Garfield twisted away from Celina's blade in an instant, his reflexes faster than expected. He leapt back, putting distance between them, his smirk returning.
"Not bad," he admitted, rolling his shoulders. "You're fast. But speed alone won't save you."
Celina didn't respond. She simply raised her sword.
Garfield lunged first.
Their swords clashed, and the sound of metal rang through the dungeon. Celina twisted her body, using her smaller size to her advantage as she ducked under his swings, striking at his side.
Garfield parried easily, his raw strength forcing her backwards. She flipped mid-air, landing gracefully.
"You move well," he mused. "But let's see how well you last without your speed."
In a blink, he was upon her again. This time, he feinted to the left... then his real strike came from the right.
Celina barely managed to block, but the sheer force sent her skidding across the stone floor.
Ding!
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-1000)}
Celina's eyes widened. Just a small hit from him was able to reduce her unlucky point drastically. She wanted to end it quickly so she wouldn't lose more.
Garfield didn't let her recover. He pressed forward, launching a relentless barrage of heavy strikes.
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-2500)}
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-2500)}
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-2500)}
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-2500)}
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-2500)}
Celina dodged as best as she could, her movements growing sharper, more precise. She wasn't just reacting... she was analyzing his movement, finding a way to finish the fight once and for all.
He's strong, but his movements aren't unpredictable.
She ducked low, slashing at his legs.
Garfield jumped, narrowly avoiding the blade, then brought his sword down with crushing force.
Celina rolled away just in time. The ground where she stood cracked under the impact.
'This old fart really wants to kill me!'
She didn't have time to admire his strength. She lunged again, aiming for his unprotected ribs...
But this time, he caught her sword with his bare hand.
Celina's eyes widened.
Garfield grinned. "Got you. What an excellent sword you've got there"
A powerful knee struck her stomach.
The impact sent her flying, slamming her into a stone pillar with a sickening crack.
Ding!
{Number of unlucky points: Max (+15000)}
She gasped, blood spilling from her lips as pain shot through her body.
Garfield stalked toward her. "Your aura is strong, but you're still a child. And children..." He raised his sword. "...die easily."
He swung.
Celina barely rolled aside, the blade carving deep into the stone where her head had been. She coughed, forcing herself to stand. Her hands trembled slightly, but she gripped her sword tighter.
A dark aura surrounded her, pulsing with unstable energy.
Garfield raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's this? You got even stronger"
Celina didn't answer. She vanished...
Only to reappear behind him.
She swung.
A deep slash appeared across Garfield's back before he could react.
For the first time, his expression darkened.
Celina's breathing was ragged.
His smirk returned, but his eyes burned with something different now.
Excitement.
"You actually hurt me," he said, laughing. "I was planning to kill you quickly. But now? Now I want to play."
He vanished.
Celina's instincts screamed.
She barely raised her sword in time to block his attack...
A crushing blow sent her flying again.
She hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop. Blood dripped from her forehead.
Ding!
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-15000)}
Garfield appeared above her.
He stomped down repeatedly and she blocked with her hands.
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-15000)}
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-15000)}
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-15000)}
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-15000)}
He raised his leg higher, hoping to end with one huge smash, but...
Celina rolled away just in time, but the force of his attack cracked the floor.
She got to her feet, her vision swimming.
'I'm not fast enough'
Garfield lunged.
Celina reacted too slowly.
His blade slashed across her side, cutting deep.
She bit back a scream.
Ding!
{Number of unlucky points: Max (-20000)}
Her movements slowed.
Her blood dripped onto the floor.
Garfield grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground.
"Not so fast anymore, are you?" he sneered.
Celina struggled, kicking at him, but his grip was ironclad.
"You're strong, kid," he admitted. "But you're not strong enough."
He squeezed.
Ding!
{Number of unlucky points: 150,000 (-15,000)}
Celina's vision blurred.
Her lungs burned.
Her sword slipped from her fingers.
She was going to die.
No.
No, she couldn't.
She refused to.
A sudden shift in the air...
Garfield's grip slipped for just a fraction of a second.
It was enough.
Celina twisted in his grasp, her fingers finding the dagger on her belt.
With her last bit of strength, she plunged it into his arm.
Garfield hissed but still didn't drop her.
He held his sword and immediately forced the blade into her stomach.
Rowan, who was watching everything, forced his gaze away from the scene. He balled his fist and hit the wall.
He couldn't save her from that monster. But, he believed she was a monster herself. For her to be able to fight with him for more than fifteen minutes.
He drove his sword deeper, twisting it before releasing her neck.
She collapsed, coughing up blood violently.
She felt the burning pain, not only in her stomach but her chest. She could hear her heart beating slowly.
And suddenly...
Ding!
{Number of unlucky points: 135,000 (-135,000)}
{Unlucky Points Depleted!}
{User life force terminated!}
Celina was too tired to be surprised.
'The system didn't tell me I was going to die if my unlucky points hit zero. Ah, I guess I'm that unlucky'
She coughed one more time.
'Damn it... I can't... I don't want to die!'
Her vision darkened.
Garfield loomed over her, rubbing his wounded arm. His smirk had vanished completely.
"You're more trouble than I thought. I'm glad I got rid of you. Time to end it once and for all" he muttered.
Celina barely heard him.
Her body felt so heavy.
She was losing too much blood.
She was... going to die.
No, she was dying.
Garfield wanted to pull his sword from her stomach but...
"This was fun," he said. "But it's over."
A burst of energy erupted between them.
Something... or someone... pushed him away. Garfield frowned, blaming himself for not focusing on his surroundings too.
Celina barely turned her head.
Through her fading vision, she saw a familiar figure.
Clyde.
Despite his own injuries, he stood before her, his sword raised.
"Stay away from her," he growled.
Garfield's eyes gleamed. "Oh? Still alive?"
Clyde didn't answer.
"You forgot about me, which was your mistake. There's no way I'll let you hurt her" Clyde said and turned his head to her. Her hand dropped to the side, with her eyes closed. Her chest wasn't moving. He immediately rushed to her, forgetting about Garfield.
"Is she...?" He asked himself with his shaky voice.
Ding!
{User has died!}