Just as the boy materialized near him, John's instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, he activated the Slow Toad Breathing Skill, his body flickering like a ripple in a still pond.
In an instant, he vanished from his spot and reappeared nearly ten feet away, his saber already drawn and held at the ready, its cold edge catching the faint glimmers of starlight through the trees.
His stance was tense, honed, and precise, he was ready to strike at the slightest movement.
But the purple-eyed youth didn't attack.
Instead, he smiled wider, a chilling, slow smile that crept across his face like a crack on fragile glass.
"You're fast," the boy said with an amused chuckle.
Then, without warning, he was right in front of John.
No flash of motion.
No spiritual fluctuations.
Just there.
One breath he was ten feet away. The next, inches.
John's eyes widened. "Wha...?!"
"It's futile to escape from me..." the boy said, his voice stretching into a low, unhinged laugh. "Hahahaha…"
