Chapter 1133: Chapter 1132: Not So Friendly Part Of Town
Chapter 1133: Chapter 1132: Not So Friendly Part Of Town
Letting the unconscious Dogkin drop to the ground, I moved forwards and leaned into the next hammer strike, using both hands to stabilize my shield as I absorbed the next heavy blow without even pausing my gradual advance, earning a surprised shout from the wielder of the hammer.
"Gods be damned! TO ARMS!"
Roaring as he pulled that hammer back and shrouded it in flames once more, the man made no effort at all to approach this fight with any sort of tact or strategy, opting instead for brute force incarnate as he prepared to swing his weapon once more.
I could have slammed my shield into his chest and broken most of his ribs, leaving him to twitch on the ground as he tried to figure out what went wrong, but instead I funneled more Light Mana towards my shield arm and planted my feet as I decided to give Anput's shield another test.
There was also the bustling of the people behind the man that intrigued me, and another shower of flames around us both would help conceal me as I blitzed forwards after returning his blow and then some, so until that point I was going to give them these precious seconds to prepare.
I... was also craving an outlet of energy right now, and the easiest and most tantalizing option I had was to let these Fingers get into a fighting form so that I could knock them down one by one to rid myself of this surplus of energy flowing through my veins.
Though, as I listened to the sound of boots slamming against the tile floor, I could tell that one of them was rushing towards the other side of the kitchen slash storage room and I couldn't see if they were a fighter or not, meaning there was a chance someone was trying to get away...
Trusting in Anput's swiftness as well as the fact that I could feel the Death Jackal behind me moving to a new position, I didn't alter my current plan as I remained where I was, staring down this man only to conceal most of my vision of him as I hoisted my shield and angled it to the side.
Both of my hands remained pressed against the comfortable backplate of the ribcage turned into a defensive wall, and I stared straight into the roaring man's eyes as he swung his flaming hammer once more, the crimson glow illuminating the entire room and matching the brilliance of my own mana.
Like a meteor falling from the sky, his dense flaming hammer screeched towards my shield before crashing against it once more, and I couldn't help but grunt as the impact reverberated throughout my arms, rattling the bones and almost shaking my stance completely, though my legs helped absorb and diffuse the force, just like the angle of the shield had mitigated some of the power behind it.
The flames still erupted against the flat of my shield and washed over the bones, flaring up and almost blinding me as the man moved with his weapon, clearly banking on me being staggered by the blow so that he could right himself and prepare another.
Sadly for him, my size and my strength made that impossible for him, and the moment his hammer continued its trajectory off to the side after bouncing off of my shield, I stepped forwards and jabbed my still flaming shield against his chest.
The flames were smothered between my wall and his body, but it added just enough damage that I knew he was dead as soon as I hit him; the satisfying crunch of a few different bones snapping alongside that meaty thud as I sent him flying backwards sent a shiver down my spine that felt just right, and for a moment I wondered if this pleasure I was feeling was what Kat was addicted to...
Because if it was, I could definitely understand why she was the way she was now, though I still think she takes it to a bit of an extreme whenever she possibly can; I also don't think she likes the kill itself but instead the process of getting to that kill...n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Either way, the man was surely dead as he slammed into a countertop and his head cracked open against the edge of it, blood seeping out onto he floor as he slid down to the ground slowly; with the first of many targets now dead, I looked towards the rest and took stock of the situation.
My chaperone had split the aggression between the two of us by separating from me, forcing the Fingers to make a choice on whom they were going to fight while also allowing him to send a knife flying through the air to catch the runner before they got too far.
The blade sank into their calf and caused them to fall with a cry, the uncertainty of their affiliation forcing the Death Jackal to take a softer approach, which was ideal since it would give us another target to speak to after the battle for any additional information.
Inside of this room there were still eight or nine left standing, and three were close enough to me that I needed to return to my defensive posture immediately as they retrieved their weapons from various cabinets and tabletops around the area, charging at me and not giving me a moment as they came straight on.
Leaping over the counters and angling themselves for each direction, the three Caninekin brandished more traditional and common weaponry as they shrouded them in their mana and rushed me right away, ensuring that at least one of them could curl around my shield and attack me directly.
Since that was their plan, I played into it and blocked the woman with the heavier scimitar as well as the woman with a normal scimitar and dagger, allowing the man with a short, flared mace to come face to face with me as I tilted my body while maintaining my stance.
Feet planted, muscles tensed, shield raised and angled to properly deflect the three blades stabbing towards it, I ignored two of my assailants as I focused on the third, and as he leapt upwards to slam his mace down onto my skull I unsheathed my Gladius and flexed my strength once more as I caught him on the blade.
Making use of his momentum too, I swung my arm backwards and let him slide off of my Gladius after he was done slicing his own throat out with my blade, his body crumpling as he slid a few feet and collided against a cabinet with a thud.
Now that my own weapon was out, I endured the thuds that vibrated the shield before timing my next strike perfectly as I turned my body and revealed the dual wielding woman, introducing her to my Gladius next and allowing her to become intimately acquainted with it as it kissed her throat just like it had for her comrade.
Slitting her dainty neck and cutting deep enough that her head was able to hang backwards thanks to the cut tendons, I allowed her to stumble past me as well before pushing the final woman backwards with my shield, stunning her and opening her guard to a swift stab to the
abdomen.
In a few seconds four of the Fingers were lying dead on the floor from my own actions, and as I twisted my Gladius to ensure she was dead, I decided to make use of this second shield as a bolt of gaseous flame streaked towards me.
Placing the woman between me and it, I allowed her to take the brunt of the damage before pushing her off my blade and walking forwards once more, approaching the mage in the back who was alternating between the Death Jackal and I.
Efficiency was something I wanted to work on, and considering the kill tally already, I was feeling quite good about myself as I blocked the next two bolts with Anput's shield, gradually increasing my pace and ignoring the tables between the mage and I as I just pushed them aside or broke them.
They were shouting at one another to close ranks and fight together, to try and focus on one of us first and even the fight even more, but it was too little too late for them as the Death Jackal and I dashed towards the back of the room, our weapons dripping with their comrades blood.
Three remained standing, with that fourth trying to heal his calf so that he could begin running again, so we took one each and left the mage for last as we covered the distance in a second, taking direct routes... with different styles.
I barged through and he nimbly leapt over counters and slid beneath tables to reach the mage; in fact, as he slid beneath a table, he kicked it upwards and smacked the edge against the jaw of the woman waiting for him, and as she was stunned he sliced open her belly with a single strike, not stopping at all as he raced for the mage.
On my end, I just smacked my shield into the remaining warrior and angled it upwards, allowing me to bounce them over me as I continued my bullrush for that mage, especially after she cursed and shouted "This is a time where I need aid, damnit!"
The dark, bemused chuckle made it abundantly clear that this mage had contracted with a Fiend, and a blast of raw mana crashed against me and halted my progress as someone else joined us in the kitchen.