Chapter 279 - Courting Death (1)

'That mech suit... It's different from the rest.' Arnold thought as the dust settled down. 

Just moments ago, Arnold and Devon clashed against each other for the first time. Their punch connected mid-air, and the next moment, both of them were blown away. Arnold managed to stop himself in a couple of steps, Devon however went flying to the opposite side of the corridor. Although Arnold didn't put all of his strength in his punch, it was more than what Devon had anticipated. 

He went flying like a baseball and was caught by an excellent glove in the form of a titanium wall. Devon shrugged himself out of the large dent formed after the collision. A quick check on his mech suit revealed no significant issues... Other than the fact that his dominant right arm had been crippled. Pieces of his mech suit had already made their way through his skin and stuck to the bones. Thanks to the adrenaline in his bloodstream, he didn't feel much pain. Still, blood was flowing through his wound like Niagara Falls. 

But Arnold wasn't unscathed either. There was a relatively clean cut on his right forearm. He didn't know how or when he got cut, but it was Devon's doing. And sure enough, the next moment, Devon pulled out a shiny short sword from underneath his arm guard. 

"The hell was I expecting? Of course that as*hole would use any dirty trick he can to win," Arnold mumbled, he was beyond agitated because of his own mistake, "I'll end you real soon, Devon! That's for sure!"

Arnold wasn't going to take any chances anymore. He had always thought underestimating one's opponent was the shortest route to the afterlife. And just now, he had done the same with his opponent. But not anymore. His bloodshot eyes were now filled with hatred. 

"Haha..." Out of nowhere, Devon burst out laughing, "it's really fun to piss you off, you know."

As he had stated before, Devon had done his research well and knew exactly how to agitate Arnold. He also knew Arnold won't think straight when he was angry. It was just the state Devon wanted Arnold to be in because as long as Arnold did see through his plan, it wouldn't matter if he died.

Devon saw Arnold's pissed-off look. Just looking at his face put Devon under stress. He realised he was playing with a double edge sword. Getting Arnold all riled up was fruitful but it was dangerous too. Just one wrong move and Arnold wouldn't mind slicing his head off the shoulders.

It was true Arnold was pissed, but he was still in control. His conscience was as clear as the Blue lake¹. He was agitated, but his aggression wasn't needed now. Not on a despicable piece of trash like Devon. (Author's Note: Blue Lake, which is situated in New Zealand's South Island, is the clearest lake in the world. It is fed by water from Lake Constance. The water is so clear that it almost looks like the boats are floating mid-air.) 

Arnold might've felt like he was in control, but his aura was all over the place. Even Devon could sense it, large beads of cold sweet kept rolling down his face. In Devon's eyes, Arnold's eyes had turned into the eyes of a beast, bloodshot with madness, and he did not resemble a human anymore. All human emotions had left him. He had become blood-thirsty and murderous!

The aura was overwhelming, but Devon quickly took hold of his emotions. His grip on the sword got tighter and then the blade started growing. All the while making loud buzzing noise as if it was made from Zeus's lightning bolts. Then he braced himself to go up against Arnold.

"Mr Ling, I hope you've not turned into a mindless beast!" Devon mumbled, before using the sword to slice his left arm off.

Arnold was a little shocked. In his mind was a single thought, 'Who the fck just slices off their arm like that?'

Before Arnold could express his thoughts, Devon spoke up, "Don't worry about that useless arm of mine. Thanks to you, it was just causing me trouble and would eventually get in the way of our fight. So I got rid of it, just like I'll get rid of you!"

"..."

Arnold didn't reply. He just stood there waiting for Devon to make his move first. Since he knew the blade could harm him, he thought it would be better to dodge the sword and strike later. 

Within a fraction of a second, the sword grew from being a meter long to ten meters! It felt like the long slash could even cut through the sky like a rainbow of light. And now, the strike was directed at Arnold. The slashing of his sword blew a massive blast of energy on the corridors and Arnold could feel an invisible force raging towards him like a volcanic explosion.

Devon was pretty confident, if the energy sword managed to hit Arnold, he wouldn't be unscathed. The strike was too quick, and Arnold didn't move. Devon was certain the strike would hit him right at his neck. A mere cloak won't be able to protect him. But he also knew Arnold was a man full of surprises and it looked like he had pulled one such surprise now. 

The slash had met with the cloak, resulting in a tremendous explosion. The explosion sent shockwaves across the surrounding. The ground started to crumble, and even the tall titanium walls couldn't hold the place together and shook as countless metallic pieces rolled off its side. The place had already been in a mess, but the explosion made it worse. As the dust settled once again, a visible rift was gouged around the spot where he was standing with cracks extending like a spider's web. Despite the explosion, Arnold was still unharmed and started walking towards Devon.

Devon was stunned. Although he had expected such a situation to arise, he couldn't believe it. Moreover, Arnold did not even make an effort to defend himself from the blow and took it head-on, yet he seemed unaffected. It was unbelievable.

"Don't be surprised, As*hole." Arnold said, "Your weapons may be good, but they are no match against the gear I'm equipped with. After all, the hide from which the cloak is made of once belonged to the monster nicknamed the worst calamity to ever walk on earth."

It didn't take long for Devon to place two and two together. Arnold was referring to Tiamut when he said the worst calamity to walk on earth. Knowing he had no other choice, Devon quickly activated his last plan, codename: Courting Death.