Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Chapter 734  Dodging

When Kaizen stopped the sword already against Azrakthar's neck, the wind generated by the blow was intense and solitary, its sound echoing all along the wide main street.

Everyone was momentarily paralyzed. No one was able to understand exactly what had happened, not analyzing it in the heat of emotion. This seemed like the perfect chance for Kaizen to kill a demon, but did he hesitate?

Even Azrakthar couldn't understand what had happened. 'Why did he stop? Why?' He asked himself dozens of times while he could still feel the cold of the blade touching his neck and the discomfort it generated in him. 'I thought he was already dead? Did I underestimate this boy?

Then Kaizen took a deep breath and moved his sword back slightly. The shallow cut produced by the attack caused a little blood to ooze out, but the demon's enhanced regeneration meant that this bleeding quickly stopped.

Azrakthar looked into Kaizen's eyes, still with his eyebrows raised in surprise and his jaw dropped, and then began to see Kaizen in a completely different way to before.

'Those eyes... he has no murderous intent whatsoever... In the end, he's stronger than me and was just testing me all this time? That's why he didn't kill me when he could?' Azrakthar put his left hand to his mouth, trying to hide his reaction, but fear began to permeate his eyes. 'If he's so much stronger than me that he plays with me? How strong is he when he's fighting seriously? No, that's not it. The question I should be asking is why isn't he fighting seriously even in this situation?'

In the midst of the misunderstanding, Azrakthar's feelings and thoughts began to mix, causing him to have a distorted vision of what Kaizen really was, a version that didn't exist, at least not yet, but that lay dormant inside Kaizen, because of his fighting spirit and luck.

Suddenly, a voice echoed across the battlefield, the voice of Delgron, the other demon who until then had been completely focused on the fight against Og'tharoz. He was on Og'tharoz's feet, being crushed against the ground, but as everyone stopped to watch Kaizen's last attack, the two of them were no exception.

"You weakling! Are you really going to let that little brat humiliate you like that? Show him the culture and power of demons, show him why a demon should never show mercy to anyone! How much longer do you intend to stand there? Even if the contract is concluded, it will still be humiliating if one of us has died at the end of it all!"

The players' attention was divided between the two demons, but before they could react, Azrakthar smiled, understanding his fellow man's message.

"How dare you call me a wimp while you're being trampled on, Delgron?" he said, adjusting his spine as straight as before. "But don't worry, I got the message. You want me to finish off the Psyker first and then teach you a lesson. Fine, I'll do it."

The tension in the air was palpable as Kaizen, Azrakthar and Delgron exchanged intense glances.

Internally, Kaizen thought:

"Now I know that the opportunities to defeat him will arise, but I don't have much time to rest and I can't keep using <Giant's Lungs> to bring our speed and strength attributes closer together. Not to mention that I need to save some energy for when I finally go on the offensive. I'm out of time, I just can't get desperate. He analyzed coldly, staring at the demon.

The morning wind ceased for a moment, giving way to a heavy silence.

At the same time, a hooded figure stood in the shadows of the rubble, watching intently, waiting for the moment that would change the fate of this battle.

Without warning, Azrakthar made a swift attack, his claws slicing through the air towards Kaizen. The young player reacted swiftly, moving to the side and narrowly dodging the blow, and the shockwave from the blow brought down another building.

Kaizen countered with a quick blow too, aiming for Azrakthar's legs. If he could weaken his opponent a little, he could buy more time. The demon skillfully jumped backwards, avoiding the attack. So the fight intensified again, only this time only Azrakthar was attacking and Kaizen was trying to dodge and defend as much as possible.

With each of the demon's blows, the street vibrated with the force of the impacts. The surrounding walls seemed to shrink before the ferocity of the demon, who was even faster than before. Kaizen showed exceptional dodging skills, but Azrakthar was no less formidable, his brute strength a constant challenge.

"What are you doing, boy? Don't you have the guts to kill me?" grunted Azrakthar, his expression a mixture of defiance and incredulity. "Why are you running like a rat now? Do you think that if you kill me, you'll arouse Surtr's fury and there'll be no turning back? But guess what, there's no going back from what you've done today! Surtr will be furious when he finds out that Zylok tried to break the contract!"

'No, it's not that... You just don't understand. Kaizen replied in his thoughts.

At the same time, Kaizen moved deftly, using only his sharp reflexes to try and stay one step ahead of Azrakthar's claws.

The street, now a chaotic battlefield, was littered with debris and dust, mute witnesses to the confrontation between demons and players.

Azrakthar, unleashing blow after blow, was trying to understand Kaizen's strategy and how he was managing to predict his blows, because he was clearly slower than before. The young player, for his part, had already memorized the demon's pattern of attacks and was counting on it not to be hit, because that was the only thing separating him from death.

Delgron, still under Og'tharoz's merciless gaze, watched the fight with a malicious smile as he was crushed. "He's good and seems smart, but he underestimates the strength of demons... Azrakthar, finish him off and show that the superiority of demons cannot be questioned."

There was a touch of desperation in Azrakthar's movements, as if he was the one who was cornered.

"Kaizen isn't trying to beat Azrakthar yet. He's buying time, preparing to end it once and for all." Og'tharoz explained, holding his broken shoulder, but with a smile on his face.