Chapter 23 - I'm Dead...

"You cheeky brat, do you understand the consequences of your action here? Even if you escape from us now, the Occult will never stop hunting you kids," the masked woman said in anger.

Loki smiled. "I heard this from someone I met before. Dead men tell no tales. I think that's a befitting saying in this situation."

"You think you can kill us? With this minor injury, do you think you already won?" The woman scuffed. She reached her hand inside her robe, took out a vial, and proceeded to drink it.

Loki frowned, yet he didn't ask, as he knew it was futile. Considering her current condition, it could be a healing potion, strengthening, or a cure for bleeding.

"Now, shall we dance again?" The masked woman smirked, then continued charging at Loki.

Loki didn't back down and face his enemy, but before they clashed, he shouted. "Pandora, focus on helping the long-haired man. If he dies, we will be the next!"

His daggers and the woman's staff met right after his words and produced a thud sound. Then he finally saw the mysterious abilities of his enemy. It was indeed a clone of the woman; two of them were launching themselves from both sides.

Loki jumped back, avoiding being sandwiched. However, he didn't realize a third one was behind him. He agilely rotated his body, stabbing his dagger at the third clone, but it was too late. The staff hit him on the back. At first, he didn't feel anything, but then the third copy of the woman exploded, resulting in his body propelling forward.

This rendered Loki vulnerable, and the masked woman didn't waste the opportunity. Her two clones hugged him and then exploded like the previous one.

Loki received the full brunt of the explosion. Although it wasn't enough to kill him, the damage he suffered left his left arm useless and his leather armor tattered. He screamed in pain, kneeling while holding his injured arm.

"Loki!" Leo screamed in worry. "Wait there, I will help you!"

"No, you can barely move! Just stay there and leave this to me; I'm fine," Loki denied.

Loki wasn't being stubborn. Yes. His wound was severe. But upon noticing his opponent, his confidence remained unaffected. The masked woman panted noticeably, as if the attack she did had taken a toll on her.

Is that why she didn't use it before? Because it drains a huge amount of stamina? So that means she can't use it often.

Loki stood with shaking legs. Fortunately, he used his left hand to block and managed to minimize the damage he received. He readied himself, his remaining hand in front of him.

"Do you still not understand your situation? You can't win; just give up, and I promise to give you and your friend a painless death," the woman remarked.

"If we're going to die anyway, we might as well ask you this: If we leave earlier, would you chase us?"

"No, of course not…" The woman stayed silent for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. "Hahaha, I can't… No, after we kill that trash over there, we will hunt your group and kill you three."

"Why kill Crawlers? What is your purpose?"

Loki had to buy time; his injury ached so much that he knew it would hinder his movement. He needed a little time to get used to the pain, and then he would act.

"Why? I guess there's no harm in telling you. We want a Dungeon Breakout to occur."

Loki furrowed. "Huh? Why would you want that?"

"You don't need to know."

After that, she created two clones and rushed to Loki.

Even though Loki knew the woman couldn't explode her clone casually, he was still wary of them; thus, he made sure to avoid direct contact. He evaded the clone's attack and blocked the real one while attempting to throw a few slashes, but to no avail.

His assault was too predictable due to the wound that slowed his movement. He neither had a plan nor a trick to win the fight. Thereby, all he could do was bear his time and look for a weakness. However, that thought was too good to be true; the masked woman wasn't some inexperienced fighter who would let herself be vulnerable.

Nevertheless, even if she didn't utilize her exploding clone, it appeared that maintaining her skill still had some effects on her.

I just need a bit more time. She can't keep using her skills, and if she releases Pandora, I will have another opportunity to end her. But I must admit, I'm still lucky. It's clear that she isn't suitable for a one-on-one battle. If she is, I would have died a long time ago.

"Are you still not done there?" The woman screamed in annoyance. Perhaps she knew she wouldn't last long if the situation kept going.

"Shut up! If you want me to finish this, deal with the girl! I can't properly attack!" The masked man retorted.

Loki glanced at the swordsman and saw that he had injuries on the right side of his waist. It seemed the long-haired man was someone difficult to deal with. He now felt fortunate that he didn't assault him; it appeared that even if he was wounded, he could still beat a newbie like him.

The masked woman looked at where Pandora was. Loki prepared himself. If the masked woman decided to launch an attack on Pandora, he would immediately jump on her.

"Now, finish him as fast as possible; I can't keep this up for long!" The masked woman informed.

What did she do?

"L-Loki, I can't see them both anymore," Pandora warned.

Loki widened his eyes.

So, can she use her ability to make herself and her allies invisible? That's a very powerful skill, if they had another member, we would have been in a lot of danger. Luckily, it seems she can't use it for a long time; this is my chance!

Loki kicked the ground and pushed his body forward. He had to exhaust the woman so Pandora could gain her senses back. The masked woman's clone didn't scare him anymore; in fact, he wanted her to use it against him so that her stamina would deplete faster.

With stabs and slashes, Loki didn't give his enemy time to breathe. Although his stamina was also on the low side, he was confident that he would last longer than the woman as long as he didn't utilize any skills.

As their clash prolonged, Loki gradually noticed the masked woman's blocks and attacks became clumsier as time went on. Resulting in some of his slashes landing a few shallow wounds on her. When he thought that his chance of winning was within his reach, the scream of a man garnered his attention.

Upon turning his eyes to the source, he saw the long-haired man on the ground with a massive wound from his chest to his waist.

This is bad! This is really bad! I need to end this now.

With desperation, Loki greeted his teeth and utilized all he had to finish the masked woman.

"Stop dilly-dallying and help me with this one!" The woman shouted for help.

Hearing this, the swordsman left the thug and ran towards Loki. This made Loki more lamented and intensified his assault. But then, when he targeted the woman's throat, he widened his eyes, as he didn't expect to land his straightforward stab.

The masked woman coughed blood and held her bleeding neck.

Loki jumped back as the swordsman arrived and attempted to slash him with his sword. Fortunately, the man didn't pursue him, and he held the woman in his arms.

Loki kneeled in exhaustion. The situation still confused him, but when his eyes wandered to the masked woman's feet, he finally understood.

It appeared that her skill was deactivated for some time, giving Pandora her senses. Pandora took her time, and when she saw the opportunity, she grabbed it.

Loki glanced at Pandora, and when he saw her looking at him, he nodded at her with appreciation. Her face was full of sweat, and she was panting heavily. It appeared that was her last skill; he couldn't rely on her anymore.

Even though he knew the masked woman was done for, Loki didn't let his guard down. In truth, he was nervous, as he had no idea how to defeat the swordsman.

After a while, the masked man stood up and looked at Loki. Even if he couldn't see his face, he could feel the anger behind his mask.

Without warning, the swordsman dashed at Loki and immediately used a skill. He didn't expect the man to start the fight with a flashy move. As the vertical white beam of slash rapidly moved in his direction.

Loki was too stunned to react, given his exhausted state. Due to this, his window of evasion closed, leaving him no choice but to exhaust his remaining stamina and utilize his [Evading Blink].

Loki appeared behind the beam of slash, only to meet the swordsman already swinging his sword above him, leaving him no time to dodge or block.

I'm dead…