NOVPUB
Chapter 36: 36:One Edge Of Death
Loreno’s sword came down like a thunderous storm, and Baret barely had time to block. The force sent him skidding back, his feet digging trenches into the dirt. Gare tried to flank him, swinging his blade in a swift arc, but Loreno twisted mid-air and kicked him straight in the ribs.
CRACK!
Gare’s body crashed into a wooden post, the impact snapping it like a twig. Blood splattered from his lips as he tried to rise, but Loreno was already upon him. With a single slash, his blade carved through flesh cutting apart his arms.
Blood splattered like a fountain and a hand shot away.
SCHLICK!
"FUCK! I lost my arm again!" Gare howled, clutching the bleeding stump where his limb used to be.
His vision blurred from pain, but the next thing he saw was Baret attacking only to be slammed into the ground, his body hitting the dirt with a sickening thud.
Baret groaned, dazed, his body crushed under Loreno’s sheer strength. He felt something he hadn’t in years—dread. His bones felt like they would snap any moment. His breath was ragged, his heart hammering in terror. So this is what it feels like to be completely powerless.
Loreno grinned savagely, raising his sword high, aiming for Baret’s face. The blade gleamed under the moonlight, ready to pierce straight through.
And then—
THWACK!
A stone slammed into Loreno’s eye.
"AHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Loreno staggered back, his shriek of agony shaking the air. Blood oozed down his cheek as he clutched his face, blinking rapidly, trying to regain vision. His breaths came in harsh gasps, and his body jolted in shock. He turned, his bloodshot gaze landing on a frail young boy holding another stone in trembling hands.
"Chris."
Baret felt his balls leap into his throat. Goosebumps ran down his entire body as realization struck him.
"RUNNNN!" he screamed, his voice cracking.
Chris barely had time to react before Loreno lunged at him, his sword coming down in a deadly arc. Chris tried to dodge, his legs scrambling beneath him, but it was too late.
SWISH!
The blade aimed straight for his head but something happened causing the trajectory to change and it went above while Chris fell on his butt while Loreno’s expression twisted as he abruptly redirected his attack, slashing outward to deflect a sudden incoming strike.
Metal clashed against metal, and Loreno’s eyes snapped to the source.
A bluish tint was rising from Baret, crackling like flickering flames. The air around him thickened with a faint aura as he threw the broken sword at Loreno at the last moment.
"I won’t let you harm him..." Baret’s voice was low, steady, but his eyes burned with something new.
"You nobles think you can kill whoever you want, whenever you want... It won’t happen again." His pulse pounded in his ears, his heart racing against his ribs. "I won’t lose again. I won’t."
Loreno’s fury reached its peak.
"Are you KIDDING me?!" His body trembled with unhinged rage. "You killed my son and now you’re spouting righteousness? I swear, I’ll cut you into PIECES!"
A strong crimson aura flared around Loreno, his muscles bulging, his veins pulsing with madness. His human features twisted, his skin stretching as his body contorted into something monstrous. His bloodlust filled the air, thick and suffocating.
Baret clenched his fists, but before he could move, Gare’s voice rang out.
"Baret! He’s lost his senses! It’s dangerous!"
Gare, despite his missing arm, hurled his sword. Baret caught it mid-air, his grip tightening. He didn’t even turn when Loreno vanished from sight—
And reappeared right in front of him.
BOOM!
Their clash sent shockwaves down the streets. Sparks flew as blades met, the force shaking the nearby houses.
The moment their swords clashed, a deafening boom shattered the night air.
Sparks flew as steel screeched against steel. Baret gritted his teeth, his arms straining as he blocked Loreno’s downward strike. The sheer force sent tremors through the ground, cracks splintering beneath his feet.
Loreno wasted no time. He twisted his blade and swung horizontally, aiming to slice through Baret’s ribs. Baret ducked at the last second, feeling the wind from the attack whip past his face. The blade carved through a nearby stone wall.
SHRAKKK!
It sends chunks of rock flying.
Before Baret could regain his stance, Loreno stomped forward with unnatural speed, bringing his sword down in a brutal diagonal slash. Baret barely managed to sidestep, but the sheer power of the swing split the ground where he had been standing. Dirt and debris exploded into the air.
"You’re fast," Loreno sneered, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust. "But not fast enough!"
He lunged again, slashing wildly, his blade a blur of silver death. Each strike came heavier, faster—one after another. Baret blocked, dodged, countered, but the relentless assault pushed him back. His sword arm ached. His muscles screamed.
Loreno’s blade suddenly flicks upward in a deceptive faint before thrusting straight for Baret’s throat.
Baret twisted his body just in time, feeling the blade graze his shoulder.
Blood splattered across the dirt.
"Shit!" Baret hissed, stumbling back, gripping his wounded arm.
Loreno grinned wickedly. He raised his sword overhead and brought it crashing down with monstrous force. Baret lifted his blade in a desperate block—
CLAAAANG!
The impact sent him skidding backward, his boots digging trenches into the earth. The force rattled his bones, his arms nearly giving out.
But Loreno wasn’t finished.
He spun, bringing his sword in a vicious arc aimed at Baret’s ribs. Baret twisted his body, parrying just in time, but the sheer power knocked him off balance.
Seizing the moment, Loreno lunged low, sweeping his sword upward in a rising slash.
SCHLICK!
A deep gash tore across Baret’s chest. He gasped, blood spilling down his torso. His vision blurred for a second.
Loreno didn’t let him recover.
He charged forward, his sword a whirlwind of death, slashing at Baret from every angle. The air whistled with each deadly swing. Baret backpedaled furiously, dodging by mere inches. Walls were sliced apart, support beams collapsed, dust and splinters filled the air.
With a roar, Loreno thrust his sword straight at Baret’s heart.
Baret twisted, catching the attack on the edge of his blade, deflecting it at the last second. But the force sent him flying—CRASH!—his body smashing through a wooden house, reducing it to rubble.
"DAMMMMMM!" He coughed blood, his body convulsing in pain as he tried to get up. His limbs felt numb, but he forced himself to move.
Around them, cries filled the air. Children screamed. Elderly folk ran for their lives. Shadows dashed between buildings, desperate to escape the carnage.
Loreno stood amid the wreckage, his eyes gleaming with savage delight.
Coughing, bleeding, Baret forced himself up. His body was battered, but his grip on his sword remained firm.
"You’re still standing?" Loreno snarled, his crimson aura pulsing violently. "Then I’ll just have to break every last bone in your body!"
With insane speed, Loreno vanished—then reappeared inches from Baret, his sword already swinging.
Baret raised his blade in a desperate final clash—
BOOOOM!
The world shattered around them.
The fight was evenly matched at first, Baret holding his ground with newfound strength.
But now..
Loreno’s madness took over and the sword in Baret’s hand burst into pieces.
CRASH!
Baret was flung through a wall, his back slamming hard against the stone. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
"Not yet..." he muttered, pushing himself up but his sight faltered.
