Is this really a Game?!

The two opponents circled each other warily, their eyes locked in a deadly dance of anticipation. Wolf could sense the power emanating from his adversary, a dark and foreboding energy that was similar to the corruption.

As the battle between the two started, Wolf noticed the figure's movements were precise and calculated, each strike aimed with deadly accuracy. He knew he couldn't afford to underestimate his opponent.

After the initial attack, the man had taken out another axe, and that one, just like the first one, also had a thread that connected it to the man's arm.

With a swift motion, Wolf lunged forward, his sword flashing in the dim light of the clearing. The figure countered with equal ferocity, parrying Wolf's blows with skillful precision with both of his axes.

Their weapons clashed with a resounding clang, sending sparks flying in all directions. Wolf could be stronger physically and was pushing the figure back with each blow, but the enemy was still calm and collected.

The fight between Wolf and the mysterious figure was intense and fast-paced. The figure moved with a grace and speed that matched Wolf's own skills, making the battle a bit challenging for Wolf who didn't expect to come across a Tier VI combatant with this much skill right now.

Meanwhile, Shadow and Laura remained hidden, observing the fight from a safe distance. They were ready to step in if needed, but for now, they were simply observing the enemy while Wolf was fighting against him, making sure to be alert to the surroundings in case somebody arrived and tried to attack Wolf.

The hooded figure chuckled as he jumped up while both the axes hung by the threads that he started swinging wildly. Soon, one wasn't even able to see the axes because of how fast they were spinning, and that was when the figure moved, using his axes like they were two buzzsaws that he was going to use to cut Wolf in half.

Wolf's eyes narrowed as he struck the first one in order to gauge the strength of the swing, only for his arm to feel numb after successfully blocking the attack and slowing the axe down by a bit, but not by that much.

'Tch, neither one of us has used an ability yet, and this bastard is actually this strong.' Wolf thought with a smirk as he stared at the mysterious figure who was still chuckling.

'Alright, let's try something out first, then I'll go ahead and use my skills and ability.' Wolf thought before he suddenly lunged forward, moving straight at one of the axes.

Suddenly, he stopped, about two inches away from the axe which was getting closer as the hooded figure quickly moved forward to capitalize on the situation and get him.

That was when Wolf smirked and suddenly stabbed his sword into the ground before ducking.

The man's eyes widened as his axe struck the sword, and then the thread went around the handle as well.

Thanks to how quickly the axes were spinning, there was nothing the man could do quickly enough to stop the thread from coiling around the sword, which made Wolf smile widely before he grabbed his sword and pulled it out of the ground, the thread still wrapped around the handle.

"Damn, this has to be very annoying, right?" Wolf asked the man who clenched his teeth in anger as he stared at him.

The figure's expression twisted into one of frustration and anger as he struggled to free his axe from the thread wrapped around Wolf's sword. He tugged and pulled, but the thread held fast, refusing to loosen its grip.

Wolf watched with satisfaction as the figure struggled, his smirk widening with each passing moment. He had managed to gain the upper hand, and now it was time to press his advantage. He jerked the sword back, forcing the man to stumble forward.

With a swift motion, Wolf lunged forward, his sword flashing in the dim light of the clearing. With the enemy stumbling forward, it was the perfect opportunity for Wolf to strike.

He slashed down with his sword, aiming to hit the hooded man's left shoulder, breaking it and cutting deep inside to make him unable to use the other axe, which was still free.

Just as Wolf was doing that though, he noticed that the figure was not as panicking as he thought he would be, instead, there was a cold and calculating gaze that met Wolf's eyes as he struck down with his sword.

He realized it at that moment.

Losing one of the axes was indeed bad for the enemy, but, he had gotten a bit hasty after doing so, and in his haste, he had forgotten to pay attention to the other axe, which was still free.

The man had stopped spinning it and using it as a buzzsaw, and instead, the moment he was pulled forward and stumbled, he moved his arm, sending the axe forward from the left to right before Wolf attacked him, and now, he was pulling the thread back, which meant the axe was coming back as well.

If he continued with his attack, he would definitely inflict a serious injury to the opponent, but he would suffer one as well. But just as he was thinking that he smiled before striking forward, hitting the enemy off-guard and managing to break a couple of bones in his left shoulder while cutting deep inside of it.

As for the axe that was coming at him, Wolf was no longer worried about it, not even a little bit as a figure had appeared behind him, coming out of his shadow and crossing two daggers in front of him that blocked the axe that was coming at Wolf.

"I hope you don't mind, thought it would be best if I join and help you finish this quickly," Shadow said as he stood behind Wolf who nodded his head.

"Don't mind it at all."

With Shadow's sudden intervention, the battle was suddenly tipped in their favor greatly. The hooded figure, now with one arm incapacitated, struggled to defend himself against the combined assault of Wolf and Shadow.

Even if it was only Wolf, this battle would have been one he would lose as he couldn't use either of his axes. He couldn't use one arm, and the other one was useless as the thread was still coiled around Wolf's sword.

Their coordinated attacks kept the enemy off-balance, preventing him from mounting a counteroffensive or trying to do anything else. Wolf pressed forward, his sword flashing with deadly precision, while Shadow moved with speed and agility, striking from the shadows with his twin daggers.

Despite their best efforts, however, the hooded figure proved to be a formidable opponent. The corruption fueled his attacks, giving him an edge over most enemies as nobody wanted to get in close contact with the corruption.

Luckily, Shadow and Wolf didn't really care. They were strong enough to withstand the negative effects that corruption brought with it, and even if they somehow did get anything on them, if parts did get corrupted, they could fix themselves up quickly.
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"I think it's time we spoke, huh?" Wolf asked the figure as he suddenly struck down with the flat side of his sword, catching the man off guard and hitting his head from above, causing the man to suddenly stop moving for a couple of seconds, which Shadow and Wolf quickly took advantage of.

Shadow appeared behind the man and quickly slashed the back of his knees, causing the man to fall down to his knees before Wolf appeared in front of him and punched him in the jaw. The punch caused a tooth to fall out, but it did manage to do what it was intended for, it knocked the man out.

"Alright, let's go, we need to get this guy to Reign before he wakes up or the enemy finds out he is missing," Wolf said as he and Shadow both grabbed the unconscious man and started going back to the tunnel they had come out of, while occasionally glancing at the tree that still had some vitality and looked better than it did before.

"Laura, just make sure he doesn't die, that's all," Wolf told Laura as he and Shadow continued to move the man toward the tunnel while she walked between them, observing the man and making sure he wouldn't simply wake up and attack her while he was still on a stretcher.

"Is he one of those that are spreading the corruption?"

"Yeah, he can use the corruption in a way similar to how we use mana, so it's safe to say that this guy is one of the people we are after."

"We need to get him to Reign, we don't know whether we have already been spotted or not, but if we have, that means that the enemy might arrive soon with reinforcements, and if that happens, things won't be good, we are quite far from friendly territory after all."