There wasn’t much time to think as Amon proved to be capable of holding the initiative even against the four, fading in-and-out from his shadow form while Everett continuously swung and mmed his shield towards him.


    “–C’mon, faster now,” Amon teased, “Maybe you’ll hit me, someday.”


    “Raaagh! Shut it, wouldja?!” Everett roared.


    As Amon backpedaled while being chased by the shielder, Emilio attempted to turn the soil in his path to mud, though even without looking, the recruit killer seemed to possess a sixth sense as he jumped over it.


    Though the result of this was Everett instead slipping on the mud, falling to a knee, “Gragh…!”


    “Crap-!” Emilio gritted his teeth, feeling at fault.


    This provided an opening for Amon, who had a malevolent glint in his eyes as he dashed in, going for the kill before–


    Amon stopped, flipping one of his des behind him to deflect the iing needles that wereunched towards him,ing from the demi-human user of the Godless Style.


    Nice save, Yuna! Emilio thought.


    Though as Yuna tried to jump down from a tree to get the jump on Amon, she was read like a book: Amon used a precise kick straight to the woman’s gut, causing her to spit out the air from her lungs before being flung back.


    “Yuna!”


    Emilio was fast to summon a bed of gentle vines to soften Yuna’snding, catching her in it. As Everett brought himself back to his feet, he charged forward again, attempting to bludgeon the foe with his shielder, only to bepletely reversed by Amon sweeping past him as a shadow.


    SQUELCH.


    A spray of blood came from Everett’s side as Amon managed to cut through the leather weak point in his armor altogether, leaving a sh on his hip.


    “Ghh-!” Everett winced, though pushed on.


    Amon held a smile as he wielded his blood-painted dagger, about to counter the enraged shielder’s retaliation with a cut to his neck, only to be stopped as a rope of fire reached towards him.


    He’s too elusive…! Emilio thought.


    The young Dragonheartmanded the rope made of mes, manipting it to try and ensnare Amon, though the recruit killer easily raced around the perimeter, attempting to go for a nk on the two mages before being intercepted by Yuna.


    CLANG.


    Sparks danced through the night air as the two rogue’s shed in swift, repeated strikes.


    In the midst of the two’s engagement, Emilio pondered on whether to tend to his friend’s wound or aid Yuna in her attack, though the answer came from Everett himself, seeming to notice the young man’s hesitation.


    “Go, Emilio! I’m fine!” Everett said, holding his side.


    Emilio hesitated a second longer, but nodded as he summoned the draconic force within him, gripping his sword handle tightly.


    If flinging raw spells are too slow to hit him, I need to y this differently! He thought.


    [Dragonheart System Activated.]


    [Current Stage: Dragon Son | 2/10]


    Amplifying himself with the burning blood of the Dragonheart, he dashed forward, though Amon noticed this, kicking Yuna back before blocking the iing strike from Emilio.


    The impact cracked the air as Amon suddenly found himself shrinking behind the unexpected jump in strength from the blonde-and-ck haired recruit.


    “Woah!” Amon looked in surprise, smiling as sweat dripped down his cheek, “…Where’d thise from?”


    Using the [Dragonheart System] made the fire in him ignite; his mind was tampered by rage, amplified and exemplified through his words, “I don’t answer to murderers.”


    Emilio managed to overpower Amon, pressing forward and igniting a ze of azure mes that prompted the elusive murderer to jump back.


    “That’s hot!” Amon yfully said.


    Creating space between them, a new approach was taken by the recruit killer who momentarily stuck his des into the soil, pressing his palms together.


    A spell? Emilio sensed.


    Amon smiled as an aura of darkness swirled around him, emitting as an augury of death itself, “Hold of The Abyss.”


    Something sparked Emilio to jump up as a shiver ran up his spine, using wind at his feet tounch upward.


    It seemed to be the right call by his instincts as he watched a wave of shadows outstretched from Amon’s position, running over the grass and swallowing it in darkness in an instant.


    What is this? Emilio questioned.


    As he nced back to check on the others, his stomach dropped as he witnessed Melisande and Everett be caught in the shadows.


    “The hell is this?! Get off of me!” Everett struggled.


    “Ngh…! I can’t move!” Melisande said.


    The darkness started from their feet and worked up, swallowing them before Emilio could do anything to aid them: they werepletely encapsted in darkness, brought to a still as the shadowspletely covered them.


    Yuna had the same instinct as him, managing to jump up in time to evade the swallowing darkness.


    “I was hoping to capture you all with that, but oh well,” Amon said.


    The shadows stretching across the ground vanished, leaving only the statues of darkness that were now Melisande and Everett as the two untouched by Amon’s nefarious magded back down.


    “What the hell did you do to them!?” Emilio yelled out as azure embers poured off of him.


    Amon noticed his anger, smirking, “Don’t worry, they’re not dead–yet.”


    “What do you mean by that…?”


    “I mean, they’re alive for now, but not for long,” Amon raised five fingers, “Five minutes: after that, the abyss will consume them.”


    It was a daunting revtion, but one that promoted a spark of hope as hispanions weren’t quite lost yet, bringing him further gripping his de.


    Yuna stood beside him, speaking quietly, “Don’t let yourself be moved by emotion. You need to keep a clear head right now, or he’ll win.”


    “I know,” Emilio responded.


    Still, the blood running through his veins boiled, appearing in their ckened state as they pressed against his pale skin.


    If I kill him, they will be freed from the spell, he decided.


    “I’ll follow your lead,” Yuna said.


    It seemed that throughout the battle, the demi-human woman came to realize the strength wielded by Emilio, who wholeheartedly epted this.


    “Alright.”


    Without any further conversation, he led the initiative, bursting forward with wind at his heel as Amon met him halfway with a smile, dashing with shadows cascading down his cloak.


    It was what Emilio wanted, stomping down and revealing that his rush was a faint as he instead swiped his hand, unleashing a blue ze towards Amon.


    “–!” The dead eyes of Amon sparked for a moment as the draconic mes swept towards him.


    Though the recruit killer evaded the azure inferno, it seemed to have reached him momentarily as he ditched his top entirely, having small burn marks on him.


    “This is what I was looking for!” Amon excitedly said, “–Somebody worth killing! Come now!”


    “Are you forgetting somebody?”


    Whispered into Amon’s ear, Yuna appeared without her movements leaving a trace, causing the burned killer to have to swing around before blocking her shes, though an attack got through his guard.


    A cut etched itself across Amon’s bare chest before he was kicked across the clearing. Amon caught himself, flipping over onto his feet andughed.


    “Ha-ha! This is it! More!” Amon smiled brightly.


    More came as he was rushed by Emilio, who swung with strength amplified by his Dragonheart awakening, catching Amon by surprise as when the man tried deflecting a blow, his dagger was flung from his grip altogether.


    When it came to the life of hisrades, Emilio felt no such shackles on his heart regarding mercy, gripping the handle of his sword so tightly he feared it may crumble beneath his fingers.


    As he reared his sword back for another strike, he summoned azure mes along the length of his de, zing in a rage as he stomped forward with a look of utter contempt buried in his draconic eyes.


    In a whisper, Amon invoked a spell in his position that would surely be death, “–Abyss Mirage.”


    Just as Emilio swept his de forward with such intent that the sh cut through the soil and burned forward through the clearing, it cut only through a shadow bearing the appearance of Amon.


    A fake?! Emilio realized.


    It was a trap; cutting the shadow triggered a dormant effect of the spell as the darkness bubbled up before exploding directly in Emilio’s face.


    “Emilio!” Yuna called out.


    Though the Dragonheart managed to endure the underhanded spell, flung back but caught himself.


    The explosive of ck mes pressed against his skin, pelting him with a scathing pain that shredded his skin and the nerves below with gruesome efficiency.


    One of his arms waspletely twisted around, his left ear was blown off, and chunks of his body werepletely charred, but surprising to both Yuna and the recruit killer, the young man’s body mended itself with ck threads.


    He’s recovering? From that? Yuna thought.


    Amon seemed delighted, “Now, that is something special. I’ve lucked outing here!”


    However, that joy was soon turned over as the burning rage of the Dragon pushed onward with time ticking, prompting a further increase from Emilio as the azure scales stretched over the rest of his body turning into an armor.


    [Current Stage: Dragon Warrior | 3/10]


    In an instant, Emiliounched forward, closing the distance between himself and Amon before the man could so much as blink.


    What…? Amon thought.