Chapter 49 - Spear’s Rear

  21st November 2023, the wilderness of Raum.

  On a barren grassland, three horses galloped in unison, flanking a truck that rumbled along behind them. Weak monsters sprawled across the nearby forests took one look at the entourage and immediately scurried back into the shadows. The braver ones, foolish enough to venture closer, were instantly shot down by laser fire beams.

  When the group reached their destination, a sprawling ruin partially hidden by moss and vines, Chloe, atop her horse, pointed ahead. “There, Lucas. Look!”

  Lucas, riding slightly ahead, narrowed his eyes at the structure. The ruin was eerily quiet, its worn stone walls etched with strange runes.

  Samantha, riding beside him, chimed in, “That’s the ruin we told you about yesterday.”

  “This is interesting,” Lucas replied, pulling his horse to a stop near the entrance.

  The three dismounted, scanning their surroundings as the truck came to a halt a few meters behind them.

  Before they could take another step forward, the sound of an arrow slicing through the air made Lucas’s eyes glint. Flicking his wrist, the arrow froze midair while a pistol materialized in his hand simultaneously.

  He pulled the trigger and fired a single shot toward the direction the arrow had come from!

  The bullet tore through the air at a speed far surpassing the arrow, and an agonized scream erupted from the dense trees. Chloe and Samantha were already on the move, hopping off their horses and unsheathing their weapons, dashing toward the scream’s source.

  However, their movement was met with a sudden flurry of arrows, halting their steps while a dozen black-cloaked figures emerged from the treeline, each wielding daggers that shimmered under the sunlight. The figures charged at the girls, swinging their daggers.

  Before any metal could clash, a volley of bullets and laser fire rained down on the cloaked attackers, forcing the ambushers to scatter and scramble across the ground to avoid the onslaught. A few of them grunted and shouted in pain as the volley ripped through their bodies.

  Chloe flicked her sword, resting it on her shoulder. “Lucas, they’re the Malekith. They couldn’t handle us yesterday. They ran right away after we kicked their butts.”

  One of the Malekith, crouching on a tree branch after dodging the volley, snarled when he heard Chloe’s mockery. “You humans will pay for your arrogance! This time-”

  “This time?” Samantha cut him off with a smirk, mocking, “You mean like last time? Hey! Weren’t you the one I stabbed in the butt yesterday? Come on, show me that ‘fancy move’ again. Darkcloud Steps, was it?”

  The Malekith assailant’s dark-skinned face darkened as fury overtook him. He clenched his fists, trembling at the memory of yesterday’s humiliation. During their last clash, he had executed ‘Darkcloud Steps,’ a complicated movement technique designed to confuse opponents and strike by surprise. But before he could complete it, glowing chains had erupted from the ground, binding his legs.

  That was when the spear-wielding woman, the one smirking at him now, had taken full advantage of his immobility and stabbed him.

  Right in the butt!

  The memory still stung, not just physically but emotionally. The humiliation he’d faced back at his clan was unbearable. They mocked him relentlessly, calling him the ‘Spear’s Rear’ and laughing at his supposed mastery of evasive techniques.

  He had sworn to make these humans pay dearly for his disgrace!

  His voice shook with rage as he spat, “Laugh while you can, humans! You’ll regret it when we’re done with you!”

  “That’s some emotional damage,” Lucas chuckled, watching the butt-stabbed Malekith erupt in fury.

  “Rawrrr!” the butt-stabbed Malekith roared, dashing forward with his daggers. His figure blurred, splitting into five identical copies, each of them swinging their daggers at Samantha.

  However, Samantha merely snorted at his attempt. Slamming the rear of her spear into the ground, she intoned, “Mooyat.”

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  A circle of Mana Energy rippled outward, releasing a shockwave that surged toward the attacking figures. The clones cried out in pain as they were struck, their forms dissipating into nothingness, leaving only the real Malekith standing.

  But instead of being thrown back, the Malekith slashed his daggers through the shockwave, tearing it apart as he lunged forward.

  Samantha snickered as the Malekith tore through her spell. “Oh? Not bad,” she remarked, twirling her spear and stepping forward.

  The Malekith’s twin daggers glinted as they sliced toward Samantha's sides in a flurry of rapid strikes. She parried the first dagger with the shaft of her spear, pivoting on her heel to let the second blade glide past her harmlessly.

  “Aibarkyra,” she intoned, as numerous purplish chains erupted from the ground.

  “I won’t fall for this trick again!” the Malekith snapped, flipping backward to avoid being bound like last time and getting stabbed in the butt again.

  Samantha pressed forward, thrusting her spear at his chest, but he managed to twist his body midair, the spearhead grazing past his shoulder.

  A small grin tugged at the corner of his lips. Landing in a crouch, he lunged again, his daggers dancing in a blur, forcing Samantha into a fast-paced exchange of blows. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal, the two weaving around each other at high speed.

  Meanwhile, the other Malekiths stood a short distance away, watching the fight unfold. Even those who were injured were observing intently.

  “Huh? What the hell are they doing?” Lucas scrunched his face at the spectating Malekiths.

  Instead of supporting their comrade, the Malekiths whispered amongst themselves, occasionally nodding or shaking their heads as they observed the battle. Some even folded their arms as if they were judging a competition rather than engaging in an ambush.

  Lucas’s eye twitched at the sight. His gaze shifted between Samantha and the oddly passive Malekiths. “Are they just gawking? Is this a spectator sport?” he muttered, weirded out by their behavior.

  “Didn’t I shoot them with some beams? Were they not enough?” Earlier, he had blasted them with a volley of laser fire. But instead of being cautious of their surroundings or keeping an eye on Lucas and Chloe, the Malekiths were, by all means, ‘very’, engrossed in Samantha’s fight. It was as though they were oblivious to other threats, continuing to watch and judge the ‘spar.’

  “Lucas,” Chloe softly called out to him. He turned and saw the same confused expression on her face. Even Chloe found it strange that the Malekiths were just watching instead of doing anything.

  Ruffling his hair, Lucas shrugged and snapped his fingers.

  Dozens of drones and mechanical soldiers burst out from the truck, beelining toward the Malekith crowd. The moment the Malekiths realized what was happening, their eyes widened in shock.

  “Coward!”

  “How dare you! This is a sacred fight! You’re not all-”

  Before the Malekiths could finish shouting, a rain of laser beams showered them. Haphazardly, they scuttled in different directions to avoid the deadly barrage.

  “What is this cursed sorcery?!” a Malekith cursed, her face barely missing a scorching beam that burned the air beside her.

  However, just as they tried to retreat, all of them suddenly tripped forward before being bound and hoisted into the air by an invisible force. Dangling midair, they struggled in confusion.

  Upon closer inspection, the Malekiths realized that countless thin, transparent threads had covered the entire area while they were too engrossed in the fight.

  The moment the butt-stabbed Malekith saw his comrades ensnared and struggling midair, his eyes widened in shock before fury overtook him.

  “You cowards!” he bellowed, his voice filled with rage. Without thinking, he swung his daggers wildly, his once-fluid movements now reckless and erratic.

  Samantha arched a brow. “Oh? Lost your cool already?” she taunted.

  Unlike before, his attacks were no longer precise. They came in wild arcs, fueled by blind anger rather than skill. Instead of retreating or dodging, Samantha stepped closer, her eyes tracking every opening the Malekith’s erratic movements left behind.

  Left side unguarded.

  Too much force in his right swing.

  Slow rechambering time.

  Sloppy footwork.

  Unsteady stance.

  “Yeah, this is Darkcloud Steps, alright.” Smirking, she twisted her body to the side, effortlessly slipping past a dagger aimed at her throat. She sidestepped and placed herself just inside his guard, and in that split second, she spun her spear, smashing the shaft against his wrist.

  The Malekith yelped as one of his daggers flew from his grasp, embedding itself into the dirt. Before he could recover, Samantha slammed the butt of her spear into his stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs.

  Staggering backward, he gasped, but Samantha wasn’t done.

  She spun her spear and swept his legs out from under him. He crashed to the ground with a grunt, his other dagger slipping from his grasp.

  “Darkcloud Steps? More like Slipping Steps. Am I right?” Samantha snickered as she casually stepped over him.

  His eyes widened in realization and horror as she raised her spear.

  “No… wai-!”

  Samantha drove the spear down, straight into his butt!

  The Malekith let out an ear-piercing scream that echoed across the ruins.