SSS-Ranked Evolution: Worlds Unbound-Chapter 50: Evolution (dont buy)
The rain fell harder now, drumming against the ruins of Karnak as Ren faced the assassin. The man was shrouded in a dark hood, his face masked, and his movements unnervingly swift. The assassin’s hand flicked, and a shuriken glinted in the dull light before slicing through the air toward Ren. He barely raised his short sword in time, the blade deflecting the attack with a sharp clang.
Before Ren could counter, the assassin darted forward, spinning low and slashing with another knife-like shuriken. Ren sidestepped, his boots slipping slightly in the mud, and swung his sword, but the assassin was too fast. A hard kick to Ren’s gut sent him staggering back, his breath knocked out in a sharp gasp.
The assassin leapt onto a crumbling building with inhuman agility, perching like a bird of prey. From above, a rain of shurikens came down, each one deadly and precise.
Ren gritted his teeth, flipping backward as a blade narrowly missed his face. He twisted and rolled, his movements sharp but growing desperate as more blades tore into the air around him. He felt the sting of one nicking his arm, a shallow cut, but it burned like fire.
"Luna!" he shouted, dodging another strike as he tucked into a roll behind a toppled cart. "Strike!"
From the shadows, Luna emerged, her white fur gleaming faintly even in the gloom. Lightning sparked along her body, and with a growl, she released a crackling bolt of energy toward the assassin. The lightning struck the building where the assassin crouched, exploding part of the structure into rubble.
The assassin vaulted off the collapsing building, diving straight for Ren with a blade aimed for his throat. They crashed into the ground, muddy water splashing around them. Ren’s back slammed against the wet earth, knocking the wind out of him.
The assassin’s shuriken pressed closer to Ren’s neck, the cold steel biting into his skin. "Because of you, this place rots," the assassin hissed, his voice sharp and venomous.
Ren’s eyes widened in confusion before anger flowed through his veins. "What are you talking about?!"
He clenched his jaw, summoning his strength, and with a powerful kick, he sent the assassin flying backward. Gasping, Ren scrambled to his feet, his sword glinting as rain streamed down its edge.
The assassin recovered quickly, his feet barely touching the ground before he lunged again. Ren met him head-on this time. Their blades clashed, sending sparks flying into the air. Ren ducked under a high slash and drove his blade into the assassin’s midsection, but it wasn’t deep enough to end the fight.
The assassin grunted in pain but retaliated with a wild slash, tearing through Ren’s tunic and slicing his arm. Blood mixed with the rain, running down Ren’s arm in warm rivulets. He hissed but didn’t back down.
Their fight moved faster, their strikes blurring as they attacked and countered, each one determined to break the other. Ren landed a kick to the assassin’s face, snapping his head to the side, but the man was relentless. A punch to Ren’s jaw made his head spin, and the assassin used the moment to leap onto another building.
"Not again." Ren growled, clutching his side where blood seeped through his tunic.
The assassin’s second barrage of shurikens came harder and faster. Ren ducked and weaved, his body moving instinctively as he flipped off walls, twisted mid-air, and rolled through the mud. But these blades were different—they curved mid-flight, following him like hunting wolves. One slashed across his thigh, another embedded itself shallowly in his shoulder.
"Luna, strike!" Ren shouted through gritted teeth, his vision blurring as pain threatened to overwhelm him.
Luna leapt into action, unleashing another bolt of lightning. This time, it hit the assassin squarely. He cried out, his body jerking as the electricity coursed through him. When he tried to jump to safety, his movements were sluggish, and he crashed into the ground below.
Ren didn’t wait. Ignoring the pain in his side, he sprinted toward the assassin, his boots splashing through puddles. The assassin staggered to his feet, his mask cracked, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"You won’t make it to them," the assassin snarled, his voice trembling with both pain and rage, "Even if it kills me, I’ll end you here."
Ren’s anger boiled over. "People live in Karnak?! Who are they?!" he roared, slamming his head into the assassin’s, the impact splitting the skin on his brow. The assassin stumbled back, blood mixing with the rain as it dripped from his mouth. Both of them crash into an abandoned shop.
Ren threw him out of the crumbling shop they’d crashed into, his strength fuelled by desperation. The assassin barely recovered before Ren’s sword came for him again. Their blades clashed violently, the sound ringing through the empty streets like a death knell.
The fight reached a fever pitch. Their strikes were faster, more savage, each one aiming to end the other. Ren saw an opening and kicked, but the assassin dodged and drove a blade into Ren’s side. The pain was excruciating, white-hot, but Ren didn’t stop.
The assassin jumped back onto a building and unleashed a final barrage of homing shurikens. Ren gritted his teeth, blood pouring from his wounds as he sprinted across the walls of the ruined town, evading the deadly blades by a hair’s breadth.
But he couldn’t keep this up. His vision blurred, his body weakening. "Luna... Strike now!" he gasped in desperation.
The wolf growled, electricity sparking across her fur. She released a bolt that struck the assassin mid-air, throwing him off balance. The man fell, his body slamming into the ground hard.
Ren didn’t hesitate. He moved faster than his body should’ve allowed, his desperation giving him one last burst of strength. The assassin tried to rise, but Ren’s roundhouse kick sent him sprawling back into the mud.
Ren planted his boot on the assassin’s chest and held his short sword to the man’s throat. Both of them were breathing hard, their faces pale, bloodied, and soaked in rain.
"It’s over, move another inch and I will sever your head from your body." Ren warned, his voice low and cold.
The assassin glared up at him, hatred burning in his eyes. He struggled to move, the more his life force left him, the weaker he felt, "who..." he coughed out blood, his mask laying feet away from him, broken and his face visible to Ren, "are...you?"
"A Beast tamer."
"You are from the empire, you will not find him here." blood splattered from his mouth with a hard cough. The lightning attack had done more damage than he had expected, but his words only made Ren’s eyes twist in confusion.
"The empire? I am not connected to the empire in any way." Ren’s blade was lowering, and it was the assassin’s time to be surprised. But quickly he scoffed, forcing himself to sit up straight. He could see Luna running to them and contemplating attacking, if he did, he would die for sure. By the sword or by electrocution. Or by both together.
"Beast Tamers are properties of the empire, being a beast tamer and not with the empire, you lie." he was slowly losing breath and suddenly, a wave of pity washed over Ren. And he finally lowered his sword.
"I fled."
Their eyes locked for a hot minute, he was greeted with purple shaded eyes that held real human emotions. In the act of humanity, Ren stretched out his hand. The assassin gazed at it for seconds, his eyes shifted to him once again, then to Luna, and then to his open offer. And with a single breath, he took it. Ren, despite being injured, was able to pull him up, not without grunting and discomfort.
The silence between them was palpable but without denial, there was some sort of connection they shared. The assassin staggered forward, deciding to trust Ren.
"I will lead you to the others...we are not many left..." he spoke, a hidden emotion laced in his tone. And Ren followed him gently, Luna tailing quietly beside her partner.
"Why is anyone still here? I heard this place is dangerous, wouldn’t it be safe to go elsewhere?" he was able to match up to his speed, blood still seeping from his side. The assassin froze for a minute, unpleasant memories flooding his being.
"To us, Karnak is all we have ever known. Even though it is in ruins, it is still our home." They continued walking through the deserted streets of the town and as they got close enough, the view of ruins became more visible to Ren. They reached a massive wreckage, and the sheer size made Ren’s mouth drop.
The abandoned inn loomed like a ghost of its former glory. Its once-grand facade, adorned with ornate carvings and tall windows, had crumbled under years of neglect and hardship. The roof sagged in places, with beams jutting out like broken ribs, and the walls bore the scars of time—cracks running deep, bricks exposed, and patches of mould creeping like a sickness.
