Ascenders Rift

Chapter 168: Eyes of the Eagle, Clash Between Titans

Evan and the others in the Magma Zone were currently lying in wait, patiently awaiting their targets. If one were to look around the various structures of the Magma Fortress from any angle, one wouldn't even be able to catch a trace of their silhouettes as it seemed that they had somehow merged as one with their surroundings.

Still, despite their current level of expertise and understanding of their environment, it would seem that their efforts were not as effective as against Leo's party.

On a building that wasn't too far from their sector, an indistinct figure was resting nearby one of its cracked windows. While holding binoculars, this person gazed around at the various scenes with his hawk-like eyes. Suddenly, a smile formed on his face as his eyes flashed with a sneaky light. 

"One, Two, Three, Four, five... so well hidden, but it seemed that the areas chosen were already a part of my prediction," Razel said while easily picking out Evan and the other locations.

Leo and the others who stood nearby looked at him with pride as they spoke separately.

"Haha, your eyes never cease to amaze me Razel, even though I know this place like the back of my hand, I still wasn't able to find them," Oron said with a smile.

"Pssh, looks like it will be our treat after this fight is over," Irene said. 

Razel smiled not replying, but Leo looked at Evan and his party's location from a device that projected the scene from Razel's binoculars.

Leo smiled as he saw Evan's clueless look and gazed at everyone while he spoke, "They have yet to notice our arrival; it means that they can't sense our presence from this distance. Judging by their positions, it will prove to be a challenge to gang up on one of them, so we'll have to use that plan."

A confident gleam appeared in Oron's, Irene's, Razel's, and Julie's eyes as they spoke in unison, "Right,"

Leo then nodded as he spoke, "Good, then let us begin,"

Following his words, everyone had vanished from their spots, leaving behind only Razel who had set up his sniper rifle, his eyes flashed when he aimed at Rick's location as he thought, 'Now then, shall I test your limits...'

While thinking to himself, he no longer monitored the scene through his projected display on his binoculars. However, if one were to look at it, they would see an entirely different vision, as the previously clueless Evan had turned in their direction, showing a sneer on his face.

Instantly, he vanished from the scene, much like Emilia and Layla, the only two persons visible in their usual positions were now Joe and Rick.

At this time, Razel's scope had already locked directly onto Rick's skull; his eyes shone coldly and ruthlessly as he pressed the trigger and spoke, "Let's see how you face against my Bursting Bullets..."

Pow! Following a muffled sound, the bullet speedily swept towards Rick's skull like a blurry shade. It moved at such a speed that the world around him seemed no different from slow motion. 

Yet, if one paid closer attention in this world of speed, they would notice that Rick had shown a smile on his face.

Swoosh! With a sway of his body, his figure faded away, causing the strange bullet fired by Razel to sweep by Rick's position narrowly. 

Bang! With a loud sound, it smashed into the ground creating a miniature explosion, comparable to that of a grenade.

Rick who had distanced himself by a few meters was unaffected by this explosion, but the shockwave still sent gravel towards his direction, he twirled his spear easily deflecting the rocks before his eyes shifted towards building in the distance.

"Hmph! You'll need more than that if you wish to kill me, pal," Rick said as he leaned his body forwards and dashed, as he did this his body blurred and vanished due to his alarming speed.

Razel, who saw how easily Rick avoided his bullet, was alarmed, he thought to himself, 'Damn! What kind of monster dodges bullets so easily? Shit, I can't let my guard down, I have to use everything I've got!"

Following his words, Razel flipped a switch on his sniper rifle, causing a high-frequency sound to erupt for a moment before fading as it glowed brightly. 

After attaching a few special-looking bullets, Razel then removed the scope and firmly held the rifle as his eyes flashed in a strange light when he spoke, "Eyes of the Eagle!"

As Razel said this command, his eyes turned even sharper, transforming to look like an actual eagle's eyes. Everything became clearer; even Rick's exceedingly fast form was slowed down by a drastic degree.

'Taste my Erupting Bullet Storm!' Razel shouted in his mind as he repeatedly pressed the trigger on the sniper, causing a series of large reddish glowing bullets to storm towards Rick's location in succession.

If one didn't look closely, they would even think that the rifle in Razel's hand was, in fact, a machine gun, as it seemed no different based on its unusual firing speed.

Rick sensed the danger beforehand; he looked and saw a hail of large bullets coming his way and couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement. He licked his lips while muttering, 'This fellow is truly the best sniper I've had the fortune of seeing... such skill, but it's a pity, it won't be enough.'

As Rick's finished his thoughts, the bullets had already arrived within his range, his eyes flashed as his body blurred, leaving behind two trailing lights from his eyes as he danced about the region of the bullet sword in quick succession.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As Rick's body moved, behind him, the bullets which collided with the ground created a series of explosions, lighting up this section of the Magma Fortress while sending vibrations about the area.

Joe wasn't too far from the cluster of noises, he looked over towards Rick's side and clicked his teeth as he spoke out loud, "Che! Can't that guy keep it down when fighting? Such a loud mess, and here I thought I was supposed to be the tank..."

"Ho... so you're the tank? It looks quite fitting given that weight of yours," A voice said from nearby.

Joe didn't seem surprised as he scratched his ass and tilted his head to the side, once he did this he noticed that the fellow behind him was none other than Oron, his muscular frame beneath his combat suit seeming to be filled with infinite power.

"Ha, you're right, but when compared to you, I guess I'm just a lump of meat, meat versus muscle, which do you think will win?" Joe said with a confident look on his face, his manner not seeming like his previous times.

Oron smirked at this as he cracked his knuckles and took up a hand to hand battle posture, lowering his body into a horse stance as he replied, "There's only one way to find out friend..."

When Joe heard those words, one of his arms lightly pressed against the ground, pushing his chubby body into the air as he did flip... or rather, an 'airborne-roll.' His chubby feet then gracefully landed on the ground, perfectly balancing his large frame as the stone-paved terrain made cracking noise due to his weight.

Oron's eyes shrunk when he heard the sound of Joe's landing; he didn't think he would have such a startling amount of body weight. Yet, he could so easily push himself into the air and land with balance.

'I can't underestimate him for a second!' Oron thought to himself with flashing eyes as his arm made cracking noises as if his muscles were growing.

Joe looked at Oron with a smirk, he placed his Arc Shield behind him, resting it on his back as he adopted a similar posture, the two now looking like ancient tanks ready to crash into each other.

A blazing wind swept across the due rustling their hair as a plume of fire scattered from a distant magma pool making its way towards their direction. It then smashed into the ground, creating a blazing field before them while similarly acting like a bell for their battle.

"Now!" They both shouted at the same time, their figures charging forwards with heavy steps that left cracks into the ground.

It would even seem as if two giants were charging towards each other with unstoppable momentum. Soon, they had arrived directly before each other, both Joe and Oron had an excited look on their face as they each struck a fist towards the other's face.

Whoosh! As if something heavy swept through the wind, a loud noise was heard as both of their punches smashed right on to their faces, creating a thunderous noise.

Bang! Instantly, it was as if a bomb had gone off in this sector, as even the blazing fire was extinguished by some powerful force, beckoning the start an epic battle.