CG Chapter 59: The rise of a new dawn
Storms roared, and thunder accompanied the extreme rain, announcing the beginning of the fight.
Noticing this, Hidden smiled. He used the environment to his advantage, using the rain and storms as a cover. He moved unnoticed, reaching Tom at an incredible velocity.
"Careful, your back," Hidden warned Tom of his upcoming attack.
Tom seemed oblivious to this; instead of dodging forward, he chose to backstep.
Unexpectedly, seconds after he moved, Hidden grip appeared suddenly in front of him.
Seeing Tom's ability, Hidden's excitement grew like a volcano. 'Oh, you have skills, not bad.' He began to move around, with his footsteps becoming increasingly irregular.
Abruptly, he moved his hand like a sonic boom, using the back of his hand to attack Tom's face.
Tom seemed unaffected; he dodged the attack with ease, "If you want to fight, then fight; why are you holding back now?"
He looked at Hidden with annoyance, as if fate were playing a joke on him. He knew that this was a rare chance to go all out. Against a madman like Hidden, he didn't need to hide his skills.
On the road to immortality, martial arts of all shapes and forms were essential, and these martial arts must be forged with blood and sweat and not by training in a greenhouse.
"Haha, you are really daring. I like it, I really like it. But once I go all out, you might die. Did you consider that?" Hidden gave Tom time to think. However, he didn't expect...
"What is there to think about? Life is all about power. Show me the full power of the leader of Alamut." Tom provoked Hidden; he knew that if worst came to worst, he would be able to save himself with his years of medical experience.
Hearing Tom, Hidden grinned as his eyes took on a purple hue.
He swiftly touched a couple of points on his arms, and out of nowhere, his fingernails began to turn black, growing longer and sharper.
"Almut or glory, today either the true inheritor of the mark will be born, the one who will bring about bloodshed as the 'Alawlen' foresaw, or Folek would need to find a new son to fill his place."
Hidden roared at Tom before disappearing through the trees.
On the other side, Tom's thoughts raced, 'Well, I could have taken the easy way out, but since I have chosen this path, I might as well use this chance to break through.'
The knowledge that Tom possessed surpassed that of entire dojos. He mastered countless arts through his travels and even created new ones.
The only thing that held him back in this world was his lack of physical power. Fortunately for him, if the difference didn't reach a certain point, he could bridge the gap using his skills; he knew how to exploit the weak points of his opponents.
After all, knights were only human.
As if imitating Hidden, Tom's gaze took on an imperial red color. His eyes scanned through the trees before stopping at a specific one.
He leaped through the winds, and his skin turned red, almost as if it emitted flames from his speed.
Moments before he reached the tree, an object came flying at him.
Aware that Hidden might use anything and everything, Tom sidestepped before continuing, pushing forward with his full force.
"Does the leader of Alamut use such dirty tricks?" Tom asked while moving toward Hidden; however, hiding under his question was a smile.
He felt that his limits were being pushed. Hidden speed might have been faster than him, but the area they were fighting in was limited.
Knowing that Tom had found him, Hidden jumped from the tree and moved toward him like a bullet.
Hidden fingers were pressed against one another, accompanied by his claws; his hand took on the form of a ruthless spear.
The two approached each other at an astonishing speed.
Hidden's attack was about to reach Tom's heart. A full-powered attack from a formal knight could effortlessly kill any Apprentice.
Seeing this, Tom's heart raced, veins covered his body, and his blood began to boil.
The peak of martial arts understanding involved using everything around you to your advantage. Knowing this, Tom took off his cape and held it in his hand.
With the power that rushed through his veins, Tom jumped with his full strength, reaching a height he had never achieved before.
Tom's body spun around in a circular motion, moving like a graceful butterfly around Hidden, that was about to do something not so graceful.
Holding his cape, Tom placed it around Hidden's neck before swiftly switching both ends between his hands. With full force, he leaned backward, attempting to strangle him.
Hidden, of course, wasn't about to fall so easily. He tried to do a backflip to make the insect that held him fall, but Tom held strong; he bit his lips as he exerted more and more strength.
In mid-air, a sudden surge of heat filled Tom's body.
Sensing that Hidden might die if he continued to strangle him with his newfound strength, Tom decided to let go. Using Hidden's body for support, he kicked him down while smoothly jumping away.
Tom panted heavily; he clenched his arms, feeling the increase in strength that came with his breakthrough.
Glancing at Hidden, he asked, "I think I have proven myself, haven't I?"
Lying on the ground, defeated, Hidden slowly tried to stand up. After falling a couple of times, he looked at Tom while coughing.
"You, you," he coughed before he held his chest; the cough suddenly turned into laughter, "Haha, you could have *cough* killed me."
"I was about to die at the hands of an apprentice; I am on the verge of reaching grand knight. The 'Nubua' is true. The prophecy is true." He began to scream as if he didn't notice that he was coughing blood.
He looked toward the hooded men who didn't react, despite their battle. "Assassins, listen," he screamed louder.
"The mark is passed, the son is born, and the ice and fire shall merge once more."
Hearing his words, the assassins that seemed like puppets shook before moving in sync. They and Hidden knelt before Tom.
"I, the forty-seventh leader of Alamut, have fulfilled my duty. After more than two thousand years of waiting, this unmoving dead world will finally witness the rise of a new dawn."