Chapter 29: Damage Dealers

’He cornered me.’

The mercenary stood several meters away.

Then lowered his body.

"Like that."

He rushed forward.

Eden raised his sword.

The mercenary’s fist pulled back.

"Here’s a finisher for ya!"

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

’Fuck—’

Just as he was about to finish Eden off, the mercenary’s foot suddenly wouldn’t move.

He looked down.

Ice had formed around his boots.

Eden noticed it too.

"What?"

A golden streak tore through the warehouse.

The ceiling exploded.

Metal and concrete crashed downward.

A figure came through the opening.

"JUSTICE!"

Kael landed between Eden and the mercenary.

Golden Essence exploded around him.

His sword appeared in his hand.

The mercenary barely had time to react.

Kael swung.

The golden blade carved through the air.

The mercenary raised both arms and jumped backward.

The sword missed his barely chest.

Barely.

But not completely.

A cut opened across his forearm.

Blood splattered onto the floor.

The mercenary’s eyes widened.

"You again?!"

He landed several meters away.

Ice screamed through the air.

A lance of frozen Essence shot toward him.

Sonne stood on the upper platform, one hand extended.

"Got you!"

The mercenary twisted.

The ice lance slammed into his side.

Cold exploded across his torso.

His body was briefly coated in frost.

The impact threw him sideways.

He stumbled.

And something pink was already waiting for him.

Lucy.

Her right arm was completely saturated in bright pink Essence.

The energy concentrated around her fist until it looked almost solid.

She planted her foot.

Her fist slammed into the mercenary’s face.

His head snapped sideways.

Blood sprayed from his mouth before the pink Essence detonated.

The explosion swallowed a decent chunk of the building.

Lucy was thrown backward by the recoil and rolled across the floor several meters before catching herself.

She winced.

"Ow..."

Eden stared.

"Lucy."

She pushed herself up.

"I’m fine."

Kael glanced over his shoulder.

"That was pretty close!"

"Did you really have to jump through the roof though?"

"That was strategic!"

Eden sighed.

’Even now.’

’This guy...’

The smoke began to clear.

Everyone turned toward it.

A silhouette slowly emerged.

The mercenary stepped out.

His shirt was torn.

Frost still clung to one side of his body.

Blood ran from his mouth.

There was a cut on his forearm.

And his expression...

Was delighted.

He wiped the blood from his lip.

Then laughed.

"Okay."

He looked around.

"I guess you weren’t stupid enough to come alone after all."

Kael tightened his grip on his golden blade.

Sonne manifested a lance made of frozen Essence and lowered her stance.

Lucy charged her other fist with Essence.

Eden stood silently in front of them.

The mercenary looked at all four.

Then laughed again.

"What a team."

He pointed at Kael.

"Judging by the Essence, this one is..."

"A C-Rank."

At Sonne.

"Another C-Rank."

Then Lucy.

"And two D-Ranks."

Finally, he looked at Eden.

"All of you can attack."

He spread his arms.

"But who’s actually going to keep me from attacking back?"

"Who’s going to heal the others?"

Nobody answered.

The mercenary’s smile widened.

"That’s what I thought."

He rolled his shoulders.

The frost covering his body cracked and fell away.

His muscles flexed beneath the damaged fabric.

"You guys don’t know the first thing about being an awakened, do you?"

He looked almost amused.

"You’re just a bunch of damage dealers."

Kael’s eyebrow twitched.

"Just admit you’re intimidated by the Blade of judgment. "

"He’s kind of right, though."

Kael looked betrayed.

"Seriously Eden?!"

Eden couldn’t help it.

A faint smile appeared.

For half a second.

Then it vanished..

Eden tightened his grip around his sword.

[Devour]

Vicious crimson Essence coated the blade.

’It’s a bit rough around the edges but...’

This time, it didn’t leave his body as a separate attack.

It flowed directly into the weapon.

Coating the blade in a thin layer of red.

’This might help without wasting too much Essence.’

Eden raised his sword.

"This time..."

His eyes hardened.

"...we’ll see how much you can take."

The mercenary’s smile widened.

"Then let’s see what you’ve got."

He disappeared.

The mercenary reappeared several meters away and immediately launched himself toward Kael.

"You know," he shouted, "I was wondering something!"

His fist pulled back.

"Was the first fight not humiliating enough for you?"

Kael’s expression hardened.

"You talk too much!"

He raised his Judgement Blade.

But the mercenary never reached him.

A massive wave of ice tore across the floor.

Sonne had already attacked.

"Don’t let him get too close!"

The mercenary glanced sideways.

"You want some fun aswell?"

He swung his arm.

The ice shattered.

Hundreds of frozen fragments exploded through the air, glittering beneath the warehouse lights.

But that was exactly what Sonne wanted.

Her attack wasn’t meant to cause an injury, but to create an opening.

Kael was already moving.

So was Eden.

The two rushed forward from opposite sides.

Their blades crossed toward the mercenary simultaneously.

The mercenary’s eyes widened.

"Not bad."

He leaned backward.

Eden’s sword passed over his face.

Kael’s blade came from the opposite direction.

The mercenary raised his forearm and blocked it.

Clang!

Golden Essence and raw physical force collided.

The impact sent sparks flying.

Eden immediately twisted his blade and cut again.

The mercenary ducked.

Kael followed with another slash.

Blocked.

Eden stabbed.

Dodged.

Kael swung toward his ribs.

The mercenary caught the flat of the blade with his palm and shoved it aside.

For several seconds, the three moved almost too quickly to follow.

Eden could barely keep track of the man’s movements.

’He’s slowly raising the level.’

That was becoming increasingly obvious.

Every time Eden thought he’d found the rhythm, the mercenary changed it.

A step became a lunge.

A block became a counter.

A retreat suddenly became an attack.

And every single movement carried enough force to destroy whatever happened to be behind it.

The mercenary threw a punch at Eden.

Eden moved.

The fist missed his face by centimeters.

The attacks shockwave flew into a support pillar behind him.

Boom!

Concrete exploded.

The pillar cracked from top to bottom.

Eden glanced at it.

’That’s ridiculous!’

He didn’t get another second to think.

The mercenary grabbed Kael’s sword arm.

Kael grunted.

"Let go!"

The mercenary tried to pull him forward.

Kael planted his feet.

Eden stepped in to help.

A lance of ice struck the mercenary directly in the back.

Frost spread across his body.

The mercenary’s movement stopped for the smallest fraction of a second.

That was enough.

Eden and Kael moved simultaneously.

Both blades rose toward his throat.

The mercenary’s eyes flicked toward them.

"Nice!"

The mercenary raised his leg and stomped.

The floor beneath him collapsed.

A shockwave exploded outward.

Concrete ripped apart.

Metal structures bent.

Dust erupted into the air.

The entire warehouse shook.

It wasn’t just an impact.

It was an earthquake.

Eden was thrown off his feet.

Kael went flying.

Lucy stumbled backward.

Sonne nearly lost her footing.

Cracks raced across the entire warehouse floor, splitting the concrete into enormous sections.

Eden landed hard and rolled.

’What the hell was that?!’

The mercenary emerged from the dust.

His eyes immediately found Eden.

He lunged.

Eden barely had time to raise his sword.

The mercenary’s fist was already coming.

But something dropped from above.

"Got you!"

Lucy.

Her entire right arm was covered in brilliant pink Essence.

She came down like a hammer.

Her fist connected with the mercenary’s shoulder.

Pink Essence detonated.

The blast swallowed both of them.

Lucy was thrown backward from the recoil.

The mercenary was thrown sideways.

He crashed through a metal container.

Then another.

The second container flipped onto its side with a deafening screech.

Lucy landed several meters away and groaned.

"Ow..."

She pushed herself up.

"My shoulder..."

Kael got up beside her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

Kael looked toward the wreckage.

"Because he’s getting back up."

The metal container shifted.

Then fell.

The mercenary stepped out.

His shirt was torn.

A thin line of blood ran down his shoulder.

He rolled his neck.

"That was good."

He sounded genuinely impressed.

Eden tightened his grip on the blade.