Chapter 9: Escape

Back on Mortem, the captains were still watching the screens. The bickering didn't stop as they bragged about their chosen recruits. Rin was the only one still watching Shu's screen. A cold aura spread around her when he met Faye. She was forced to re-evaluate him upon seeing their interactions.

'He is kind at times.' She thought.

The dark ronin was especially surprised when he reunited with Eldan. The colossal dragon would've definitely been a hard fought battle for her. It was difficult to accept that two contestants were already stronger than her. They hadn't even joined the battalions yet!

When Shu began his battle with the phantoms, the screen went black. Rin immediately stood up. Her left hand clutched the hilt of her odachi. With a single step, she appeared beside Vance from Tree of Eden.

"...My screen. Fix it." She demanded calmly.

"Hmmm? Oh? A black screen huh?" The bald captain responded. The other commanders approached with curiosity.

"Quickly…I must see it!" The snow demon continued. Her expression was stoic, which made her calm but angry words a bit funny.

Aiden walked over with Delia hot on his heels. The dark elf wrapped around the man's arm, giving him no personal space. Vance frowned while using his mana on the screen.

"Um…What? What the…Hold on…let's see." He mumbled while fiddling with the screen.

"Who were you watching?" Jeanne of Windriders asked.

"Legendary." Rin answered.

"Okay. Just give me a second…I'll get it right." Vance promised. The snow demon's foot tapped on the ground with impatience. She wanted to see what was happening!

…

…

…

The phantoms ran circles around Shu. They were looking for openings. The samurai's blade was pointed at the ground. His sheathe was held in a backhand grip.

After a few seconds of intense concentration, both phantoms vanished. The young swordsman closed his eyes and focused. The assassins couldn't be heard when invisible. It was only when they attacked that their bodies returned to the physical world.

In a split second, two blades appeared only an inch from Shu's neck and heart. It mattered not. The samurai felt as if they were moving in slow motion. His katana moved at extreme speeds.

SLASH SLASH

A second hadn't even passed when he appeared on the other side of the room. There was a flash of light, then nothing. The swordsman finally sheathed his blade. At that moment, the phantoms became corpses. Their bodies fell to the ground in pieces.

The fangs retracted and the glowing ring disappeared from his eyes. Shu exhaled before looking around the underground region. It was vast, with dilapidated buildings spanning the area. A large staircase was on the other side of the dead city.

'...I must hurry.' He thought.

Shu immediately dashed toward the ruined city. He leaped onto the first building and ran across the creaky rooftops. As he ran, he heard a quiet shuffle further away. The sleepy swordsman turned to see a phantom sprinting toward him in the distance. This one carried a single longsword.

Right before he engaged, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over to see three more phantoms sprinting toward him. More and more silent assassins leapt onto the rooftops. Shu could count over thirty phantoms approaching from all sides.

"...Hell no." He muttered. It was time to go.

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Without wasting any more time, he launched toward the staircase. Hundreds of Supreme level phantoms appeared as he ran. Some were in front of him, which forced him to break through. He utilized his innate mana again and disappeared with a flash of light.

DING

The samurai reappeared even closer to the staircase. It didn't take long for the assassins to lock onto him again. They quickly dashed after him. A few moments passed and he reached the grand staircase. It was much larger up close.

Shu had to jump each step, his momentum increasing over time. The phantom army was a good distance behind, but they were catching up. The stairs twisted and turned further up. As he ascended, he spotted a girl with long pink hair walking down.

She was barefoot, but her feet weren't even touching the ground. They stepped on the air slightly above the floor. The young samurai quickly approached. When she noticed him, she instantly got into a battle stance. Shu raised his hands to show he wasn't trying to fight.

"...Run." He called out. The girl frowned. Lightning danced on her fingertips.

"You won't trick me, stranger. I'll strike you down right here-" Her words stopped when an overwhelming presence of mana washed over her senses. What the hell was behind him?

The swordsman breezed right past her and kept running. She couldn't help but peek around the corner of the stairs. As soon as she did, her heart froze. She damn near pissed herself. Hundreds of Supreme level phantoms were sprinting up the staircase. There was only a few seconds before they reached her. It wasn't even a question for her to flee.

She stomped off the air, accelerating further with every bound. Shu's back profile could be seen in the distance ahead of her. The arrogant woman grit her teeth.

"You imbecile! How did you gain the enmity of so many powerhouses?!" She screamed. The speeding samurai answered from ahead.

"Less talking, more running!" He said.

The two fled as fast as humanly possible. The surroundings flew by at extreme speeds. Eventually, light could be seen in the distance. It was the exit! The army of phantoms were running along the walls and ceiling. They'd gotten extremely close.

As soon as they reached the surface, the pink haired girl threw a bolt of lightning at the entrance. It crumbled on top of the assassins. Both fighters didn't stop for a second. They kept running toward the starting area. The moon had risen, which meant Legendaries were now roaming.

"You've really fucked us!" She yelled. Shu clicked his tongue.

"...Why are you fussing over spoiled milk?"

"That's only going to hold them over for a few seconds max. But that isn't the problem! This will cause a HUGE commotion! The legendaries will notice!"  She roared. The young samurai fell silent.

"......"

The speed at which they traveled made the surroundings look like a blur. They were nearing the starting point. It was the final stretch! Right as they entered the area, time slowed down. An overwhelming sense of danger assaulted his senses.

Mana unconsciously revolved inside Shu's body. A new figure had appeared in the night sky. It was a humanoid with wings on its back. There was a disgusting spear of flesh in place of its right arm. Instead of a face, a glowing cross mark resided. The cross mark grew brighter and brighter.

Shu flashed beside the arrogant girl and grabbed her. Before she could even complain, he flashed again. The golden ring could be seen in the distance. It had formed a portal back to Mortem. As he beamed toward it, the Legendary beast released the volatile energy.

BZZZZZT

A massive hyper beam shot out of its face, drilling down toward them. It was gargantuan in size. No matter what was in the way, it would disintegrate in front of such power.

Right before it hit the ground, the two contestants beamed through the portal. They had escaped in the nick of time. It was over! They had immediately arrived back in the colosseum. Their momentum hadn't stopped however, causing them to crash through the audience seats and skip over the ocean water.

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