Felssi shot the spinning orb off at Izick. He side-stepped it, dodging the spinning needles aiming for his head and chest.

  The spinning orb circled around, this time aimed for Izick’s arm. He spun away from the orb and then lifted the Honor Rod above his head as Felssi caught the incoming orb and changed it into a Mana axe before slamming it down onto Izick.

  Izick felt like an anvil crashed into his creaking arms as Felssi’s Mana axe sent red sparks from the clash.

  Felssi tilted her Mana axe and slid her axe towards the hand of Izick that held the Honor Rod.

  Izick released his grip on the Honor Rod before spinning it around to grab the barrel and take a swipe at Felssi’s head, which she leaned back to dodge.

  Izick jumped back, readjusting his grip on the Honor Rod to get into shooting position. Felssi formed a small red knife out of Mana and then lunged forward to rapidly stab Izick in the stomach and chest before Izick could pull the trigger.

  Izick moved away from Felssi’s knife before it stabbed his face, but he gagged as searing pain ripped from his chest down. Felssi flung the Mana knife at Izick, who instinctively blocked it with the Honor Rod in his hands.

  The momentary distraction gave Felssi the opening to kick Izick away, sending him flying through the air until his back crashed into the stone road. He held onto the Honor Rod as tightly as possible as his body rolled across the road.

  His body came to a stop against the rubble of a ruined house, causing a surge of pain throughout his body. He looked down at the elven armor on his chest, and it was intact, but the scorching pain spreading across his chest told him that he had been stabbed.

  Her attack somehow bypassed the physical properties of his armor. Izick grunted as he got back to his feet. Izick clicked his tongue in frustration when a stream of blood rolled down his forehead and into his left eye.

  He stumbled with unsteady feet as Felssi slowly walked towards him. She formed another ball of red Mana before pulling the Mana like it was a stretchy substance and spinning it like a rope in her right hand.

  The red ropes Felssi spun tore into the stone road as she continued her advance, leaving behind red-hot marks like molten lava.

  "You were a fool to face me, but I see you are not without skill and guts since you can still stand on your feet, albeit less confidently than a babe."

  Felssi swung the Mana rope at Izick’s head, slicing through the rubble behind him and sending a roar of dust into the air.

  “I am honestly glad you are hard to kill and not dead just yet. I need to enact your judgment for humiliating me.”

  Cold sweat ran down Izick’s face as he tried his best to slow his breathing down. He needed to control his breathing, or he would bleed himself to death with his increased heart rate.

  Felssi wasn’t going to kill him yet. She had multiple opportunities to kill him, but she apparently wanted to torture him. He was as good as dead as soon as she was finished playing with him.

  He wasn’t strong enough to face her with his current skills as a Scout or his lacking knowledge as a Mage.

  That meant that his only path to survival was in his hands once again.

  The lock on the previous Skills, Mr. Shuffle, the Malevolence inside of the Honor Rod, and Alister’s corruption in the Blessing itself all came to the forefront of his mind, but he still had one last Skill available to him.

  He had to take this chance, else he was facing certain death.

  Warding cloth, damaged by Felssi’s attacks, began to blow away in the wind to fully reveal the Honor Rod.

  Felssi stopped in her tracks as her lips parted in shock. Her astonished expression quickly faded to fury as she spun the red rope of Mana even faster.

  “That half-eared excuse of a Death Emperor! What game are you playing at?” Felssi said before whipping the Mana rope at Izick.

  Izick raised the Honor Rod and pulled the trigger back, bringing a series of red menus up in front of him.

  [ Default Skill: [Bang Bullet] - LOCKED ]

  [ Secondary Skill: [Burst Cannon] - LOCKED ]

  [ Activating Tertiary Skill: [Rapid Shot] ]

  The white, single-barreled shotgun hummed to life and shook as a rageful flurry of yellow bullets of light roared out of its muzzle. Izick’s hands shook as the light bullets raced through the air toward Felssi.

  The bullets of light blasted away Felssi’s whip before slamming into Felssi’s body. She screamed before raising a red shield to block the other incoming blasts from Izick.

  Izick’s hands continued to shake as the Honor Rod roared like thunder and increasingly got hotter in his hands, but he didn’t care. He was still alive after using this Skill.

  Felssi formed a small red ball of Mana and then threw it at Izick from behind her shield. The ball of Mana darted around the Honor Rod's light bullets as it made a beeline toward Izick.

  Izick released the Honor Rod’s trigger as he dodged the red ball and then smacked it away with the barrel of the Honor Rod, where it flew away and exploded into red light.

  More red light caught the corner of Izick’s eye. He ducked as a streak of red Mana sliced through the air. Felssi’s Mana sword danced in her hand like a snake.

  Izick jumped back as Felssi’s attack struck the ground near him. He raised the Honor Rod to block the snaking Mana sword that suddenly changed directions to skewer him.

  The impact from blocking Felssi’s Mana sword knocked him back, but he kept himself upright as he slid backwards. Izick quickly took to his heels and started running away. He accomplished the first part of his plan: getting her attention solely on him.

  Felssi brought her snaking sword of Mana back and began charging it with more Mana, making it grow in size.

  Izick looked past Felssi and saw the civilians filing out of the shelter to escape while Felssi was preoccupied with him. He had to lead Felssi away from here so the civilians could escape.

  “Stop running around like a scared little animal!”

  Felssi screamed as she ran towards Izick and released a series of slashes that stretched out like whips. Izick pushed Felssi’s voice out of his head as he dodged each slash by ducking and weaving while running and shooting the Honor Rod.

  Each missed slash whizzed by and sliced through everything in its path, cleaving through stone houses and nearby trees like morning butter.

  Izick busted through the window of a stone house.

  Felssi unleashed a huge horizontal slash that sliced cleanly through the front of the house, passing over the crouching Izick's head.

  Izick responded with bullets of light blazing out the shattered window. Felssi formed a red shield to block the bullets before jumping out of the line of fire. Izick continued his onslaught of bullets with the Honor Rod until he dropped it from his hands with a groan of pain. He looked down at his charred and smoldering hands, then to the Honor Rod that lightly glowed orange on the smoking wooden floor. That new Skill [Rapid Shot] must have somehow overheated the Honor Rod.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  He peeked through a shattered window and saw Felssi forming an orb of red Mana above her head.

  She was preparing that crazy attack again, and he had doubts about his chances of survival this time around. Izick glanced at the floating timer that Kaleen had given him. Fifty-two minutes remained, but he had to start running within the next twelve minutes if he wanted to escape and survive.

  He didn’t have much time to get out of Damaran before it exploded. The Hossa Mercenary Band still wasn’t here yet to move the civilians, and his signal for help still remained unanswered.

  The red orb of Mana swelled before expanding twice its size like before.

  A realization dawned on him about Felssi’s usage of Mysteria. She needed time to charge up her large attacks, so she used an aggressive style of fighting to force her opponents into corners to buy herself time for large attacks.

  She likely just wants to blow the entire area up instead of chasing him. Sitting here was just playing into her tempo. He had to act now.

  Izick took out two black Wrapper cubes and placed them on the body and stock of the smoldering Honor Rod. The black straps wrapped around the Honor Rod with a sizzling sound.

  He placed two more black Wrapper cubes in his hands so the black straps could cover his now severely burned hands. He grabbed the now wrapped up Honor Rod and aimed at Felssi through the broken window before pulling the trigger to let off thunderous rounds of light.

  Felssi tossed the red orb at the incoming bullets of light. Each light bullet absorbed into the orb of Mana before it destabilized and exploded, obliterating that side of the house and knocking Izick across the house.

  Izick gripped the Honor Rod with all of his strength but felt himself gag from the sudden impact of slamming into a wall.

  His eyes cleared up to see Felssi running full speed at him with her red Mana sword drawn.

  Izick jumped to his feet and then shot at the ground in front of Felssi, sending wood and clouds of dust into the air.

  Felssi sliced through the cloud of dust and found no one in front of her. She side-stepped as bullets rained down from Izick, who jumped over her.

  Izick landed on the wooden floor and then let off more rounds towards Felssi, but she ran away from the stream of bullets as she closed the distance on Izick.

  Felssi jumped within feet of Izick and swung at Izick’s neck with a diagonal slash, causing him to raise the Honor Rod, which continued to shoot up the ceiling above them before Felssi pushed the Honor Rod into the wooden floor with her Mana sword.

  “Did Alister Black send you to kill me? Your weapon is strangely reminiscent of the Staff Hero’s Honor Rod. I do not count this as a coincidence.” Felssi said, pushing the Honor Rod down further with her Mana sword.

  Izick opened his mouth like he was going to respond, but spat out a black Wrapper cube that struck Felssi in the face and instantly enveloped her head with black straps. The Mana sword dematerialized as Felssi grabbed at her wrapped-up face in panic.

  Izick aimed straight for Felssi’s chest, but she launched a huge forward kick to knock Izick away from her. Izick hugged the Honor Rod as he tumbled out of the house, which collapsed from the damage that he and Felssi inflicted on it.

  He watched the silent pile of rubble where Felssi and the house stood. His breath became ragged and his vision blurred.

  The bleeding underneath his armor was getting worse, and the loss of blood made him begin to lose consciousness as his head felt light. He wished he had time to close his wounds earlier, but Felssi’s constant pressure gave him no rest.

  Suddenly, green light began to flow from his head. A soothing feeling that trickled down from the top of his head, down his spine, and into his chest, slowly closing his chest wounds.

  Confusion and relief washed over him as his hands began to mend as well. He felt this feeling before, but had no idea where it was coming from and why. Still, his exhaustion remained despite his mending injuries.

  Brilliant red light streamed out of the rubble before exploding. Izick shielded his head as debris and dust flew past him.

  He looked ahead and saw Felssi walking towards him with red Mana streaming off her hair. Each strand snaked in the air, and the white streaks on her face were now glowing red.

  “I did not expect to call upon my Rage Skill while besieging Damaran and squabbling with a half-ear, but I have you to thank for that. My strength increases tenfold when my Mana reserves drop below 50% in the heat of battle,” Felssi said as she raised a glowing red hand at Izick, who stumbled to his feet using the Honor Rod as support.

  “The death of you and Damaran's people is more than certain, so how about we all slow down to enjoy your last moments? There is no need to hurry.”

  Izick laughed bitterly in his head. If only she knew the truth.

  Red chains shot out of the ground near Izick. He dodged the chains with unsteady form before pulling out three orange Banger cubes and throwing them at Felssi.

  Felssi didn’t even budge as the cubes detonated upon impact. She walked through the explosion and continued towards Izick, who backpedalled as he fired the Honor Rod at Felssi.

  Felssi raised a hand to create a red shield of Mana that perfectly blocked each light bullet. Izick shot at the ground around Felssi to send clouds of rubble and dust into the night air, obscuring Felssi’s sight like before.

  Felssi formed a long sword of Mana and then sliced through the dust, barely missing Izick’s head by mere inches.

  Izick tried shooting at point-blank range, but Felssi used her increased speed to rush forward and grab the Honor Rod, clearing the muzzle from her body. She pulled Izick forward and then kneed him in the stomach.

  Izick coughed as the air got knocked out of his body. Felssi smiled as she dismissed her Mana sword, stood Izick up, and then punched Izick in the face. Felssi let out a combo of punches and knees to Izick’s face and stomach while letting out a gleeful giggle.

  Again, the soothing feeling and the specks of green light flowing from his head gave him the strength to weather each blow from Felssi, but the Death elf thought nothing of the strange light while she pummeled Izick with pure joy.

  “Ah, now I am healing. It is much more fitting for a lower race to show fear instead of confidence when in my presence.”

  Felssi grabbed Izick by the neck, then raised him into the air. “You thought I did not notice the civilians escaping behind me, did you? Their flight will be in vain since my forces guarding the western entrance should be arriving here shortly to clean up the druse trying to escape. They are as good as dead.”

  Izick gritted his teeth as his lungs screamed for more oxygen. Did he do this for nothing? Was everyone going to die because he wasn’t strong enough? Felssi let out a light chuckle as Izick’s legs dangled helplessly.

  “I almost have some respect for you. I have beaten you within an inch of your life, and yet you still hold onto the Staff Hero’s Honor Rod with an iron will. I do not know why or how this weapon has come into your possession, but I will deal with this new Death Emperor and his plans for me later. But first, let me put an end to your life."

  Felssi grabbed the Honor Rod and then ripped it from Izick’s fatigued hands.

  “S-stop, give it back. The Malevolence.” Izick said while choking from Felssi’s hand around his neck. Felssi raised the Honor Rod into the air and inspected it for a few seconds before turning back to Izick with a smile.

  “Your iron will means nothing in the face of one who is superior. You will have it back soon, but only after I bury it beside you.”

  Felssi tossed the Honor Rod far away from them. Time seemed to slow down for Izick as he saw the Honor Rod getting further and further away from him. A ghastly red eye symbol appeared on the Honor Rod as it hit the stone road.

  Felssi continued to smile as she tightened her grip around Izick’s neck. Izick’s eyes went white as he felt his consciousness begin to fade, but something seemed to snap within him as an ugly and scorching pain radiated from deep within him, wiping away the soothing feeling from earlier and even the pain of being choked.

  Red streaks like war paint marked his face and hands. His eyes turned red as crimson and white electricity began to spark across his entire body. Felssi’s smile disappeared after witnessing Izick’s instant transformation.

  “What in the–‘

  Blinding light flashed from Izick’s body as intense red and white electricity enveloped Izick and Felssi.

  They both screamed as they fell to their knees, with Felssi unable to release Izick from her grip due to the electric force draining everything out of her and binding them together. Red boxes appeared around Izick.

  [ WARNING: Honor Rod is out of range ]

  [ [Death Penalty] is now in effect ]

  [ [Death Penalty] completion in 20, 19, 18, 17]

  Strength continued to sap away from Izick as pain assaulted every part of his body, and the countdown for both the Mana Bomb and this [Death Penalty] continued to march toward zero.