NOVEL NEXT Chapter 395: General Festus
Ren moved.
The air exploded as his supercharged body collided with the wall that was General Festus.
They collided in a soundless boom, the shockwave traveling through the air and rattling the tunnel walls around them.
The soldiers that were fighting, including Lilith and Thorn, stumbled, but they had no time to focus on the battle, not when their own lives were at stake.
Purple lightning surged from Ren's armor with each attack, the ground fracturing beneath their feet.
Festus met him blow for blow.
Ren ducked under a sweeping arc of the soldier's blade, retaliating with a Push-enhanced punch aimed at the man's ribs.
Festus spun sideways, avoiding the full brunt but still staggering back a step.
Ren didn't let up. He followed with a burst of speed, spinning low to sweep the soldier's legs.
Clang!
Festus shifted his weight in midair, landing lightly on one foot. His sword lashed out, the blade not touching Ren, but still cutting into his side.
Ren winced, skidding back as blood splattered the stone. 'What the hell was that?'
Then he saw it. The arc of the strike had missed him by inches, yet his side was gashed.
"Confused?" Festus said with a smirk, his voice casual, as if he was having brunch at a family gathering. "Let me give you a hint. It's not the blade that cuts. It's the intent."
He slashed the air again, and an invisible edge howled past Ren's head, cleaving a nearby brazier in two.
"Rank 8." Ren muttered, eyes narrowing. "You're Rank 8."
Festus grinned wider. "You just noticed? I was hoping you'd figure it out sooner."
"The elders must really hate you to send someone as strong as me to stop rats from trying to sneak into their pantry."
Ren dashed forward again, channeling more Push into his limbs, vines tightening as kinetic force flooded every joint. He was faster and stronger.
He feinted left, teleported behind the soldier with a flick of a coin, and slammed his fist forward.
Festus twisted, sword arcing backward in an impossible movement, slicing a gash across Ren's cheek as he ducked low.
Ren retaliated with an upward punch, catching Festus in the gut and Pushing at the moment of impact.
The man was flung across the courtyard, smashing into the stone wall beside the tunnel with a resounding crash.
Dust rose.
Ren didn't stop to celebrate. He grabbed a coin from his pouch and hurled it toward the tunnel.
Shink!
The blade flashed, and the coin exploded in midair.
Festus stood amidst the dust, armor cracked but eyes glowing with the thrill of battle.
"You're strong." Festus admitted. "But you're not great. You simply act like the strongest. Like the mountain belongs to you. But look at you. Burning out just to stand toe-to-toe with me."
Ren clenched his fists. He was burning out.
The Push resonance was beginning to strain his body. His purple lightning flickered irregularly now. His muscles trembled under the pressure.
He had minutes, maybe seconds, before the whole power up collapsed.
Festus began walking toward him again, sword raised lazily.
"You're a flicker. A spark. A candle trying to withstand a storm. But guess what I am." He grinned. "I am the storm."
Ren said nothing. He rushed forward, keeping his profile low, zigzagging to avoid the invisible blades Festus sent screaming through the air.
Still, one caught his shoulder. Blood gushed.
Ren gritted his teeth.
Festus charged.
They collided again, blade slashing against vine armor. It was a battle of power against speed.
Their battle was not at its peak, and Ren was thankful for that. If they were above ground and were fighting, Festus would've destroyed him in under a minute.
But in here, the soldier couldn't risk going all out. Not with the mountain sitting above them.
Sparks flew as they fought, and stone shattered beneath their feet. Ren twisted, redirected a slice with a burst of force, then slammed a punch into Festus's jaw.
The man spun, spat blood, and retaliated with a kick to Ren's ribs.
Ren flew back, skidding to a stop near the tunnel.
'One last try.'
He surged towards Festus, and the man happily attacked.
Ren blocked the first blow and the second one. Just as the third one was descending, he reached into his pouch and pulled another coin.
He threw it, and at the same time, let himself be hit. If the blade was busy cutting him, it wouldn't have time to destroy the coin.
The blade tore through his side, sending agony flooding through him, but his hand had released the coin. He watched it flip through the air, until...
Shink!
Festus' sword caught it before it could pass into the tunnel.
Ren staggered, blood running down his body.
Festus stood over him now. "I told you, kid. You're simply not good enough."
Ren looked up. Breathing hard. Vision swimming.
Then he smiled.
"Doesn't mean I'll die here."
Pop!
He vanished in a burst of displacement.
Festus's sword slashed through air.
Ren reappeared beside Lilith, who was spinning mid-throw, a blade aimed at another soldier. Her eyes widened at his condition.
Before she could speak, he grabbed her wrist.
Pop!
They vanished again, landing beside Thorn, who was swinging a soldier through the air with his bone arm.
Ren grabbed him by the shoulder.
Pop!
They reappeared in a dark alley, back on the streets of Carthage. It was now night, and the light from the dim street lamps were not enough to penetrate through the darkness of the alley.
Ren dropped to one knee.
The Push resonance loop shattered.
His armor sagged. The lightning died.
Blood poured from his wounds, but already his regeneration had kicked in, knitting his body back into one piece.
He gasped, sucking in air. His body screamed.
Lilith knelt beside him, hand on his chest.
Thorn looked up and down the alley, making sure no one was nearby.
"Shit!" Ren cursed as he leaned back against the wall, head tilted up to the dark stone above.
"That… was a Rank 8 Knight." He muttered.
Lilith said nothing.
Thorn did. "Well, no shit."
Ren chuckled weakly.
"We can't beat him. At least not now. If we all faced him together, we would've killed him easily, but he has his soldiers to hold you two off."
"So what do we do?" Lilith asked.
Ren clenched his fists.
"We find another way."