MTLNOVEL Chapter 104: Counter
"Ugh…" Shu groaned, clutching his severed arm, his face pale as he pressed his back against the wall, trying to minimize any blind spots.
Blood gushed from the empty socket of his left arm. He frantically pressed his hand against the wound, desperately trying to stem the flow.
All the first-aid procedures he'd read—applying a tourniquet above the wound, pressing on the artery—were completely forgotten, swept away by a tide of pure terror.
The initial numbness and cold gave way to agonizing pain, forcing a low, guttural cry from his throat.
He'd faced death before, but he'd been unconscious when the arrow pierced his chest, and too distracted to notice when his leg was mangled.
This was the first time he'd felt such a grievous wound, so viscerally.
The bleeding wouldn't stop. Shu gasped for breath, but the fear clawing at his throat, the sense of impending doom emanating from the darkness, kept him silent.
Caught between the need for air and the instinct for survival, he was trapped in a nightmarish limbo.
Where? Where is it?!
He frantically scanned the alley, searching for the attacker that had taken his arm, but his vision swam, blurred by pain and the encroaching darkness.
No, I have to calm down!
He abruptly bit down on his wrist, the sharp pain forcing his trembling hand to still.
The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth, a grim clarity returning to his thoughts.
The second attack would come soon. It could only be a swift strike or a standoff. Letting him bleed out wasn't an option; these things were relentless, driven by a single purpose: to kill him.
This alley was a death trap. He couldn't risk moving, exposing himself. He could only inch his way along the wall, his back pressed against the cold brick.
But a protruding pipe blocked his path.
He had to anticipate the attack.
Left or right?
A predator would always choose the easiest target, the path of least resistance. Having succeeded once, it would likely repeat the attack from the same direction.
Which means—above!
Shu launched himself sideways, leaping away from the wall.
Almost simultaneously, the soldier dropped from above, its blade cleaving the air where he'd just been.
The attack, clearly intended to bisect him, left a deep gash in the wall.
But the soldier had two swords!
Still airborne, Shu saw the second blade flash, a blur of motion too fast to avoid completely. A searing pain ripped through his abdomen.
"Gah—!" He landed hard, clutching his stomach, and scrambled towards the alley's entrance.
The pain was intense. Where was the delayed pain response? Why could he feel this so clearly?
His hand was pressed against the wound through his clothes. He couldn't tell how bad it was.
Just a scratch like the one on his face, or a C-section waiting to happen?
He didn't dare stop to check, sprinting towards the alley's mouth.
He couldn't stay trapped in this narrow space, not in his current state!
The soldier's blade seemed to be stuck in the wall, buying him precious seconds. He burst out of the alley, gasping for breath.
But the moment he cleared the alley's entrance, a chilling premonition washed over him.
From his shoulder to his spine, he felt the phantom pain of a blade severing his spinal cord. Driven by instinct, he drew one of the captured tachi and swung blindly behind him.
The backswing connected with something solid, metal on metal, sparks erupting in the darkness.
He'd blocked it!
Using his remaining arm, he pushed back with all his might, staggering backward as the soldier's second attack missed.
A sharp pain in his leg brought him back to reality. He'd been grazed, just like the first soldier's attack when it had seemingly risen from the dead.
A wound inflicted from a distance…
Was that… sword qi?!
What happened to consistent power scaling?! You two are breaking the rules!
Shu stumbled, regaining his balance. He'd dropped the other tachi. Gripping the remaining sword, he stood in the middle of the street, facing the black-clad soldier emerging from the alley.
Identical to the white soldier in every way, except for its armor, as dark as the night itself.
The moon had disappeared behind a cloud, allowing the soldier to blend seamlessly into the darkness.
Shu's grip tightened. His hand was slick, either with sweat or blood, offering no reassurance.
The soldier stopped ten paces away, then began circling him slowly.
A second standoff. It was searching for an opening, a weakness. So was Shu.
The soldier was driven by the urge to kill. Shu was even more desperate to survive.
He still didn't know the extent of his injuries, but the wounds on his abdomen and leg were definitely hindering his movements. Add to that the blood loss from his severed arm, and his head was starting to swim.
End this quickly. That was the unspoken agreement between them.
The soldier charged, abandoning the standoff, its blades flashing towards Shu.
Slower than the white one! That was Shu's first thought.
But he was also weaker than before. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the searing pain in his leg, barely dodging the first attack.
He raised his tachi, meeting the soldier's second strike.
Three attacks had been enough to analyze its fighting style. One slash always followed another.
And after the second? It couldn't retract its first wide swing in time for a third.
If he could block the second attack…
Metal met metal. A surge of hope flickered in Shu's heart, instantly extinguished by the terrifying force behind the blow.
His block had failed. The force of the attack sent him flying, the tachi ripped from his grasp.
He suddenly remembered something.
The white soldier dodged bullets. The black one?
Countered.
He was completely vulnerable, airborne, unable to dodge.
The soldier had already retracted its first blade, the tip aimed directly at Shu's chest. It lunged.
"Thud—!"
A dull, sickening sound echoed in the night. There were no miracles, no last-minute saves. The blade pierced his chest.