Axel's body was still hurdling towards the supposed spot that Nico was emitting his mana.
But, he had miscalculated.
Nico stepped out of Nyx's Shroud, the black particles dissipating as his twin daggers pierced Axel's back.
Nico quickly pulled back and used Nyx's Shroud to disappear once more, a second quicker for Axel to fail with his counter.
As a result, he ended up swinging at nothing, which made him groan.
「Silent Plunderer – Enhances weapons to strike without any sound」
The Silent Plunderer skill paired with the one second gentle gale effect of Keogan's Twin Daggers made a deadly combo.
Nico smirked as he carefully stepped around Axel, who stopped wasting his mana on stealth abd focused on defending himself.
His eyes scammed the room, his men wondering why he was so shaken.
They had never seen Axel, the pillar of Genesis's roots, their leader, so paranoid.
And, Nico's echoing laughter wasn't helping him in the slightest.
「Abyssal Rend applied!
-10 mana per use」
Nico distorted a small space behind Axel's head, forcing him to turn his head and swing.
He cut through the mana ripple, but it wasn't Nico.
He gritted his teeth and quickly shifted positions towards his flank, swinging his knife in the air once again, but hitting nothing in turn.
"What's going on here?" a poncho inquired as he narrowed his eyes. "It's not like Axel to be anxious..."
"You're right. Look at him, he's like a lost kid..."
Nico distorted multiple spaces around Axel by stacking his Abyssal Rend skill, forcing Axel to swing his knife in all directions.
Finally, he snapped and screamed at the top of his lungs. "Show yourself, you cow-"
Before he could finish his sentence, he recieved a kick to his stomach, making him gag.
Nyx's Shroud dissipated once again, revealing Nico, who jammed his twin daggers on the bending Axel's shoulders.
He pulled his blades out and plunged the heel of his boot straight onto his head, sending him flying towards the wall.
Axel crashed through the concrete wall and lied there as he stared at the ceiling.
He took a deep breath and stood up. "I guess it's my fault. I should've taken you more seriously from the start," he admitted, limping away from the rubble.
"That's right. But, it's too late for that," Nico cautioned as he disappeared once more, sending more random mama signals to conceal himself.
"I have no intension of killing you, Axel. From what i can tell, you only want to protect Lindsey," he added.
"But, I can't let you take her back to Genesis. She doesn't want your protection. She wahts strength, experience, comradery; things that you fuckers can't give her," he continued.
Axel chuckled and snapped his fingers, prompting his men to take up their weapons and fighting stances.
He rubbed his bald head and cracked his neck while looking at the ceiling.
"How gray of you, Nicholas. Now, I want you more than ever. If you won't join is willingly, I'll drag you into the ponchos myself!" Axel claimed as he cackled.
"Now, reveal yourself so that we can settle this like real men!"
Nico scoffed. "Nah, you're crazy, dude. I'm done fighting you," Nico commented, feigning disinterest.
"You don't get to decide that. You're surrounded. We're leaving here with you and Lindsey."
"Huh," Nico mused. "Sorry to burst your bubble, baldie, but I've already won. See ya."
Axel lifted an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what Nico meant by that. Then, ge finally realised it.
He was so focused on the mana signals surrounding the auditorium, he forgot what his mission was.
Axel's eyes landed on the stage.
Instead of Lindssy, he found her chained restraints and gag lying on the wooden stage.
Nico hadn't intended to fight him all this time; he claimed so when he stepped into the auditorium.
Axel felt like a fool.
He chuckled and slowly laughed to himself. "This kid is way more interesting than I thought... Genesis is gonna love you..."
"Hey, boss, Lindsey's gone!" a poncho finally noticed.
"What?!" another poncho exclaimed. "How did that happen?"
"Let's go after her!"
"No. Those two are already long gone. Let's just go back home," Axel suggested with a calm smile on his face.
His men were perplexed, and frankly a little angry as well.
The effort they put in to tracking down Lindsey, all for it to blow up in front of them,was frustrating.
What was even more frustrating was how their boss was so calm about the whole ordeal.
"What are we gonna tell Genesis?" a poncho queried suspiciously.
"The truth. A smart-ass took her."
Axel smiled and glanced at his healthbar. Orange in color, but not deadly.
「HP: 870 / 1,000」
'His use of skills and weaponry. He's a once in a lifetime threat...'
While the Ponchos began filing out of the abandoned elementary school, Nico and Lindsey ran back to the Adventurer's Guild.
They stepped through the sliding doors and began catching their breaths. Lindsey laughed out loudly and hugged Nico while jumping up and down.
"That was amazeballs, Nico!" Lindsey praised. "You were like BAM, WHAM, STAB! And Axel was all spooked!"
"Firstly, get off me," Nico pried Lindsey out of his body and gently pushed her away. "Secondly, I didn't do it for you."
Nico began walking away and Lindsey followed behind him. "Still, I'd like to thank you."
"Unless you're planning on using your own strength to fight, I suggest you save those thank yous. I thought you wanted to be able to protect yourself?"
"I do!"
"Then stop clinging onto me like that," Nico reprimanded as he stopped walking and pointed his finger at her.
"Do you really think that this'll stop at the Ponchos? What if your old boss decides to send someone stronger, or worse, he decides to pull up, like he's going to some after party."
Lindsey crossed her arms and pouted, making Nico sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Okay... I know that's not what you want to hear at the moment, but I need you to understand," he added as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"You need to fight back. Show then thar you don't need their protection."
"How...?"
"Lindsey, you were stuck at level 21 when we first met. And now, you're level 26. Stop stalking, get to level 30 and choose a class already."
"A class not only helps you level up faster, but you can also grow stronger by knowing which class best suits you. You need to stop hiding behind me."
Lindsey and Nico sat in the silence for a while.
She knew that she was hiding and trying to play it safe by spending too much time with Nico.
Lindsey had enough battle IQ and strength to fight off the lower ranked ponchos, which means she chose to get captured because she knew someone would bail her out.
Whether it's her sister or Nico, someone will always be right there to help her out.
But, even though she was hiding, she was growing tired of relying on others.
Why did she wait this long to decide to improve herself, ignoring the restraints of Genesis?
She needed someone who would make her snap out of it.
"It's not easy for anyone to accept that they're weak," Nico began, thinking back to his early days as a player.
"But, you should want to have the strength to protect yourself from those who want to force you into doing what you're against."
Lindsey dropped her arms and faced Nico. "I understand... I'll take my class selection mission as soon as I get to level 30. Then, I'm going to go grab my sister from Genesis."
Nico sighed. "What if you're not strong enough?"
Lindsey smirked and gently slapped Nico on his arm. "As if you won't accompany me. I know you want to see Genesis with your own eyes."
Nico rolled his eyes and gave Lindsey a gentle smile. "Fair enough."
"So... as thanks for saving me twice and all, why don't we head upstairs...?" Lindsey suggested, pushing her fingers against each other with a smirk on her face.
Nico squinted his eyes. "How old are you?"
Lindsey counted on her fingers. "I should be 19 this year."
"Nah, you're too young."
"You wouldn't do it with me because I'm young?" Lindsey was confused.
"I wouldn't do it with you because you're you, fucking dumbass."
"No," she shook her head. "There's another reason. How old are you?"
"34."
Lindsey's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Expired!"
Nico pulled apart her cheeks and grunted with his eyebrows furrowed. "How rude! I'll have you know that I'm still fresh!"
He snapped her cheeks as he released them.
"That's only because everyone here looks 20! You must secretly have grey hairs on your shin!"
"I'm not some pervy old corpse playing this game to get a feel for my youth again, you fucking idiot!"
Nico stormed off and Lindsey followed behind him. "Don't worry, i like em a little older anyways."
Nico pinched Lindsey's nose, making her scream as she constantly slapped Nico's arm, urging him to release her.
After their banter and short break, the two returned to the streets of Pyrros, making sure they completed their quests and earned some money.
During this time, Nico felt comfortable. Being around Lindsey was like being around his younger sister from back home.
'When I return, I'll make sure I pay the family a visit... I owe them that much...'