Escape! Lyon vs Solina and Esmeralda! (2/2)

??? POV:

I watched the boy get kicked out of the air as Solina screamed with rage. She swung her foot down, summoning a powerful arc of wind that pinned him to the ground.

"Interesting. Solina rarely uses her Elemental Ki."

She was angry. It was rare for Solina to get injured in the first place, but to be slightly outclassed on the feet like this, was even more embarrassing to her.

'Even with Solina's ability seemingly at work, he's still pushing back both her and Esmeralda at the same time.'

I leaned over the rooftop and observed the fight closely. The boy had broken free from Solina's wind attacks and was now back on the offensive.

I watched his movements become cleaner as the battle waged on. I could tell that he had a calm mind; he didn't panic and instead took his time to read his opponent.

'He is a very capable person.'

My lips curved upwards as I saw his foot smash into Solina's face. She coughed up blood and became even more enraged than before.

"But how will he deal with another high level opponent?"

The number of Blood Hounds that had been paralyzed started to move again. Hundreds of them headed towards the location of the fight, and to make matters worse for the boy, Andre was about to join the battle too.

I turned my back on the fight, contemplating whether I should leave or see how well he'd fare against the incoming danger.

'...'

I turned back around and slipped my hands into my pockets. Perhaps I could spare a few more minutes to watch the boy's growth.

***

Lyon POV:

"Foo..."

Another breath left my mouth as my foot sunk into Solina's abdomen. She flew backwards into a nearby building, smashing right through to the next street.

Esmeralda was bleeding in several places, but her eyes still looked sharp as she charged in. I saw through her strikes and planted my fist in her chest.

"Keuok!"

The air left her lungs, and she shot back into the rubble of a destroyed building. Unfortunately, it was far from over. I could sense the Blood Hounds fast approaching, and a powerful Ki practitioner, a level below Solina, had also arrived.

I watched him crack his knuckles as his Ki flared out. He didn't plan on giving me any time to rest. He immediately dashed forward and threw a heavy punch that landed against my guard.

'...'

I slid backwards across the uneven ground before kicking off to the side. Two Blood Hounds tore past me and spun back around to attack again.

Ghost without the violet paths wasn't Ghost. In short, the Blood Hounds had become more of a threat than before.

Solina splayed her hands in the distance, and two powerful torrents of wind intertwined together before heading towards me. Its sheer speed ripped through its surrounding, shredding everything in its path.

"Kuha~ It's game over now."

The tall muscular man grabbed the air, and my body froze against my will. A hand of earth shot out from the ground behind, locking its rocky fingers around me.

"Ugh..."

The violent wind crashed into my chest, crushing through my Ki Armour as I crashed into several buildings before finally coming to a stop. It hurt a lot more than I thought it would.

Buildings in the surrounding vicinity had mostly been levelled to the ground, but I was fortunate that most residents of District 3 had fled to the outer parts to avoid the Blood Hounds, so choosing an area with no people nearby was feasible.

'...The man can temporarily seal my movements. Solina appears to be able to seal part of the Pantheon Style as well as block off the space around me...'

The reason why it took me so long to land a hit on her was because she created these kinds of isolated spaces, that were incredibly hard to break through, for both offence and defence.

That being said, her martial prowess also couldn't be ignored. Her movements were fluid, and she moved extremely well, which made things more difficult...

Until she started bleeding.

'Esmeralda... She doesn't have an ability, but the way she fights is also troublesome.'

I climbed out of the rubble as tens of Blood Hounds surrounded me instantly. Honestly, this situation wasn't looking good.

I had fought the Blood Hounds while protecting the escape route for over 15 minutes. Then I faced Solina and Esmeralda for around 10 minutes, and now I was facing hundreds of Blood Hounds in addition to another powerful Ki practitioner.

'This won't be easy. It might be better to try and escape somehow. By now, the others should have reached District 4.'

I dealt with the Blood Hounds charging at me while their numbers only increased. The air around me rippled, and the Blood Hounds immediately made a path that Solina bolted through.

I met her head-on as our forearms crashed against each other, causing a blast of wind to erupt around us. Her face had several small cuts and bruises on it, while her eyes were bloodshot with rage as she glared at me.

"You're ruining your good looks by making a face like that, Solina."

"You think flattering me will change the outcome of this battle? I know how good I look."

"Not really. I'm still going to win."

The veins on the side of her head popped as she grinded her teeth together—she was really mad now. We broke away, and she manipulated the wind to a frightening degree, speeding up her attacks while simultaneously slowing me down.

'!'

It happened again. My feet abruptly stopped moving, and Solina's wind-empowered fist smashed into my ribs, breaking through my Ki armour.

"Keuk!"

I felt a few of my ribs shatter from the force of her blow as I shot backwards. The Blood Hounds pounced on me, but I fought them off through gritted teeth. She splayed her hand, and the wind dragged me back towards her.

A flash of light descended while Esmeralda's blade left a gash across my chest as blood spurted out.

"Andre."

"Kuhaha~ I know."

I winced in pain as Andre dashed in; his fist connecting with the same shattered ribs caused by Solina. The pain shot through my body like a lightning bolt.

"Heuk!"

I coughed up blood as I smashed into the rubble nearby. My head rang while my body slumped forward slightly. Their coordination was so troublesome, and the constant shooting pain was beginning to affect my judgement slightly.

"Your value is very high. It's such a shame."

I looked up and saw Solina standing a few meters away. A wide smile returned to her face while I wiped the blood from my mouth onto my sleeve.

Wounds and bruises had quickly accumulated over my whole body in the last couple of minutes. I watched Andre and Esmeralda appear on either side of Solina as the Blood Hounds created a circular ring, waiting patiently on the outside.

'There's no other option. I'll have to use it.'

Solina took a few steps forward and placed her hand on her hip.

"Where's the Amplifier?"

I had forgotten that she still needed information on Isabelle's whereabouts. I definitely could not let any of them reach District 4.

I ignored the fiery sensations spiralling out from my ribs and got back to my feet.

"Solina, this fight is far from over."

"What? Do you want me to shatter your remaining ribs too?"

She peered down at me, unamused by my claim. Esmeralda's lips widened slightly while Andre took a few steps back. The Blood Hounds snickered and began chanting.

"Blood, Blood, Blood!!"

Their thunderous roars shook the whole area, but Solina didn't even bat an eye at it. The corners of my mouth rose.

"You can try."

Her deep violet eyes narrowed while her lips curved upwards.

"Alright. Show me everything that you can. I will appraise you."

Her eyes flashed, and her fist reached my face in an instant. I parried her arm downwards. My hand shooting forward as my fingers coiled around her neck. I immediately used her body to block Andre's vision while I watched her rising arms stiffen, preventing her from breaking free from my grip.

Esmeralda dashed in from the side, but I stomped the ground causing a huge block of earth to rise up. It would only stall her for a second, but that was all I needed.

"Keuk!"

I left an imprint of my fist in Solina's ribs as she coughed up blood and flew backwards. If I was even a second slower in moving her, she would have broken another part of my body. I dodged Esmeralda's blade and kicked her away.

'...I need to end this now.'

I was starting to become really tired. My attacks felt weaker than a few minutes ago, and I still needed to get out of here.

"Andre. You do that again, and I'll kill you right where you stand."

"...sorry..."

Solina got to her feet and spat out a mouthful of blood. She looked at me with inquisitive eyes as she approached me again.

"You're running out of steam, so this will be your last chance. Tell me where the Amplifier is."

Silence fell upon the area. Nobody moved; everyone just waited.

"Foo..."

I let out one more breath and switched my stance.

"...That's your final answer then. What a pity."

The Blood Hounds began chanting again as the encirclement around us began to gradually close, and Solina released the full extent of her Ki. Her fist shot forward followed by the sound of an explosion.

"!!!"

The dust began to clear, and Solina stepped back. Andre and Esmeralda both looked visibly rattled by the appearance of this person.

"Sorry, Leader. I couldn't keep watching any longer."

Her short hair fluttered in the wind as she stood in front of me. The corners of my mouth rose, and I couldn't help feeling proud.

'Brunaulf... You really worry too much.'

A purple bang hung over her forehead as she smiled at me.

"L-Lissandra?!"

Solina's eyebrows quivered before forming a deep frown. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Lissandra and her Ki exploded viciously.

"You bit—"

Lissandra's foot connected against Solina's cheek in the blink of an eye. The sheer strength of the blow caused the skin to visibly ripple like seismic waves shooting away from the epicenter of an earthquake.

A loud bang shook the ground. A blast of air quickly followed as Solina's body was launched away at such a speed, that an afterimage of hers was left behind.

"I don't think I'll need to introduce myself, right?"