A Wanderer's Lies

Chapter 53: A Thread has been Woven [2]

Isaac could feel the change in his body after the Scarlet Eyes were activated. His Nen was far greater than what it was ten minutes ago, and for the first time in the battle against the Juggernaut, he was able to land a blow.

As his Aura broke its form around Isaac's hand, returning to its regular Ren, he couldn't help but appreciate the power.

'I would have struggled with that as a level 3 Nen user, but it came so naturally.'

Everything about his Aura was different. 

From the slight sensory awareness he gained as long as someone was in his Ren's space, allowing him to follow the Juggernaut's blinking, and the technique he was able to perform just now, giving him immense power in that punch.

Not to mention the obvious changes like his immense Ren.

'Not as great as Netero, though. Not yet.'

-CLAP

Isaac couldn't help but fall into this trance, the change in his Nen seeming fascinating to him, however, upon hearing a familiar clap, he regained his composure.

Staring at the Juggernaut which had teleported a few feet away, one could see the side of its head cave in as the teeth and eyes on that side all loosened.

Contrary to its previous oppressive manner and fighting style, the Juggernaut seemed more reserved as it paused, staring at Isaac.

"What's wrong? Scared?" 

The anger, fear and powerlessness the Juggernaut made him feel…he was planning to return it tenfold.

In a flash, Isaac disappeared from his position, appearing beside the Terror and swinging his fist as the Juggernaut was just then turning his head, but he was too slow.

-BANG

A clean blow landed on the Juggernaut as its head swung back.

But despite the attack causing damage, it was severely weaker than the previous blow.

Isaac refused to give the Juggernaut even a moment to rest, as he swung his leg in a roundhouse kick.

However, this time it was blocked with the Juggernaut's forearm.

In retaliation, the Juggernaut followed the same motion, driving an elbow into Isaac's gut, and making the boy clench his teeth.

'He's intentionally going for my most damaged area.'

Isaac thought, but he was only slightly pushed back. Despite the blood trickling down the side of his mouth, his durability had increased with his strength and speed.

'He's more skilled, but I'm stronger and faster.'

Blow after blow, the two fought at blurring speeds. Isaac was clearly faster, as he weaved and acrobatically avoided the attacks, while the Juggernaut blocked with its bulky physique.

However, as the Juggernaut threw a roundhouse kick, aiming for the ribs, Isaac prepared to block, only to witness the leg halt, quickly changing altitude and cracking him across the side of his face.

The Juggernaut then lowered its body, aiming to sweep the legs. But Isaac was able to predict this and hop in the air, dodging it.

'Shit!'

Isaac cursed, watching the Juggernaut follow its sweeping motion and raise its opposite leg.

'It wanted me to jump.'

With nowhere to run, Isaac crossed his arms in an X shape as the Juggernaut drove its heel into his arms.

Landing back on the ground, Isaac was successful in grabbing the leg of the Juggernaut, allowing him to prevent shooting into the forest.

However, before he could get up, the Juggernaut was upon him.

It seemed it regained some of its confidence over time.

Isaac swiftly rolled out of the way of the Juggernaut's attack, hopping to his feet and dashing back.

The two once again engaged in a back-and-forth, both individuals holding their ground.

The Juggernaut knew this was no longer him playing with his food. He was fighting for survival.

Meanwhile, Isaac fought while he let his rage control him, allowing him to keep the Scarlet Eyes active and fight with all the more ferocity.

However, the back and forth came to a stop as Isaac saw an opportunity.

Twisting his body, Isaac swung his heel, aiming for the opening he'd seen, the side of the Juggernaut's head.

However, the Juggernaut let out a satisfied, "HGR!" as if it had declared its win already.

Turning its head, its gaping mouth with countless razor-sharp teeth prepared to chomp off the boy's leg.

But in an act that seemed familiar to the Juggernaut, Isaac's leg halted, pulling back as he used the same momentum to swing his body the other way, landing his opposite heel on the back of the Juggernaut's head with an incredible show of speed.

The Juggernaut stumbled a few steps.

Isaac was prepared to use the Juggernaut's momentum against him and to land a blow as the Juggernaut came into it.

And the terror knew Isaac thought this.

-CLAP

Bringing its hands together, it switched with the only twig it had noticed, appearing beside Isaac.

"YS51."

The pressure point is responsible for hip movement.

Isaac seemingly disappeared from his position, simply ducking faster than the Juggernaut could see.

Soon, Isaac pulled his finger out from the hip of the Juggernaut as blood oozed out.

The muscle around the terror was so thick, that Isaac needed to dig his finger a few centimetres in to deactivate the point, to which he succeeded.

Meanwhile, the Juggernaut was left perplexed. As the fight went on, the boy was closing the gap in fighting ability, the only advantage the Terror had.

The boy was adapting.

The feint, the preparedness for his swap and now he couldn't feel the lower side of his body, making it near impossible to control his leg as he usually could.

However, as the terror thought this, a heavy blow, as if a bus had rammed into him, crashed into his disabled side.

Because his footing was off, he was sent skidding across the ground, soon coming to a stop as all its eyes couldn't help but stare at the boy.

Contrary to its previous stares, as if it were locking onto its prey, this time it stared as though it were a child hearing a slight rustle amongst the darkness.

Pure and unprecedented helplessness.

"How does it feel?"

The boy walked toward it.

"The pain…the fear…and the powerlessness. How does it feel to die to the weak?" 

Isaac's eyes, beautiful at first glance, making one fall into a mesmerising trance whilst gazing upon it, had lost all its allure as it seemed to compliment Isaac's bloodlust, only reminding the Juggernaut of the inevitable pain and suffering that was to come.

Meanwhile, amongst Isaac's rage, another emotion was making his knees shake.

Excitement.

He liked it.

He liked being stronger.

He liked seeing the eyes of the Juggernaut as they dimmed and lost all hope.

He liked stepping on those who previously made him suffer.

He could chase this feeling his whole life and never get bored of it.

However, upon thinking this, an explosion of aura erupted from where the Juggernaut lay as a feral howl could be heard.

The Juggernaut stood with a hunch in its back, the lower side to the left of his body visibly shaking, while the blue and black aura shrouded its entire body.

Meanwhile, Isaac stayed quiet.

Instead, a wide smile appeared on his face.

His Scarlet Eyes shone brighter as he lost himself more and more to his emotions.

Using its one working leg, the Juggernaut kicked off the ground with a BANG as it shot toward Isaac.

The boy did the same as he disappeared from his position, the two individuals travelling toward each other at blurring speeds.

The Juggernaut's black and blue aura suddenly disappeared, as he swung back.

It was preparing to land the black and red attack from before. Isaac knew this, but he didn't care.

His rationale was clouded by the build-up of his unrelenting emotions, as evidenced by the grin that reached from ear to ear.

His Aura shrunk as it coated itself around Isaac's fist.

In an instant, the two appeared before each other.

The both of them knew, despite their obvious broken mentality.

This was it.

The final stretch.

A battle which would be engraved into the soil of Ravenwood.

As their two fists were a microsecond from colliding, red lightning suddenly appeared as Isaac's fist bared every drop of Aura in his body.

-CRACKLE

-BOOM

***

"What is this?!" 

An old man in a cabin, wearing what looked to be a Janitor's suit, stared at a tablet, watching spikes rising suddenly.

"That's the green zone. There shouldn't be a Terror of that calibre appearing over there. It should be no lower than the Yellow zone." 

The old man suddenly recalled the masked figure which was currently in the Green Zone.

Dropping to his seat, the old man rubbed his forehead as he let out a slight sigh.

"Unfortunate…"

He muttered.

"I should call the guild to sort this out. The worst-case scenario is a Terror from the Red Zone has trespassed into the Yellow Zone, making all the Terrors there flee to the green. If this is the case, there is no doubt there will be a few lost lives."

The old man grabbed a watch from his desk.

He could only hope nothing unpredictable happened.

Otherwise, there was truly no hope for the masked man.

***

In the middle of the Green Zone, a large area could be seen from a bird's eye view, devoid of any tree or lush vegetation you'd expect from the forest, especially upon looking at the surroundings.

However, the area seemed as though a bomb had just been dropped. 

Even the dirt below had scattered, leaving nothing but solid ground.

Destroyed and large pieces of wood embedded into the ground, the absence of anything to depict the area was once a forest, and two individuals in the middle of it all.

One stood while the other lay on the ground, staring into the sky and unmoving as if he were dead.

However, they both had one thing in common.

Both of their arms had been blown off.

"Haaaa."

Isaac breathed out as he stared at the laying Juggernaut whose shoulder and part of his neck and ribs were missing.

Meanwhile, his arm was severed from the shoulder, however, in the short time he'd been standing over the corpse, it had regrown to his elbow.

Isaac was sure the Juggernaut was dead. There was no sort of energy or aura coming off of it, and it no longer breathed.

With his Scarlet Eyes still active, dimming as the seconds went past and indicating its inevitable deactivation, Isaac stared, his mind blank.

He was completely drained.

His body felt weak like he was about to collapse at any moment, and the only reason he didn't was because the Scarlet Eyes still provided him with strength.

His mind was a mess. Both mentally, and even emotionally, Isaac felt weak.

"I…wanna sleep." He let out, unknowingly speaking out loud as he spoke his mind.

Turning back, Isaac looked around for his belongings, as well as the man, hoping to scavenge whatever was left for him as an apology.

It was Isaac's Vital Strike and absent mind that had killed the man after all.

However, before he could, his tired eyes shot wide open as life seemed to return to them.

A dark and ominous feeling enshrouded everything around him.

Snapping his head back, he noticed the Juggernaut still lying on the ground, only this time, It had its last arm raised straight in the air.

'How, it was dead…it still is, I can't feel any life coming from it.'

A wave of pitch-black aura exploded from the Juggernaut, surrounding everything in the devoid area, including Isaac.

'This…is just its pure pettiness and willpower…its final attack!'

Isaac could tell the Juggernaut didn't have long left. The energy inside it would ultimately disappear. 

This was clearly a last-ditch effort, and Isaac wasn't planning to stay and see what was to come next.

However, he was too late. 

He failed to find a way out.

He couldn't see anything and there was no end to the darkness.

It was like the whole area had become the Juggernaut's territory…its domain.

-SNAP

Bringing its two fingers together, the Juggernaut snapped them against each other.

And with it, the area instantly returned to normal, both the Juggernaut and Isaac seemingly disappearing into thin air as it did.

[A thread has been woven]

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Next chapter title: A Thread has been Woven

Give...

Give...

Give me...

The...

POWERSTOENSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

I don't know which happens more. People misspelling "Isaac" or people forgetting what a Wanderer is.

I feel like people will soon confuse the two characters Colt and Cain XD

Also, POWERSTONESSSSS