"My name is Ziltris"
"Ziltris…" Ezra's voice trailed off.
"I've come to kill you and I hate nobles…but I'm willing to make an exception this time"
The four, no, three subordinates gave surprised looks.
'What is he talking about?'
The man stretched his hand.
"Join us, Ezra"
Ezra simply stared.
"Join us as we conquer the world together"
"You're serious?" Ezra tilted his head.
"Of course. Raaz was a fine warrior, and while I thought of killing you, a talent such as yours is best with us. Nurtured effectively, you will be a force to reckon with"
Ezra chuckled under his breath.
"I just killed one of your generals without breaking a sweat, so what exactly are you nurturing? Also, conquering the world is a job far too bothersome. I'd rather not"
"Hmm" the leader stood silent, before snapping his fingers.
"Leave us, take care of the nearby pests"
Naberus, Jagamar and Maldaga promptly ran off.
Ezra followed them with his eyes, confirming that they had indeed left the perimeter.
His eyes lingered on Ziltris's lone figure.
"Hmmm?" Ziltris' interest was piqued, a slight smile illuminating his lips.
"Could it be that you are worrying about me?"
A smile both cruel and sinister, the man behind the mask was revealed emanating an eerie presence.
Ezra was unmoved.
"Well?" Ziltris smile vanished moments after.
"Shall you be joining or not?"
"After having sifted through my options, I must conclude I shall not be joining"
"Sigh" his aura flared up, but no weapons were taken out as he expressed genuine sadness.
"How unwise, but then again, humans are creatures bound to abject stupidity for eternity"
Ezra took a fighting stance, drawing out Darkane and another sword of Epic Gold grade.
"You talk like you're different" Ezra replied.
"Exactly" Ziltris vanished.
"Because I am" he whispered into Ezra's ear.
'Behind me!' Ezra's body moved on instinct, turning around just in time to guard against the spinning fist.
*Bam!*
Ezra was knocked back, holding both swords in a cross sign, before slowly opening his eyes.
"Huh?"
Ezra stared at his body, then at the surroundings, then at the distance between him and the leader.
He was knocked back by only twenty feet.
'This…this…did I overestimate him too much?'
He was stupefied.
The Ziltris in his memories was three times as strong, and while Ezra held on to the notion that he might not have grown that far…this was truly out of his expectations!
Compared to the one in his memories…this one was far weaker!
Or maybe he'd grown too strong?
Regardless…
'Maybe?' Ezra's confidence shot up.
He amplified his arms with mana.
"Oh, you actually blocked that?" Ziltris expressed surprise as well, but only mildly.
He'd merely been testing Ezra's strength.
Ezra, though, went serious from the start.
With a thought, he removed the sealing bracelet on his wrist, making the elements of fire and ice accessible.
*Spark!*
Lightning gushed from his body with darkness right behind it.
Dark Lightning was born.
"Oh?" Ziltris was pleasantly surprised, like a baby given a new toy.
"Yes, struggle, humans love to do so" he nodded.
He stretched, spreading his legs as he took a fighting stance.
"I might just enjoy killing you"
A small cut beneath Ezra's wrist saw the blades coated in blood.
'I won't be able to absorb new blood while fighting, so I have to use this sparsely'
Taking a stance of his own, Ezra grinned.
"I'm coming"
In a blink, he reached Ziltris, bringing a downward slash coated in dark lightning.
*Boom!*
The ground caved in.
Ziltris stopped the sword away with his feet raised high.
'Such strong physique' Ezra noted. The leg should have been cut in half for most people.
'As expected of a Grandmaster'
Ezra followed up with the second sword, aiming to cut the man in half right from the middle of his legs.
A push against the first sword had Ziltris retreating, taking another stance.
"My-"
Then…
*Chiss!*
Blood spilled from underneath his feet.
Ziltris paused, touching the red liquid on the ground.
"Eh?"
Taking a taste of it even.
"It's been forty-two years since I was last injured. Congratulations…um, poison? Such futility. This has no effect on me"
'This manner of speaking…an emissary of pride? No, thirty-six years? How old is he?'
"Now die!" Ziltris appeared in front of Ezra, with a pre-packed punch heading towards him.
His previous expression of amusement replaced with one of searing wrath, more of his aura having been manifested.
Like a compass, Ezra rotated with his feet, avoiding the attack easily.
*Boom!*
Despite hitting air, the ground trembled.
Ezra retreated, watching Ziltris's moves carefully.
'With my current strength, this is still easy'
On cue, Ziltris appeared with another punch.
*Kang!*
Redirecting the punch with one sword, Ezra attacked with the other.
*Cling!*
Ziltris held it in place with his bare hands.
"Hmph"
*Doom!*
Ezra gave Ziltris a headbutt, sending both of them in opposite directions
Back on his feet, Ezra found himself with a mild headache, while Ziltris seemed unaffected.
"Such power" he said, appearing before Ezra once more as the two got at it.
*Kang!*Kin!*Shan!*Bam!*
"Why is someone like you rejecting us?" Ziltris spoke, perplexed, but not pausing his attacks in between.
"Do you wish to help humans?"
"Is there anything wrong with that?" Ezra replied.
His expression morphed to that of extreme disgust.
"Humans aren't worth saving. Why waste your life for people that will forget you in the blink of an eye?!" his tone rose a few notches.
"Is that why you killed thousands of people?"
"Oh, that? That was just collateral damage" he waved his hands nonchalantly.
"We had no other options, and besides, they died for the greater good. It should be their honor"
"You murder thousands to fulfill your ideals, yet humans are the ones to blame? Your hypocrisy is astonishing and your madness is beyond understanding"
"Madness was never meant to be understood. Order is constructed from Chaos. I am simply seeing to it that it happens as such" Ziltris smirked.
"You're already strong. Join us, and we'll make you stronger than ever before"
"How come you're this weak?"
"Hahaha" Ziltris burst out laughing.
"Your ignorance knows no bounds"
*BOOM!*
A sudden punch to his gut sends Ezra flying.
Ziltris appeared before him in mid-air, sending him into the soil with another punch, this time laced with red aura.
"Ouch" Ezra groaned, plopping out of the makeshift graveyard with haste.
Ziltris's figure flickered like images from the speed at which he was moving.
"Is that it?" Ezra taunted.
"Hahaha" another shower of laughter burst forth, this one echoing from all directions.
"Why are you so eager to die?"
Ziltris didn't mind the entertainment. Very few could be unbridled as Ezra at this moment.
Sadly, he'd have to die.
Toughening his stance, Ezra took to his feet as well, running in circles to create an apparition.
Ziltris arrived in front of his face, but this time though, Ezra was prepared.
*Clang!*Spark!*Smash!*Break!*Bam!*
Sword and fist clashed hundreds of times in the span of a few minutes, with small sparks lightning up from time to time.
They backed away from one another.
'He's able to match me even at this rate?'
At this point, Ziltris was getting unnerved.
His appreciation of Ezra's strength turned into annoyance at seeing that not much progress was being made.
Ezra was also assessing his opponent.
'I'm sure of it now, this style of energy distribution…he's a martial artist'
"I'm fairly sure martial artists are scarce around these parts. Where are you from?"
Ziltris froze for a second.
"You actually manage to find that out? Incredible"
"So?"
*BOOM!*
A loud collapse was heard.
Ziltris demeanor softened.
"Seeing as you're going to die soon, I will indulge you. You're correct in that I'm not a Nitonian. I am from Ruwain"
"The Ruwain Dynasty?" Ezra murmured.
"Yes" Ziltris confirmed.
"Then, why are you here?"
"You ask too many questions"
They stepped back.
Both men were riddled with injuries, numerous minor ones.
"Well, Ezra. This is where it ends" Ziltris spoke.
Three figures appeared beside him soon after.
Maldaga, Jagamar and Naberus arrived on scene.
Ezra looked at the three.
"To think you would attack me three on one…seems your pride is only held in place when convenient"
"Taunting will do you no good"
As the four readied themselves, Ezra out-stretched his finger and the siblings appeared.
Ziltris's eyes widened as did the others.
An object that could store animated objects…they now had another reason to kill him.
Ezra looked at the siblings.
"Kill the other three"
"Are we able to do that?" Ashton couldn't help but doubt.
"No, you can lose" Ezra replied. "Lose and then prove that all your years of training were fruitless"
Ashton calmed, taking a stance as did the rest of them.
"Another futile action" a gentle and calm tone it was.
"Why don't you just give up and take the warm embrace of death like the most glorious of men?"
Ashton, Theron and Johan felt their minds subtly changing.
"Hey b*tch!" a dagger was thrown.
"Keep your sickly voice to yourself!"
Maldaga clicked her tongue as her spell was broken.
The girls immediately designated their target.
