Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 313: The Light-Shadow Archer

Chapter 313: The Light-Shadow Archer

To waste time was not in Dasha’s world. Kill, kill, kill. That was his focus. Pulling the Replica Gáe Bulg from Asa’s throat, her red helmet clattering to the floor, Dasha made a mad dash for the Light-Shadow Archer. It was one-on-one.

With a whisper and flick of his wrist, the Light-Shadow Archer nocked three arrows and released them. Physics deemed the arrows strike his gauntlets. That did not occur. A tiny spark of light hit the end of the arrow. One arrow went up, another below, and the last was misdirected toward his midsection.

’Counterflow Stance.’

Time slowed. He was able to see it and comprehend it.

For the second time, there was a spark and the arrows below and above were redirected, one for his head and one for his knee.

Blocking it was impossible with the spear. All the arrows landed. Dasha pushed regardless. The arrow to his knee almost slowed him. The pain, the blood, the cut off in his muscles, Dasha pushed past it all and as a result, his speed only dropped by a hair’s breadth.

The archer took advantage of that. A burst of light erupted from the soles of his black armour and propelled him high into the air. Dasha leaped after him and was met with arrows again. ’Counterflow Stance.’

Dasha scanned. He was able to predict exactly where and how the arrows were going to bounce through the air. The Light-Shadow Archer was an observer. He manually caused the burst of light magic and thus the misdirection. The archer observed Dasha’s exposed left eye and the way it flicked left and right. That was when he made the misdirection. That was when he presumed a human would be indecisive.

He was correct on a technical level. To be indecisive and rock between movements was natural, not weakness, and none of that mattered when Dasha was aware of the habit and could counteract it before it happened. The two metre-long spear in his hands was the most convenient weapon to defend against a technique like this.

It wasn’t a coincidence, of course. This was what Dasha had been planning.

The arrows were deflected by the spear and Dasha rapidly approached the archer. Despite reaching the peak of his jump, light emerged from his feet and the Light-Shadow Archer jumped again, disappearing from view.

Dasha sensed him above, then appearing far, far behind him.

’Such speed—!’

Dasha was only able to turn to deflect his arrows while falling because of his Qi Sense. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known where the archer went. Dasha anticipated him to be able to move in the same way as his arrows. The prediction, however, did not take into account just how much more faster he became.

Falling, falling, falling, deflect, deflect, deflect. Dasha could sense the mad speed the archer was using to confuse and catch him. If Dasha wasn’t a genius capable of seeing seventy moves ahead, he would already be dead.

He landed and eyed the air. He saw blips of light, whizzing arrows, and nothing else. The Light-Shadow Archer was that fast. ’It’s too fast. He must naturally be an aerial fighter.’

Dasha kept an eye on the arrows hailing above. His Qi Sense detected arrows, blips of light, and...an incoming fist?

Clang!

Dasha raised his spear right on time to block Keeran’s fist. Covering in thick rocks, if it wasn’t for his quick reaction and the spear, the damage could have been critical. ’He found an opening in my Qi Sense...’

Kareen proceeded to engage him in close-quarter combat. Dasha was immediately on the back-foot. To make full-use of the spear, he required space. Space required greater levels of speed which he did not have. Not to mention—

Twang!

Arrows were raining down on him without disturbing Kareen. Their teamwork was impeccable. Kareen’s fighting style was purely boxing. He went for a lead hook, a cross, then back to a hook. Dasha observed his footwork and dodged accordingly while also accounting for the arrows above. They didn’t bounce just once anymore, they were darting and reangling and gaining momentum three or four times.

Any one punch would stun him into getting struck by an arrow. Any one arrow would leave him susceptible to a crushing fist. Effectively, he was trapped.

Dasha calculated everything in his head. The arrows and their erratic angles. Keeran and his method of direct boxing. His own cooldown. The martial artist fought harder, faster! Spear thrusting up once, sweeping, and trashing away the arrows. His head and body dodging the heavy punches of Kareen.

"He’s amping up!" Kareen yelled. "He’s getting faster!"

The cooldown was almost over. He was fighting at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. It wasn’t enough to tip the scales, only to survive. Even at Late Stage, it probably wouldn’t make a difference.

It was wise to have chosen the Intermediate Martial Arts Class for this. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to do this.

’Counterflow Stance.’

Qi rushed to his head, melding and intensifying his mental capacity. Qi Sense pulsed in that very same moment and he could feel everything.

He knew what to do.

He spun his spear backward and slammed the ferrule into Keeran’s fist. A clash of equals, it shouldn’t have changed anything.

Unless he released the spear.

The sudden lack of force caused Keeran to keep going forward. Dasha slipped to his side, a palm extended.

Twang!

A single arrow came from above. An emergency arrow. Dasha blasted upward, activating Electro-step to bolster his speed and an electrified palm clapping seizing the dark helmet of the archer. The archer had fallen for it. In his need to help his teammate, he got too close.

Dasha’s gauntlets were too tight to escape. His head grabbed, he tried to block his fist with his bow and failed. The material of the bow was like paper compared to Eitr-forged iron. "Thunder Clap." And so, even with the protective layer of armour, the archer was electrocuted. Head and stomach, he was shocked till he was smoking.

"Rah!"

Quelch!

The Light-Shadow Archer grabbed an arrow from his quiver and impaled it into Dasha’s exposed eye.