Chapter 27

POV: Bash

Location: Southern Empire

"Follow my lead," I whispered to Delta standing beside me.

We lunched forward again in the direction of Kowoske, he was gently standing with the tip of his sword hitting the ground.

As we closed the distance between us, leaving only one meter acting as a buffer, I pointed my left palm to Delta running beside me.

"NEGATIVE!" I shouted.

Delta was suddenly pushed away from me and the ripple effect sent me flying in the opposite direction. 

The gravitational force launched us a hundred meters away from Kowoske. Mid-flight, I pointed my left palm to Kowoske, "POSITIVE," I shouted.

Kowoske's body started attracting us like a magnet pulling metal objects. In an act of surprise, our bodies that were flying came crashing directly into Kowoske, with me and Delta positioning our swords ready to strike. 

Bang..ggg... The sound of our heavy swords cracked the air, the impact wave creating ripples of wind blowing against our hair.

Kowoske managed to squirt down, positioning his sword right above his head. He left us with no choice but a downward vertical strike, our altitude cheated us out of other options.

Pushing his sword upwards, we were forced to take a step back. Before we could make a second strike he jumped upwards.

"BATTLE ARTS, SOLID MIST" he mumbled.

Out of thin air, mist started to form and gathered right above Kowoske, it looked like a condensed cloud about to rain.

Kowoske landed on top of the mist, positioning himself away from us at an angle.

"Prepare to die," Kowoske said, his body not sweating one bit.

"Don't let your guard down," I said to Delta standing beside me, her eyes looking up in the sky to Kowoske, they carried no fear in them except determination.

"SWORD ART TECHNIQUE, DEW DROPS," Kowoske yelled for the first time.

The next thing that came afterward was a barrage of translucent strikes, each shaped in an arc traveling through the humid air.

The air surrounding Delta electrified again, she moved in a zig-zag dogging the barrage, her footwalk making her temporarily disappear before reappearing again.

As I stood pinned to the ground, my only option was to narrow my eyes and counter any mist arc falling in my direction.

Blue after effect trailed Delta's blonde hair, all the rocky floor below her had long cuts edge into them, a sign of how deadly Kowoske's sword slashes were.

I switched my silver sword from right to left, moving it in a pattern most effective to block the slashes raining down on me, their weight even pushing my boots deep into the ground.

Two minutes after Kowoske went into a frenzy, I had minor cuts on my cheeks, my ankles, and the top of my shoulders. They were cuts from his translucent waves of unending attacks.

Delta stopped moving for a second, then took a prepared position, one foot forward her back leaning close to the ground.

Holding her sky blue sword with ten fingers, sparks of lightning began to hum around her, her chin lifted upwards with eyes staring up above to Kowoske.