Hollow Twilight - A LitRPG Novel

Chapter 38

Kari's scream pierced through Reid's heart. He didn't want to turn around, to see history repeat itself, but he couldn't stop himself. He glanced back and sighed: Kari had managed to roll enough and the sword had gone straight through her left arm, just below the shoulder. The tip had gone through and embedded in the road, leaving the hilt pointed at Reid on the other side of Kari's arm. He saw Issac already sprinting towards her, out from his cover in one of the buildings.

Reid snapped back to face Paragon, sucking in his gut and pulling back to absorb another punch in his stomach. His preparation helped this time, lessening the blow, but he still felt it straight up into his teeth. Paragon withdrew immediately, having learned his lesson about Reid's shadow and he tried to break away from Reid's grasp on his one arm but the teen held firm.

"Get your filth off me," Paragon snarled, his once flawless face briefly contorting in disgust. His nostrils flared as he pulled again but Reid wouldn't break, staring him down.

"Looks like you've lost your touch." Reid felt the darkness creeping around his free right hand, forming into a short blade at the tips of his fingers. He thrust it at Paragon's face but the monster caught it with ease, locking the pair in each other's holds.

"You just think this is so fun, don't you?" Paragon started to lift off, carrying Reid with him as neither budged and they soared up into the air. "This wouldn't kill you, I've already learned that." Paragon suddenly jerked to the side and flew over the roof of the nearest building, some ten stories up, releasing his grip on Reid's weapon and kicking him away.

Reid broke off and dropped onto the roof, feeling the impact in his heels and knees before rolling and springing back up. He winced at the future bruises across his legs but held firm, watching Paragon lightly touched down across from him. His array of glowing swords fanned out behind him in an immaculate circle, some cutting through the building as though it were paper.

"Not going to put on a show?" Reid gestured to his empty sides since everyone had been left behind. He was hopeful they were getting Kari to a convenience store to exit. At this point they were going to have to bail out and figure out a new plan for a new day. "I thought looking good was what this was about."

Paragon stepped forwards, rolling his shoulder a few times and leaving the circle of swords behind him in place. He pushed up at his chin with his hand until his neck cracked and then shook it out. "This is what you really want so yeah, this is going to get a bit messy, and I'd prefer for my image to remain as it is."

"Wouldn't you just kill them all?"

"I'm sure they're already scurrying off to some exit," Paragon replied, running his fingers through his hair. "I like them telling the story of my overwhelming power and complete lack of effort. I want them to know what it looks like at the top. I don't need them seeing me eviscerate someone when I try. It's not a spectacle."

Reid felt a tightening across his chest as Paragon took another step forwards. The initial buzz of the fight was wearing off, leaving his anxiety, previously pushed to the corners, free space to creep back in. There was an increasing aura of intimidation from the Pariah, a pressure he was trying to exert with this shift into a serious mode. But Reid couldn't get a sense for how much of PAragon was real and how much was bluster. He had already given part of the game away that much of his strength was in his conviction, not the actual attack. If you got in one good shot, you could kill anyone seemed to be the motto.

But he was no joke. Reid still hadn't landed anything significant on him and was only barely holding off most of his attacks as their power escalated. He didn't know what the upper limit was on his own shadow. Gilphorus was strangely silent at this point and wouldn't have told him anyways but he had no way of knowing if the next attack was the one that would shatter any shield he put up and end it all.