Ch. 28 Countdown

Fear and panic was settling into the Wilson family's servants. Of the nine men under George's command, five died without landing a punch. Ethan's phantasms were still circling them and they were nowhere closer to finding a solution.

'Should we run?' thought George. 'No… He wouldn't let us. If we focus our attacks on one of the copies, the others can strike us at will. If we split up to attack all of them at once and then another one pops up, our backs will be wide open.'

George needed to find an alternative solution quickly. Fortunately, while recounting the events thus far, the kid he punched popped into his mind.

"Boy! Yes, the one who called this one his servant. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Oliver put on a confused expression.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Yes! Lord Wilson will not take kindly to this aggression towards his subjects."

Oliver shrugged and pointed towards his swollen cheek.

"Neither will Lord Hunt when he hears you've assaulted his son."

Whatever blood was left in George's complexion drained instantly. His mouth wanted to say something but he ended up clanking his teeth instead. With a detached tone, Oliver delivered his judgment.

"Honestly, I believe it's in everyone's best interest that you all die here today. You wouldn't want to bring trouble upon your Master, now would you?"

One could almost see the group members' souls leaving their bodies. Fortunately, George still had some wits left about him.

"Snap out of it!" he ordered. "We'll deal with this matter when the time comes. For now, focus on the enemy."

He was trusted by his subordinates enough for these words to relieve some of their worries. However, Ethan wasn't going to sit back and let that happen.

"You fellows seem to be forgetting something." he began. "I said you're screwed if I kill five of you. You're down to five, so… this fight's already over."

"Don't let him get in your head!�� ordered George.

"Really?" a fifth Ethan appeared on top of Ana's fence. There were now five opponents vs. five Ethans. The fence sitting one lazily pulled out a knife and began playing with it.

"I'll bet you three gold coins you can't block this." he said. The group's attention shifted to him.

None of the other Ethans seemed to capitalize on this opportunity. Instead, the 5th grabbed the tip of his knife and made an exaggerated swinging motion.

"Ready? Catch!"

One of the men clutched his side. The knife hit his liver.

"What...?" George wanted to rub his eyes. The knife's speed was merely average. It went straight towards the person closest to Ethan as if thrown by an amateur. Yet, when his subordinate tried to swap it out of the way, the knife disappeared into thin air. Then, another servant started wailing and the knife was found stuck in his side.

"Impossible… What kind of a demon are you?"

The fifth Ethan shrugged.

"If this is enough to freak you out, then you'll be pissing your pants by the end of this."

"Enough!" yelled one of the servants. "EEARTH SPEARR!"

He took on a stable pose and thrust both palms forward. But then, he just seemed confused. The spell that was supposed to come forth was nowhere to be seen. Mana wouldn't leave his body. Instead of following his circuit, it went astray spreading throughout the weaker parts of his body and damaging his organs. Soon after, the man collapsed to the ground and started convulsing.

"You are one unlucky bastard." joked Ethan. While the knife was flying, the real one, who was still invisible, had just enough time to mess up 2 of the opponents' mana circuits. This guy was one of them.

"And now there are four…" the first Ethan counted with a grin.

Suddenly, the knife that was imbedded in the other vassal's liver popped out, disappeared and then reappeared in the fifth Ethan's hand. The man collapsed and soon lost consciousness due to blood loss.

"Oops, I meant to say three."

George felt like he was going insane. How could he fight something like this? If they did nothing, they'd get taken out like cows to the slaughter.

But, if they attacked, they'd be even more vulnerable and get killed anyway. Plus, which of these copies were they supposed to attack? And, would their attack work or would it backfire and get them killed?

It was a maddening situation with no way out. Not even pleading with this guy's master would work right now. Not only had he punched him, but the bastard most likely annoyed him on purpose.

After contemplating a hundred plans, just one seemed feasible in George's mind.

"Boys, listen to me." he said gravely. "On three…"

Upon hearing this, the remaining two servants lowered their bodies. A slight smile appeared on their faces though their eyes showed grim determination.

"Three!" Ignoring the fact that a countdown was usually longer, all three men ran in different directions.

They did not bother looking back, since they couldn't see their opponent anyway. They did not bother saving mana for defense, because what would be the point? Instead, every ounce of energy they possessed was redirected into their feet, all for the off chance that they might escape.

"S**t." Ethan spat out. He had placed bits of his mana all over the spot where the vassals grouped up. It was basically a death trap as long as they stayed put. Now that they had escaped, he'd actually have to put in some effort.