As Sir Cedric and his two remaining men continued their journey towards the Eastern border, the atmosphere within the group observed a dramatic shift.
No longer was there a sense of ease and camaraderie as it was instead replaced by a palpable tension which filled the air.
Throughout the journey each soldier's eyes kept constantly darting around, seeking any sign of danger.
Cedric's senses were especially heightened, as with the memory of losing his men on the bridge still being fresh in his mind, he was prepared for anything.
As the group rode through a patch of open plains, they saw no signs of any enemy threat for a few hundred meters ahead of them, as within the open plains, there was no obvious hiding spot where one could hide in broad daylight.
However, even through this patch of land, where no obvious enemy was visible, the men remained vigilant, constantly scanning their surroundings.
Unbeknownst to them however, as they looked across the horizon, they did not notice the slightly uneven mud trail beneath their feet, as when the lead horse took a step on the slightly uneven piece of land, the hollow ground beneath suddenly gave way, revealing a hidden pit underneath.
*Crash*
Caught off-guard the horse stumbled, its legs plunging into the hollow space, throwing the rider forward with brutal force.
At that moment, suddenly, from within the earth, a figure shot up, moving with deadly precision.
His blade flashed as he struck down the fallen rider in one swift motion. Blood spraying across the green grass as the Virex soldier crumpled, lifeless.
All this happened within 1 second as from the horse stumbling inside the trap to Dem killing the Virex soldier, the entire sequence only took a few mili-seconds.
Covered in blood, Dem lowered his black Assassin robe, showing his face to Cedric as he stared into the eyes of the leader of the Virex Corps, fearlessly.
"Sir Cedric of the Virex Corps," he said, his voice low and menacing. "I've been waiting for this moment."
Cedric dismounted, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.
"Dem Paltrow, the notorious assassin…. So it was you who killed my men.
I have been searching for you vermin, but you seemed to have dug yourself deep into the Earth to escape my detection" Cedric said, as his eyes flashed with immense killing intent.
Dem had now killed five of his good men, and Cedric could never let him get away with this.
Dem inclined his head slightly. "Vermin? You Emperor's dogs have the balls to call me Vermin?
Call me master and wag your tail, and maybe I'll not mangle your body after death"
Dem was in no mood to take any insults as despite being outnumbered 3 to one, he did not mince his words at all.
For a moment, the two legendary assassins did not make a move, pausing as they sized each other up, while Cedric's two remaining men also unsheathed their weapons and waited for Cedrics instructions to make their move.
Then, with a sudden burst of speed, the two master assassins clashed.
Cedric's sword meeting against Dem's daggers in a flurry of sparks, as the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out across the plains.
*Shinggg*
*Shingg*
Their movements were a blur, each strike and parry executed with precision and deadly intent.
Cedric's attacks were powerful and calculated, each swing of his sword infused with mana, leaving trails of fiery energy in its wake. While Dem countered his sword strikes with speed and agility, his daggers moving in intricate patterns that deflected Cedric's blows, while also creating opportunities for counter-attack.
The plains around them seemed to vibrate with the intensity of their battle, as the two master assassin's went on an all out war against each other, putting their very lives on the line.
To a common man, their movements looked like a blur of shadows, as their speed of movement transcended what a common eye could capture.
After exchanging a couple moves and gauging his opponents speed, Cedric began gathering his mana as he unleashed a series of energy-infused strikes, each one aimed with deadly accuracy.
*Swoosh*
*Swoosh*
Dodging and weaving, Dem avoided all the attacks, his movements seeming almost ethereal as he knew that he could not afford to get hit by any strike.
At this moment, the two remaining Virex soldiers, looking for an opening, lunged at Dem, hoping to help Cedric, however, their opponent was just too fast for them to handle, as Dem dispatched them both by dodging at an angle such that their own attacks killed each other.
"FOOLS–" commented Cedric, as he could not believe that his usually reliable men committed such a stupid attack which ended up costing them their own lives.
"Guess it's just you and me now….. dog" Dem taunted, as with the side-kicks gone, the true battle between the masters began.
*CLANG*
*CLANG*
*SWOOSH*
Dem's speed and agility were matched by Cedric's strength and precision as the two exchanged blows, each one landing hits on the other that would be fatal to lesser fighters.
[ Shadow Dance ]
[ Fading Step ]
[ Darkness Veil ]
—
[ Constant Strike ]
[ Floating Steps ]
[ Domain Destruction ]
When speed and agility were not enough, the two used their special abilities to fight with one another, with both of them being evenly matched, making their battle a true dance of death where the victor was impossible to decide.
At this level. The fight was only going to end when either of them made a fatal mistake and unfortunately for Cedric, it was him who made the fatal mistake first, when Dem's daggers finally found their mark, slicing into Cedric's side, taking a large chunk of flesh with them.
*GAH*
Cedric grunted in pain but didn't falter, as he used the injury to fuel his resolve and swung his sword with renewed vigor, forcing Dem back.
But Dem was relentless. He launched a series of feints and strikes, his movements a blur, as with his heavy injury, Cedric's defense began to falter, as he could not move with the same nimbleness as before.
[ Kill Strike ]
Finally, as Cedric took on significant major injuries, Dem found himself capable of blasting open his opponents defenses as he managed to plunge his dagger into Cedrics heart.
*SLOSH*
Cedric staggered, his eyes wide with shock, as he fell to his knees, the strength draining from his body, rapidly.
"You fought well," Dem said quietly. "But this is the end."
*SLOSH*
Just as Dem thought that he had won the fight and that Sir Cedric was dead, the fallen Virex Corps leader, whose pulse was clearly fading, suddenly opened his eyes and plunged his sword into Dems body in what was his last burst of strength.
"Take that, you Vermin–" Cedric said, blood sloshing from his mouth as he died with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Hahaha….. in the end, my revenge on Lin Mu and Ben Faulkner would remain incomplete–" Dem said, as a tear escaped his eye and his vision started to black out.
He too had picked up severe injuries from this battle, however, without that last blow there was a good chance that he could have survived to fight another day.
However, before dying, Cedric ensured that he would take Dem to the grave with him, as his last blow succeeded in sending Dem to the afterlife.
—---------
/// A/N - Chapter 13/15 ///