Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 47: Ch45. RE: [World Quest] (3) - Unexpected

Chapter 47: Ch45. RE: [World Quest] (3) - Unexpected

The moon hung low over the ruined wasteland, its pale light casting eerie shadows across the battlefield.

The ground beneath Sarissa’s feet was littered with the remains of the [Fallen Puppets] she had already cut down, their mangled forms twitching occasionally before going still. Her breath came in short, controlled bursts, flames still flickering at her fingertips, casting a faint glow over her sweat-drenched face.

All the while trying to avoid Shinji’s deadly attacks.

His violet robes waved in the wind, his katana gleaming under the moonlight. There was amusement in his expression, along with the calm killing intent behind his gaze.

"You’re not nearly as strong as I thought you’d be, Sarissa." His voice was smooth, almost lazy. "Should I be worried that the mighty leader of the Union Guild is hiding something up her sleeve?"

"Cut the crap. Why are you here?" Sarissa clenched her fists, ignoring the sting of the shallow cut Shinji managed to land on her.

"I was simply curious. You left in quite a hurry after your little conversation with Miles. And given your usual caution, I found it odd that you’d wander so far without backup." Shinji sighed, taking slow, deliberate steps forward.

"You were listening..." Sarissa’s eyes widened.

"Then again... maybe you wanted to be alone for a reason." His grip on the katana tightened ever so slightly, and the blade went up in a vertical slash that drew a thin line on Sarissa’s chin, a fine line of blood trickling from it.

"What are you here for?" Sarissa’s muscles tensed. "Say it at once and let’s get done with it!"

"[World Quest]... [Inner World]..." Shinji tilted his head, a glint of something unreadable in his dark eyes as he lowered his stance ever so slightly.

Suddenly, his blade seemed to disappear, and Sarissa was attacked by a flurry of barely visible thrusts before Shinji spoke again.

"... [Regression."

Sarissa’s eyes went even wider.

Before she could rebuke, though, he was on her.

She barely had time to react before his blade came down in a blur of motion. She leaped back, flames bursting from her hands, forming a fiery arc between them. But Shinji was relentless, cutting through the flames with frightening ease, his katana humming as it sliced the air.

"What do you know about it?" Sarissa gritted her teeth, twisting her body to dodge another strike, but Shinji was already shifting his stance, forcing her to step backward – right into the waiting claws of a [Fallen Puppet].

"For now? Nothing but the description of that skill." Shinji smiled. "But I was thinking that you could elucidate the topic for me. You see, I never saw a skill like that, and I don’t think anyone else has, either. So... I’ve been wondering if you can give me that skill of yours."

Her heart lurched as skeletal fingers clawed at her, and she barely managed to twist free before the creature’s jagged limbs could pierce her skin. But the distraction was all Shinji needed.

He lunged.

Sarissa raised a wall of fire, but he was already moving around it, using the chaotic battlefield to his advantage. The [Fallen Puppets] surged toward her, as if drawn to the heat of her flames, forcing her to split her focus between defending herself and fending off the encroaching monsters.

"What do you mean... Give it... To you?" She panted, turning around to lock on Shinji’s movements, but the young man was too fast.

She cursed under her breath, fire roaring around her as she burned through the creatures one by one, but Shinji’s strikes were unrelenting. He wasn’t just fighting her. He was directing the battle, forcing her into positions where she had no choice but to engage the monsters while he circled and struck like a vulture.

A perfect predator.

A blur of motion, and his blade sliced dangerously close to her ribs.

She spun, barely avoiding the fatal strike, but the edge of his katana nicked her side, sending another sharp jolt of pain through her body, while adding to the countless cuts and bruises she had accumulated throughout the battle. Blood dripped onto the scorched earth beneath her feet.

She was losing.

She had faced death more times than she could count, but this was different. This wasn’t the cold inevitability of a monster’s claws after a newbie’s mistake or the crushing unavoidability of a regression. This was a deliberate hunt, a battle where every move she made played into the enemy’s hands.

Shinji wasn’t trying to kill her, he was simply... Toying around with her.

Her flames crackled around her, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her vision blurred slightly from exhaustion, from pain. She needed a plan, an opening, but he wasn’t giving her one.

"You see," Shinji spoke once again, amidst the clangor of steel and the screeches of the [Fallen Puppets]. "Just as you have a quite intriguing skill, I, too, happen to have one."

Another wave of [Fallen Puppets] lurched toward her, and she blasted them apart, her flames surging brighter. But the moment she turned her focus back to Shinji...

He was already there. His katana arced toward her, aimed straight for her heart.

"Every time I kill a player, I can choose to inherit one of their skills." He smiled. But this time, his smile was dark, full of malice for the first time since she met him. "And I’m quite intrigued as to what I would be able to do, if I inherited that skill of yours..."

Sarissa’s eyes widened. She tried to move, tried to raise her arm, but she was too slow. Too tired. Too...

The impact of metal against metal reverberated through the battlefield, sharp and jarring. But not from her blade locking on to his.

The sound came from another weapon blocking Shinji’s strike.

A scythe.

Sarissa’s breath caught in her throat as she saw Miles standing between her and Shinji, his obsidian scythe locking the katana in place. His grip was steady, his posture unwavering.

Shinji’s expression didn’t falter, but something shifted in his stance.

"Well," he murmured, tilting his head. "That’s unexpected."

Miles’ voice was low, steady. But the weight behind it sent a chill down Sarissa’s spine.

"Step away from her, Shinji."

The air between them was truly still, and dark clouds covered the sky, hiding the moon behind them in a dark omen of storm and sparks waiting to break.