"Flacko!" A man from the group angrily said.
The sharp voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Ghhahh—!" Saliva burst out from my mouth as a fist slammed into me, sending me staggering backwards until I fell to the ground.
"Cough..."
That hit like a hammer.
I grabbed onto nearby debris and tried to pull myself up. But before I could stand properly, another punch was coming for me.
I twisted aside just in time and slashed his abdomen with the fragmented mirror. Blood spurted out, and I drove in for his heart.
"You bastard!"
But before my strike could land, a kick from the side smashed into me, completely missing the heart, hurling me away. It was one of the people from the group.
I wasn't disheartened from the kick, though; even if I missed his heart, the mirror carved a deep wound across his arm.
The group eyed me warily. They were hesitating—except for one. The one I slashed, he had a pale face, but his intent to kill was burning. He also resembles the person I killed earlier.
"Huff."
I breathe heavily to calm down, and I calculated how many seconds have passed.
Thirty seconds more.
It was all I needed for Blood Surge.
"You son of a bitch—!" The pale man exuded a sharp voice that sounded like a screech; his eyes glaring at me, bearing a deep malice.
The group then paced towards me. They split off in multiple directions, intending to encircle me whole.
But before they could, I immediately made a move and strode forward; it was where the pale man was.
Surprised, they gathered around the pale man, aiming to interject me. Then suddenly, I changed directions. Side-stepping to their flank, I set my sight on the closest to me.
Caught off guard and unable to properly block, he chose to dodge. It was the biggest mistake. As if predicting what he would do, I instantly burst before he could go far.
A subtle light flashed as I struck his neck. "Khuuak—" Blood quickly flowed out, like a fountain—it never stopped.
I averted my gaze from it... The body then seamlessly drops down to the ground.
Ten seconds...
An unease spread through me. The air feels heavy, and my movements feel restricted. Suddenly, sensing something, I rapidly shifted away.
A wooden board struck at my previous position. It was the pale man, holding a wooden board.
Before I could strike back, I felt another attack beside me. Glancing at the last person, I evaded the strike effortlessly, followed by a kick that tumbled him down.
Five seconds...
All of a sudden. A chill ran down my spine, and my body instinctively moved away.
"THWUD!" A sound, akin to a skull being crushed, echoed out in the area.
From the spot where I stood before, now stands the pale man, and his wooden board caving into the head of the person in the ground.
Staring at the pale man, I felt a shiver in my bones, and sweat began to flow down my face.
Gone was his fierce expression. At the moment, his face was paler than before; he had no expression, an eerie stare, and blank eyes, his sockets feeling hollow.
"W-what?" I staggered back—one step, then another, then another. I clearly felt it; something was wrong about the pale man.
[Fragmento de vanta] A voice resounded from the pale man. Yet, his mouth made no movement.
I instantly felt cold air brush past me, even with Blood Surge and Living Echo working together, my blood feels numb.
---
Elsewhere, in a dimly lit bar...
"Mwhahaha!" A bearded man laughing can be heard.
Dropping the card to the table, he scooped up the pile of cash at the center. His opponents groaned, but the man only laughed louder.
"That's the fourth win, Mark..." one muttered.
"In a row!" another shouted.
Mark grinned widely, while the others were dispirited.
Mark was still laughing heartily. When all of a sudden, his nose twitched. As if smelling a repulsive aroma, he furrowed his brow and stopped laughing.
"Mark?" Sensing something was wrong, one of the people called out to him.
Mark sprang up and said, "I feel like shitting." Seizing his prized money, he immediately departed outside the bar. A round of laughter can be heard within the bar as Mark leaves.
The moment the door closed, Mark, as if guided by an unseen force, ran in a specific direction.
Like a phantom, Mark leaped from building to building, silent and swift. The slums blurring beneath him as he moved.
He pressed a walkie-talkie to his mouth.
"A fragment of Absence has appeared. Permission to engage?"
Static hissed, then a cold voice answered, "Permissions granted."
Mark's eyes narrowed. His gaze focused on his destination.
---
A puddle was practically forming beneath me from my sweat. My grip on the mirror tightened, my eyes never left his figure.
The pale man in front of me was unmoving, his eyes hadn't blinked even once, like a statue.
And then it blinked. The pale man's body blurred, and I felt an unknown force from in front of me.
Like a wind, a fist was already upon me. My eyes widened, and my reflex kicked in.
The one-minute mark of the Blood Surge was activated seconds ago, allowing my reflexes to dodge the fist.
Before I could relax, my Perception screamed—and a wooden board was swinging toward my route.
As if possessed, my body automatically responds by pivoting outside of its range.
My eyes locked in where his heart was. The pale man retracted his wooden board, slowly.
"A chance!" I instantaneously pounce on him.
Before I could hit him, his body blurred again.
I felt a cold breath on my neck. I rotated my body and swung the mirror behind me.
"No one?" My attack did not hit anything.
A premonition of something amiss enters my mind.
I was about to move when suddenly, a kick from behind sent me flying.
"SNAP!"
I felt my bones break, and my ribs cracked.
"Cough—"
A footstep resounded loudly in my ears. The pale man was approaching.