Ren looked around in a panic. To think he had forgotten about Freya's obsession with Bell. It wasn't surprising she had noticed him at this point.
Shit!
Ren knew this wasn't the time to get distracted. The hard armored was rapidly approaching, and he needed to think of a strategy.
The alleyways!
Ren decided to use the buildings to his advantage. The hard armored's frame was huge, and it would be at a disadvantage in such a tight space.
Ren quickly followed through with his thoughts, and the hard armored chased after him, its body crashing into the building.
It hardly slowed down, but at least this narrow space would give Ren room to move around it. The hard armored roared in frustration, its scales shedding through the already crumbling walls around it.
Ren was shocked at the sight. His sword might even shatter after coming into contact with them. He quickly looked for any vulnerable spots he could target.
He summoned the shadow. He needed to distract the monster to make more room for attacks. The shadow looked at Ren and nodded, quickly climbing the walls to attack from a higher point.
It was then Ren noticed that he had forgotten something. The shadow was still equipped with the sword. This made Ren think of many more possibilities, but he quickly focused again.
This wasn't the time to get distracted.
The shadow jumped down from the wall, aiming to land on the monster's back. Before it could land, the hard armored lowered itself. The shadow barely had time to react before a scaled tail came into its view. It could only raise the sword to defend itself before it was launched into another wall.
Damn it!
Ren used this small chance to approach rapidly, stabbing his sword into the monster's eye. The monster roared, but instead of flailing, it charged forward, ramming into Ren.
Ren crashed into the wall, his vision blurred from the impact, his ears ringing. He opened his mouth to breathe but ended up coughing blood instead. Ren could see the monster roaring, clearly in pain from the sword in its eye.
I can't fall now!
Ren pulled himself out of the wall, stumbling as he stood straight up.
"FREYA YOU BITCH! I PROMISE I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
As Ren roared, four golden chains manifested behind him. They tightened up before breaking in a sharp clank. As they did, Ren felt a hidden strength manifest within himself.
He didn't have time to dwell on it as he quickly saw the monster approaching. He quickly dodged to the side, hitting another wall in the process.
What the?!
The boost in his strength came too rapidly. Ren had almost no control, but he knew he could direct all that power.
Ren launched himself off the wall. His newfound speed made it difficult for the monster to react, and it found Ren standing on top of its head.
Ren quickly pulled the sword out of the monster's eye before stabbing it in the opposite eye. It roared in pain before attempting to fling Ren off. Ren found it easier to react. He jumped off the monster, taking the sword with him.
Ren watched as the monster flailed in a panic. It knew it was in its most vulnerable state, and so it moved around to make sure its weak spots couldn't be hit.
Ren watched this with a calm mind. For some reason, he looked at the monster with pity.
What is happening to me?
He was confused. It felt like he had lost a part of himself, but had gained more of himself in the process.
This suffering... It's unnecessary.
Ren walked up to the monster in a calm manner. He knew that he had won, and all that was left was finishing the hard armored off.
Ren quickly slid under the monster and pierced a weak spot in its abdomen. It thrashed for a bit before finally collapsing and vanishing, leaving behind a single magic core.
Ren stared at the magic core for a while. This was the largest magic core he had gained so far, the reward for his unwanted efforts.
He picked it up, relaxing a bit as his adrenaline wore off.
*Clang*
The sound of a sword dropping startled Ren as he turned to look at the shadow. It had dropped its sword, beginning to disperse. And yet just before it, it gave Ren a nod, startling him.
It's becoming more aware
The sword it dropped disappeared with it, both returning to Ren's shadow.
*Boom*
A sudden explosion went off in the distance, a blazing flame reaching into the skies.
"Bell..."
He should have just won his fight too. A smile slightly etched its way onto his face before he frowned again. He turned towards Babel, towards the highest floors, and struck a middle finger to the skies.
To the goddess who had put him in this position, he would have his revenge, but for now, all he could do was limp out of the quiet alleyway. He couldn't help but make a comparison, imagining the rabbit surrounded by cheers after his win.
He shook his head. He wanted to compete, not to compare.
It was only a matter of time before they stood on the same stage.