263 Lightning In Pursuit
‘750 meters…. 700 meters… 650 meters…’
Draven’s eyes narrowed as he counted down the distance to his target, his mind zeroed in on every meter that closed the gap.
VOOM!
He sped through the streets, leaving a massive gust of wind and a streak of purple lightning in his wake. People on the sidewalks gasped, their heads whipping around to catch a glimpse of the blur that had just rocketed past them as snack papers were kicked up by the wind.
“What was that?!”
“Did you see that? Looked like lightning, but… purple?”
“Was it a jet? No way it’s moving that fast down here!”
Cars on the road were no exception. Draven made his way around them effortlessly, overtaking vehicles with ease. Many drivers glanced out their windows in confusion, seeing only a blur pass them by.
One driver spike nervously, “What the heck? I didn’t even see him in my mirror…”
He reached to adjust his side mirror, trying to check if it wasn’t placed well hence his lack of not being able to see what zoomed by. As he did, he caught a faint glint in the sky, his eyes widening as he got a better look.
“Is… is that a man with wings?” he shouted.
Other drivers and pedestrians started glancing upward, their eyes following the shimmering blue sparks shimmering through the sky as Alzuring flew past.
“Look! Up there!”
“Are those… wings?!”
“Quickly! Take a photo!”
Some pulled out their phones, eagerly recording the strange sight as Alzuring shot through the air, streaking across the sky.
A child tugged on their parent’s arm, pointing excitedly, “Mom, look! It’s like a real-life superhero!”
Draven continued to make his way through the city with ease.
Ahead of him, a long truck lumbered into view, blocking the narrow lane he was in. Draven’s eyes narrowed as he sized it up, and in an instant, time seemed to slow down.
The sound of his pulse became a low, steady drumbeat as he closed in on the truck.
In one smooth motion, he slipped his sword into a black rift that tore open beside him, its edge vanishing into the dark void.
With his hands free, he dropped into a low slide, his body angling down toward the narrow gap beneath the truck’s undercarriage.
The instant his scales brushed the ground, they sparked against the road.
He adjusted his position with a slight twist, narrowly avoiding a steel beam by inches, his eyes focused forward. The world outside the gap was a blur of motion, pedestrians and drivers gasping as they saw a streak of purple lightning flash beneath the truck.
In a single, fluid movement, Draven emerged from the other side, momentum carrying him back upright with ease.
Without missing a beat, he raised his hand and summoned his sword back from the rift with a quick flick. The blade materialized in his grip, glinting in the moonlight as he resumed his sprint, his speed building again as he moved deeper into the city, his sights set dead ahead.
‘250 meters… 200 meters… 150 meters…’ He continued to count down in his thoughts.
Meanwhile…
The assassin moved swiftly, slipping items into her small bag, strapping on her gear. She straddled her sleek, dark bike, fingers brushing the ignition when her watch suddenly vibrated.
She glanced down, and a holographic message blinked to life in the dim light.
————————﹃
Mission failed. Run!
﹄–———————
Her eyes narrowed. “What?” she was shocked. She noticed the sender: her sister, Lyria. The one who had been her eyes on the inside as a union official.
They had promised to only ever used audio for communication. So this text and was she sent caused a chill to go down her spine.
She whispered, “Lyria… how did—damn it.” Her gaze darted around the shadowed alleyway as she spoke to herself, trying to piece it together. “How could this fail? Everything was perfect.”
Memory stirred—she embers som of the info she got on her target and thag he possessed a summon capable of very high speed movement as shown in the Wasteland Display event.
A bitter laugh escaped her. If that thing was coming, she’d be done for.
Gritting her teeth, she revved the engine. “No choice but to run.”
The assassin slammed her helmet down, the engine roaring to life. With a twist of the throttle, the bike shot forward, tearing through the streets.
Draven continued his sprint, and soon he could see the building where the shot was taken from in the distance.
Ne narrowed his gaze as he increased his speed, he sprinted up the side of the structure, his powerful legs propelling him up the walls. In a sudden burst of motion, he leaped into the air, landing on the edge of the building with such force that cracks rippled across the concrete beneath him.
He looked around, his eyes narrowing as he searched for any sign of her.
Alzuring soon landed beside him with a soft thud, his wings folding back against his body. He glanced around, his eyes immediately searching the horizon.
“Where’s the human?” he asked.
Draven’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something moving in the distance. “There,” he said, pointing toward the horizon where the bike was speeding away.
He tensed, ready to give chase, but before he could make a move, Alzuring’s hand gripped his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
“Calm your rage, Draven,” Alzuring said. “Our lord gave us one order: bring them back alive.”
Draven’s eyes flashed with a hint of frustration. “Indeed our lord said to bring them back alive.”
He paused for a moment, narrowing his gaze as he added, “But he never said unharmed.”
Alzuring smiled, “You have a point.”
Alzuring narrowed his gaze, his expression was serious as he approached the edge of the building.
The wind whistled around him as he pulled out his long, bone-like bow, the weapon gleaming in the moon light.
He gracefully notched two arrows made of wind, the air whipping around intensely. The string of the bow appeared, made of his blue mana as he drew it back, the wind arrows swriling around causing his hair to whip around violently.
With a smooth motion, Alzuring released the string. The arrow shot through the air with a sudden burst, a streak of wind cutting through the sky as it locked onto the speeding assassin below.
—
As the assassin made her way through the city, her mind raced.
‘If I head to Korr’s place, I should be able to lay low for a while.’
She gripped the handlebars tighter, the wind against her helmet, her gaze narrowdy. She wasn’t going to be caught that easily.
But then—
A massive shockwave of force slammed into the ground in front of her, causing the asphalt to crack and sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air. The force was so powerful that her bike skidded sideways, throwing her off balance.
The sudden explosion of impact sent shockwaves through the air, leaving a sudden silence as people on the streets scrambled to cover.
“What was that?!”
One bystander shouted, squinting through the dust cloud.
“Something hit the ground with a huge bang! What the hell?!”
“Is this an attack? Should we run?”
“Where’s the blast coming from?!”
The dust swirled around the area, obscuring the view of anyone who could’ve been caught in the explosion.
Through the growing dust cloud, the assassin slowly pulled herself out with her hands, crawling, gasping for breath.
She caught a wheeze of blood in her throat, feeling it drip down onto the glass of her helmet. Weakly, she ripped it off, her fingers trembling as she tried to clear her vision.
Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she wiped the blood from her lips, staring into the distance with narrowed eyes. That shot had come from above, and the feeling in her gut told her she wasn’t out of danger yet. She needed to move… now.
The assassin’s vision blurred with pain as she attempted to push herself to her feet, but as she tried to straighten her posture, an intense pain shot through her abdomen, so violent that her legs buckled beneath her.
She gasped, her hand instinctively clutching her side, but the moment her fingers brushed the area, she was shocked.
Her right side was torn open. The skin was shredded, the wound deep enough that she could see the raw, exposed insides were spilling out, blood pooling around her.
‘The impact. Whatever that was—it wasn’t just an explosion.’
She gritted her teeth, fighting back the wave of nausea threatening to overwhelm her.
“Dammit!” she shouted.
The assassin’s trembling hand fumbled for her earpiece, her fingers coverd in blood as she tried to connect to her contact.
“Hay… I need hel—”
“So this is the human who attempted to harm our lord?” a voice suddenly spoke.
“Indeed,” a second voice replied, colder than the first.
Startled by the voices, her head jerked upward, her vision swimming from the blood loss and pain, but she caught sight of two figures standing before her.
Her eyes shook with fear as she gazed at them.
One had eyes glowing an icy blue, the other purple, crackling with electricity. The air around them seemed to vibrate, thick with their aura radiating off their bodies.
Draven stood tall, his massive greatsword resting casually on his shoulder, his intense gaze fixed on the injured assassin, narrowing as he assessed her wounded body.
“It believe it be best if we enlightened her on the weight of her actions.” Draven said.
Alzuring, standing beside him replied calmly.
“I agree. But let’s not be too harsh on her, Draven. Humans tend to be fragile after all.”
He said, yet he gazed at her with a cold detached intensity, as though he were gazing at an insect.
His words unexpectedly gentle as though he genuinely thought it necessary to spare some mercy.
…frёeωebɳovel.com