Shadows of Ascension

84. The ambush

The sun burns overhead as the team trudges through the desert, sweat beading on their skin. The endless sand stretches in all directions, but the uneasy feeling in the air is unmistakable. 

Suddenly, Luca’s instincts scream at him. 

Without thinking, he shoves Riona back. 

A group of five men approaches, their sleeveless vests exposing matching tattoos on their arms. 

"Well, what do we have here?" one of them sneers. 

Luca narrows his eyes. "Are you bounty hunters?" 

"You got that right," the man replies with a smirk. 

The hunters swiftly take formation—three assassins at the front, two archers at the back. The assassins charge first. 

Luca and Riona react immediately, blocking their respective opponents. 

Aiden, however, stands motionless. 

His opponent’s blade slashes across his chest, drawing blood. 

"Aiden!" Luca shouts. He forces his own attacker back and rushes to Aiden’s side. 

"Why aren’t you fighting?"

Aiden doesn’t respond. His grip tightens, his expression unreadable. 

Luca exhales sharply and steps forward, gripping his sword. The air around him shifts. His aura flares. 

"I haven’t fought since Kylian… but I know I’m stronger now."

Luca moves. 

His blade cuts through the first assassin like a streak of lightning—clean, efficient, merciless. 

The second follows a moment later. 

By the time the third realizes what’s happening, Luca’s sword is already buried in his chest. 

"They’re only C-rank hunters," Luca mutters. "We can finish this before more arrive." 

Riona nods and charges toward the remaining enemies. Luca follows, but just as they move— 

An arrow whizzes through the air. 

A sharp cry rings out. 

Riona’s arm is pierced. 

But the shot didn’t come from the two archers. 

More enemies appear on the horizon. 

Ten, maybe, all bearing the same tattoos and gear. 

"This is bad," Luca mutters. "This isn't a random encounter… this is an organized ambush." 

"Hey, boss," one of the new arrivals calls out. "Looks like we’ve got another B-rank hunter here." 

A man steps forward, unbuttoning his vest slightly. 

A glowing B-rank mark gleams on his chest. 

"This one’s mine," the boss says, his gaze locking onto Luca. "The rest of you, take care of the others." 

The battle erupts into chaos. 

Luca clashes with the B-rank leader, their swords colliding in rapid succession. The force of their attacks sends ripples of energy through the air. 

Riona counts their enemies—fifteen. And judging by their formation, reinforcements are on the way. 

"This isn’t good!" she hisses, dodging an incoming blade. 

An arrow whizzes past her head—then another, and another. 

She barely manages to avoid them all. 

"Aiden!" she screams. "Help me!" 

Aiden grits his teeth. 

He had sworn not to fight again. 

He had sworn his journey was over. 

But… 

He looks at Riona, struggling against overwhelming odds. 

"I won’t use my shadow powers… but I can’t let them die."

Aiden’s body moves before his mind can stop him. 

He lunges into battle. 

Aiden’s blade carves through the nearest enemy, swift and brutal. He dodges an arrow, sidesteps a strike, and counters with deadly precision. 

For the first time since Kylian’s death, he fights. 

And he fights well. 

"Even without his shadow powers…" Luca glances at Aiden between his own exchanges. "He’s strong." 

But their numbers are overwhelming. 

"They’re too many!" Riona shouts, panting. 

The enemy is relentless. 

And as Luca battles the B-rank leader, he quickly realizes something. 

This opponent… 

Is stronger. 

More magic power. More stamina. More brute force. 

But Luca— 

Luca is faster. 

More precise. 

And in a battle like this… 

Precision matters more than power. 

The clash rages on.