Without a single moment of hesitation, Anatoly launched a relentless flurry of blade strikes. He slashed left, right, up, down, and cut harsh diagonals through the air.
Rina with her glowing eyes. Her violently enhanced central nervous system tracked every single movement perfectly, but her ruined muscles simply could not keep up with the speed of her own vision. She clicked her tongue in sheer frustration. He is incredibly fast, she thought to herself as she barely swayed out of the way of the black blade.
Even in the middle of the brutal clash, Anatoly could not hide his twisted amusement. He noticed the ethereal blue light pulsing through the bulging veins around her eyes.
"Those eyes of yours are truly impressive," he mocked, his voice echoing through the vast chamber. "But how long will that broken body actually last?"
He took a sudden, heavy step to the left. With a massive, sweeping motion, he swung his dagger directly at her neck. Rina dropped her weight and ducked immediately to avoid the lethal cut.
But it was a trap. Anatoly had predicted that exact response.
He shifted his momentum instantly, driving his right knee upward with terrifying force. The brutal strike buried itself directly into her stomach. All the air violently exploded from her lungs in a choked gasp.
The sheer impact launched her entirely off her feet, sending her flying backward until she crashed violently into the thick stone wall of the cathedral. The ancient stone cracked upon impact, forming a heavy crater around her back. Rina slumped down to the cold floor, struggling desperately to drag a single deep breath back into her empty lungs.
Her vision blurred for a fraction of a second, but her survival instincts screamed at her to move. Rina shifted her gaze toward the two massive oak doorways at the far end of the hall. She immediately forced her aching body off the ground and launched herself forward. With swift, desperate motions, she hurdled over the scattered rubble and broken floorboards, making a straight, frantic sprint for the exit.
But a massive shadow suddenly eclipsed the morning light above her.
A long, heavy wooden pew ripped through the air, hurled with terrifying physical strength. It crashed violently into the stone archway right in front of her. The deafening sound of shattering wood echoed through the vast hall, and a massive pile of jagged splinters and heavy debris instantly blocked her only path of escape.
Rina slid to a harsh halt, her heavy boots scraping loudly against the stone. She was completely trapped.
She slowly turned around and locked her glowing blue eyes on Anatoly. Even with his facial features perfectly hidden in the dark shadows of his heavy cloak, she could practically feel the sickening, arrogant grin stretching across his face.
Swallowing the bitter, metallic taste of blood in her mouth, Rina forced her trembling legs to steady. She raised her pale fists, readying her ruined body for combat once again. Seeing her desperate defiance, Anatoly did not hesitate. He launched himself out of the shadows, diving straight toward her for the kill.
Rina watched the black blade plunge directly toward her chest. She had absolutely no room to dodge backward. Instead, she dropped her weight entirely. She let her knees give out just a fraction of a second before the dagger reached her heart.
The shadow blade grazed the top of her shoulder, tearing easily through her dark suit jacket and drawing a fresh line of warm blood. Ignoring the sharp sting, Rina planted her palms firmly on the ground. She used her falling momentum to sweep her right leg in a vicious, low kick, aiming directly for Anatoly's ankles to knock him off his feet.
But he was far too fast. Anatoly leaped effortlessly over her sweeping leg. While still suspended in the air, he reversed his grip on the black dagger and drove the blade straight down toward her exposed back.
Rina was forced to roll violently to the side. The heavy blade stabbed deep into the solid stone floor right where her spine had been. Sparks flew into the air from the sheer force of the metal striking rock. Before she could even scramble back to her feet, Anatoly ripped the dagger free and delivered a brutal kick directly to her ribs.
The impact sent her tumbling painfully across the rubble, her body crashing heavily into the jagged splinters of the destroyed pew.
"It is a real shame you cannot use your magic," Anatoly mocked.
He walked slowly toward Rina, his heavy boots crunching over the broken wood. Rina lay there, her body twitching involuntarily from the brutal collision. The violent movement shifted her thick white bandages, tearing her fresh stitches wide open. Warm, dark blood rapidly resurfaced, soaking right through the fabric of her ruined suit.
Anatoly lowered himself beside her. He placed the sharp tip of his black blade directly against her stomach. Slowly, maliciously, he pushed it in.
Rina let out a guttural groan, her jaw clenched tight as the cold steel pierced her flesh. Anatoly laughed hysterically, his voice echoing loudly in the silent cathedral. He was thoroughly enjoying every single second of this, savoring the bitter, painful defeat of the renowned Russian prodigy.
"What are you going to do now, Fang."
His arrogant taunt was suddenly cut off as a heavy ceramic vase exploded violently against the back of his skull.
The impact scattered sharp pottery shards all over the stone floor. However, the terrifying assassin did not even flinch. He did not budge a single inch. Anatoly slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder.
Bashnikov stood directly behind him. The young apprentice was sweating profusely, trembling in absolute terror with the broken neck of the vase still tightly clutched in his shaking hands.
Rina stared at the boy in complete shock. Her heart dropped entirely into her stomach.
"No!" she screamed, her voice cracking with pure desperation. "I told you to run!"
Anatoly smiled. With a cruel, swift motion, he swung his black blade horizontally across Bashnikov's torso. A thick spray of hot blood splattered across the cold stone floor.
The boy did not scream. He simply collapsed to his knees, his trembling hands clutching his ruined chest. He looked up, meeting Rina's wide eyes one last time. His pale lips parted slightly, and he silently mouthed two words.
Thank you.
A brief, bitter flash of absolute frustration burned in Rina's chest. She had told him to run. But as his fragile body hit the floor, every single logical thought in her brain completely evaporated.
Just a moment ago, her ruined muscles were twitching violently on the verge of total collapse. Now, she stood up. She rose to her feet smoothly, moving as if her body was not screaming in complete agony. She stood perfectly straight without showing a single hint of pain.
Anatoly watched her stand. A flicker of genuine surprise crossed his bloody face. The suffocating aura radiating from the Russian prodigy had fundamentally changed, and the assassin could physically feel the crushing pressure in the air. But he refused to back down. He just let out a loud, unhinged laugh.
"There really is something fundamentally wrong with you!" he shouted hysterically. He took a single step back and leveled his dark blade. "Shadow Thrust."
He launched himself forward. The black dagger blurred into a lethal streak, aimed with terrifying precision right at the center of Rina's forehead.
Rina stared at the approaching death with an entirely empty, deadpan gaze. Her eyes glowed with a piercing blue light. Without a single hesitation, she subconsciously flooded her mana directly into her arms and legs. She knew this exact action would permanently destroy her body. She did not care anymore.
She tilted her head perfectly to the left. The shadow blade sliced empty air.
Anatoly widened his eyes in shock. Her broken body had actually reacted in time. But before he could even pull his arm back, Rina drove her right fist in a straight, devastating punch directly into his face.
Mana enhancement!?, the assassin realized in panic.
The sheer force of the blow lifted him entirely off the ground. He flew backward like a broken doll, crashing violently into the grand marble statue of Celeste behind the altar. The heavy impact shattered the holy structure. Massive chunks of white marble fell to the floor, the deafening sound echoing through the vast chamber. Anatoly coughed up blood and slowly dragged himself out of the rubble.
Even if she kills me right here, that amount of enhancement will turn her bedridden! he reasoned desperately to himself.
The heavy thud of Rina's boots echoed rhythmically across the cathedral. She walked slowly toward the ruined altar. Anatoly glared at her, a deep, burning rage welling up inside his chest. Her glowing blue eyes were completely hollow. She was not even looking at him as a threat. She was looking at him like he was already a corpse.
She is not even looking at me, he thought to himself. "I will kill you right here, Fang!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.
He pushed off the broken marble, throwing his entire body weight into one final, desperate charge.
"Shadow Thrust!"
Rina perceived his frenzied movement with absolute clarity. Her central nervous system was pushed completely beyond its natural limit, throttling with an insurmountable surge of mana. She did not dodge this time. As Anatoly entered her range, she simply raised her right hand.
She caught him by the face.
Her pale fingers gripped his skull with terrifying strength in front of the destroyed statue. Halting his entire momentum in an instant, she used his own weight against him and slammed his face directly into the cracked marble floor.
The entire cathedral shook from the impact. In reality, every single muscle enhanced by her mana was actively tearing apart. Her fibers and nerves were taking catastrophic damage from the violent rush of her own unforgiving magic.