Everything was happening so fast.
The skin-and-bones man, who should be a few meters away from me, was just an arm's length away now. Almost as if he just teleported to my side!
His broadsword came down in a vertical arc, aiming right in the middle of my forehead-
CLANG!
"...!"
But just in time, a thick layer of ice appeared between me and the assailant. Looking behind, I find Koori with her arm extended in my direction, and Neun already running towards me like a speeding bullet. With this, I should be able to survive...
"RAAAGH!"
With veins popping all over his body, Neun raised a fist and punched the assailant. The thin man didn't hesitate either, using the flat of his blade to block the punch. But that decision cost him dearly.
BOOM!
The fist and sword met, causing a powerful explosion that sent one of them flying away. Of course, the one who remained in place was Neun, with the opponent flying back for a good few meters before coming to a rolling stop. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips, signifying that he received some damage.
"Are you okay, Three-Two-Three?"
Koori asked as she arrived by my side, watching as Neun continued chasing the enemy.
"Somehow..." I nodded. "But is that man another bug? His movements were weird. Not the mindless actions similar to the other one though..."
The earlier bug, and the one before that, both moved mostly by instinct. I could tell that much just from seeing them move.
But this one was different. His intent was clear—to kill me, or maybe not just me, but all of us here. Such wasn't the act of a mindless being.
To my question, however, Koori remained silent.
Rather than not wanting to answer, I could see in her face that she was troubled about how to answer instead. As if she, herself, doesn't know the answer to my question.
Neun reached the target, and his metallic gauntlets struck forward with great force. However, this time, the target didn't simply block it but rather sent an attack of his own.
CLAAANG!
A fist and a sword met, ringing loudly. The clash caused a powerful shockwave to spread, enough to push me to a roll even though I was already a good distance away.
"HAAAP!"
"WHEEEZE!"
The two didn't stop there and instead continued exchanging blows.
A giant broadsword that was swung as if it was as light as a feather, and a fist that pummeled it, coming virtually from all directions. Both sides were moving so inhumanely, I could barely keep track of their movements.
They were on par with each other, completely equal in my eyes, but...
"This is bad..." Koori frowned, taking a step forward. "At this rate, Nine will lose..."
"What?!"
Koori knows Neun more than I do; thus, her judgment should be accurate. However, despite that, Koori stayed still beside me, not showing any intentions of helping in.
No, to be more accurate, she couldn't.
The two were switching places every so often, enough that we don't even know who will be where in the next moment. Thus, that means Koori's support might hit Neun instead of the enemy if done poorly.
Of course, the same goes for me. In the first place, dodging those sword strikes was already hard for me. Nearly a miracle that I survived those. No way I could jump in and help...
{Fire your icicles!}
Or at least I thought.
The voice in my head echoed, and at the same time, my hands moved. It followed a complicated path, firing one ice shard the size of my fist after another. The direction... was almost straight up in the air.
"You, what are you...!" Koori gasped, seeing what I was doing.
However, it was too late for her to stop me.
A total of twelve shards flew in a high arc, hidden in the night sky. Even I couldn't see it with my bare eyes... though I could feel their presence, as I still have a connection with it, controlling them.
I could tell that it was moving in a formation mid-air, as if creating a "net" to capture someone.
{Now!}
When the voice echoed once again, my hand moved, waving downward.
WHOOSH!
The twelve ice shards rushed toward the ground... right where Neun and the enemy was moving towards!
"...!"
My eyes opened wide as the ice shards shot down like bullets.
"AGH!"
And to everyone's surprise, the twelve shards hit the target perfectly. Two on each shoulder, one on his lower back, and the rest equally split on his arms, biceps, and hands.
"You... how did you..."
"..."
Koori looked at me with suspicion, but even I wasn't sure how this happened. With all twelve shards hitting the target, it's hard to brush it off as plain dumb luck either. The attack I did was definitely targeted and calculated... but not by me, at least.
"YOU... WHEEZE... BRAT...!"
The skin-and-bones swordsman glared at me with his red eyes, glowing sinisterly in the dark. However, that action... was fatal in a high-speed battle.
"RAAAGH!"
BAM!
Neun's fist landed on the enemy's cheek, forcing his head to turn to the side. That looks painful... but that wasn't the worst of it. Neun's fists curled to his side as he lowered his posture.
Then, like a machine gun, his fist fired from a low angle, slightly aiming upward, hitting the enemy's chest numerous times. It was to the point that the enemy was literally floating off the ground from the continuous strikes!
After dozens of strikes, the stick swordsman's consciousness looked like it's about to fade. Neun seemed to have noticed this too, and began winding his fist for a big blow-a finishing strike! Just one more strike left and...!
{No! We need to protect him! Quick!}
The voice in my head echoed, sounding rushed and panicked for once.
Thankfully, my body moved fast in response. Before I could even raise my arm, I was already manipulating the surrounding snow and water. There's no time to fix it into a perfect structure, so I instead simply layered them around Neun for protection.
And then, the next second, something flashed between Neun and the swordsman. A spark of orange flame... that quickly expanded into a great conflagration, enveloping Neun completely.
"No...!" Koori cried in shock, and moved to use her ability a second too late.
But thanks to the pre-emptive defense I put, Koori's ice barrier managed to enclose Neun perfectly before the tongue of the exploding flames managed to melt the barrier I put.
"That's enough, Blade."
A cold voice echoed... colder than even Koori's commanding tone.
I turned toward the source and found a new figure appearing. A woman, tall and slim, basically the opposite of Ophelia. Her skin tone was dark, almost as if she had been baked under the sun for a long time or worked full-time in a hot environment, like a forge.
Her yellow-orange hair looked like flames themselves, waving with the breeze... and instantly evaporating the snow that touched it carelessly.
Koori stepped forward, placing a hand in front of me, as if to protect me. Her gaze was sharp, glaring at the third intruder... with beads of sweat dripping down her temples.
This... isn't a good sign.