The blow that came for Silas happened almost instantly. The Pirate King stepped forward, and in one instant, he was casually standing before them. The next, his blade slammed into Silas's outstretched spear.
Derrin was barely able to register the strike, so quick it had come. He stumbled back, drawing his sword across his body to protect himself from any attacks.
However, the Pirate King seemed to be ignoring him for the moment, fully focusing on Silas as the bigger threat.
Each time he struck, his blade seemed to simply arrive wherever it hit. It shouldn't have been possible for the Pirate King to move so fast, and yet he did.
Silas must have activated his own abilities, for that was the only reason he hadn't been pushed back instantly. However, that didn't mean that he was safe.
Despite the reach advantage that inherently came with a spear, Silas was forced on the defensive. He couldn't afford to retaliate because each blow from their enemy threatened to cleave him in two. But Silas was not thinking straight. The Pirate King had mocked them, and Silas never thought clearly to begin with.
The first assault took less than a few seconds. Before Derrin could arrive, Silas chose to attack. His spear lanced out towards the Pirate King's chest.
Too slow.
The man batted the blow aside with supernatural speed and struck Silas across the arm with his blade. His strike seemed not to even blur, so fast it came. The only thing that saved Silas's life was his spear length, which prevented the Pirate King from getting any closer.
Silas staggered back as blood dripped down the wound on his arm. There was no more time to contemplate. Derrin lunged towards the Pirate King. He hadn't gotten the chance to join the previous engagement, simply due to the extreme speed involved. He would have been more likely to injure Silas or get in his way than be helpful.
However, one thing had been made clear. The only way they were going to come out of this fight on top would be if they fought the man together. Fighting one at a time would only result in a slow death for both of them. Even with both of them together, Derrin didn't think they would win.
There was something off with the way the Pirate King was fighting. Derrin didn't put much stock into it at first; after all, they were fighting a man much stronger than themselves. Nevertheless, he had noticed the strangeness with the Pirate King. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but there was simply something off.
Even as he lunged at the Pirate King, he contemplated this. Perhaps it was some strange fighting style that he recognized. Or maybe it was the speed with which the man attacked. Derrin wasn't sure. However, he was certain that figuring out what his intuition was telling him would be the key to surviving this battle.
His blow came fast. He had imbued every ounce of his speed and skill into the strike, stepping just far enough to get the most force behind it, while just little enough to not overstep. His blade glinted in the teal glow of his enemy's sword.
The glow abruptly vanished. It didn't dim as it should have. One moment, there was teal, the next it was normal grey.
Derrin ducked as the Pirate King's blade cleaved the air where his head had been a moment before. Staggering to the side, he barely managed to raise his blade in time to deflect another strike.
The overwhelming power behind the strikes was simply staggering. Zara had never used this much of her strength during their bouts. He shouldn't have expected a similarity since this man was going all out, but it still unnerved him.
Spinning, he lashed out with a quick strike of his blade. He had heard Silas's approach and watched as the soldier stabbed from the side.
The Pirate King, parried Derrin's blade with an ease that spoke volumes. He should have been tied up and prevented from reaching Silas in time.
Instead, he simply appeared inside Silas's guard. Before the soldier could react, the pirate kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back. Had Silas activated his abilities, he would have likely shattered every bone in his chest. As it was, Silas rolled to his feet and spat out a mouthful of blood.
A series of quick strikes passed between the two of them. Derrin felt like he was starting to understand the essence behind the way the Pirate King fought. He was getting the basics, and in a fight of this caliber, everything could change the outcome.
The Pirate King brought his blade down towards him in a plummeting arc. He raised his own blade to block. However, instead of the sound of clanging steel, the blade seemed to simply blur from its point and appeared inside his guard. Derrin didn't even have time to widen his eyes. In less than a second, the blade would pierce his chest, and he would die.
Their enemy's strength was so overwhelming, so overpowering, that they were like ants.
However, Derrin was not willing to let himself go down so easily. The Pirate King had needed to use his strange powers to win. Derrin didn't have powers of his own to call upon. So instead, he called on his blade's ability.
It was usually reserved solely for offensive purposes. A strike with more force and power than at his normal heart level. That wasn't what he needed. Doing that would only guarantee his death. Rather, he activated his ability backward.
His entire body lurched as if striking a wall, sending him catapulting backward. He crashed into the ground with enough force to rattle his bones a few dozen feet away. The Pirate King chuckled with wry amusement. Both he and Silas were on the ground less than a minute into the fight.
Silas was far more injured than he was. Even if they both could start fighting in unison, it wouldn't be enough. The Pirate King was simply too overwhelming a threat. He had walked through the two most experienced men in the camp like they were nothing more than a minor annoyance.
The man shook his head, "What's wrong with you two? Getting cold feet so soon? The fight has hardly begun, and you are already lying in the ditch. I thought you were supposed to be the protectors of this fort, so please do give me a challenge…"
He paused for a moment, glancing between the two of them, "Unless, of course, you have seen the foolishness of your actions and wish to surrender."
"Go to hell, you bastard," Silas leaped to his feet.
Derrin yelled, "Silas, wait!"
It wasn't enough. The soldier had his mind clouded by rage. There would be no listening and no planning between them.
The suddenness of the strike seemed to have caught the Pirate King off guard, for he stepped back in an attempt to raise his blade. It wasn't fast enough. Despite Silas's anger, despite his seeming disregard for a plan, his skill was still somehow intact. The perfectly executed thrust came down like a battering ram.
Even with the Pirate King's enhanced speed, there was no time for him to retreat. There was no time for him to block. There was no time for him to avoid the strike aimed at his gut at all.
In less than a moment, it would all be over.
Derrin froze as Silas went stumbling past. His perfectly executed stab missed entirely, and he crashed into the dirt and rolled away like a child. The Pirate King scoffed and brushed off some of the dust that had gotten on his coat during their confrontation. Shaking his head, he glanced between the two of them.
"So, no surrender then? Final chance. I am a merciful man after all."
Derrin didn't say anything. How could he say anything? He had just seen the Pirate King teleport. He mentally berated himself for being so stupid. Of course, the Pirate King would have powers related to teleportation. He had clearly used long-range teleportation to exchange himself with Zara.
However, what he was using in this fight was a far more sinister effect. Derrin had noticed it originally when the man was striking faster than should have been possible. In reality, the man was not striking that fast. He was simply moving his arms and the blow into position, using teleportation. He had used it just to avoid Silas's strike entirely as well.
It was clearly not full teleportation. If it was, the two of them would have already been dead. It must have been the power he obtained from the heart of Valenica. The powers from Valencia always had something to do with body augmentation. For Zara, that was to enhance her vision, for Ayjax, that had something to do with his fists.
And for the Pirate King, it allowed him to teleport aspects of his body where he wanted them to be.
Even without full teleportation, it was still an ominous sign.
"How do we beat bloodydamn teleporting?" he muttered.