District 42-Chapter 375: Ari intervenes

Tein advanced towards the soldier while the flames around him got more powerful than before. Casper could feel its heat reaching his body even though the man was still several meters away from him.

He waited until the last second to start moving around. He didn’t want to lose the right timing.

According to what Ivar said to them before, Tein was a fighter that mostly based himself on instincts. He had sharp senses and a very quick reaction time. One would need to struggle to strike him with a good shot, and it would be just as difficult to avoid his restless pursuit.

Casper trusted that Yanke would give him the signal when it was time to run, dodge, or attack. He was willing to trust in his own judgment as well. If he and Yanke worked together, they would surely be two times as powerful.

[ Master... ] Yanke’s voice reverberated in his mind, his messages got delivered to Casper’s mind and assimilated in split seconds. [ I know what to do! Just follow my instructions. ]

The White warrior leaped to the side, avoiding a burst of fire aimed at him, but didn’t have a second to spare like the previous times. Instead, Tein continued going after him like a crazy animal, attacking him like there was no tomorrow.

His fists were enveloped with flames and each punch he gave caused an explosion around. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The wave of fire that he launched at the soldier traveled faster than he expected, which nearly made him die several times.

What was more overbearing about that opponent was the fact that his power escalated more and more as the battle kept going. He didn’t seem to get tired, not even for a second. The Vanir didn’t let slip any trace of exhaustion between his attacks.

The one who was suffering the most was Casper, even though he was just dodging and defending until now.

’I am moving around so fast and using my legs so much that I can’t even feel their muscles. It’s been how much time since I am fighting with him? Damn, I barely can think straight before the next attack comes and I need to desperately run away!’

The soldier had the shield recharged again, but he couldn’t stop to use it again. Besides, the next recoil would surely break his shoulder, which was already injured.

’What do I do?’

[ There is more than one way to attack with a shield, Master.]

Casper got an idea in his head.

’Thanks for your reminder, Yanke!’

Just as Tein, rushed straight forward again, aiming to strike Casper, the soldier didn’t move an inch to avoid the attack.

Instead, he charged his hips with all his strength to the left, raising slightly his right arm.

Anyone who saw him straight would think that he was giving up or afraid.

Tein wasn’t naive enough to fall for this type of impression.

He knew that the soldier was planning something, so he propelled his body with even more speed forward, aiming to get there and carbonize him before it happened.

’I bet that he is thinking that I will get struck by another one of that energy beam... It was indeed powerful. If not for the healing properties of my flames, I would have had surely gotten incapable of doing anything for a while. However, it is way too slow for me now! Even if he can prepare it in time, I will just dodge it. I am expecting such a thing coming from him!’

Tein was confident that Casper made the biggest mistake of his life right now.

The Vanir closed the distance between them in middle-air, getting close enough to begin to burn Casper’s clothes and made him feel like his skin was melting, such was the intensity of those flames.

The soldier, though, had achieved the only thing he wanted: the Vanir getting close.

Once he got into range, Casper rotated his hips, throwing his right arm to the side.

The charged shield smacked Tein on his head and exploded. Basically, all that concentrated energy was used against the Vanir at point-blank. The destruction it caused was enormous, and even Casper was propelled several meters away.

’I-I think it wasn’t a good idea...’ Casper thought as he raised from the ground.

[ No, master. It was effective, we bought time. ]

’O-only bought time? I mean, this guy must be dead at this point, right? There is no way that...’ His line of thought was interrupted once he heard a loud sound coming from all that rubble.

Casper couldn’t deny that his body shivered and he gulped once he saw the figure of the Vanir of Flames raising from that wreckage and looking at him with his yellow eyes shining under the artificial light of the Castle.

"You should just have stayed quiet, White warrior. Now, it’s my time to play for real."

The black bandages around Tein’s body began to produce sparkles. It seemed inoffensive at first, but these sparkles turned into flames that grew each time more and wrapped around him.

The soldier felt sweat beginning to run down his back and forehead.

He knew that his body wouldn’t be able to withstand that much heat. Ivar had something with him that made his body very resistant, that’s why he could remain fighting for so long.

Abruptly, before things got even harder on him, a rock flew towards Tein and struck him on his face.

Casper heard steps beside him. It made him get wary of his surroundings as he switched his attention to where the sound was coming from, but then his heart felt lighter and relieved once he saw who was the person approaching.

"Ari..." He muttered, smiling.

"Why don’t you come to fight me, instead? I think you would have a good time playing with me, you know?" He took his grenade launcher.

Tein clicked his tongue, frowning hard.

"Another shrimp? Man, you Aesirs really can’t stop making me angry!" He roared as he jumped forward. His killing intent was palpable.

"Casper, run!" The Aesir made him back away and prepared for the clash in 3... 2... 1...