Chapter: Hunter and Hunted (II)
Zael saw it.
That moment.
That shift.
The pattern.
Draven wasn't invincible.
He wasn't untouchable.
He was misaligned.
Out of phase with where he appeared to be.
And just now—
For a fraction of a second—
He slipped.
Zael moved instantly.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
Void Step—
He vanished—
Reappeared not where Draven was—
But where he would be forced to align.
Blade Domain compressed.
Tight.
Dense.
Every inch of space around that point—
Locked down.
Resonance Strike followed.
Not wide.
Not explosive.
Focused.
A killing blow.
Draven's eyes widened slightly.
For the first time—
He reacted.
Not casually.
Not playfully.
Seriously.
The strike landed.
Clean.
Direct.
No slipping.
No distortion.
Impact.
The ground beneath them shattered outward.
A shockwave tore through the forest, snapping branches, cracking trunks, forcing everything back.
Zael didn't stop.
He pressed.
Blade moved again—
Night Sever—
Aimed straight for the neck.
Too close.
Too tight.
Too precise.
Draven couldn't phase.
Couldn't slip.
Couldn't—
"…Got you."
Zael's voice was low.
Certain.
Final.
For a split second—
It was over.
Then—
Draven smiled.
Not wide.
Not mocking.
Sharp.
Cold.
"…You almost did."
Something changed.
Not outside.
Inside.
Around him.
The space Zael had locked—
Didn't break.
It—
Turned.
That was the only way to describe it.
Like the entire area had been flipped inside out.
Zael's blade passed through—
But not through Draven.
Through empty space.
His eyes narrowed instantly.
"…What—"
Too late.
Draven's voice came from behind him.
"…You figured out the wrong layer."
Zael turned—
Just as something hit him.
Hard.
Not just force.
Displacement.
His body was thrown forward, crashing through two trees before skidding across the ground.
Pain flared.
Sharp.
Immediate.
He forced himself up instantly.
No delay.
No pause.
His breathing remained controlled—
But tighter now.
Draven stood a few meters away.
Completely unharmed.
Not a single mark left from the earlier hit.
Zael's eyes locked onto him.
"…That should have hit."
Draven rolled his shoulder slightly.
"…It did."
A pause.
"…Just not me."
That didn't make sense.
But it didn't matter.
Because the result was clear.
The advantage—
Was gone.
No—
Worse.
It had flipped.
Draven stepped forward slowly.
"…You're good."
No humor.
No mockery.
Just fact.
"…Too good to waste time on."
Zael's grip tightened.
He felt it too.
That subtle shift in the air.
Distant.
But getting closer.
"…The others."
They had felt it.
The clash.
The pressure.
They were coming.
Draven's eyes flickered briefly to the side.
Then back to Zael.
"…Same problem."
A faint smirk returned.
"…So let's stop playing."
The air around him distorted.
Not like before.
Not subtle.
Not hidden.
This time—
It was obvious.
The space around Draven fractured.
Layered.
Like multiple versions of him existed at once—
Slightly out of sync.
Zael's perception spiked.
Trying to track.
To lock.
To understand.
Too many positions.
Too many possibilities.
"…Tch."
Draven tilted his head.
"…This is where it ends."
Then—
He moved.
Not one.
Not two.
Multiple.
All at once.
Zael reacted.
Blade Domain expanded—
Wider this time—
Trying to catch everything—
Anything—
Impact.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
His body jolted with each hit.
Not all real.
But enough were.
He slid back, forcing himself to stabilize.
Blood dripped from his arm now.
Deeper this time.
"…Damn it."
He couldn't track him.
Not like this.
Not when Draven wasn't just shifting position—
But existing across multiple points.
Zael exhaled sharply.
His mind raced.
Adapt.
Now.
Or lose.
Draven didn't slow.
Didn't wait.
He pressed.
Because he felt it too.
That approaching pressure.
If the others arrived—
This wouldn't be his fight anymore.
And he didn't like sharing.
"…Give it to me."
His voice cut through the chaos.
"…And I might let you keep your limbs."
Zael didn't respond.
Couldn't.
Too focused.
Another hit—
He twisted—
Barely avoiding a direct strike.
Counter—
Miss.
Again.
And again.
Frustration built.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
But he forced it down.
"…Think."
The earlier moment.
The alignment.
The lock.
It had worked.
For a second.
Before—
Before Draven changed something.
"…A different layer…"
That's what he said.
Not faster.
Not stronger.
Different.
Zael's eyes sharpened.
"…Then I just need to break it."
Draven appeared in front of him—
Strike incoming—
Zael didn't dodge.
He stepped in.
Closer.
Inside.
Too close for displacement to matter—
His blade moved—
Not at Draven—
But through the space around him.
Wild.
Unstructured.
But deliberate.
Draven's grin widened.
"…Desperate."
But—
For a split second—
One of the layers—
Flickered.
Zael saw it.
There.
Real.
He shifted instantly—
All his force—
All his focus—
Condensed into one strike.
Resonance Strike—
At point blank range.
Draven's expression changed.
Just slightly.
He moved—
But not fully.
The blade cut—
Not clean—
But enough.
A deeper line carved across his side.
Dark blood spilled.
Real.
Draven stepped back.
For the first time—
Forced.
His smile faded slightly.
"…You're annoying."
Zael didn't stop.
Didn't give him space.
He pressed.
Because he knew—
Time was gone.
The forest trembled faintly.
Distant—
But closing.
Fast.
Zael's voice was low.
"…We both are."
Draven's eyes narrowed.
Then—
He laughed.
Short.
Sharp.
"…Good."
The air between them tightened.
Both of them knew.
No more testing.
No more probing.
This—
Had to end.
Before something worse arrived.
And neither of them—
Planned to lose.