The commander was a bull, and fighting someone with that much power put a human at a steep disadvantage.

But not Halo.

He'd tolerate the brainless man, let him burn himself out, then strike when he had nothing left.

But even that was already proven challenging.

He avoided most of the commander's strikes. The ones that connected, he deflected with his blades. But even those brief contacts were wearing him down.

He stayed agile, always on his toes. His eyes couldn't miss a single moment, not even a breath.

The man fought like a beast, making moves that shouldn't have been possible. Even when Halo hit his blind spot, he recovered instantly.

Shadow of Death clenched his teeth.

At this rate, he'd be the one breaking down. He needed a hit, even a small one, to start chipping away at him.

He closed in and met the assault head-on. The impact nearly shattered his bones, but he distributed the force and let the momentum throw him back.

But the commander didn't let him get far. His muscles tensed as he launched a brutal strike that Halo avoided by inches.

The odachi slammed into the ground, trembling the earth, spider cracks shooting outward.

Halo gulped.

He didn't have time to think about it. A thought, and his daggers became a white bow, a black quiver, a dozen black arrows ready.

He fired. The commander blocked it, but Halo was already loosing the next arrow. Then another.

The commander was still blocking when Halo transformed his weapon into twin blades and rushed him.

The commander's eyes widened in terror as he watched Halo launch two swords at him.

A loud crack echoed in the distance.

The commander's severed hand slammed into the dirt. He stumbled back instinctively, widening the gap between them.

"Are you alright, Commander Fuji?"

An adventurer's voice cracked with panic, but Fuji laughed and tore his shirt into strips, wrapping his severed stump.

"Get back, this is my fight."

Fuji's response was still hanging in the air when Tough closed in from behind. The adventurer's head rolled across the dirt in a single swing.

Halo sneered.

Light and Tough were tearing through the adventurers better than he'd imagined. The bronze screen floated in his vision, but he paid it no mind.

He'd aimed for Fuji's left hand, his dominant one, but somehow the man twisted fast enough to block with his right arm.

That loud sound was the man's back, and yet, he was perfectly fine.

"Not many can even harm me… but you've severed my hand! How… honorably brave of you."

Fuji reached for his scarred eye with a smile.

"This is the second thing I'll never forget. You should be proud of yourself, kid. You are a warrior."

Halo ignored him. His black sword was shorter than the left one now. That wasn't what he'd expected.

Then it clicked. Magnus wouldn't become a double sword of equal length anymore. Those arrows he'd shot at Fuji had been part of the weapon itself.

He groaned in annoyance.

He intended to use the same strategy as before but it wouldn't work now.

With a heavy sigh, he transformed his weapon into a single sword.

"You have less than a minute left, Fuji…"

The words left Halo in a calm manner.

He still needed to save Iris, he couldn't waste any more time.

He closed the distance without hesitation. Fuji came at him with the same fury.

Their swords crashed together. Halo's shoulder screamed, nearly tore out of place, but he held firm.

Their strikes blurred together, each clash sending bone-breaking shockwaves through the air. The dust beneath their feet swirled around them as they tore through the space.

No bystander could've tracked who was attacking and who was defending.

Halo's legs buckled.

He couldn't keep on any longer.

But Fuji's attacks were weaker now, his balance slightly off. Subtle, almost invisible, but Halo saw it.

He kept going, channeling strength he didn't know he possessed.

The moment Fuji's movements grew sluggish, Halo stepped back and deflected the commander's attack to the right. The imbalance from his severed arm pulled Fuji in deeper than he'd expected.

Halo wore a twisted smile and transformed his sword into a reaper.

Fuji's lower half slid away from his torso. It seemed to amuse him, his eyes widening. He forced his body around and swung.

Shadow of Death wasn't fast enough. The blade carved a deep gash across his chest, blood instantly soaking his black shirt. He clutched at it with his teeth gritted.

But Fuji's heavy breaths drew his attention instantly.

"I get it now… you are strong, boy. Be proud."

He adjusted himself on the floor with only half of his body.

He coughed out blood.

"You killed Ren and Spector… my people. But I was their commander, loved and trusted by them. I won't die by your hands. I refuse…

"It'd be disrespectful to go out like that, and I don't plan on it."

He swallowed his blood.

"I am Commander Fuji for a reason."

The instant he finished speaking, he took his sword and ran it through his heart without hesitation.

Fuji's death broke the bystanders. The remaining adventurers ran, dragging the last few locals with them.

Halo clutched his chest in pain, his head beating as though it had a heart of its own.

He dropped to his feet, but immediately forced himself upright.

He needed Iris. She owed him answers. Why keep this from him? Did she think he was worthless to the team?

"Light… Tough, we need to go for Iris."

His grip tightened on the sword. He was doing this, even if he had to pull his remaining clones back somehow.

He didn't make it one step before a voice stopped him, calm, teasing, right behind him.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? I'm still standing. You haven't dealt with me."

His heart dropped. He was running on fumes, and couldn't gather enough power in such a short window.

'Huh? Another one?'

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.