Chapter 61: Adapting To The Fight

A few minutes earlier, Elias had been walking along the crumbled city wall while searching for the other rangers when the sound of battle reached his ears.

BOOM!

The distant impact echoed through the ruined city.

Elias immediately stopped.

"There."

He turned toward the direction of the noise and looked down from the wall. The streets below were filled with broken buildings and thick vegetation, but several vines hung over the edge of the wall, stretching almost to the rooftops.

Elias grabbed one of them and lowered himself.

The moment his boots touched the roof of the nearest building, however, a loud crack echoed beneath him.

KRAK!

Elias’s expression changed.

The old roof began collapsing beneath his feet.

"What?"

He immediately pushed himself forward.

The entire building groaned as its weakened structure gave way, and Elias jumped toward another rooftop just as the first one collapsed behind him.

BOOM!

A cloud of dust erupted into the street.

Elias landed on the second building, but the moment his weight touched it, the old structure trembled as well.

"Seriously?"

Another crack appeared beneath his foot.

Elias immediately jumped again.

BOOM!

The second building partially collapsed behind him, and another thunderous impact echoed through the ruins.

’These buildings are barely standing.’

Elias glanced at the collapsing structures around him before continuing.

---

The present.

Elias shot forward toward the Rusted Reaper, his silver blade whistling through the air as he swung it toward the creature’s neck.

The Rusted Reaper reacted instantly.

Its long arm snapped upward, and the curved scythe attached to its hand met Lastbane.

CLANG!

The impact rang through the street.

However, unlike before, the Rusted Reaper’s body was forced backward.

Its feet scraped across the stone pavement, leaving two deep trails behind it before it finally regained its balance.

The five rangers stared in disbelief.

Dane’s eyes widened.

’He pushed it back?’

His arms were still aching from blocking the creature’s attacks, and yet Elias had met the same force head-on and actually forced the monster backward.

Dane clenched his sword.

"Everyone, get ready—"

"Stay out of this!" Elias shouted.

Dane immediately fell silent.

Elias didn’t even look toward them as he lowered Lastbane and stared at the Rusted Reaper.

"Do not interfere," he said firmly. "I will handle it."

The five rangers exchanged glances.

None of them wanted to admit it, but relief appeared in their eyes.

They stepped backward.

Elias tightened his grip around Lastbane.

The Rusted Reaper suddenly lunged.

Its right scythe swept toward his chest.

Elias shifted sideways, and the blade passed across the space where his body had been before he swung Lastbane toward its exposed torso.

CLANG!

The silver blade struck the rusted armor and scraped across it, producing a shower of sparks.

The Rusted Reaper immediately counterattacked with its other arm.

Elias ducked.

The scythe passed over his head, and he twisted his body before driving Lastbane toward the creature’s abdomen.

CLANG!

Again, the armor resisted.

Elias stepped backward as the Rusted Reaper continued its assault.

One scythe came from the left, and he blocked it.

The second came from the right, and he tilted his body aside.

The creature followed with another sweeping strike, forcing Elias to retreat several steps.

’Its hind legs are making it slow.’

Elias watched the creature carefully.

Its bent legs were powerful, but their strange structure limited its movement compared to its upper body.

’But its hands are much faster...’

The Rusted Reaper attacked again.

Elias parried the first scythe, but the second suddenly changed direction.

He twisted his head.

Whoosh!

The curved blade passed beside his face and nicked the edge of his ear.

A thin line of blood appeared.

Elias’s eyes narrowed.

’It’s like I am fighting two swordsmen at the same time.’

The Rusted Reaper pressed forward.

Its right scythe stabbed toward Elias’s stomach.

He stepped aside and slashed toward its wrist, but the creature withdrew its arm before the blade could connect.

Then the other scythe came toward his shoulder.

Elias raised Lastbane.

CLANG!

The impact forced his arm downward.

Before he could recover, the creature’s opposite blade swept toward his neck.

Elias bent backward.

The blade passed only centimeters above his throat.

He immediately kicked against the ground and retreated.

The Rusted Reaper followed.

Its movements seemed faster now.

Elias’s eyes remained fixed on its hands as they moved in unpredictable patterns.

One attack came from below, and he jumped.

Another came from above, and he twisted in midair.

A third swept horizontally.

He barely avoided it.

’Its hands are getting faster...’

Elias landed and immediately jumped backward again.

His expression became serious.

’No.’

He suddenly changed his conclusion.

’It’s getting difficult for me to discern its attacks.’

The creature’s movements weren’t necessarily becoming faster.

Instead, Elias was struggling to distinguish the direction and timing of its attacks.

He had underestimated how much perception mattered in a battle against an opponent wielding two independent weapons.

Elias lowered Lastbane slightly.

’Add ten Stat Points to Perception.’

[Perception/Comprehension: 15 → 25]

The change was immediate.

His senses sharpened.

The world seemed to become clearer, and even the smallest movements of the Rusted Reaper’s body became easier to perceive.

Elias could see the slight movement of its shoulders before each attack, the shift of its core, and even the angle at which its fingers tightened around the scythe-like blades.

The creature suddenly lunged.

Elias watched.

Its right hand moved first, and he stepped aside.

The left followed.

He raised Lastbane and deflected it.

CLANG!

The Rusted Reaper’s second attack came immediately afterward.

Elias ducked beneath it.

’Slower.’

It swung again.

Elias blocked the attack and pushed its arm away before stepping into its range.

Lastbane flashed.

Slash!

The blade struck the exposed pale skin beneath its arm.

Dark red blood sprayed across the ground.

The Rusted Reaper recoiled with a metallic shriek.

Elias didn’t give it time to recover.

He stepped forward and slashed toward its other arm.

The creature raised its scythe to block.

CLANG!

The impact pushed its arm backward.

Elias twisted his wrist and redirected Lastbane toward its shoulder.

Slash!

The blade cut through the exposed flesh beside the rusted armor.

The creature staggered.

Elias immediately moved around its side, avoiding its hind legs before swinging toward the back of its knee.

Slash!

The blade opened a deep wound across the pale flesh.

The Rusted Reaper dropped slightly, its balance disrupted.

Elias raised Lastbane.

The creature suddenly turned and attacked with both scythes.

He stepped backward.

One blade passed in front of his chest.

The second crossed behind him.

Elias ducked between them.

His eyes remained calm as he had finally understood its rhythm.

The five rangers could only stare.

They had watched Elias fight for less than a minute, yet the battle had already changed completely.

The man they had heard described as the Trash of the Crimson Ducal Clan was now standing against a monster that had nearly killed all five of them.

And he was winning.

Dane’s breathing became heavier as memories returned to him.

"He could have killed me anytime..." he mumbled darkly.