Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 78: Ch76. To kill a wraith

Chapter 78: Ch76. To kill a wraith

Miles didn’t wait for Sarissa’s confirmation. The moment he called the switch, he was already moving, his body surging forward like a bullet fired from a cannon, leaving a net of cracks on the weathered asphalt.

Sarissa hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second. In the next instant, she leaped back, giving way to Miles, allowing him to take center stage.

And he did so with a vengeance.

The moment his feet hit the ground, he twisted his scythe in a deadly flourish, the [Harbinger’s Scythe] singing through the air as it clashed against Shinji’s katana. The sheer force of the collision sent a shockwave ripping through the battlefield, scattering debris and embers alike. This time, Shinji didn’t just smirk. His nonchalance faltered as he staggered back, his grip tightening on his blade.

Miles grinned beneath his mask.

He was stronger. Faster. Every part of him screamed with power, his senses sharpened to a razor’s edge, almost confusing him with the astonishing myriad of details that he had not noticed before, now that his perception stat had reached the three digits – even though it was going to last only for a minute, and said minute was already dwindling to seconds.

The effect of the [Ether Teapot] combined with his attribute, [Shadow of the End], made him feel like he was moving beyond the limits of what he used to think of himself.

Shinji recovered quickly, his usual ease returning as he steadied his stance.

"Oh? So you’ve finally decided to stop playing?" He chuckled, his tone laced with something new. Wariness, probably.

But Miles didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

Instead, he moved.

A blur of motion, a flash of steel, and Miles was on him before Shinji could react, his scythe carving through the air with relentless precision. Shinji barely managed to parry, but each block sent him stumbling, his movements becoming more frantic, less calculated.

Or that was what he wanted to make Miles think, because the next moment, Shinji was not there anymore.

"I said it before." He mused, his katana already descending in a vertical arc, ready to carve its way into Miles. "Too slow."

The clangor of metal clashing against stone reverberated through the battlefield, making Shinji let out a sudden gasp, as he saw Miles’ scythe blocking his attack a few inches away from his mask.

"Not quite, are we?" Miles hummed, his voice distorted under the mask as he deflected Shinji’s blow and counterattacked.

But Shinji vanished again, reappearing behind Miles once more. This time, however, Shinji ducked and motioned as if to tackle him, along with a thrust of his katana, a vicious snarl stamped on his face for the first time.

Miles, however, simply sidestepped to his left, trusting only the senses granted by [Wraith’s Echo] to ’see’ through Shinji’s movement, and countering it through [Inevitable Inheritance], which allowed him to learn the wraith’s pattern during the fight, even if only through pain.

Following the sidestep, Miles motioned as if to strike with his scythe again, raising its blade up high.

Shinji’s eyes widened as he watched Miles evade his attack, but before he could blink away from existence once more, Miles gathered all his momentum, and released a backward slam with the tip of his scythe’s hilt, hitting the wraith’s face with a deaf thud followed by the squelching sound of blood spurting.

Miles was cornering him.

Shinji gritted his teeth, his playful facade slipping further as he looked at Miles in awe, his knees buckling underneath him for the first time.

He attempted to retreat, but Miles went on in a relentless offensive.

Every strike, every maneuver, every opening Miles found was exploited mercilessly. He wasn’t just fighting with brute force anymore. He was fighting with intent.

Every motion was deliberate, honed by urgent experience and raw instinct.

Shinji hissed in frustration, his eyes flickering to Sarissa, who was watching intently from a distance, her blade still ready.

"No backup this time." Miles growled, his voice distorted slightly through the mask. "It’s just you and me."

Shinji’s katana sparked as he locked blades with Miles once more.

"You think you’ve won just because you’ve forced my hand?" Shinji sneered, his smirk returning. "You don’t even realize what you’re fighting, do you?"

Miles smirked under his mask, but did not respond for a moment, focused on unleashing a flurry of blows that kept Shinji busy enough as to not blink away again.

After a few strikes, though, he broke the wordlessness.

"I know." He said, his voice devoid of any emotion, this time. "I know exactly what you are, and I know that you’re probably watching right now."

Then, it happened.

Miles’ scythe cut through Shinji’s form, meeting the resistance of unnatural flesh, before Shinji’s body flickered, distorting like a mirage. A sickening sensation flooded Miles’ senses as his blade connected with something beyond flesh and bone.

The wraith shrieked as Miles spoke again.

"And you better watch you ass, because I’m coming for you."

Reality around them trembled, the battlefield distorting as Shinji’s form wavered and disappeared in darkness. The feeling of unstoppable power that coursed through Miles’ veins suddenly disappeared as the minute during which the etheric tea was in effect had come to an end, and then...

Darkness.

Miles’ mind was invaded by a myriad of images, emotions and sensations, forcing him to his knees as the wraith dissolved into nothingness. His vision blurred as unfamiliar memories forced their way into his consciousness. Whispers filled his ears, words spoken in a language he did not know, yet somehow understood.

His eyes widened as he dismissed his mask, panting heavily.

***

Sarissa’s jaw hung slack as she watched it.

How could this be? Miles was weak and had no experience in battles against stronger opponents like she did, and yet...

He was overwhelming Shinji with a power and a skill that surpassed even her wildest dreams.

"Cheshire, what happened while I was fighting?" She asked, unable to take her eyes off from the battlefield, while the cat yawned beside her.

"I know just as much as you do, my dear." Cheshire purred, watching his nails as though the battle did not matter to him. "But one thing I can tell you for sure. He’s not using the power you’re so afraid of."

Sarissa hesitated, her fingers twitching as she kept watching.

Was he not?

Then, as quickly as Miles had started to overpower Shinji, he had ended the fight, and what happened made Sarissa gasp.

"Miles wa-" The words she had spoken once, died on her lips as Shinji’s body disintegrated in darkness, but she was already moving towards him, unconsciously.

She only noticed she had ran at Miles when she got close enough to hear his heavy breaths as he broke the silence.

"I know where Diego is." His words were a shaky whisper. "But there’s more..."