OP Absorption
Chapter 107: End of the fight

Chapter 107: End of the fight

The shockwave dissipated. Dust settled slowly onto the cracked earth. Fin stood opposite the man, his green energy staff held steady. The man hefted the dark, rune-etched bat, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off stiffness.

"Impressive light show," the man said, his voice rough. "Let’s see if it holds up."

He lunged forward, the bat swinging in a low, horizontal arc aimed at Fin’s legs. Fin leaped backwards, the bat whistling through the air beneath his feet. He landed lightly, immediately bringing the staff down in a vertical chop towards the man’s head.

The man twisted, bringing the bat up to block. Bat met staff. Green energy flared against pulsing red runes. The impact sent another, smaller shockwave rippling outwards. Both fighters held their ground.

The man pushed forward, using his weight, trying to overpower Fin. Fin pivoted, redirecting the force, letting the bat slide off his staff. He simultaneously thrust the butt end of the staff towards the man’s chest.

He grunted, staggering back a step as the energy-staff connected with his torso. He swung the bat wildly in retaliation, a wide, horizontal sweep. Fin ducked under the swing, the movement fluid. As he came up, he jabbed the glowing tip of the staff towards the man’s exposed face.

The man jerked his head back, the energy narrowly missing him. He countered with a quick upward swing of the bat. Fin parried, staff deflecting the blow outwards. They broke apart, circling each other warily near the center of the torn-up training ground.

Meg watched from near the castle entrance, hand still covering her mouth. Arachne pushed herself slowly into a sitting position nearby, one hand pressed against her bruised throat, eyes fixed on the fight. Scarlet leaned against the damaged wall where she had landed earlier, observing intently.

"Getting predictable," the man grunted, spitting onto the dirt. He raised his free hand. A large chunk of cracked earth ripped free from the ground beside Fin and flew towards his head.

Fin spun, staff whirling, shattering the chunk of earth into fragments mid-air. Dust clouded his vision for a split second. The man charged through the dust cloud, bat swinging downwards like an executioner’s axe.

Fin reacted instinctively, bringing the staff up diagonally to block.

CRACK!

The staff held for a moment, then fractured under the rune-powered blow. Green light sputtered, then died as the staff shattered into fading motes of energy. The bat continued its downward path, unstoppable.

Fin threw himself backward, rolling as the bat slammed into the ground where he’d been, cratering the earth again. He scrambled to his feet, empty-handed now.

The man grinned, hefting the bat. "No more stick?" He advanced slowly. "Pity."

Fin backed away, eyes darting around. Debris. Fallen weapon racks. Nothing useful within reach. He crouched slightly, green energy flaring around his hands again, reforming the jagged knuckle constructs.

The man swung the bat again, a casual, powerful strike aimed to sweep Fin’s legs. Fin jumped, landing lightly behind the man. He drove a punch towards the back of the man’s knee.

The man anticipated it, shifting his weight, letting the blow glance off his calf. He spun, bringing the bat around in a backhanded sweep. Fin ducked again, the bat passing inches over his head. He punched upwards, connecting solidly with the man’s kidney area.

The man grunted, staggering slightly, but didn’t stop his rotation. The bat continued its arc, catching Fin across the back on the follow-through. Not the flat, but the edge.

Fin cried out, stumbling forward, pain flaring along his spine. He spun, facing the man again, breathing heavily.

"Had enough?" the man asked, raising the bat again.

Fin didn’t answer. He lowered his stance further, focusing the green energy around his fists, letting it condense, sharpen.

The man charged. Fin met him head-on.

He didn’t try to block the bat. He moved inside the swing, letting the heavy weapon pass behind him. His right fist slammed into the man’s ribs. His left followed, connecting with the jaw. The man staggered back, surprised by the sudden aggression.

Fin pressed forward relentlessly. Punch after punch rained down on the man’s head and body. The man tried to bring the bat around, tried to push Fin back with his free hand, but Fin stayed too close, a whirlwind of focused strikes.

Crack! Fin’s fist connected squarely with the man’s nose. Blood spurted. The man roared, swinging the bat blindly. Fin ducked under it, pivoted, and drove his elbow into his solar plexus.

The air left the man’s lungs in a whoosh. He doubled over, gasping. Fin stepped back slightly, then drove his knee upward, connecting hard with the man’s bloodied face.

He flew backward, sprawling onto his back, the dark bat flying from his grasp. It landed several feet away with a dull thud. He lay still for a moment, dazed, blood pouring from his nose and split lip.

Fin advanced, constructs still flickering around his knuckles. He stopped beside the fallen bat. He looked down at it, then kicked it contemptuously further away across the training ground. It skittered across the dirt and disappeared into the shadows near the forest edge.

He walked over to the downed man, who was groaning, trying to push himself up onto his elbows. Fin stood over him.

"My turn," he said.

He grabbed the front of the man’s worn coat and hauled him partially upright. Then he started hitting him. Left fist, right fist, body blows, hooks to the head. Short, brutal punches, delivered with focused intensity. The man grunted, tried to block, but the blows kept landing.

Blood sprayed. A tooth flew out, landing on the packed earth. The man’s head snapped back and forth with the impacts. His eyes glazed over.

Fin stopped, breathing heavily. He let go of the coat. The man slumped back onto the ground, barely conscious, face a swollen, bloody mess.

He stood there for a long moment, looking down at him.

"why do i keep facing tough bastards?" His main core was low on mana, healing himself and creating mana weapons took more out of him then he expected.

The man’s body began to glow, red runes etched all over his body. "My mission has failed. I will take you and this domain with me, to the afterlife." Huge amounts of mana began building around his body, Fin just stared at him for a moment.

"Wow, that’s a lot of mana," he touched his chest, "perfect for ’that’ core." He touched the man’s body, it was hot and stung a bit but nothing he couldn’t handle.

The runes on his armed turned to blue, his whole mana turned blue and he began absorbing, it was painful, really painful but he was determined. This core, its special, even the admin could not sense it, he doesn’t know why, he can’t even use it, he tried many times but failed each time.

So he is trying to jump start it but storing massive amounts of mana into it. The building red energy visibly flowed away from the runes, siphoned towards his hand, turning the blue light brighter, almost blinding.

Fin grunted, his body trembling under the strain, sweat beading on his forehead. The blue lines pulsed erratically.

He pulled harder. The red runes faded rapidly, the light dying out completely. The man’s body went limp, the build-up ceasing. The blue light on Fin’s arm stabilized, sinking back beneath his skin, leaving no visible trace. He took his hand away.

The man was dead.

so much for a professional.