lightning Buff (Epic) for thirty seconds.>

<Red Lightning (Epic)—you can now inflict critical strikes with basic attacks without targeting weak points.

Your weapon’s maximum damage leaves behind red sparks, which contribute additional stacks to Kyria’s Red Lightning Judgment (Epic).

Your Dexterity and related attributes are increased by 37%.>

Recalling what Red Lightning Judgment did, Blake realized it was the same skill that had caused the most damage to him in his earlier fight against Kyria, even stunning him while he was in Superbia Fusion.

He suspected this skill would be crucial for controlling Alex, unless Kyria had more tricks in store.

Blake was first to engage. He unleashed his First Stance: Supreme Blizzard, returning to the fray before sheathing his katana to set up a stronger follow-up.

Alex fended off the elemental blast with a series of kicks, meeting Blake’s blade with the sole of her foot and ending in a stalemate. Her knee socks tore in a few places, and Blake’s katana lost a bit of durability.

Suddenly, Kyria dashed in from her flank, but she spun in time, raising her right leg to block his strike. Then she pivoted into a roundhouse kick that sent both opponents flying.

Confronted by two strong adversaries, Alex activated a skill that shrouded her arms and legs in dark, swirling aura. Her pale skin darkened up to her shoulders and thighs, and every step seemed to drain the life from the ground beneath her.

She stepped onto one of Blake’s tracks and shattered it under her power.

In response, Blake summoned more tracks that wound around Alex from head to toe—almost like toy rails. He and Kyria zipped along them, launching coordinated strikes from multiple angles.

This reminded Kyria of the thrill he’d felt the first time he fought Blake in Ashen World Online: epic showdowns, ever-evolving combat styles, and the rush of pushing his limits in a fight to the death.

Naturally, only Blake could orchestrate such a creative battlefield at the moment, which made Kyria even more determined to recruit him.

But Alex gave him little time to think. Strengthened by her mysterious skill, her attacks felt harder than solid stone, and she could whip up a storm similar to Blake’s Second Stance.

"And she’s regenerating her health," Kyria noted privately.

Blake’s voice rang out. "She has life-steal. I’ll trap her in the withered ground so she can’t siphon any more. Only my ice tracks will heal her a bit, but you’re ready to use Red Lightning Judgment now, right?"

Kyria nodded, silently impressed by how quickly Blake had analyzed Alex’s abilities and found a counter-strategy. He’d even accounted for Kyria’s main attack and the stacks it required—all without much explanation.

Just as planned, the ice tracks rose and fell like an avalanche, confining Alex to a patch of withered terrain. She recognized his plan too late, leaving her minimal space to drain more health.

"Mmm. White Demon has taken over your role?" Alex teased, watching them solidify their positions.

Kyria radiated the confidence of someone who had already won. "Did you really think I’m so shortsighted that a question like that would offend me?"

"Nope," Alex said with a smile. "But you’re lying to yourself. I can see it in the way you move."

"...In my movements?" Kyria echoed.

Alex’s eyes narrowed. "You’re holding back, and you’re worrying about something. It’s throwing you off."

Kyria responded by raising his hand and activating Red Lightning Judgment. Thunder erupted from Alex’s chest, paralyzing her completely, and crimson bolts crackled around her body like chains, pooling around Kyria’s hand as well.

"Pry any further, and I’ll make you suffer more than you can imagine," he warned. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Alex chuckled. "Bad habit of mine. Fighting and dancing are both forms of expression, you know. People behave differently when they switch to a second or third language. It’s the same with fighting and dancing. They show so much of who they are. Your friend in white armor is the same—he’s not satisfied with himself either."

As the stun intensified, Alex could no longer speak.

Kyria surged forward, aiming to destroy her red steel corset and tear into her stomach.

He only managed the first part—breaking her armor.

Beneath it, her abdomen was protected by the same pitch-black aura that coated her limbs.

With a swift crescent kick, she hurled Kyria into one of Blake’s tracks. He slammed against it, collapsed, then rose from the debris, glaring at the enemy guild leader. Blue lightning crackled around him, sealing his wounds.

’Awkward moves...’ he mused.

He then formed a gun shape with his right hand, swiftly raised his arm, and fired a red lightning bullet so fast that Alex couldn’t dodge. It struck her temple dead-on.

A critical blow, causing severe bleeding.

"Guns might feel out of place in a fantasy world, but they’re part of who I am," Kyria muttered, lifting his index and middle finger to his mask as if blowing away imaginary smoke.

At that moment, Kyria looked like a man who had just accepted a fundamental piece of himself.

In Blake’s eyes, he looked undeniably cool.