Chapter 96: Alley Clash (1)
Marie stared at her opponent, who had grey eyes and black hair. The man walked around while his body swayed in an odd grace, while his vertical pupils never blinked as they tracked her every movement.
She could feel his Beast Spirit might be something reptilian, but she didn’t know which one.
Ahh, times like this, I wish Mimir were here.
It was then that Marie saw the grey-eyed man gaze linger on her white blouse before grey patches appeared like spreading frost. The fabric stiffened and became heavy, leading Marie to rush to the side and feel the effect stop.
She looked down to see the small gray patches receding back, leading Marie to sigh in relief.
"I just bought this today." Marie glared at the man before she rushed forward.
The grey-eyed man shifted his eyes back on Marie, but she spun out of the way before then leaping and side-stepping. The grey-eyed man grit his teeth as he saw he couldn’t fix his gaze on Marie, so he extended his hand out.
Before green energy crackled around his fingers, forming claws that extended nearly a foot from his fingertips.
He struck at the wall beside him experimentally, and the claws passed through the brick like it wasn’t there, leaving perfectly smooth cuts.
"You’re fast." He hissed while narrowing his eyes. "But everyone stops moving eventually."
He lunged, both sets of claws sweeping in from different angles.
Marie held out her hands, and a light formed in them before she threw forward, and it illuminated the area. The grey-eyed man scoffed as he ducked under the light and continued towards.
But Marie only smiled as she quickly connected the light and felt her senses expand enough for her to see the trajectory of his attack.
Marie felt the image of the attack constantly appearing in her mind. Then she evades each of his swings before leaping above him as he thrusts his hands out.
Then, once she came behind him, she twisted her body and pierced out with Longnius towards the side of the man.
The grey-air man’s reflexes were impressive as he spun, one claw batting the spear tip aside while the other swept toward her throat.
She leaned back and let the green energy pass so close she could feel it tugging at her hair. Before she lashed out with a kick that struck the man’s chest and sent him rolling back.
Then, as Marie rushed towards the grey-eyed man, she felt a grey stone appear at her ankle, forcing him to dash to the side. Then she hurled her spear straight at the man, forcing him to move, and then he rushed towards her.
Ahh, this is getting annoying. Do those eyes really not drain any magic when using them? He has a lot of speed, and those eyes are making it difficult... Fine, let’s do baiting.
As the grey-eyed man rushed towards her.
Marie allowed him to force her to move in predictable patterns, paths his eyes could track and anticipate. Then, as she saw him getting more confident and less worried, she waited for him to go for another attack.
As he came in for another strike, she stepped into his attack instead of evading.
As his claws pierced toward her chest, she waited until the last second before time began to slow down extremely around her.
His claws hung inches from her chest, frozen in their deadly trajectory. Marie saw the surprise just beginning to form in his eyes as if he had just recognized danger before conscious thought.
Longinus’s shaft struck the back of his knee with precision, forcing him to drop. As he fell, she spun the spear, building momentum, and brought the weighted butt down on the base of his skull.
The blow was enough force to shut down consciousness without causing permanent damage.
Then, as time returned.
The grey-eyed man crumpled forward, his green claws flickering and dying as he lost consciousness. The stone patches on Marie’s clothes crumbled away like dried mud, leaving only faint grey stains.
...
Gran’s opponent was a grey-haired woman with a short, black shirt and shoes, whose Beast Spirit turned her body into a weapon.
Her muscles visibly expanded with each movement, veins standing out, and when she clenched her fists, the air itself seemed to compress around them.
She opened with a straight punch that Gran could hear coming, he sidestepped and let the blow pass millimeters from his cheek.
The wind pressure alone was enough to ruffle his hair. But his counter was already in motion, his fist driving into the soft tissue just below her ribs.
She grunted but immediately responded with a knee strike, but Gran’s hand dropped as he smacked the knee to the side.
Forcing the knee a bit to the side and letting it graze his side instead of hitting him directly.
But he wasn’t done, as he used this to help him twist his body before his elbow swung around to smash against her temple.
Gran’s elbow crashed into the woman’s head, leading her to stagger back and hold her head, but not fall.
Oh? That’s a surprise, she can handle my strikes even with Hercules amplifying my strength.
Gran thought in surprise.The woman growled before she rushed forward, and both of her fists came crashing down on his shoulder.
Vector Path.
Instantly, Gran saw the attack trajectory of the woman, but more than that, he saw her weak point appearing with a faint light. He stepped forward instead of back, getting inside her reach before his palms struck her elbows from below.
This redirects the force of her blow upward and leaves her wide open, as her expression displayed shock.
Gran clenched his fist before her left fist smashed into her left side and made her fall forward with her eyes trembling.
Then his right fist smashed upwards into her face and made her feet slightly lift off the ground, then he lashed out with the following left fist that crashed down into her face.
Before her fist lashed out with a left fist into her side again, forcing her to sway to the side, and then a fist to her jaw.
Over and over, Gran laid blows onto the woman without pause and wasted movement. But the woman had enough as she roared with her muscles bulging up from the pain and anger. Gran’s eyes narrowed as the woman doubled in size before backing away as she smashed down her fist.
And creating a small crevice as she punched through the cobblestone.
Vector Path.
Still Water.
Gran’s eyes began to glow with golden light, and his entire demeanor shifted. His expression smoothed into perfect serenity, his breathing regulated to an almost meditative rhythm. The woman with each step cracks the ground.
Gran swiftly evades her attacks while moving calmly and without wasted motion. When she punched, he wasn’t there. When she grabbed, he had already moved. When she kicked, he was somehow behind her, his fist striking another of her weak points that made her muscles spasm.
The woman grew more desperate, her attacks becoming wilder but also more dangerous. A backhand that Gran ducked under took a chunk out of a wall. A kick he sidestepped left a crater in the ground, and she was destroying the alley in her attempts to hit him.
Gran saw his opening when she overcommitted to a strike. He stepped inside before striking at her neck and making her eyes go blank. Then he clenched his fist as he saw a huge glow at her stomach before he blasted out his right fist.
The fist struck her in the stomach, and her eyes rolled back. The berserker’s strength fled her body as unconsciousness claimed her.