Chapter 36: Outmatched
Blake was browsing through the options in the shop when he suddenly felt a change in his environment and forced to look around him.
When Blake looked at his surroundings, he found himself on a barren rocky plain.
"Damn, it seems I was forcefully moved to the next floor, so much for my plan of waiting in the cave," Blake muttered checking his surroundings one last time to make sure there was no enemy in sight before focusing back on the shop, where he had just seen the potion
Blake had just bought the potion, the bottle appearing in his hand and uncorked it when a feeling of danger went through him and standing up straight, he brandished his blade, looking around vigilantly.
"Come out."
"My oh my Blake, you really do have a strong intuition" a voice that Blake immediately knew to be Kate\'s sounded and before his eyes, he saw the world he was in tremble and shatter, the sky collapsing to give way for a slightly red world with a moon hanging in the sky while the earth though still rocky and plain turned black.
Though these changes were quite phenomenal and scary, what drew Blake\'s attention was the six people who surrounded him in a perfect circle and Kate who was but some steps away from him.
"Now, though I really don\'t know how u got your hands on such a potent rejuvenation potion, I am going to advise you that you shouldn\'t drink it, your body..."
Immediately ignoring Kate\'s words, Blake gulped down the contents of the bottle and then ignoring the severe pain going through his body held up his sword at Kate, the blade immediately being covered in red flames.
Not asking any questions, Blake moved to run out of the circle that had been formed around him, ready to cut down anyone in his path, but a powerful jolt of pain suddenly ran through his body and he collapsed to one knee, coughing blood.
"What is this, no way it got poisoned, I just bought it from the store" Blake roared in his mind as several far worse strings of pain shot through his already pain-filled body.
"What did you do to me" Blake asked looking at Kate and tightly grabbing his sword which had lost its fiery shine.
"I didn\'t do anything, rather you\'re the one who has harmed yourself.
Instead of first expunging the bits of your opponent\'s mana that got into you after your last fight, you instead went ahead to take a rejuvenation potion, how dumb can you be," Kate asked, the respectful tone she had always spoken to Blake with gone.
Unfortunately for Blake, the mechanics of why he should not take a rejuvenation potion after a battle was something lacking from his memories and his confused face showed it.
"That\'s pathetic, a knight of the light who doesn\'t understand how potions work the human race might truly be falling" Kate said with a disgusted chuckle and then she turned to the 6 people who were standing around her and Blake in a circle.
"Activate it" Kate said licking her lips, a bright look filling her eyes when the people around her began exuding a red hue and releasing a red light from their body that quickly covered them and began slowly rising into the air.
A smile appeared on Kate\'s face and began stretching wide as the red light rose till she saw there was one person among the six who was not releasing a red light.
"Stubborn brat" Kate said as she hastily walked over to the one person and without a word, she jabbed one finger at his gut, her finger penetrating into the flesh and drawing blood.
"Are you going to be a good boy Noel or do I have to pluck out of one of Yula\'s eyes for you to be obedient."
A fierce look had been plastered on Noel\'s face when Kate walked up to him, but after she spoke a look of hesitation and worry climbed on his face and the red badge which he had placed on his chest, the one which had been given to the team by Kate glowed red and Noel found his body stiffening.
Noel gritted his teeth at Kate trying to resist the force that was invading him trying to take over his mind, but unfortunately, his momentary weakness when Kate had threatened Yula had thrown him off and put him on the back foot in his struggle with Kate.
Till the bitter end, Noel tried to resist Kate\'s takeover of his mind but it was useless and soon Noel\'s body began releasing a red light, this light rising into the air and joining in with the other lights to form a red dome around Blake and Kate.
Satisfied with the knowledge that Noel would no longer be a problem, Kate turned to face Blake but as she did, she found the position she had left him at empty, and then from the corner of her eyes, she saw him seemingly pop out of thin air and whilst holding his sword he sped towards her and then swung his blade.
"Hmm" Kate snorted as Blake attacked and then rather than conjure an attack or try to avoid Blake as he had expected she instead stood her ground and then with ease just as the sharp edge of Blake\'s weapon came to her neck, she swung her hand at it, her nails rapidly elongating and clashing with his sword and forcing it back.
Never knowing Kate to have been a close fighter, this move of hers surprised Blake but as a fireball appeared in his left hand and he thrust his hand forward wanting to slam it on Kate rather than shoot it, Kate grinned at him and to his dread used her right hand to grasp the flame.
Kate\'s actions had the flame detonate in an explosion, but while Blake was sent flying backward from the explosion, she stood her ground and merely looked at her bloody hand which had lost some fingers, shaking the blood of it and then showing Blake how her fingers slowly regenerated back on her hands.
"Now do you understand how outmatched you are Blake" Kate said two fangs now visible in her mouth and her tongue which came out to lick her lips longer than before.88