Chapter 28: Sylph

Naoto Gan enveloped himself in strong gusts of wind that caused the pipelines to shriek under pressure. 

My wind isn't escaping this square room. Is this location an 'Authority'? it's interfering with the flow of my spirituality. As far as I know, there are two possibilities. The first is that the Disciple has some teleportation or storage ability to transport me to this location. The second would be that he trapped me in a bounded field separate from the outside world, but the coordinates would be the same.

Regardless of his ability, I need to focus on the fight!

"Kyaah!" Disciple William threw numerous knives at Naoto, but his wind barrier easily threw the knives off course. Naoto Gan can generate winds of up to 50 miles per hour. Projectiles were a complete non-issue.

"You're wind is quite strong. I don't sense any magic circles or heirlooms that could be used as a catalyst for the technique, so you must be a Slyph right~ You can't hide that secret from me."

"Aren't you perceptive..."

The Slyph tribe is an endangered race of elementals that originate in the Eastern Continent. Unlike the Witch Tribe, Sylphs don't use mediums to cast spells. They are said to be a race loved by the earth, thus allowing them to manipulate the wind directly through spirituality and gaining a position among the 5 Great Races.

However, a mass extermination campaign during the Gordou Era pushed their race onto the brink of extinction. Naoto Gan is one of only 100 remaining Slyphs left on the Earth.

"Hehehe~ I wonder how much your skin would sell for on the black market." Disciple William's upper body swayed back and forth hypnotically, causing Naoto's eyes to dart back in an attempt to track his movements. 

VOOSH!

Suddenly, Disciple William vanished from plain sight just as Naoto blinked. 

Fast! He's way too fast! That isn't an issue though. My wind barrier is stronger than anything he can dish out. Go ahead and attack me, you'll get torn to pieces!

Disciple William let out a flurry of slicing attacks with his knives, but they broke just as predicted. "Haha! You're pretty tough! Let's kick this up a notch." His strategy remained nearly identical, but it held a small difference in the method of attack. He attacked Naoto with a barrage of blades from every angle. Naoto's defense seemed invincible, but Disciple William knew better than to assume that. Every ability has some sort of weakness that could be exploited once found. It was merely a game is trial and error.

Here!

An opening was found directly above Naoto! He plunged a thin sharp rod down the opening, forcing Naoto to block narrowly.

SWISH!

Shit, my barrier got deactivated! Maintaining the wind barrier requires that I stay stationary and maintain focus. It's not just some easy ability that everyone could do. He's forced me on the offensive.

Naoto propelled himself with a slight gust of wind to narrowly avoid the enemy attack. Four pillars of wind burst from the ground, disorienting the mad cultist.

"Gah! What a petty trick!"

The Disciple quickly recovered from the attack and carried on with his attack. The madness permeating from his body was enough to give Naoto a slight feeling of nausea. However, Naoto had no intention of giving in.

He formed a finger gun with his left hand and traced the air in a straight and diagonal line. Although the attack was dodged, it left a large slash on the wall, clearing conveying its danger.

This was the secondary application to his Elemental ability, [Wind Blade]!

The two released slice after slice, tearing apart the room's interior and steadily draining their stamina. Disciple William's knives could keep up with the intensity of the wind blades with the use of spiritual enhancement, but he wasn't sure if his stamina could hold out any longer. He had to think of something quick.

He threw two knives at Naoto. The first contained no spirituality, while the second was coated with a thin layer of spirituality. Naoto blocked the first knife while the second knife missed completely. 

Suddenly, William vanished from plain sight yet again.

Another one! He's excited his speed dramatically again. No...I can tell that he is getting tired from this battle, so it clearly can't be his physicality that explains the sudden burst in speed. This must be his technique.

He felt a foreign object pierce his right arm and rip through his flesh. Blood splattered from the wound and ran down his entire forearm, as well as the rest of his hand. Naoto quickly produced a large gust of wind around him to expel the attacker from his area.

Shit, his technique is swapping! He chose to imbue the second knife with spirituality, but not the first. He swapped places with the second knife as well. This may indicate that something or someone must have some level of spirituality to be considered a target for the technique! This entire room is also covered in an 'Authority'. He's likely using the barrier as a conduit for the technique itself. That's how he instantly transported me here. 

"Ha...ha..." Naoto's breath was heavy and labored. "I've found your secret...I won't let you swap again."

"Try it."

Naoto unleashed a barrage of wind bullets that flew through the air. The intensity of the attack forced Disciple William to take a defensive stance. 

Now's my chance!

Naoto closed the distance between them and thrust one of the discarded knives directly into his jugular vein. Just moments before the blade reached its target, Disciple William screamed. "N-Not yet!"

The knife sliced through his neck like butter. The mad disciple's head rolled on the floor and a complete silence enveloped the room.

Huff…Huff… that's it. Now my next objective is to contact the rest of the team. I hope nothing has happened to them.

"…"

The Disciple's body writhed and twisted unnaturally.

Is he still alive?

"No…I cannot allow this. You cannot…stop the ritual…Father Gregory…I'll…protect your ambition!"

A black liquid erupted from his body, corroding the room and filling it with a pungent smell.

He had another trump card? Some sort of transformation. What ritual was he talking about? No, I need to focus on running!

Disciple William's 'Authority' broke down upon his death, allowing Naoto Gan to escape the monster's clutches. Using his wind manipulation, Naoto propelled himself through the air and flew down the labyrinthine hallway.

"Come…back…"

The distorted Disciple William had a body composed of numerous arms, feet, and mouths that latched onto his surroundings and pushed him forward. The soft and malleable body collapsed on itself and reformed dozens of times. His body was clearly in a state of disorder and fragility.

With every sudden turn, the mad cultist only gained in speed. After a minute-long chase, Naoto Gan reached a dead end.

With no clear escape in sight, Naoto could only watch as the beast came closer and closer. "Hehehe…you'll die…I'll kill you…"

"Try me, freak."

A wind bullet would barely even phase him. A wind blade might work…but casting a few would do nothing to damage his core. I don't even know where the core is. However, there is still one option left. I didn't want to use something like this so soon, but this monster has left me no choice.

Naoto Gan weaved the corresponding hand signs and expanded his 'Authority' throughout the entire volume of the corridor. Unlike a normal 'Authority' which enhances the base capabilities of the technique, the bounded field "broadened" the target of his spirituality via unique restrictions.

The smallest object that Naoto can typically manipulate is a remote controller, any smaller will result in an object with too little surrounding air to control. However, by broadening the target of his spirituality, Naoto can temporarily target the air between individual particles. 

When this condition is met, anything within a 30-foot radius of Naoto Gan would be turned into a deadly projectile, and they were all aiming at Disciple WIlliam. 

In the frenzied whirlwind of spirituality, the onslaught of slashes persisted with lethal precision. The pieces of metal and wood gained speed, shredding the mad disciple's distorted body beyond recognition. With each regenerated limb, another wave of pain came back stronger and faster than the last.

"AHHH!! IT HURTS!! I'LL KILL YOU!!"

The screams of Disciple William went unheard by Naoto. The intense frenzy of the wind drowned out the sound of his terrifying agony. "I know you can't hear me, but you're being surrounded by a dust cloud created by my 'Authority'. As a high concentration of combustible dust particles rub against each other, a large amount of friction is created from their sheer speed. That friction is converted into heat, and when too much heat is built up..."

"DAMN YOU! INVADER!! I CANNOT...I CANNOT ALLOW HIS DREAM TO BE SULLIED!"

He pulled a lighter out of his brown coat pocket and pulled back the sparkwheel. The orange flame fluttered throughout the air as though playful and carefree. The introduction of the lighter caused the entire area to erupt in a wave of explosions.

The explosions formed a chain reaction that destroyed the interior completely, exposing the other routes throughout the abandoned sewer system.

The destruction erased nearly all traces of Disciple William's existence. His body was completely gone from the scene. The last remaining piece of his spirituality transformed into a small purple orb. It was his Factor.

"Ugh...I hate using that technique. Now my coat is all singed..." Naoto, unfazed by the destruction before him, patted the debris off of his pants and shirt. "Now, it's time to pick up the pace. I need to stop this ritual before it's too late."