The speedster peered at the bleeding cut on Noah’s head, a smug grin spread across his face, as though he was pleased with his handiwork, which only further enraged Noah.

  ‘I’m going to wipe that smirk off his face...’

  In the distance, Noah could hear shouting among The Vanguard members, while all of his minions were either engaged in battle or positioning themselves. For now, Noah intended to focus on the Touched with what he assumed was a rare speed ability.

  Despite being engulfed by unadulterated rage, Noah felt sharper than ever as he squared off against his opponent, fists raised.

  ‘He’s probably using Dark Steel alloy daggers... Figures.’

  With the essence-enhanced bone gauntlets unable to withstand the strength of his foe's twin daggers, Noah could still use them as blunt weapons after they were 'declawed'.

  Noah swung his right fist, aiming at the speedster’s head — who easily dodged and slashed at Noah’s side, nicking him.

  “Is that all you got, traitor?” The muscular brute taunted him. “Honestly, I expected better.”

  ‘Traitor... no matter what I say and do, they’re still gonna keep coming after me.’

  Swinging again with his right fist and missing, Noah attempted to follow through with a left jab but was simply too slow.

  Again, the speedster punished Noah for his failure, his blades slicing into Noah's shoulder this time, drawing blood.

  By now, Noah was no stranger to enduring pain, and with the fury burning within him, he barely noticed his accumulating injuries. Instead, he recalled how Steve, despite being slower, managed to hit the infuriating brute, by accurately judging his foe’s movement and, adjusting his timing in order to compensate for his disadvantage in speed.

  The duo carried on with their deadly dance. Every attack thrown by Noah was answered with a painful slash across his body. The speedster was playing with him, toying with his prey, a smug smirk smeared across his face.

  However, every strike was closer to its mark than the previous one. Even as blood trickled across his face, from the cut on his forehead, obscuring Noah’s view – he remained singularly focused on his opponent.

  ‘I’m running out of time.’ Noah sensed his connection with one of the four-armed devils sever, as it was destroyed. ‘It’s now or never.’

  The dagger-wielding brute circled Noah like a shark, with blurring swiftness.

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  ‘Now!’

  Waiting until his opponent was at his side, Noah utilized his own enhanced reflexes, empowered by the essence of countless monsters, to swing his fist. Expectedly, the speedster dodged, still smiling. But Noah followed through with a series of rapid punches.

  This flurry of blows was different from the previous attacks by Noah, as each strike was less than an inch away from hitting its mark.

  Launching his final, gauntlet-clad punch, aimed at his foe's head, Noah's clenched fist touched the tip of the speedster's nose – his smug expression shifting to genuine concern. Then, right before the strike connected, the speedster catapulted backward, the air snapping like a whip.

  The infuriating smirk crept back onto the brute's face. “Almost, but not enou-”

  Before he could finish his taunt, Dozer charged, his massive frame thundering across the ground, and rammed his tower shield into the speedster with a force that sent him hurtling through the air — the sickening crunch of bones echoing as he flew.

  Noah huffed in satisfaction as he observed the twisted brute crashing into the ground and raising a cloud of dust and dirt.

  After closely observing his opponent in what had seemed like a one-sided fight, Noah was able to accurately anticipate the speedster's evasion pattern, mentally commanding Dozer to move in before initiating his final attack.

  Since a cloud of essence did not emerge out of the brute, it meant he was still alive. Noah intended to rectify it, running towards him, his mind awash with satisfying images of punching his head until it's reduced to a red paste.

  As he dashed towards the speedster, Noah again heard exchanges of shouting from The Vanguard members, and then, suddenly, Voidstrider appeared in front of him, out of thin air, dispersing a red vapor.

  She thrust her short sword forward, the tip aimed at Noah's chest. Since he was mid-motion while sprinting, it was impossible for him to dodge. Out of pure instinct, Noah slammed his fist downward against the blade, causing it to scrape his chest instead of piercing his heart.

  The two glared at each other.

  It was almost surreal; the day Voidstrider had snatched Noah away from The Arc, unleashing this hellish journey upon him, felt as though it was eons ago. Since then, she had haunted his nightmares. And yet, here she was, gazing upon him with that same hateful expression that made his stomach twist into a knot, standing close enough for Noah to smell her fragrance.

  Voidstrider glanced backward to where her comrade was hurled, before shifting her focus back to Noah.

  “How many more of us do you intend to kill, Silas?!” Anger and pain tinted her voice.

  “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Noah erupted in a display of pure rage. “I already told you; I’m not Silas!”

  Voidstrider’s face contorted as though she was disgusted and utterly repulsed. “Really, Silas?! How low are you going to sink to?”

  “My name is Noah! Silas is dead and you bastards are about to join him in hell!”

  Overwhelmed with rage and fury, Noah lunged at Voidstrider, yet she vanished, leaving behind only shimmering red vapor. Even before coming to a standstill, as he passed through the crimson mist, Noah felt a sharp pain across his back.

  Turning around, Voidstrider was already behind him – her blade soaked with his blood.

  ‘I can’t just haphazardly charge at her... I have to control my anger and be smart about it.’

  With a mental command, the colossal Dozer and the remaining cave dweller, wielding a bone spear, joined Noah, standing back to skeletal back, to massive armored back.

  ‘Yeah, she can appear anywhere, anytime. But I’m not alone, I can also cover my blind spots.’

  And so, Noah prepared to face off against the woman who plagued his nightmares.