"He's running!" Noah turned back and noticed the 148cm goth girl being led by Eryn's shadow towards Northaria.
The Nazis immediately turned back, completely ignoring Eryn herself.
"Tier 2, Execution." Mikkel swung his silver axe after chanting; the arc spawned a guillotine blade gliding with terrifying strength atop Klein's Bridge, cutting down every horse-drawn carriage in its path, showering the entire area with wooden splinters and deafening every ear that was too near.
"Tier 2, Swap." Eryn chanted before the guillotine blade could reach the sprinting Chen Mo.
She emerged where her shadow once was, which was right next to Chen Mo. Then, with a frustrated grunt, she positioned herself directly between the goth girl and the incoming blade.
Eryn breathed heavily, watching without a single blink as the guillotine flew towards her. Just before the edge of the blade could slice her face clean off, she'd bend backwards sharply, then shove her daggers forcefully onto the guillotine blade.
CLINK!
A large spark burst out as the guillotine blade's trajectory shifted from the impact. It was redirected slightly upwards. The guillotine blade that was originally travelling horizontally now gained ever-increasing altitude, causing it to no longer strike anything in its path except empty air.
The two Nazis came to a halt as they realised Eryn wasn't letting them pass through to Chen Mo.
"Tell me, Shadow Daggerist." Mikkel tilted his head curiously, "Why are you helping Xiao Bai? I don't see how this would benefit you in any possible way."
"Does it matter?" Eryn still held her dual daggers raised high defensively, "I'll tell you what actually matters."
She jabbed one of the daggers towards Noah Baader, whose lips were stained with his own blood. She deduced calmly, "Human Torch wannabe over there is a newbie who has already used his Tier 2 twice. I give him one more before he's completely burnt out, and I doubt he has a Tier 3, let alone any Full-Release AAs.
"I alone should be enough to stop you, Hitler's girlfriend, or at the very least stall for long enough until Xiao Bai reaches Northaria and receives protection from the enforcers.
"So, why the fuck are you still fighting?"
"Heh..." Mikkel scoffed, "Nice reasoning, but you're still dead wrong. Noah doesn't need any AE; Xiao Bai is a pathetic E rank. Noah will win just with his raw stats alone."
Then Mikkel pointed northwards, eyes locked onto Noah as he commanded, "Go after her! I will take Shadow Daggerist. But do not kill Xiao Bai; I need to have fun with her first."
Noah didn't like the instructions, but he still had to obey his superior in the guild. He nodded, saluted, then complied, "Yes, sir."
Noah charged forward. Eryn intended to stop him as she shifted into an offensive stance, but before she could pounce on the approaching Noah, Mikkel posed the greater and more immediate threat.
"Tier 1, Unjust Laws, Third." Mikkel chanted, then charged forward with a speed that generated afterimages of himself.
His silver axe, although blunt, was swung with terrifying speed and precision, aimed straight for Eryn.
CLANK!
Eryn blocked the strike with both her daggers, but the force was still so overwhelming that she was sent flying into the air regardless. She barely managed to stick the landing, and Mikkel was already back in front of her, swinging yet another attack without pause.
Eryn's feet paced back just in time, barely weaving past the silver axe. Then, she'd try to counter by jabbing a dagger straight towards Mikkel's face.
But before contact could be made, Mikkel disappeared, then emerged from behind her out of nowhere.
Oh, I see now. Eryn thought as the blunt silver axe smashed into her lower back.
[HP -3]
Eryn's slim and lightweight body was launched into the air again. This time, she didn't stick the landing. She rolled across the rough cobblestone bridge when she hit the ground, deliberately doing so to create distance between herself and Mikkel.
The advantage of that move: Mikkel, who was stronger in melee combat, could no longer continue his relentless chain of attacks immediately.
The disadvantage of that move: [HP -1], and the fact that Noah was now on Chen Mo's tail in the distance.
Eryn's shadow sprinted past Mikkel, attempting to catch up to Noah and Chen Mo, who were now playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse. They were already one-third of the way to Northaria.
Tier 1, Unjust Laws. There's three laws that Hitler's girlfriend can alternate between at the cost of AE. Eryn analysed while Mikkel approached with slow, deliberate steps, his silver axe dragging sparks along the ground. First law, strong axe, weak armour, weak agility. Second law, weak axe, strong armour, weak agility. Third law, weak axe, weak armour, strong agility.
In other words, his bronze armour currently serves little to no purpose, since he's enforcing the Third Law.
Mikkel roared with a grin as he suddenly accelerated his footsteps, advancing closer and closer towards Eryn at frightening speed.
Eryn lowered herself, watching carefully for an opportunity, then found it.
She'd make a gamble and predict the trajectory of an axe that would otherwise have too much agility for her to handle reactively.
She stretched a dagger out.
She won the gamble.
The axe was halted by that blind guess of a dagger, sparks bursting out as the two clashed with tremendous impact.
Then, with her other dagger, she raised it high and plunged it down, aiming straight for the now-useless chestplate.
CRACK! THWACK!
Two successive sounds rang out from the stab. One from the shattering of Mikkel's brittle bronze armour, another from the puncturing of Mikkel's chest beneath it.
Blood splattered outward, as the system sounded for the bald Nazi:
[HP -5]
Eryn pulled the blood-stained dagger out from his chest, ready to drive it down again, this time aiming directly for the throat.
Mikkel didn't allow that. With his superior agility, he stepped back instantly, causing Eryn's follow-up strike to hit nothing but air.
Distance was created between the two once again.
Eryn gasped for breath, her glare firm, unyielding, and suggesting absolutely no intention of surrender.
Mikkel held the bleeding wound on his chest. It had pierced straight through his heart, but due to the minigame's hitpoint system, Mikkel only felt the pain; it did not kill him.
"Hehehehe..." Mikkel somehow still guffawed, his yellow teeth revealed and stained with blood, "Not bad... Not bad at all...
"I know exactly what you're thinking, Shadow Daggerist.
"You want to prove to me that my Third Law can be easily countered by you, so that I'll be forced to switch to First or Second, sacrificing my agility.
"Then, you'll swap with your shadow, teleporting yourself to Xiao Bai. Without my agility, I won't be able to catch up to you, giving you a free kill on Noah..."
"Yeah, nice job." Eryn sarcastically remarked, without even a hint of laughter on her face, only rage and frustration, "How are you gonna stop me from doing that though?
"Stay in Third Law, and you're the one that's dead. Might as well just send Human Torch wannabe to his gravestone, right?"
"HeheheheHAHAHAHAHA!" Mikkel still couldn't contain his hysterical laughter, "No... No..."
Mikkel raised his free right hand, while his left gripped the silver axe tightly. His fingers twisted into a cryptic gesture, where three fingers were raised while the thumb and pinky stayed near the palm.
Then, he chanted,
"Full-Release: Lawless Executioner."
[AE depleted to zero!]
A dark aura engulfed Mikkel within seconds, then dissipated just as quickly, revealing a different man beneath.
Instead of a silver axe, it was now golden and pristine. Instead of a set of bronze armour, it was now a black, indiscernible metal that looked utterly unbreakable.
Eryn understood his Full-Release ability very quickly.
All three laws are activated.
The new, far more menacing Mikkel Meinhof pounced forward at a ridiculous speed, despite the outrageously durable armour. He raised his unfairly sharp golden axe high, then slammed it straight down towards Eryn.
Eryn had no choice; she had to swap and vanish into the floor as a shadow.
BOOOM!
The impact sounded like a cannon blast.
Rather than a simple crack in the floor, the axe slam left an entire crater in Klein's Bridge, as rubble scattered violently into the air.
Halfway across Klein's Bridge, Eryn emerged from her shadow next to the sprinting Chen Mo. Behind both of them, Noah gave chase.
Seeing Eryn reappear, Chen Mo slowed his footsteps, and Noah immediately turned tail and ran in the opposite direction, knowing he was no match for the Shadow Daggerist.
Chen Mo and Eryn stood in the middle of Klein's Bridge. Chen Mo remained as emotionless as ever, his makeup making him look detached, unbothered, and lethargic.
Eryn, on the other hand, was trembling, sweating, her teeth clenched tightly. She looked towards the South end of Klein's Bridge, and saw him.
Mikkel, sprinting at a speed she wouldn't be able to outrun, closing the distance rapidly.
"Five grand..." Eryn was beyond furious, as she growled first, "You're a fucking... fucking ASSHOLE!"
Then she began roaring at Chen Mo, who remained entirely unimpressed.
Eryn's 170cm frame towered over the edgy midget. She loomed above him as she condemned and reprimanded, "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?! DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THOSE GUYS WANTED TO KILL YOU?! IS A LITTLE BIT OF STEALTH SO FUCKING HARD FOR YOU??!"
"Yeah, good enough." Chen Mo nodded to himself, then raised his right hand calmly.
He didn't know why or how, but he simply knew that snapping his fingers was the way to activate his ability.
So that's exactly what he did. The Psychopathic Psychiatrist snapped his tiny, feminine fingers with a crisp, sharp clack, then chanted, "Tier 1, Ragebaiter."