"If I was in my full Iron rank then I would have been silver rank now." Arkin smiled, all his fangs flashed, and it briefly reminded Temur of Jael when he used Hermit.
But he shook his head, he had to focus. The monster in front of him is Iron rank, but it felt like it's somehow more than that, but not Silver rank. It must be the effect of the poison.
Temur tightened his hand on his sword. 'This just reminds me that if I have little time left before the poison wears off from them, then I'll be truly fucked. I have to take care of this and take this bastard with me. Somehow'
"Hey Arkin," Temur called. "If I beat the shit out of you then that monster will return to where it came from, right?"
Arkin blinked, surprised. "Well, yes, but you are just Iron. Do you think you will be able to touch even a hair on my body...?!!"
Temur was already in front of him and his sword sang with graceful brutality. 'I got him..!!' His sword only cut the echo that Arkin left behind because of his speed.
"Aren't you getting too arrogant?" A cold voice said beside him, and then a punch rammed into his side and sent him jetting sideways; he slammed into the wall with a force that shook his bones. "Why do you interrupt me while I'm speaking."
Temur touched his side and he grimaced. 'That punch...it's powerful. It's like fighting an S-rank Iron. No, even higher. Can I do th....!!'
Arkin did it again, he was suddenly in front of him and punched him in the chest. But it didn't go as he fully intended; instead of Temur flying back, he was just moved back a few steps.
Arkin looked down at his hand in surprise. "Will you look at this, how are you able to strengthen yourself."
Temur grimaced. "That's a trade secret." It's simple: his aura can strengthen things, and when fighting, Temur usually spreads it throughout his whole body, but what if he concentrated it in one spot instead?
"No easy death for you!" Long sharp claws racked his back, slicing through his clothes like papers and rending flesh. Temur screamed in pain and tried to shake him off, but that only made the claws a bit deeper.
The pain of the blow to the head clouded his mind. He felt like just giving up. With a monster like this fighting him then what can he do except to accept his fate? To lay down quietly and...no! I must do whatever I can!
Anything! His hand twitched, but his weapon was gone; the only thing he was holding was the mask. Right! The mask!
Arkin laughed. "Ohohohohahaha! I know just how to dissect a human. I'm going to do it while you're still alive....!!" He uncoiled himself from Temur's back and jumped back.
His eyes were wide. "What is that....?"
Just then he felt a bloodlust pressure that made him fear and move away. But that can't be right; although Temur has an impressive Iron rank, he's still not as strong as...!!
Temur stood, slowly and Arkin knew he didn't imagine things.
He's worn the mask, and now everything about him has changed; his aura is now chilled and sharp, and it carries the faint smell of brutality.
Arkin took a step back as red eyes shone through the mask. "It can't be....is that the Cold mask? You'll kill yourself before I can!"
The Cold mask, even though it's rare, it's also one of the most well-known artifacts because of its ability– it can boost Awakener's power.
Arkin's tongue darted out and tasted the air like a snake. "So I'm going to get an artifact wit...." he didn't get to finish it because a hand covered his face and slammed his head into the stone.