Chapter 265: Closure, Part Nine

There were a few similarities between this situation and the battle at the broken-down train. Mainly, the darkness and the multitude of enemies. As Rin scanned the room to make sure she knew where every opponent was, she recalled some of the lessons she'd learned from that brutal fight. 

The first move she'd need to make here was clear, thanks to the experience she went through. She'd need to eliminate as many targets as possible before they had time to coordinate an attack. 

[... I want to beat him down so badly,] Rin thought, glaring at Tristan. [But, with his position, if I go for him right now I'll leave myself surrounded. I have to be careful.] 

That said, one thing was painfully clear. 

Depending on just how much stronger Tristan was, this could be a very quick fight in either direction. 

Rin could either end up dominating him or she'd get destroyed effortlessly. 

[He may have been training for longer, but I've been getting trained by the best hand-to-hand fighter in the world. That has to count for something!] 

With that in mind, the first person Rin struck ended up being a beastborn boy to her right. 

She lunged at him, aiming a flaming fist at the side of his head. 

Rin punched straight through it. 

Some of the boy's blood fell on one of his friends. By the time the red droplets reached her, Rin had already reached her position and sent her right hand straight through her abdomen. 

She was pushing Essence through her body to do this, knowing that she needed to take out as many people as possible before someone competent made it to her position. One of those potentially competent individuals, her brother, was too shocked to move right now. 

Rin understood that Tristan knew about Rin's presence at the railroad fight, and her presence at the scene of Brine's death, but she was counting on him assuming that Rin hadn't played much of a role in those situations. 

And, at least for now, it appeared as though he had assumed that. 

Xhez began casting her {Curse} spellsign, stepping back to put some distance between herself and the enemies. Normally, Rin didn't approve of that ability's usage. Right now, though, she couldn't care less. 

"Back away!" Tristan cried out, doing the opposite of what he just suggested to his allies and running straight toward Rin. 

He wasn't able to save Rin's next target, though. Or the first person Xhez aimed her spell at, as a bolt of black lightning flew through the air and obliterated one of the hooded figures. 

Before long, there were only a handful of enemies left. Ava, Tristan, and three others. 

[Is this enough?] Rin wondered, knowing that this fight was about to become a lot harder. 

Spacing and battlefield awareness were other things Rin had learned about by now. The fight at the railroad made it too clear. She needed to make sure she could see everything happening around her, and that all enemies were accounted for.

She put her fists up as Tristan brought out a pair of daggers and backed up into the room's corner. Tristan was currently running up to her. Behind him, she saw the other hooded figures beginning to draw spellsigns to retaliate against Xhez. 

As much as she wanted to help Xhez, she couldn't take her eyes off Tristan at the moment. Those two daggers in his hands meant that a singular slip in focus could mean Rin's death. 

Remembering every training session she'd had with Maria up until now, Rin waited for Tristan to arrive. 

Her brother held his daggers up. In reverse grips, the man went to drop them on Rin's chest, golden eyes piercing Rin's own. Rin stepped into his space. Tristan's elbows landed on Rin's shoulders just as Rin went for an {Empowered Dragon Punch} aimed right at Tristan's gut. 

Drawing her Essence into her right hand, she lowered her fist and propelled it forward the way she'd been practicing for so long. Sure, Rin had fancier moves to offer but she went with this, because by now this one technique was all but mastered. 

But, unlike with his friends, Rin's fist did not go straight through him. 

Her shot landed, pushing him back. He'd allowed himself to be moved, to an extent, going with the momentum. 

But, it did clearly do some damage. 

[Yeah... he might be stronger.] Rin noted. [Doesn't matter. Even if he's been doing this for longer, I have one clear advantage. I was trained by the best. He wasn't.] 

Tristan ran back at her immediately. 

Remembering another of Maria's lessons, Rin snapped a fist up. Tristan flinched, but no attack came through, as what Rin had just done was a feint. Using that moment of hesitation from Tristan, Rin changed the trajectory of her fist and landed a second punch, this time to Tristan's head. 

The flaming fist bounced off Tristan's skull, but he pushed through the pain faster than Rin thought he would and regained his composure. 

[Crap.] 

One of his daggers found Rin's abdomen. 

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Cold steel entered Rin's body. She pushed him away before he could use his second dagger on her, but the damage was done. 

"Agh," Rin hissed, pulling the knife out. 

Tristan raised the blade he still had, but Rin soon understood that she'd dealt more damage to him than she initially thought. His eyes were wide, and he looked unsteady. 

In the back, Xhez and the other hooded figures traded spells, back and forth. 

Rin cracked her knuckles, raising her fists again. 

Tristan looked far less confident. 

"Ava!" He called out. 

"On it!" She replied from a distance. 

As she began to draw a familiar spellsign, Rin quickly guessed what they were planning. 

[... You're already trying to escape?] Rin asked in her thoughts. [Like I'm going to allow that.] 

Rin went on the offensive. 

Charging forward, leaving behind a thin streak of red in the air from her stab wound, Rin went to punch a hole through Tristan's heart. 

The man put his dagger between them, almost using it like a shield. Rin was so angry she didn't care. 

The result was that they traded strikes. Tristan cut her and Rin managed to land her punch. 

The problem, however, came from the fact that he was using a blade and she was using her fists. 

And that blade had reached Rin's neck. 

"AH!" Rin screamed as blood spurt up into the air. 

Rin fell back. 

The world around her flashed white. 

Xhez started running to her instantly, casting a spellsign mid-stride. 

Tristan noticed far too late that this spellsign was aimed at him. Another {Curse} flew through the air, crashing into Tristan. 

He cried out. Rin felt no satisfaction, though, as she stared up at the ceiling, feeling blood pour out from her neck. 

Xhez arrived at her position, kneeling by her side and drawing, perhaps, the quickest healing spellsign she'd ever drawn. 

Ava and her friends moved to Tristan's position. One of them caught a spear made of ice through their head, courtesy of Xhez.

Ava finished her {Teleportation} spellsign as she ran. 

"Now!" 

Xhez healed Rin up, but it was too late to stop them. 

Before Rin knew it, the enemies all disappeared. 

Unless Xhez's spell was powerful enough to kill Tristan in one hit, neither Asahiro fell, in the end. But, in Rin's mind, that was something she'd correct soon. 

[... Run as far as you want,] Rin thought, [You're not gonna get away with what you've done.] 

Xhez held Rin by her shoulders, lifting her up a little. 

"They escaped," she noted. Rin could hear the disappointment dripping from those two words. 

"Yeah... But we'll fight them again, though. I promise." 

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