Requiem Of A Failed Hero

Thard-Harl patiently waited for Raith to fully recover, not just his physical state but also his mental state. He sat on one of the crumbled statues with his razor-sharp claws crossed and his eyes glaring at Raith with blazing scrutiny.

Raith after standing up, miraculously healed of all the bloodiness just a few minutes ago–stood in one position and after thinking hard about his next step, decided to move on with it.

"You know, I've been thinking of something. Since this will just continue to be an endless cycle of killing and killing...

He scoffed and continued.

"...I'm sure by now you would have grasped the power of my immortality. You know we don't really have to kill ourselves. You know right?"

Thard-Harl stayed silent but still kept his gaze on him.

"I mean, you can just let me peacefully return to my world, while you do your thing in...whatever place this is."

He concluded, taking another look around.

"Then why would Fel send you here in the first place? He might be cunning and unreasonable but he is the most dangerous **#^#:#** I've ever met."

"I didn't hear that part..."

Thard-Harl kept his silence even though he knew very well that Raith didn't hear what he said.

"Look here Thard whatever you are–

~whoosh~

The asura reached him with a greater speed than he had been witnessing over the few hours of their clashing.

"How? How did you know my true name?"

The asura queried with a crinkled brow and his hand reaching for Raith who had intuitively jumped a step backward, leaving the hand in midair.

"What do you mean, why? The voice of the world mentioned it."

"Huh?"

The asura cocked his head rightward. Raith's statement was not making sense to him but he decided not to stress about it.

"If you know my true name, then I have no choice but to kill you."

"Huh? I thought that is what you have been doing since."

"No! I will get serious this time... for real"

~wham~

His claws tore through Raith, who tilted left to dodge but was too slow to match the asura's unreasonable speed.

~splat~

Blood showered out of his right shoulder that was grazed by the sharp claws and Raith ended up falling leftward, rolling over to get as far away as he could from the asura using even the measly of moves.

He pressed the wound on his shoulder hard but the sprinkling blood still found loopholes to escape from and was splattering around through those loopholes, staining his face. The overall strength in his left arm began to escape –who knew where they went?

He was already weak enough with two hands, who knew how weaker he would be with only one?

The asura did not give him breathing space and had closed the distance again the next minute Raith stood up, his claws dived upwards from beneath Raith, gathering a gale of wind as he struck upwards with red lightning sparks.

~kpang~

The skinning knife saved Raith again but that was the last time –the knife shattered to pieces as the claws clashed with it on its way up, leaving three slight blade tears on Raith's cheek.

If not for Raith's intuitions to jump back as the claws came from below, it won't be the knife that got destroyed but his chest —the claws would have carved right through his torso and that would have been another splendid death.

Raith's head was in turmoil and he was still foolishly clinging to the idea that this could be a dream and he could wake up anytime. Besides, the longer he spent fighting the asura the more he realized just how far apart both of them are in terms of strength alone. Deflecting the asuras attack put a strain on his wrist and using the dagger so far was becoming strenuous –it was about time he abandoned it anyway.

But now, how was he supposed to face a creature that was superior to him and was armed without a weapon.

"You spineless piece of shattered bones. Do not think I will take it easy on you because you lost your weapon, so far I can tell... you couldn't even stand one of my attacks but now you are still alive after three series of attacks... I think I'm beginning to understand... you are Fel's wild card. Immortality is not what makes you special but your unreasonable ability to learn from experience and quick at that."

"Eh?"

At that moment, Raith realized.

'He's right. I'm alive even after he came at me thrice. Maybe, I can win against him'

His eyes glowed with oodles of hope.

But that hope was instantly killed as Thard-Harl's hand pierced right into his belly and out of it, leaving a large hole in his abdomen.

'...he got faster?!'

He slowly sank to his knee with a mouth full of blood and a grimly widened eyes.

'Damn...how many times has it been now... I really am pathetic...'

Something was beginning to change, the little achievement of standing three strikes of the asura began to light a candle of passion and desire in Raith's heart, in contrast to before—as the pain of a hollowed belly surged through his back and nerves, his mind instead of rioting... looked forward to his next resurrection.

Maybe, this time... he would withstand five.