Dance In An Illusion

The floor cracked after one Star's claw tried to attack where I was standing, yet it only missed me by an inch, leaving me sweating buckets.

'Wow! Someone has been doing their training. On the other hand, someone hasn't changed at all.'

My face twisted as I took a side glance at the brown-eyed girl hiding behind my back with her pistol resting on my right shoulder.

"Don't you dare—!"

Bang—!

Rajah shot his hand pistol, cutting my words in half and leaving my right ear bleeding, as I felt an ocean of dizziness wash over me.

Swish—!

Star took advantage of our sloppy teamwork, as he made a long blade rush towards my heart.

However, thanks to the unsteady footing I had, it was easy for my body to crash to the ground, leaving the poor prince to be mercilessly stabbed in his poor heart.

"Argh!" The prince groaned as he pointed his pistol at the green-haired man. "Take this."

Bang—!

Again, Rajah's actions made my ears bleed. I feel like wasps are dancing around in my eardrums. My bones vibrate from the pain as I try to stand. Nonetheless, my efforts are in vain.

Thud—!

I kiss the ground with my lips and I can taste the bitter dirt at the tip of my tongue. However, my agony doesn't even enter Star's eyes.

"You dirty scum! I will show you how to not mess with someone's wife! There are rules and regulations in this game."

Crack—!

The young Kazuma creates a blade that cracks apart space itself as it charges at me with a speed hard enough for the eyes to catch up to.

Bam—!

My body quickly turns into hot flames, and the blade withstands its ground, as it doesn't melt like Star's previous attacks.

Pushing myself to the side, I materialize back into my normal form, forcing myself to stand up with my feet firmly on the ground.

"Hahaha!" Star laughs. "My blades are stronger than fire. I have been training myself to create blades that can shatter the great stone bars. I am only one step away from escaping this hell!"

'Dude, no one cares about your plans.'

I keep my thoughts to myself as I try to distance myself from Rajah, yet the Pervert keeps following me like a moth to a flame.

"Huuu..." I give up with a sigh and start walking towards Star. However, my instincts tell me that something is coming from behind my back.

Swish—!

A blade tears part of my overalls, but I manage to duck down at the last minute, avoiding the attack stabbing my gut.

However, my eyes don't stop shaking as thousands of blades materialize a centimeter away from my body.

Clang—!

A metallic sound echoes in the air as the blades clash against each other after my body turns into flames again.

Taking my physical form again, I think, 'The range of his ability has increased, making his blades appear a hundred meters away from him. This is troublesome.'

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of Rajah's bullets colliding with a wall made of blades pulled me out of my thoughts, and my eyes quickly shook in puzzlement.

"What the fuck!" Rajah exclaimed as he started walking backwards. "Why is the wall moving?"

I stepped a few inches back before pushing my right palm forward. "Giant Teisho!"

The length and width of my palm increased as it rushed to clash against the blade war.

Boom! An explosion echoed through the whole passage as the two attacks collided with each other. Through the smoke, I could see Star standing.

I tracked each and every movement his body made, but someone was hindering my path to catch Star off guard.

Bang! Bang! Bang! My ears gushed out blood like a fountain as all his bullets missed the target and hit the clay brick ceiling, leaving lifetime holes.

It didn't take a second for the smoke to clear, and now I was looking Star eye to eye.

"Your father would be proud of this development, my dear boy. I mean, very disappointing. He might be rolling in his grave right now."

The left corner of Star's lips curled up into a smirk. "Of course he is. I am his star, after all."

More like an asteroid.

The green-haired fool continued, "I will show you something new, something you never expected to see. Blade ball barrage!"

Like it was coming out of a hidden pocket in space, millions of blades grouped together to form a sphere that started shooting like a Gatling gun.

Swish! The blades whizzed through the air with incredible speed, creating a storm of deadly projectiles heading straight towards me. I could feel the intensity of the attack as the blades sliced through the air, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

I quickly abandoned the thought of using Rajah as a meat shield and turned my whole body into flames. It would take a lot of stamina to maintain this form, but it was the best defense I had for now.

Thack! Thack! Thack! The blades hit the ground fiercely, leaving lifetime cracks, but my mind didn't seem shocked one bit by this as it had something to ponder.

"Why is everything so quiet? All the noise being made by the football players is gone. Not only that, but the sound of Encender's heartbeat is gone."

"Argh!" Rajah's loud groan pulled me out of my thoughts as hundreds of blades stuck on his body, causing blood to gush out like fireworks.

Swish! Star's blade suddenly separated my body in half. I didn't die thanks to the current state I was in, yet I kept my cool during the whole process.

"Something is off about the whole situation. Are we still on the pathway that leads to the soccer players' dressing rooms?"

Something I read years ago played in my mind. "A state of awareness, concentration, or focus that filters experience and information (for example, a state of meditation or possession by some being)."

"Damn it! When did I fall into an illusion?!"