Chapter 224
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Chapter 224
There was no time for complicated strategy. Anton just ran, turning to fire behind himself as he did so. He had no grand illusions that he could surpass the entirety of a realm to defeat his opponent. The only comfort he had was her injured leg, and that hed managed to avoid anything immediately fatal during her first attack.
His first shot was comprised entirely of the energy from beyond death, aimed straight at the door she was about to burst through. His arrow reached the door before she did, but instead of impacting it simply went straight through. It was unfortunate that Emma properly registered the danger, but it was late enough that she only half dodged, allowing him to graze her side as his attack slipped past her energy. It wasnt a large victory, but he would take everything he could get.
Anton spent no time dwelling on why she would attack him. That much was becoming more obvious with the second, as her cultivation shifted. He wondered why she had concluded the fight with the other member of the Twin Soul Sect instead of showing herself. Did she not care about killing another member of her true sect? Was she simply concerned about being exposed or missing the chance to kill Anton? Those thoughts cleared themselves out to be considered later, assuming he survived.
He ran backwards, firing more arrows as he moved. Her leg was injured, but if he didnt make her movements difficult it wouldnt slow her down enough. All she had to do was reach him once more, and a more serious attack without having to hide anything could simply kill him.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
He hoped he might lure her into a trap with some power behind it, but he couldnt count on that. He might even run into one himself. As for hoping that he might run into an ally, Anton rejected the thought. It could be just a supreme coincidence that both of the other two people Anton had seen were from the Twin Soul Sect, but Anton wasnt going to chance it.
Conserving his energy was pointless. He had to perform at his maximum potential just to keep some small manner of distance between himself and Emma, and she didnt even have to get into a normal melee range with that pike of hers. He shot in quick succession to try to slow her down, but when she powered through his first few attacks instead of straining her leg he quickly fired an arrow with ascension energy. If only he had reached Essence Collection he thought he might have a chance of causing serious damage, but at least she dodged to the side with enough vigor to strain her injured leg. The wide hole looked painful, and being dressed didnt matter when she moved in a way that reopened it.
She slowed down momentarily, but he wasnt uninjured himself. Everything he wasnt using for movement or offense went to minimizing the strain on his wounded stomach. That meant he didnt have anything for defense, but it was pointless anyway. If she managed to hit him, he couldnt defend unless she decided to toy with him. Since she didnt seem trained in ranged attacks, even if she improvised something he thought he could shift his energy to defend. Otherwise, it was a waste.
Anton moved backwards in small leaps, hoping that his random movements would avoid pressure plates on the floor. Perhaps he did, but a gout of poisonous gas went off all the same. He was glad he was already moving and had minimal exposure to it, but he had no idea how he triggered it. Perhaps it simply sensed movement or his energy instead of having a mechanical trigger.
Just as Emma was about in range- which still put them more than five meters apart- a wall of spikes stabbed out at her from the side. Anton was absolutely sure hed stepped in the same spots as her, but he wasnt going to question his good fortune. The wall of spikes got him a full second as she dodged back and then shattered them, her momentum stopped.
Anton still didnt feel comfortable with just turning to run, because her maximum speed should be higher than his own without hindrance, even with her leg. If he could make things a bit worse, though, hed have a small chance.
Using his extra second, Anton retreated while pulling out another bow. It was more conveniently located than the bottom of his bag now, having needed to use it before. The bone bow was exceptionally hard to pull, but he made use of his normal energy to create a string for it and augment his muscles. Then he drew up on the power of Fleeting Youth, both the energy of ascension and beyond death.
The wall exploded, and Anton knew he would have been turned to mush had he even been grazed by the attack. But he was suddenly on the other side of the pike. He still had some backwards momentum, and he twisted his body to keep that as he ran at full speed. Swinging her pike into the wall and the surprise at Antons sudden change in position held Emma Strand back for just long enough.
The turn was not far, but Anton knew he wouldnt be fast enough. Not with just his legs and normal energy. It felt like a waste to use ascension energy for anything other than an attack, but he drew upon it to propel himself forward. He would still have enough for one more attack, and he knew he would need it.
He made a tight cut around the corner, angling himself towards the middle of the hallway but not crossing over. He wasnt sure how tight of a margin there was on the right half but he really didnt want to push it.
Emma was just behind him, and almost in range once more. Anton turned, his side aching with the movement, drawing his bow for one final shot. Emma was thrusting towards him, and nothing had happened. Well, perhaps this was just how he would go. Anton wanted to at least make sure there was an obvious arrow hole on her before he went. If Chikere could sniff out swords so easily, Grand Elder Kseniya would recognize damage from Antons Spirit Arrows. At least the traitor should be exposed.
Then the hallway disappeared in front of Anton. At least it felt like that, because the smooth white surfaces were suddenly in front of his eyes, as if he were looking at dead end. Except that wasnt quite true. There was still a good half meter of space in the middle. That was where his arrow was going, and where Emma was sandwiched between the walls. The impact from the sides stopped her forward momentum, and thus her pike only nearly impaled Anton as his arrow struck her directly in the chest.
If he hadnt used his utmost power, his attack might have done nothing. As it was, the deathly energy carried the ascension energy partway through her defenses before it felt resistance. That was enough that he punctured through between her ribs and into a lung.
Then Anton was running. Emma wasnt dead, and still had plenty of energy left. The walls that crashed into her from either side seemed to have gotten the worse end of the exchange, with deep cracks on them that were widening as she pushed back against the walls, destroying whatever mechanisms caused them to collapse to begin with.
At least the battle had been short enough that Anton still had reserves of his normal, Spirit Building level energy to call upon. They helped his legs carry him swiftly away, and he hoped that he could avoid the pursuit of a woman with an injured leg and a hole in her lung.
-----
When Everheart showed up and said the next test would be after a ten minute delay, nobody questioned him as to why. Nobody was able to relax, of course, because at any moment he could say the time was up and that they were going to do something else in a very short time frame with little explanation. Even those who hadnt been to Everhearts tombs before were aware of his proclivities for mischief like that.
Catarina looked ahead, seeing an indoor conservatory. There were all sorts of strange plants. If she had been in any other sort of mood, she would have sought out Lev and the Grasping Willows to consult them. Instead, she couldnt help but think about Anton. Her grandfather was missing, and she wasnt sure why. If hed failed the test, he should have been safely taken away but somehow, her heart wouldnt let her believe that. She clutched her chest, wishing it was possible to send energy or luck or anything to someone in a location she didnt know about by sheer virtue of caring about them. But such convenient things werent possible.
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Chapter 224
There was no time for complicated strategy. Anton just ran, turning to fire behind himself as he did so. He had no grand illusions that he could surpass the entirety of a realm to defeat his opponent. The only comfort he had was her injured leg, and that hed managed to avoid anything immediately fatal during her first attack.
His first shot was comprised entirely of the energy from beyond death, aimed straight at the door she was about to burst through. His arrow reached the door before she did, but instead of impacting it simply went straight through. It was unfortunate that Emma properly registered the danger, but it was late enough that she only half dodged, allowing him to graze her side as his attack slipped past her energy. It wasnt a large victory, but he would take everything he could get.
Anton spent no time dwelling on why she would attack him. That much was becoming more obvious with the second, as her cultivation shifted. He wondered why she had concluded the fight with the other member of the Twin Soul Sect instead of showing herself. Did she not care about killing another member of her true sect? Was she simply concerned about being exposed or missing the chance to kill Anton? Those thoughts cleared themselves out to be considered later, assuming he survived.
He ran backwards, firing more arrows as he moved. Her leg was injured, but if he didnt make her movements difficult it wouldnt slow her down enough. All she had to do was reach him once more, and a more serious attack without having to hide anything could simply kill him.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
He hoped he might lure her into a trap with some power behind it, but he couldnt count on that. He might even run into one himself. As for hoping that he might run into an ally, Anton rejected the thought. It could be just a supreme coincidence that both of the other two people Anton had seen were from the Twin Soul Sect, but Anton wasnt going to chance it.
Conserving his energy was pointless. He had to perform at his maximum potential just to keep some small manner of distance between himself and Emma, and she didnt even have to get into a normal melee range with that pike of hers. He shot in quick succession to try to slow her down, but when she powered through his first few attacks instead of straining her leg he quickly fired an arrow with ascension energy. If only he had reached Essence Collection he thought he might have a chance of causing serious damage, but at least she dodged to the side with enough vigor to strain her injured leg. The wide hole looked painful, and being dressed didnt matter when she moved in a way that reopened it.
She slowed down momentarily, but he wasnt uninjured himself. Everything he wasnt using for movement or offense went to minimizing the strain on his wounded stomach. That meant he didnt have anything for defense, but it was pointless anyway. If she managed to hit him, he couldnt defend unless she decided to toy with him. Since she didnt seem trained in ranged attacks, even if she improvised something he thought he could shift his energy to defend. Otherwise, it was a waste.
Anton moved backwards in small leaps, hoping that his random movements would avoid pressure plates on the floor. Perhaps he did, but a gout of poisonous gas went off all the same. He was glad he was already moving and had minimal exposure to it, but he had no idea how he triggered it. Perhaps it simply sensed movement or his energy instead of having a mechanical trigger.
Just as Emma was about in range- which still put them more than five meters apart- a wall of spikes stabbed out at her from the side. Anton was absolutely sure hed stepped in the same spots as her, but he wasnt going to question his good fortune. The wall of spikes got him a full second as she dodged back and then shattered them, her momentum stopped.
Anton still didnt feel comfortable with just turning to run, because her maximum speed should be higher than his own without hindrance, even with her leg. If he could make things a bit worse, though, hed have a small chance.
Using his extra second, Anton retreated while pulling out another bow. It was more conveniently located than the bottom of his bag now, having needed to use it before. The bone bow was exceptionally hard to pull, but he made use of his normal energy to create a string for it and augment his muscles. Then he drew up on the power of Fleeting Youth, both the energy of ascension and beyond death.
The wall exploded, and Anton knew he would have been turned to mush had he even been grazed by the attack. But he was suddenly on the other side of the pike. He still had some backwards momentum, and he twisted his body to keep that as he ran at full speed. Swinging her pike into the wall and the surprise at Antons sudden change in position held Emma Strand back for just long enough.
The turn was not far, but Anton knew he wouldnt be fast enough. Not with just his legs and normal energy. It felt like a waste to use ascension energy for anything other than an attack, but he drew upon it to propel himself forward. He would still have enough for one more attack, and he knew he would need it.
He made a tight cut around the corner, angling himself towards the middle of the hallway but not crossing over. He wasnt sure how tight of a margin there was on the right half but he really didnt want to push it.
Emma was just behind him, and almost in range once more. Anton turned, his side aching with the movement, drawing his bow for one final shot. Emma was thrusting towards him, and nothing had happened. Well, perhaps this was just how he would go. Anton wanted to at least make sure there was an obvious arrow hole on her before he went. If Chikere could sniff out swords so easily, Grand Elder Kseniya would recognize damage from Antons Spirit Arrows. At least the traitor should be exposed.
Then the hallway disappeared in front of Anton. At least it felt like that, because the smooth white surfaces were suddenly in front of his eyes, as if he were looking at dead end. Except that wasnt quite true. There was still a good half meter of space in the middle. That was where his arrow was going, and where Emma was sandwiched between the walls. The impact from the sides stopped her forward momentum, and thus her pike only nearly impaled Anton as his arrow struck her directly in the chest.
If he hadnt used his utmost power, his attack might have done nothing. As it was, the deathly energy carried the ascension energy partway through her defenses before it felt resistance. That was enough that he punctured through between her ribs and into a lung.
Then Anton was running. Emma wasnt dead, and still had plenty of energy left. The walls that crashed into her from either side seemed to have gotten the worse end of the exchange, with deep cracks on them that were widening as she pushed back against the walls, destroying whatever mechanisms caused them to collapse to begin with.
At least the battle had been short enough that Anton still had reserves of his normal, Spirit Building level energy to call upon. They helped his legs carry him swiftly away, and he hoped that he could avoid the pursuit of a woman with an injured leg and a hole in her lung.
-----
When Everheart showed up and said the next test would be after a ten minute delay, nobody questioned him as to why. Nobody was able to relax, of course, because at any moment he could say the time was up and that they were going to do something else in a very short time frame with little explanation. Even those who hadnt been to Everhearts tombs before were aware of his proclivities for mischief like that.
Catarina looked ahead, seeing an indoor conservatory. There were all sorts of strange plants. If she had been in any other sort of mood, she would have sought out Lev and the Grasping Willows to consult them. Instead, she couldnt help but think about Anton. Her grandfather was missing, and she wasnt sure why. If hed failed the test, he should have been safely taken away but somehow, her heart wouldnt let her believe that. She clutched her chest, wishing it was possible to send energy or luck or anything to someone in a location she didnt know about by sheer virtue of caring about them. But such convenient things werent possible.
Chapter 224There was no time for complicated strategy. Anton just ran, turning to fire behind himself as he did so. He had no grand illusions that he could surpass the entirety of a realm to defeat his opponent. The only comfort he had was her injured leg, and that hed managed to avoid anything immediately fatal during her first attack. His first shot was comprised entirely of the energy from beyond death, aimed straight at the door she was about to burst through. His arrow reached the door before she did, but instead of impacting it simply went straight through. It was unfortunate that Emma properly registered the danger, but it was late enough that she only half dodged, allowing him to graze her side as his attack slipped past her energy. It wasnt a large victory, but he would take everything he could get.Anton spent no time dwelling on why she would attack him. That much was becoming more obvious with the second, as her cultivation shifted. He wondered why she had concluded the fight with the other member of the Twin Soul Sect instead of showing herself. Did she not care about killing another member of her true sect? Was she simply concerned about being exposed or missing the chance to kill Anton? Those thoughts cleared themselves out to be considered later, assuming he survived.He ran backwards, firing more arrows as he moved. Her leg was injured, but if he didnt make her movements difficult it wouldnt slow her down enough. All she had to do was reach him once more, and a more serious attack without having to hide anything could simply kill him.The debut release of this chapter happened at Nvl-B1n.He hoped he might lure her into a trap with some power behind it, but he couldnt count on that. He might even run into one himself. As for hoping that he might run into an ally, Anton rejected the thought. It could be just a supreme coincidence that both of the other two people Anton had seen were from the Twin Soul Sect, but Anton wasnt going to chance it. Conserving his energy was pointless. He had to perform at his maximum potential just to keep some small manner of distance between himself and Emma, and she didnt even have to get into a normal melee range with that pike of hers. He shot in quick succession to try to slow her down, but when she powered through his first few attacks instead of straining her leg he quickly fired an arrow with ascension energy. If only he had reached Essence Collection he thought he might have a chance of causing serious damage, but at least she dodged to the side with enough vigor to strain her injured leg. The wide hole looked painful, and being dressed didnt matter when she moved in a way that reopened it.She slowed down momentarily, but he wasnt uninjured himself. Everything he wasnt using for movement or offense went to minimizing the strain on his wounded stomach. That meant he didnt have anything for defense, but it was pointless anyway. If she managed to hit him, he couldnt defend unless she decided to toy with him. Since she didnt seem trained in ranged attacks, even if she improvised something he thought he could shift his energy to defend. Otherwise, it was a waste.Anton moved backwards in small leaps, hoping that his random movements would avoid pressure plates on the floor. Perhaps he did, but a gout of poisonous gas went off all the same. He was glad he was already moving and had minimal exposure to it, but he had no idea how he triggered it. Perhaps it simply sensed movement or his energy instead of having a mechanical trigger.Just as Emma was about in range- which still put them more than five meters apart- a wall of spikes stabbed out at her from the side. Anton was absolutely sure hed stepped in the same spots as her, but he wasnt going to question his good fortune. The wall of spikes got him a full second as she dodged back and then shattered them, her momentum stopped.Anton still didnt feel comfortable with just turning to run, because her maximum speed should be higher than his own without hindrance, even with her leg. If he could make things a bit worse, though, hed have a small chance. Using his extra second, Anton retreated while pulling out another bow. It was more conveniently located than the bottom of his bag now, having needed to use it before. The bone bow was exceptionally hard to pull, but he made use of his normal energy to create a string for it and augment his muscles. Then he drew up on the power of Fleeting Youth, both the energy of ascension and beyond death.The wall exploded, and Anton knew he would have been turned to mush had he even been grazed by the attack. But he was suddenly on the other side of the pike. He still had some backwards momentum, and he twisted his body to keep that as he ran at full speed. Swinging her pike into the wall and the surprise at Antons sudden change in position held Emma Strand back for just long enough. The turn was not far, but Anton knew he wouldnt be fast enough. Not with just his legs and normal energy. It felt like a waste to use ascension energy for anything other than an attack, but he drew upon it to propel himself forward. He would still have enough for one more attack, and he knew he would need it. He made a tight cut around the corner, angling himself towards the middle of the hallway but not crossing over. He wasnt sure how tight of a margin there was on the right half but he really didnt want to push it. Emma was just behind him, and almost in range once more. Anton turned, his side aching with the movement, drawing his bow for one final shot. Emma was thrusting towards him, and nothing had happened. Well, perhaps this was just how he would go. Anton wanted to at least make sure there was an obvious arrow hole on her before he went. If Chikere could sniff out swords so easily, Grand Elder Kseniya would recognize damage from Antons Spirit Arrows. At least the traitor should be exposed.Then the hallway disappeared in front of Anton. At least it felt like that, because the smooth white surfaces were suddenly in front of his eyes, as if he were looking at dead end. Except that wasnt quite true. There was still a good half meter of space in the middle. That was where his arrow was going, and where Emma was sandwiched between the walls. The impact from the sides stopped her forward momentum, and thus her pike only nearly impaled Anton as his arrow struck her directly in the chest.If he hadnt used his utmost power, his attack might have done nothing. As it was, the deathly energy carried the ascension energy partway through her defenses before it felt resistance. That was enough that he punctured through between her ribs and into a lung.Then Anton was running. Emma wasnt dead, and still had plenty of energy left. The walls that crashed into her from either side seemed to have gotten the worse end of the exchange, with deep cracks on them that were widening as she pushed back against the walls, destroying whatever mechanisms caused them to collapse to begin with.At least the battle had been short enough that Anton still had reserves of his normal, Spirit Building level energy to call upon. They helped his legs carry him swiftly away, and he hoped that he could avoid the pursuit of a woman with an injured leg and a hole in her lung.-----When Everheart showed up and said the next test would be after a ten minute delay, nobody questioned him as to why. Nobody was able to relax, of course, because at any moment he could say the time was up and that they were going to do something else in a very short time frame with little explanation. Even those who hadnt been to Everhearts tombs before were aware of his proclivities for mischief like that.Catarina looked ahead, seeing an indoor conservatory. There were all sorts of strange plants. If she had been in any other sort of mood, she would have sought out Lev and the Grasping Willows to consult them. Instead, she couldnt help but think about Anton. Her grandfather was missing, and she wasnt sure why. If hed failed the test, he should have been safely taken away but somehow, her heart wouldnt let her believe that. She clutched her chest, wishing it was possible to send energy or luck or anything to someone in a location she didnt know about by sheer virtue of caring about them. But such convenient things werent possible.
