Zane

  One thing. That was all Zane had wanted. In a place they'd been dragged to against their will, only one thought had reigned in Zane's mind from the beginning. For both of them to make it home alive.

  Why can't I even have that?

  Of course, he knew the reason. The reason his plans had fallen apart and Nix had been forced to use that damned weapon.

  I should have killed this bastard when I had the chance.

  "You… This is all your fault."

  Trey didn't even bother responding as he readied his cudgel and shield. Zane felt his rage boil over at the insult. So this fucker doesn't even think I'm worth responding to? After you all but murdered my sister?

  He dashed forward as he yelled, "So you don't think I'm even worth responding to? After you all but murdered my sister?"

  The blue metal of Zane's sword bit into Trey's shield, significantly compromising its integrity. Trey's eyes opened wide in surprise, but Zane had expected it. The only weapon Zane had found in the entirety of the tutorial that could stand up to his blade was the golden spear.

  It's only natural. There's no way such primitive weapons could possibly stand up to a material used by the ancients!

  With a roar of effort, Zane put all the force he could muster into his blade. Trey's shield split apart into two clean pieces, and blood sprayed out of Trey's arm as it was nearly severed completely.

  But as Trey's shield fell away Zane saw the look of absolute focus in Trey's eyes, and the shining bright cudgel. Before he could react, a bolt of what seemed like pure energy shot out and collided with his chest, sending Zane flying backwards.

  He collided with a tree and felt the air knocked from his lungs. His instincts screamed at him, so he pushed off the tree before even recovering his breath as a blade slashed through the air where he'd just been.

  As he rolled to a stop amid the wreckage of the forest he looked up and saw someone entirely unfamiliar, a warrior wielding a two-handed longsword.

  [Huel - Level 42]

  Where the hell did this guy come from?

  "Your sister, huh?" Trey said as more people emerged from the tree line, "I suppose that explains a few things. I'd offer my condolences… if you hadn't tried to kill me and Nix hadn't tried to commit genocide. It seems you two are simply a pair of demon siblings."

  "The fuck… did you say? Bold words for someone hiding behind a bunch of nobodies."

  Trey pulled another shield out of his tile as he popped a healing pill and responded, "Well, I'm not nearly as monstrous as you. Besides, this is simply the natural way for a commander to fight."

  A light once again shone from the man's cudgel, and Zane tensed up as he prepared for the bolt of energy, but it didn't come. Instead, the light seemed to expand in a glow that enveloped all the extras that had shown up.

  A buff, huh? No, it doesn't matter.

  It didn't matter how many extras Trey summoned. It didn't matter that they were all buffed. None of it mattered in Zane's eyes. He'd lost the only thing that had actually mattered to him, so now all that was left was his rage.

  …It's strange. I'm angrier now than I've ever been in my life. Yet I'm also so calm…

  Like he was in a trance, Zane activated Blade Haze and took a stance as three of Trey's goons rushed him. His sword left afterimages in its wake as he blurred into motion faster than any of them could react.

  Most of the skills Zane had seen others use were simple and straightforward powerups or attacks. Blade Haze wasn't.

  When he'd first acquired the skill he had wondered what the purpose of the afterimages was. Then he realized that the 'afterimages' could also be used to show a prediction of his attack instead of simply being afterimages.

  It was a skill that required intense focus to properly utilize. Zane shifted between future predictions and afterimages constantly to keep an opponent off-guard.

  Blood sprayed out of the necks of his three opponents as Zane effortlessly slipped past their guards and slaughtered them. In a place where people relied on stats and powerful skills to carry them to victory, Zane had carved his way to the number two spot through consummate skill.

  Kill - [Kyle - Level 32] - 972 Talons

  Kill - [Lyra - Level 33] - 87 Talons

  Kill - [Harley - Level 31] - 409 Talons

  [Level up. Level 46 obtained.]

  Did they believe they could overwhelm me with numbers? Unlike these losers that only pretend they've pushed themselves to the limit while fighting in groups, I've faced several life or death situations against groups of enemies. Three down. Five left.

  Of the five remaining, only two seemed even remotely dangerous. The level 42 who'd attacked him before and Trey. The other three were all under level 35.

  Still, something seemed strange to him. There should be the remnants of an entire army in their vicinity, yet these seven had been the only ones to come assist Trey.

  He must have called them specifically. Perhaps they're a trained squad like what Nix had. Does Trey want to keep all of the worthless insects out of this so I don't slaughter them?

  Something about that thought stoked the cold flames of rage in Zane's chest. Nix had acted similarly, not wanting to risk the lives of those she thought she needed to protect.

  Don't you go acting human now, you fiend.

  As Zane dashed forward to continue his offensive he saw light once again gather in Trey's cudgel while he felt more than saw the level 42 preparing an attack of his own.

  It was a perfect group offensive. However…

  As Trey launched the bolt of dazzling energy Zane activated his second class skill, Parry. On instinct alone he moved his blade to intercept and in the same instant the bolt of energy collided with it he swept it aside, causing it to deflect off his sword straight toward the level 42.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Parry, like Blade Haze, was a skill that relied entirely on Zane's own proficiency. It allowed him to deflect attacks that he ordinarily wouldn't be able to, such as extremely heavy blows or magic.

  The level 42, in the middle of an attack, couldn't react in time and was blown away. Zane shifted his attention to the other three, who were already upon him.

  Unlike with the first three, this trio wasn't so easy to subdue. They'd seen Blade Haze and already had some idea of how it worked. He managed to sever the arm of one, but the other two remained steadfast in their dogged assault.

  These two… their levels are much lower than mine, but this buff is allowing them to fight on par with me.

  Once again the light of Trey's magic shone, but this time from behind Zane.

  Damn, these guys are well coordinated.

  Trey had circled around behind the two keeping Zane occupied and was now flanking him. With a roar, Zane turned around and activated Parry once again, not knowing if his gambit would actually work.

  As the bolt of energy arced through the air toward him Zane cut downwards, parrying it even as he cut it. The bolt, which would likely have normally continued past Zane's sword into him, split and was deflected along the edge of the blade to either side of him.

  The two halves of the attack struck his two opponents. Though each half bolt only carried half the power of the original, it still staggered them enough to allow Zane to slaughter them before they could regain their senses.

  Kill - [Patty - Level 37] - 162 Talons

  Kill - [Richard - Level 35] - 781 Talons

  When he turned back, Zane saw Trey and the level 42 standing together. Trey scowled and activated another spell, one Zane recognized, Dexterity Boost. Meanwhile, a heat wave rippled through the air as the level 42 activated Fire Imbuement on his sword.

  Dexterity Boost is one of the spells available from the terminals, a single-target buff available only to support classes. The other two spells he relies on must be his class spells. He's some kind of hybrid between a tank and a mage specialized in support. His arm should be healed now, so they'll likely come at me together.

  As if on cue, both of Zane's opponents dashed forward. Trey led the way, firing off one of his signature bolts of energy, which Zane parried easily. Once he had the timing down, it wasn't that hard to counter.

  Trey's next move was completely unexpected, he threw his shield at Zane.

  Caught completely off-guard, Zane dumbly batted it aside only to realize it had been nothing but a diversion. From the side a longsword flashed into his vision, and Zane felt a line of pain streak across his face as flames scorched his skin and his right eye went dark.

  Zane knew from the stinging sensation of blood flowing over charred skin that half of his face had been burned off from the cut that took his eye, but he couldn't retreat. If he did it would only allow the duo another chance at a combination attack.

  He activated Adrenaline with the intent to finish off the level 42 swordsman before Trey could intervene. In the slowed time of Adrenaline he could fully utilize the move he'd practiced to kill the one he hated the most, the elusive figure who'd bested him in the forest.

  As he began to swing his sword, Zane positioned the real blade at the very rear of Blade Haze's afterimages. Then, with all the effort he could summon, he changed the future prediction more than a dozen times in an instant.

  The level 42 swordsman's eyes went wide as he was faced with a burst of what looked like more than a dozen attacks, all in different directions. It was all he could do to raise his sword in an attempt to block as many of them as he could. And that was exactly the opportunity Zane needed.

  The real sword cut through flesh as it severed the fingers of one of the swordsman's hands. The digits fell to the ground uselessly as the level 42 cursed and tried to use his sword with his single usable hand. Zane parried a desperate attack and cut through the man's neck with ease.

  Kill - [Huel - Level 42] - 1372 Talons

  A blast of energy struck him in the back, once again sending him flying. That was the tradeoff of Adrenaline, the intense focus resulted in one's peripheral senses being obscured, something Trey had made good use of.

  As Zane rolled to a stop he took note of his injuries. Half his face was burned off, he had two large wounds from Trey's spell, and he couldn't muster any strength in one of his arms.

  Using that technique is absurdly draining. It feels like I tore apart every muscle in my arm, changing an attack's direction that much.

  Even so, there was now only Trey. Zane swallowed a recovery pill as Trey charged him. But even as injured as Zane was, he still wasn't injured nearly enough to let someone lesser than him win.

  Still within the heightened state of Adrenaline, he wielded his sword with his one remaining good arm and intercepted Trey.

  Trey raised his arm as though he was going to attack with his cudgel before naturally transitioning into a shield bash. But Zane was used to underhanded tricks from the man by now, and simply elected to parry the shield to the side as he swung around the man and brought his blade down, cutting clean through the arm holding the shield.

  The fiend cried out in pain, but Zane wasn't done yet. Next he took off one of the man's legs at the knee, forcing him to fall.

  He looked down at the pitiful man with enough scorn to burn the world to ashes as he prepared to finish it. Then a thought occurred to him.

  "No… it would be too easy to simply let you die." He grabbed a fistful of Trey's hair and pulled his face close, "I'm going to make you regret ever coming to this place… No, I'm going to make you regret existing in the first place. Tell me, do you remember? When I watched as Kal'o Kir made you suffer?"

  Trey's eyes opened wide as Zane ripped open that trauma, and at that look of fear Zane's twisted and scarred face curved into an evil smile.

  "I think it's time you and I revisit that place, don't you think? I'll make you feel every last iota of pain you've put me through."

  Trey struggled, tried to swing at Zane with the cudgel he still held onto with his last arm, but Zane batted it away effortlessly as he took out a healing pill and shoved it down Trey's throat.

  The fiend's gaze wavered as he lost consciousness. And on the verge of oblivion Zane whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, you and I will have a lot of time together soon."

  Before Trey fell into unconsciousness completely Zane saw something unexpected. The man's eyes, which had lost focus suddenly sharpened as he said, "You won't get the chance."

  "Huh?"

  "I told you I'd show you how a commander fights, didn't I? I'll admit, I didn't expect you to overwhelm us as a group, but it doesn't matter. It took him long enough to pick up the damn line, but he did. From that point, all I had to do was buy time. What determines a battle isn't each little skirmish, but the end result. Although, I'll admit… I got a little… greedy at the… end…"

  Trey's eyes drooped as he finally lost consciousness.

  Him? There's nobody left within the tutorial who could oppose me. Eve got swatted by the creature she herself brought, and was near the epicenter of the weapon's point of impact. Your friend was in an even worse spot, last I checked. There's simply no possible way he could have beaten both the chief and Val Kazar.

  Just as he thought that he felt the effects of Adrenaline wearing off. At the same time as his perception of the world around him returned his instincts screamed at him to dodge. He threw himself to the side as a golden blur passed where his body had been.

  As he rolled to a stop several feet away he couldn't help but stare in disbelief at the man who stood before him.

  [Devon - Level 50]

  Somewhere in the back of Zane's mind his instincts screamed at him to run away, but his calm rage smothered them in a renewed burst of hatred.

  How can he be alive, and here? What the hell happened over there? His state… His condition is so terrible I can't even imagine how he's standing.

  His chest was completely exposed, the armor and clothing that had covered it fluttered in the breeze, no more than useless ribbons. But the wound that lay exposed was almost unimaginable.

  The man's chest looked more like pulverized meat than anything that could actually be alive. Enough blood had flowed from it that the entire front of what remained of the man's shirt and pants were completely stained.

  He isn't making any attempt to heal that, which means he must already be under the effects of a healing pill. This is my only opportunity, if I run away now then I won't have any other chance to make these two suffer!

  His healing pill had brought the feeling back into his arm, and it was making good progress on his other injuries too.

  Zane took a deep breath as he readied himself.