The Slayer Ascension: Cursed and Blessed.-Chapter 58: Strong Opponent.

Chapter 58

The samurai raised its head, staring directly at the trio.

The once empty eye sockets now burned with an eerie yellow glow, inspiring both awe and an overwhelming sense of pressure that crushed down on them.

"Ouch," Blaze groaned. "That really, really, really hurt."

He forced himself off the ground, body shaking as he pushed up. At the point where the samurai’s attack had landed, a large red welt flashed angrily across his back. Even after reducing most of the force with his flames, the damage was heavy.

Pain throbbed with every breath.

Gazel didn’t linger on the strange scene unfolding in front of them. First one of the carved warriors moved. Then it attacked. Then Xon said that thing was their ticket out of here.

None of it made sense yet.

He was still trying to piece everything together when Xon’s voice snapped through the air.

"Duck."

Gazel and Blaze dropped instantly.

A flash tore past them, followed by a thunderous boom.

When they looked up, the samurai had crashed into the hall behind them, shattering several of the carved artworks in a single impact. Stone exploded. Debris flew everywhere. Those sculptures were far more durable than flesh and bone, yet the samurai tore through them like paper.

"You two," Xon said, already moving forward, "fight like your lives are on the line."

He paused for half a breath.

"Because trust me. They are."

Then he charged.

The duo watched as Xon clashed head on with the samurai, and something became clear almost immediately.

The speed.

They moved too fast. Blades, fists, and feet flashing from one angle to another. It was hard to even track. But the most shocking part was not the speed.

It was understanding why they had never stood a chance against Xon.

He wasn’t just stronger or more skilled.

There was something else.

Xon’s skin hardened and softened at will, shifting instantly between rigid defense and flexible motion. It made him terrifyingly versatile. Blow after blow landed, yet he adapted with every exchange.

The battle raged, their clashes destroying more carved creatures one after another. The force of it echoed endlessly through the massive temple.

For a moment, Gazel was tempted to stay out of it.

Xon looked like he had everything under control.

That illusion shattered.

Xon slipped to the side, pivoting just in time as a devastating punch tore through the air where his head had been. He hardened his leg and drove a brutal kick straight into the samurai’s throat.

A small crack formed.

That was all.

Xon cursed under his breath. An advanced battle warrior. And him only a three bronze star Shural.

He prepared another strike.

Too slow.

The samurai’s hand shot out and clamped around his neck. In the next instant, Xon was slammed into the ground with enough force to fracture the insanely durable flooring beneath them.

The impact shook the hall.

Xon coughed violently, blood spraying from his mouth as agony ripped through his insides.

Blaze’s eyes widened.

"We can’t stay here and do nothing," he said urgently, turning to Gazel. "If we do, he’ll die."

Gazel hesitated. "But don’t you see the battle we..."

He didn’t get to finish.

Fire erupted.

Blaze was already moving, flames wrapping around his fist as he launched himself straight into the fight.

I might not be able to fight you on equal footing like Xon, but I can still do damage.

That was Blaze’s thought as the flames around his fist erupted, growing hotter and fiercer by the second. He struck at the perfect moment.

The samurai twisted.

Its hand shot out and caught Blaze’s flaming fist.

The fire was extinguished instantly, snuffed out like it was nothing.

Before Blaze could react, the samurai slammed him into the ground with brutal force. His vision went white. The world vanished for a heartbeat.

That heartbeat was all the samurai needed.

Its arm pulled back, then rocketed forward, aiming straight for Blaze’s head.

A killing blow.

A hand grabbed Blaze by the collar and yanked him back at the last second.

The samurai’s strike smashed into the ground instead, sending violent tremors through the floor.

The samurai looked up.

A knife plunged straight into its eye.

Deep.

A blur moved through the rising dust, blue eyes gleaming.

Gazel.

He had saved Blaze at the last possible moment, using the dust cloud to blind the samurai and drive his blade into its left eye.

One eye gone.

That had to reduce its perception.

Leaving nothing back, Gazel swung his fist with everything he had.

The punch shot forward.

The samurai answered with its own.

Their fists collided.

For a brief moment, it felt like a draw.

Then came the crunch.

A sickening sound echoed through the hall as pain exploded up Gazel’s arm. His expression twisted. He could no longer feel his right hand.

The bones were shattered. Almost ground to dust.

Pain hit him a moment later, so intense his senses wavered.

That moment was all the samurai needed.

Its hand clamped around Gazel’s neck and lifted him into the air.

Its yellow eye glowed as it studied the small human in its grip.

Then it started to squeeze.

Gazel clawed desperately at the iron grip, gasping for air that would not come. His monstrous strength, the thing that had saved him countless times, failed him now.

His face went from pale to purple.

Death crept closer with every second.

Just as the darkness began to close in, two daggers slammed into the samurai’s remaining eye.

It went blind instantly.

The grip on Gazel’s throat did not loosen.

"Damn warrior claymore," Xon cursed.

He hardened his hand to the limit and struck with everything he had, smashing the samurai’s fingers apart. The grip loosened for just a moment.

Enough.

Gazel dropped to the ground.

"Cough. Cough. Cough."

He hacked violently, lungs burning as he dragged air back into his body.

"Listen," Xon said sharply, snapping him out of it. "There’s no more time to waste."

Xon spoke fast, explaining to both of them as Blaze staggered back to his feet.

"The samurai has five rotating orbs inside its body," Xon said.

Gazel opened his mouth to ask how he knew.

Xon cut him off.

"We have less than five minutes to disable it or we are not making it out of here alive. Trust me. I don’t plan to die here today."

His eyes hardened.

"I don’t know about you two, but if you want to survive, listen carefully."

"There are two orbs near the chest, close to the shoulders. One in the skull. The last two in the thighs."

He tightened his grip on his daggers.

"Once all five are shut down, we’re safe."

Based on Xon’s explanation, the way to shut it down was simple.

They had to channel their essence directly into the orbs and force them to collapse.

Since you two haven’t awakened your essence yet, your Azura will do. Get it. Hope you do, or else we’re screwed.

Xon didn’t say the last part out loud.

With the plan set, the trio charged the samurai again.

The samurai had lost its sight.

That should have made the fight easier.

It didn’t.

The opposite happened.

They were pushed back instantly.

To be honest, Xon was the only one who could even face the monster head on. Gazel and Blaze were distractions at best and nuisances at worst.

The samurai fought with terrifying skill. Even blind, its movements were precise and lethal, honed like a veteran who had lived on battlefields for centuries. Every exchange made the trio question every life choice that brought them here.

After a violent clash, Xon was kicked into the temple wall, stone cracking behind him as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He clutched his aching chest, eyes dark.

One.

Two.

Before he could count three, two figures crashed down near him.

When the dust cleared, Gazel and Blaze lay there.

Their condition was pitiful.

Broken bones twisted at wrong angles. Crimson blood stained their bodies. Pain etched deep into their faces.

But the beating was not for nothing.

They had disabled three of the orbs.

Xon had taken down two.

Blaze had managed one.

Gazel none.

There was no time to breathe.

The samurai charged again.

The trio met it head on, Xon taking the front line once more.

A deep kick slammed into Xon’s stomach. He hardened his body just in time, absorbing most of the impact. He grabbed the samurai’s leg, twisted, and spun, throwing it off balance and forcing it down to one knee.

Blaze seized the other arm, muscles screaming as he held it in place.

An opening.

"Gazel. Now," Xon shouted.

Gazel was already moving.

In a blur, he appeared behind the samurai and slammed his hand onto its head.

He followed Xon’s instructions exactly. He reached inward, drew out the energy surging through his body, and forced it into the rotating orb inside the samurai’s skull.

Instead of collapsing, the orb pushed back.

Hard.

A violent repulsive force exploded outward, blasting Gazel into the air.

He crashed into the ground with a heavy slam, coughing up a large mouthful of blood as pain tore through him.

Xon and Blaze froze.

Stunned by the sudden turn.

But the one most shaken was Gazel.

He stared at his trembling hand.

At the unfamiliar power surging wildly inside him.

His voice came out hoarse, barely more than a whisper.

"I can’t do it."

His chest tightened.

"I can’t shut down the orb."

To be continued.