Chapter 270: Cost
Sylas pressed down on the water, his aura surging as he appeared before the flying Alex. He unleashed a barrage of punches.
BANG! BANG! BANG! CLANG!
His fists met Alex's daggers, but he didn't seem to notice in the slightest. His Constitution seemed to put him on the same level as these blades, so he faced them without the slightest fear.
Alex was on his backfoot, finding it hard to even find a footing on the river in the first place. It was like after he lost the initiative in the first place, he had lost it permanently. Sylas grasped every aspect, and the fire of his punches seemed to allow him to forget the pain his body was in.
CRACK.
The sickening sound of shattering bone echoed, and one of Alex's arms went completely limp. A Tail Whip flashed out, catching him off guard at the worst time and slapping against the side of his body. He barely had the presence of mind to brace himself, only for his Constitution to fracture like fragile paper beneath it.
Sylas' expression didn't change. He took a step forward and caused ten ballista bolts to appear all around Alex's soaring figure all at the same time.
He released them in a single instant, a coldness flashing in his golden slit eyes.
Even before the attack landed, he had already moved forward as though he had already subconsciously come to understand that even with this, Alex wouldn't die so easily.
Alex twisted in the air, tendrils of darkness coming out of his body. Three of the tendrils wrapped around his broken arm, fortifying it. Then, he began to use his arms as though he wasn't injured at all, spinning in the air like a cyclone.
He activated another defensive skill, lines of darkness wrapping around him.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Just as he deflected the last of the bolts, Sylas had already appeared before him, striking out.
At that moment, a violent sense of danger blared warnings in Sylas' mind. However, when he used his visualization to check, he couldn't find anything. Even so, he acted before he was certain of what was happening.
The Stabilizing Bracelet activated, and he used up a <King's Shield>.
A spherical shield appeared around him just in time.
BANG!
The shield shuddered, and in the same instant, Sylas never stopped his fist. The only difference was that this time, he activated Basic Aetherflow. He had been trying to reserve his Aether, but pressed into this situation, he couldn't be bothered to any longer. He had already decided, and when he decided on something, he never hesitated.
He would defeat Alex as swiftly as possible.
A green, flaming glow came from his fist and shot out through the other side of the barrier that appeared to protect him. Alex thought that he would get a small reprieve, only for an attack to appear on the other side of <King's Shield> as though it had just manifested from thin air.
BANG!
Alex coughed up a mouthful of blood, his ribcage shattering as he was sent flying once again. At the same time, Sylas saw what had attacked him. It was a crossbow that had been hidden within Alex's sleeve. Not just that, but it was exceptionally powerful. It would have blown through a 200 Defense <Solidify> in an instant. In fact, even Sylas' former 600 Defense FF+ <King's Bind> wouldn't have lasted. This current version had 1000 Defense, and yet it had barely managed to hold up.
This realization should have made Sylas tremble with fear, but instead, his gaze only became frighteningly cold.
Strength.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
He sent out three fists in quick succession, feeling the small bit of Aether he had left quickly draining. He had only had 20% left before this battle began, but now he had already approached 10%.
Unfortunately, Alex was ready this time and didn't get caught off guard the same way. He also seemed to have grown severalfold more serious, his previous playful expression having disappeared.
Sylas didn't mind it. This was all well within his expectations, he wasn't the only one that could have powerful treasures. However, by the same token, if he was second guessing every one of his actions because he wasn't sure what trump cards an expert might have, he would be the only one to suffer.
There was only one way to deal with this.
To have enough strength that none of this mattered.
He dispelled the spherical <King's Shield>, knowing that it was useless with less than 200 Defense remaining.
His three fists descended onto Alex's body, and he unleashed a roar.
DENG! DENG! DENG!
All at the same time, his daggers rushed forward, utilizing the first attack Skill that Sylas had seen from him. He only attacked once, but Sylas' punches seemed to have all experienced three attacks in quick succession almost as though several Alex's had attacked at once.
Everything that happened was taken note of by Sylas, and he kept pressing forward with faster and faster Speeds.
He appeared before him swiftly once again, his Speed not having dropped at all. By this point, they had already been forced onto the other side of the shore, the one opposing the government men and women.
Sylas had made sure not to allow Alex to go in that direction. Though the government was currently being occupied by the people of Legacy, he didn't want to deal with such variables.
The moment Alex stepped on land, he seemed to have gained new life. He noted that Sylas was still on the water and immediately took advantage, his feet digging into the earth and shooting forward. He held his daggers before him in a cross and activated his second attack
Skill.
However, that was when something unexpected happened.
Sylas came to a stop. He had been so relentless until now that Alex expected him to continue doing as much.
But he was wrong.
And it would cost him his life.