Jasmine was currently in a pickle. She was faced against the sword-wielding hunter and another one who wielded a pole. It wasn’t an ordinary pole, it was quite thick, heavy, and would cause serious damage to anybody or anything it hit.
The hunter swung his sword with full speed, causing it to slice through the wind at an astonishing pace straight towards her face.
Jasmine gulped but held her sword tighter, raising it in front of her face just in time as the hunter’s blade struck true.
The force of the clash made her arms tremble violently as she was pushed back by the sheer strength behind the strike. She gritted her teeth hard, preparing to retaliate, but before she could, the pole hunter thrust his weapon like a spear straight toward her abdomen.
Seeing this, she quickly dove to the side. She managed to avoid a direct hit, but the pole grazed her ribs, and the sheer strength behind it sent her skidding back several metres before tumbling across the ground.
Before she could even regain her footing, the sword hunter was already upon her, swinging his blade in a brutal arc aimed directly at her neck.
She quickly ducked under the slash as it tore through the air above her, the sharp whistle of the strike making her heart hammer loudly in her chest.
’Shit! This is bad. I’m just a C ranked hunter. How do I handle this?’ she thought in panic, her eyes darting between the two foes. Without thinking, she swiveled on her heel and launched a desperate kick at the sword wielder.
He spun around instantly and raised his blade in front of the kick. The impact landed hard, his arms shook from the shockwave of force, and he was forced back an inch.
Jasmine hadn’t even drawn a breath when the pole hunter came charging from the side, swinging his weapon with vicious speed. Anticipating the move, she quickly kicked against the pole, using the momentum to leap into the air, spinning in midair as the weapon whooshed past beneath her.
She landed back smoothly, but then—
A sudden knee smashed into her face. Her head snapped back violently, blood spurting from her nose. The impact sent her body tumbling several metres away before she stabbed her sword into the ground, stopping her momentum with a harsh skid.
It was just in time. With a loud bang, the pole hunter had leaped high into the air, his weapon raised above his head, and came crashing down toward her with murderous intent.
"Shit!" she cursed, immediately rolling aside just in time as the pole slammed into the ground where she had been lying.
The ground quaked fiercely as fissures spread across the earth for several metres on end. Dust shot into the air as Jasmine tried to push herself up. But even before she could stand properly, the sword hunter was already upon her again.
He thrust his blade straight toward her head. Jasmine twisted her neck at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the strike. But the hunter’s reaction speed was frightening. He pulled back his blade instantly and stabbed again, this time at the opposite side of her head.
She tilted it the other way, avoiding the thrust by the skin of her teeth. The hunter didn’t relent. Again and again, his blade lunged at her from different angles, and Jasmine kept twisting, tilting, and jerking her head away from the edge of death, each dodge scraping against the limits of her reflexes.
Her breath came out ragged, sweat dripping down her temples. Each second stretched like an eternity as she barely escaped decapitation, her sword arm twitching in readiness, waiting for even the slightest opening.
Having enough, the hunter angrily swung his sword toward her abdomen. In a burst of speed, Jasmine immediately shot her legs forward, clamping her feet hard around the blade and locking it in place, refusing to let it move even an inch.
Her teeth were grinding back and forth, her jaw tight from the strain as she struggled to hold back the weapon trapped between the soles of her feet. Her body trembled, her muscles screaming from the effort, yet she didn’t let go.
As if things couldn’t get worse, the pole hunter suddenly appeared directly in front of her. His massive weapon was already raised, and with blistering speed, he thrust it downward toward her face with full murderous intent.
’Oh crap! I’m doomed.’ she thought in panic, her eyes widening as the pole closed the distance at frightening speed.
"Let her go!" a voice suddenly roared. The next second—
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Something heavy crashed into the pole hunter’s chest, the force of impact sending him skidding several inches across the ground before he stabbed his weapon deep into the earth, halting his momentum with a snarl.
The sword hunter froze in shock, quickly glancing sideways to see who had interfered. That brief lapse of focus was all Jasmine needed. She immediately released her grip on the sword with her feet, letting it slip free, and before it could come down on her, she snapped her leg forward in a brutal kick.
Her foot slammed straight into the man’s face, the impact resounding like a whip crack. His body was hurled backward, tumbling violently across the ground before coming to a crashing halt.
Jasmine rolled back and performed a fluid kip-up, her legs sprawling in the air before she landed smoothly on her feet. But the exhaustion was starting to show. She was huffing, her chest rising and falling quickly, beads of sweat sliding down her temples as she tried to steady herself.
’What was that? Who saved me?’ she thought, her gaze darting frantically across the battlefield. She turned just in time to see the pole hunter rising to his feet angrily, but now, standing firmly in front of him, was another figure.
Her eyes widened the moment she recognized him.
"Jim?!" she muttered in shock, her voice laced with disbelief. She stared at the E ranked hunter, who stood protectively in front of the pole wielder with grim determination etched on his face. "What are you doing here?! Get back now and go take care of Max!"
"And leave you to face this threat alone? No, I can’t do that. You might die," Jim replied softly, his voice calm but unwavering. Even though it wasn’t loud, Jasmine heard every word as clear as day.
"I might die, but you will surely die if you don’t step back now!" Jasmine snapped back, her voice rising with desperation. She wanted her words to cut through his foolishness, but Jim didn’t even flinch.
"Just focus on your fight," Jim said firmly. He looked around quickly, his eyes darting until he spotted a metal bat lying among the bodies of the mob earlier. He bent down, picked it up with shaky hands, and clutched it tightly, determination flashing in his eyes despite the tremor in his grip.
The sudden voice made Jasmine’s blood run cold. She spun around instantly—only to see the sword hunter’s blade already inches away from her neck. Her heart seized, her pupils shrank, and horror surged through her veins. She realized she might be just a fraction too slow to react in time.
"Shit," she muttered under her breath, every muscle in her body screaming at once as she swung her sword up desperately. At the last moment, her blade intercepted the deadly strike.
The swords clashed with violent force, sparks flying out as steel ground against steel. The impact was so overwhelming that Jasmine was sent tumbling backward, rolling across the ground helplessly. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, staining her chin red as her vision blurred slightly from the hit.
"Jasmine!" Max roared in pain, his cry filled with fear. He tried to force himself up, but his voice broke off into harsh coughing fits, his body wracked with weakness and agony.