Lost Origins: SS Ranked Awakening-Chapter 92: Ice Skewer

Seeing the pole of the scythe that was about to crash into his ribs, Raymond smiled, taking his arm forward to redirect the attack completely.

He proceeded to use his second hand to send an attack towards Kieran chest, making him dive back, creating some distance between them.

’This is what it feels like huh?’

Kieran thoughts, his eyes narrowed in utmost focus. He had rushed out when he was still talking to catch him off guard.

Unfortunately, that didn’t work as planned. His first attack had been redirected and at the same time, Raymond had manged to force him to make some distance between them.

The surprise attack had been rendered useless in two moves. Kieran could already feel his bones tingling, something that only happened whenever he was facing a tough opponent.

He looked at Raymond who was observing with a small smile on his face.

’At least he got the message!’

Kieran thought, finally free of his opponent’s ranting.

’I can’t let him touch me though’

His eyes lit up with an amber shade shooting Raymond’s two hands which bore no weapons.

From the list Leora had given to him, Raymond’s ability was like a direct counter for someone like him who hadn’t yet gotten his ability and only relied on the physical enhancement that came as an effect of his partial awakening.

’Raymond Smith, ranked 80 on the list. Posion ability user. Exhibited battle style – hand to hand combat; specialized in palm strike combat techniques. Sadist!’

Kieran made mental notes on the attributes of his opponent he could remember from his research and Leora’s list.

Because of his personality, Raymond had decided to use his ability in a unique way. Considering hand to hand combat as the most optimal and efficient way to utilize his ability, Raymond relished in seeing the agonized reactions of his opponents as lost of them begged for mercy.

His personality was one of the reason why he had such little challenge requests—most recruits who were making their debut like him, were scared. Only those who had absolute confidence in their ability dared to challenge him and even then, they all lost after being submitted to tye sever pain and torture of having his poison ravaging through their bodies.

None of his opponent’s so far had managed to leave a fight with his unscathed.

His most prominent and used position was his paralytic poison which made Kieran extra careful in close quarter combat with him.

Kieran looked the scythe in his hands once more let out the air in his chest.

"Haaa!"

The scythe being a mid-ranged/close quarer hybrid weapon was his only advantage to avoid physical contact with Raymond.

BANG!

The dust on the floor of the stage rose up as Kieran shot towards Raymond for the second time.

Raymond welcomed this approach with a smile, his eyes following the path of his scythe.

’He thinks I’m going to use my ability on him? Cute’

He thought seeing how Kieran ran around him in random patterns aiming to confuse him.

His eyes flashed again seeing Kieran send an attack towards him, aimed at the same spot as before—his ribs.

Once again, his palm shot to block the attack, but his eyes widened upon contact with the pole of the weapon.

The force behind it was different from before, noticeably heavier as his body was pushed back a few meters, but Kieran was in his zone.

Capitalizing on the shock he noticed om Raymond’s face, his hands flashed to his side, sending another throwing knife his way.

Raymond’s second hand caught the blade which cracked under his grip, but he was for from blocking what Kieran had set in store for him.

’Bingo!"

Kieran’s eyes narrowed into thin slits, increasing his speed in another burst of motion and drawing on his scythe simultaneously while dropping to the ground in the last moment.

This series of moves, threw Raymond who still had a tight grip on Kieran’s scythe out of balance for a moment. A moment, all that Kieran needed.

Twisting his body which was supported with one of his hands on the floor, Kieran delivered a strong sweep to Raymond’s right leg instantly bringing him to his knees.

Before he could comprehend what was happening and react, Kieran’s knee appeared inches before his face sending his head back with a solid hit.

Kieran grabbed his hair and smashed his head onto his knee a few more times, flinging his body a few meters away from him.

He couldn’t hold onto him for long without risking being poisoned.

The moment that happened, he was done for.

Nearing the body on the floor, he switched the grip from the middle of the pole to the bottom, sending the sharp blade to Raymond on the floor, in the same manner as when one wielded a pick axe.

Raymond although still recovering himself from the lsst series of attacks, managed to sense the incoming attack and roll away at the last moment.

Kieran didn’t stop there, sending strike after strike to Raymond who kept on rolling around dodging the attacks.

"Hmm!"

Raymond’s eyes narrowed hearing the tearing sound which came from the edge of his cloth which had been caught by a throwing knife.

Getting on his feet with the delay cause by Kieran switches from throwing weapons back to his scythe, he dodged the next strike from Kieran’s scythe.

His face no longer bore the small smile which looked down on his opponent. Behind the now cold expression on his face, his anger and embarrassment could be felt coming off in waves from his self.

His curenetly in a state of turmoil. He had just been embarrassed by a new second stage recruit, in front of the whole arena at that. He knew that not all eyes were on this fight, but he still felt like shrinking into a hole somewhere.

"You were pretty lucky there. You should be careful from now on"

Raymond said, dusting off his torn shirt. His smile was back on his face as he tried to salvage whatever was left of the image he hoped to preserve.

Kieran ignored his words and shot at him.

’Little bastard. Just watch as I crush you without even using my ability!’

He thought in the pain of being brutally ignored.

SWISH!

He tilted his head to dodge the blade that had just passed him, his mind reminding him that he had noticed something very odd about Kieran.

’It wasn’t an illusion’

Back when he had blocked the second attack from Kieran, the force behind the attack felt like one from a physical ability. It surpassed the normal enhancement gotten by being an awakened; and he was expecting less from Kieran, considering that he hadn’t awakened fully.

’Were the reports false? Could he be hiding the fact that he already awakened as a physical ability user. Considering the factors, it would make sense that he is a low leveled one!’

Raymond’s mind formulated what he believed to be the secret that Kieran had been hiding.

Kieran on the other hand, pressed his attack, turning the his blade and attacking sideways, using a single move to continue the attack.

Raymond bent forward to dodge the attack, but as if expecting this move, Kieran’s knee was waiting for him sending his head flying back up along with a trail of blood spilling from his nose.

Raymond staggered backwards before regaining his balance.

His lips pressed together in a thin line, and this time, he didn’t wait for Kieran to show up on him. He rushed forward to take the initiative, but he has a little bit late.

The tempo of the fight was already in Kieran’s hands and he was already riding on the gathered momentum.

Unlike delusional Raymond here, he knew that the moment he gave his opponent to recover, he was going to lose.

So, he struck! Faster! Harsher! And stronger than he ever did.

He could feel his muscles stretch in pain as he had yet to recover fully from the agonizing training of the instructor August.

His scythe greeted the face of Raymond who reacted instantly, bringing up his hand with the intention of catching the weapon, but he failed to understand what Kieran was capable of when underestimated.

He used his second arm to push lightly on the pole of the scythe changing the direction of the weapon—to Raymond’s now defenseless torso.

The blade cut through the shirt, a few inches into his body, leaving another bleeding cut.

’Too shallow!’

Kieran’s eyes narrowed as he took the risk and closed on his opponent, nearing him in an instant, kieran slammed his foot on the stage, twisting his core as he channeled his strength into his fist aimed at Raymond’s gut where he had just cut.

BANG!

"Puuhh!"

"Tch!"

His tongue kissed his teeth, seeing Raymond’s palm appear at the last moment to block the unavoidable attack.

The mouthful of blood his opponent had just spat out did nothing to make him happy.

Rushing forward once more, Kieran glanced at his scythe, before turning away in panic as he felt a rush of extremely cold air pass his side.

SWISH! BANG!!

Looking towards the side, where the sound came from, Kieran noticed pieces of ice scattered across the other stage with the recruits there bearing the same confused and surprised expression as him.

’The hell was that?’

Kieran could feel his heart beating in an erratic manner. If he hadn’t moved away in the last moment, he would have been skewered like a piece of meat.

"What are you thinking?"

Raymond’s hoarse voice came from his side and his eyes widened, but before he could even react, a hand covered his face and slammed him into the ground