Chapter 89: Showdown with Stepping Man – part four

Much like the first time they met, Nargava appeared before Nick in the blink of an eye, and the speed with which he approached Nick sent a shiver down his spine.

With much more pressure in his fist than one would imagine, Nargava swung at Nick, who managed to block this time.

Heavy!?

Seryah!

But his punches, kicks, and elbows were on another level in terms of skill and weight.

Much like Nick, he was the type of human that could go toe-to-toe with a monster with his bare hands, but the weight of each individual attack surpassed Nicks.

The intense pressure Nargava was putting on him was making Nick unconsciously retreat.

Youre wide open Black blades!

Guh!

Nick sensed a spell was coming and jumped to the side. He used one of the big iron buckets as a shield, but it was slowly being chipped away.

He could not fully protect himself, and a few fragments hit his arm.

Rocks Theyre really hard

What injured Nicks arm and was damaging the iron bucket, were obsidian arrowheads.

Nargava relentlessly fired them from his hands, as they destroyed the floor and equipment like a shotgun.

Obsidian was sharp, and a sharpened obsidian knife would be sharper than even an iron sword.

Its biggest drawback was that it was too easily broken, and thus it was not fit for everyday use as a weapon. However, this drawback was completely invalidated when it was used as a disposable item created using magic.

Teyah!

That was when Karan appeared in front of Nargava, using her Dragon Bone Sword as a shield.

Behind her stood Sem, who boldly stepped forward to save Nick even as an unpleasant scraping sound echoed.

Dont over-do it Karan!

Im alright!

The moment there was a break in Nargavas magic, Karan took a deep breath and exhaled flames. However, Nargava saw it coming and jumped back to avoid it.

Sem took this opportunity to run towards Nick and cast healing magic.

Let me help!

Nevermind that, Nargava

Its alright. Tianna!

I know! There!

From a beam close to the ceiling, Tianna cast Ice spear, aiming for Nargava, who was still floating in the air.

Nuu!

But Nargavas trajectory changed. He threw a hooked rope into a light fixed on a wall and used it to pull his body away. The ice spear passed through the empty space where Nargava was just a second before.

He moves like a bug! Icicle Dance!

Diamond Shield!

Tianna and Nargava cast their spells at the same time, one to shoot ice pebbles, and the other to guard against them.

What seemed like a stalemate was actually just a bluff. Nick realized what Nargava was planning and yelled.

Tianna get away!

He has a shield but I can at least keep him in check!

Thats not it Its coming at you!

The moment Tianna stopped casting her ice magic, the shield flew at her like a boomerang.

She dodged just in time, but its force was such that it penetrated the wall and flew away.

Was that spell always like that?

He made us think it was just for defense and threw it with his raw power.

What!?

Sem sounded shocked as he heard Nicks explanation.

What do we do? Should we call Bond and Scott

No. They are our last resort in case he escapes.

Bond was spread out in the south-east area of the Labyrinth City in case Nargava took a route they did not anticipate. However, it would take time for Bond and all his copies to reach the factory, and using Parallel was also depleting his strength.

Scott and Olivia were on standing-by outside the factory, out of fear that their addition could throw off Survivors flow, and as a countermeasure in case Nargava escaped the factory.

Also, Nargava could have friends that they did not know about. If the current situation broke down, they had the option of calling Bond and Scott for help.

Well deal with him here like we planned! Lets go!

Got it!

Karan raised her Dragon Bone Sword in response to Nicks command.

She leapt towards Nargava quicker than one would think with her heavy sword, and swung straight down.

Since she did it just as he was about to land, it could not be dodged.

Guuh!

Nargava once again activated his Diamond Shield to block Karans attack.

Karan kept pushing her sword down, with enough pressure to crack the ground she was standing on, until Nargava threw away his shield and quickly jumped back just as the sword was about to hit his neck.

Youre not getting away Fire Dragon Fan!

Karan spun around and swung her Dragon Bone Sword sideways, releasing a flash of flames in the shape of a fan.

It was an attack that focused more on covering a wide area than hitting hard.

Cheryah!

Nargava parried it with his hand, by skillfully lowering and pushing up the back of his hand as the flash of flames approached.

Wha Didnt it burn!?

Its strong But the trajectory is obvious.!

Dont think youve seen through everything!

Nick approached Nargava while hiding behind Karans flashy attack, and thrust his short sword towards Nargavas side.

Not enough!

Wha!?

Nargava created a small Diamond Shield, about the size of the palm of his hand, blocked Nicks attack, and pushed him back.

Nicks short sword could not withstand the impact, and broke. It would be very difficult for something not as sharp as the Dragon Bone Sword to successfully push back a Diamond Shield.

Dammit!

Nick tossed his short sword and attacked with his fist.

His fists were lighter, but Nick figured it was possible to take him down if he could make more contact..

Nargavas specialty was most likely a defensive fighting style that combined strengthening and defensive magic. The kind that allowed one to regroup quickly if they were ever suddenly attacked by bandits while traveling via horse or dragon carriages, or protect someone important even while unarmed.

Nick understood this from Nargavas words and the impression he got while fighting him, and he fought back Nargavas heavy fists with his own.

Guh Youre pretty good Arent you!?

What!?

Nargava stood firm after Nick hit him with his full strength.

Nick felt a strange sensation in his fist. It was like he hit a boulder, or a human shaped big tree that was deeply rooted in the earth.

It was not Nargavas body. He had a medium build, and his appearance did not match the weight Nick felt.

Jyah!

Nicks hesitation was an invitation for a killing blow. He frantically crossed his arms to block Nargavas attack, but its force blew past it and sent Nick flying.

Guah!?

Nick!?

Everyone was shocked to see Nick sent flying.

Depending on where he was hit, he could very well be out of the fight.

Kuh Im going to heal him, cover me!

Got it!

Karan jumped forward again, but as fearsome as her big swings were, they were not fast enough for Nargava to be unable to deal with them. Unless they could create a situation where he would be wide open, such as when he was landing, he could easily dodge Karans attacks even while defending against Tiannas magic.

Stay still and get hit!

Angrily yelled Tianna while ice spears flew all over.

Sem was about to heal Nick again, but felt something was off.

Nick Uh?

Its alright, I didnt take that much damage. Ive got it more or less figured out.

Nick took a deep breath, stood up, and stepped forward.

It seems like Im in for another lesson

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