Ivanov tried to signal the stranger to stop, but saw no intention to do so—after all, he had just attempted to kill him moments ago, and nothing would stop the figure now.
The time for discussion had been before Ivanov fired his first shot, but now there was no room for dialogue. Naturally, it was a normal reaction to seeing someone rushing fiercely toward him with intent to kill; he found no option but to fire again, hoping the next bullet would hit its mark. Googlᴇ search 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
He aimed at the stranger who moved like a serpent winding through debris and rocks, climbing upward, having already covered half the distance. Ivanov said to himself, "One last shot, then. Let me try my luck."
He aimed toward the masked stranger’s thigh to hit him in the leg this time and bring him down.
Taking a deep breath and holding it to steady his hand, he focused all his concentration on this final shot. After a second of precision, he pulled the trigger, and the bullet surged forward with tremendous speed and power.
To Ivanov’s amazement, the stranger swerved left a second before he fired, causing the bullet to strike the ground without even grazing him.
He felt both astonishment and excitement simultaneously, for he had never missed a target except in rare instances, and this was no rare case—the masked figure was completely within his range and quite close. He had missed twice.
Ivanov grew slightly tense, as this shot was his last remaining one. He quickly drew his pistol and aimed at the masked figure, now about fifteen feet away.
He fired toward him, but the stranger leapt right and left with agility, evading the shots and moving his hand from side to side as if controlling the bullets’ direction, making them veer away from him. Ivanov continued firing in vain while the masked man easily and skillfully avoided them.
Without warning, the stranger extended his hand forward, propelling a medium-sized rock from the ground toward Ivanov. It struck him, knocking him to the ground where his body slammed forcefully amid the debris and dust surrounding the building.
Some dust entered his eyes and nose, making him cough violently. He gathered his strength and forced himself to open his eyes, saying to himself despairingly, "This bastard possesses an ability similar to Sairi’s and extreme agility just like him too, but he’s certainly not Sairi—he wouldn’t attack me, or could it be—"
Ivanov opened his eyes to find what he expected. He saw the masked figure leaping over him, attempting to stab him with something long that glowed white, resembling a light sword. The first thought that crossed Ivanov’s mind as he instinctively rolled away from the thrust was how this person had obtained such a weapon.
This weapon had only recently been developed, and they had barely seen a prototype at the military college that no one had tested yet. But here it was in this stranger’s hands, as if it were a toy easily acquired from any store.
Ivanov leapt nimbly and quickly retreated backward, away from the stranger who began to wave the light laser sword ferociously. Ivanov had learned about the power of this sword at military college—that it could cut through steel with a single strike, meaning one blow would be enough to finish him, no more and no less.
He backed away rapidly, raising his hand and beginning to mutter to the stranger to stop, but the stranger did not hear him and continued to wield the sword with frightening agility and speed. Ivanov tried to follow the sword with his eyes to avoid it, as it came within a hair’s breadth of cutting off his hand. He said with a tense smile, sweat pouring from his body, "It’s time to use my power."
Sairi walked through the quiet streets in his temple attire, contemplating the tranquility while the breeze caressed his face, casting peace and reassurance into his heart.
The large sun disk peeked from behind the hills, painting the treetops, water, and road with a reddish-purple hue, while the gentle breeze played with the tree leaves, making them dance in unison.
Sairi tried to catch the end of the road with his eyes, but it extended beyond his line of sight. He felt he might walk until death claimed him from exhaustion, but his body had undergone rigorous training in endurance and resilience under the harshest conditions. He knew if he were to die, it would be from hunger and nothing more.
He considered the possibility of finding food along his way, so he dismissed the thought of sustenance entirely—this was the least of his concerns now.
He felt helpless because of his companions’ disappearance while he had been powerless to act, imprisoned in a strange tower with no memory of how he had ended up there.
Now he had to find his friends and companions, beside whom he found peace and comfort. If anything had happened to them, he would take revenge on whoever had harmed them, regardless of their identity.
He suppressed his anger and continued his journey along roads surrounded by fields and trees, vast expanses of greenery, and numerous houses standing proudly on the roadside, adorning the path with their magnificent presence against the stunning green landscape.
After several miles, Sairi paused momentarily, sensing someone watching him—no, two individuals, though the energy of the second was weak.
He couldn’t determine whether it was an animal or another person, but he was certain at least one person was observing him. Not wanting to alert his observer that he had detected their presence, he casually brushed his clothes as if removing dust, then continued walking nonchalantly.
He began to pinpoint the location of the person watching him. After intense concentration, he determined the direction. The observer was hiding among the houses on the right side. The houses stood in a single row, extending alongside each other along the road.
The unknown person was monitoring Sairi’s movements, tracking him, but due to frequent movement between houses, they would stand behind them, hidden from Sairi’s view for a few seconds.
Sairi realized this moment was the ideal opportunity to capture them. He waited until he sensed the stranger’s movement, then quietly positioned himself in front of one of the houses. Now only the walls of the house separated them. Given the shortness of the two-story oak house, Sairi had an excellent chance to catch the stranger. He climbed the house with agility and speed until he reached the roof, then bent down and moved slowly until he was directly above the unknown person.
He drew his katana from its sheath, preparing to pounce from above. However, he didn’t intend to kill the stranger—only to frighten them into answering why they were following him and whether they knew what was happening here.
Sairi thought this man might be responsible for his temple companions’ disappearance and was now watching him to ambush and eliminate him as he had done with his companions. Or perhaps this was someone who possessed answers and was watching him for some reason.
Either way, he decided to interrogate them. He walked until he reached the edge of the roof, directly above the stranger. He leaned forward to get a look and saw someone wearing a black hood and head covering, looking extremely suspicious.
He said to himself, "He looks extremely suspicious. looks like an assassin or something. If he has touched a single hair on any of them, I will cut him into tiny pieces."