The tree tumbled over, creating a loud thud sound that echoed through the area. The man with curly hair took a step back in shock at the display of power.
Ty spoke out loud, "So I guess my old assumption was right on Planet Alexira."
Slowly pulling himself together, the man felt his vision become shaky as he asked, "Now, did you decide what you all wanted to do?"
"We would like to get this finished before lunch," Ty stated with a smirk, as anger started to surface on the man’s face. He pointed his sword toward Ty and demanded, "Nonsense! We’re the ones here calling the shots! Hand over the gold now!"
Ty ran his hand through his hair before doing a slight stretch and said, "Well, come get it then."
A tense moment passed after those words, and the thin man stepped off his foot with blistering speed, diving in towards Ty, attempting to swing down on him.
Ty easily sidestepped the thin man’s strike, offering an open-handed strike to his stomach that sent him flying into the air for a brief moment.
Then, Ty used his other hand to deliver a powerful punch to the man’s face.
Although the man’s sword grazed the side of Ty’s shoulder with little effect, he ultimately tumbled into a tree with a loud thud upon impact.
Ty looked a bit concerned until the man’s body began to shake and shimmer. "I guess he’s still breathing?" Ty wondered aloud. "I would suggest you get your buddy some help because I felt a rib crack."
A small chuckle escaped from the injured man as he stammered to his feet, using his blade for support.
He demanded, "The conditions have been met." His sword began to glow blue as he shouted further, "I want him dead!" Blood billowed from his mouth as the two other men dived towards Ty.
Ty attempted to step away from the large man’s fist, but for some reason, his body lagged behind his intent. The fist crashed into Ty’s face, sending him skidding backward.
Meanwhile, the silent, expressionless man slipped a knife into Ty’s side and followed up with a kick to his back, sending him tumbling to one knee.
Blood trickled down Ty’s lip, and he thought, *Shit, this must be his weapon’s ability. I can’t take them lightly and test things like I wanted.*
The silent man looked at his small blade in confusion, noting, "This blood seems off."
As the man with curly hair approached Ty, sneering, "Not so high and mighty now with blood leaking from your side, are you?" Ty’s body still felt sluggish from the previous blow, and he realized these attackers deserved caution.
Despite the danger, Ty cracked a defiant smile. "Oh, please, stop the monologuing. No one, and I mean no one, is scared of you," he retorted.
Fury painted across the man’s face as he raised his blade toward the sky, while the bulky one began unsheathing a massive hammer from his back, wrapped in blue leather that clashed with Ty’s red attire.
Ty struggled to lift his arm, noticing that the speed was increasing, but not nearly enough to catch the strike.
The thin man’s scream pierced the air, "Just die, you talentless loser!" Ty smirked at the insult.
Closing his eyes, he summoned the massive wheel of soul orbs. Five colored orbs occupied the first row. Behind them waited the colorless souls he had absorbed from the Yami King.
Behind those orbs, hundreds of colorless ones filled row after row, stretching farther than Ty could count.
The blade continued creeping toward him inside the slowed space.
The barrier orb still floated in two broken halves. Ty reached for it. One colorless orb split beside it, and half of that empty soul drained into the fracture. The barrier orb sealed itself whole. The unused half remained in the wheel.
The repair had triggered when he chose the damaged ability. Ty felt the barrier settle back into his reach as his vision distorted and his breathing steadied.
"I still can’t maintain this void for long," Ty thought, grabbing a brown orb that he slightly remembered from a previous encounter. Time sped up again, and the blade inched perilously close to Ty’s neck.
Nana’s voice shouted, "Ty, watch out!"
But then, unexpectedly, the blade bounced back from Ty’s neck with a resounding crack.
The thin man skidded back. "What the hell was that? I hit your neck. That’s flesh. How did you--"
The brown orb’s weight crashed onto him and drove him to one knee.
"Gravity amplification. That makes sense," Ty muttered aloud. As the expressionless man’s blade began to shine a bright red, it had no effect on anything, leaving him looking surprised as he took a step back.
Meanwhile, the bulky man attempted to slam his hammer down on Ty. The impact was massive, causing the ground to shimmer and crack. However, Ty regained full mobility and dashed toward the thin man.
"Who’s talentless now?" Ty taunted as the gravity manipulation let up. He caught the man’s sword with his free hand, preventing it from hitting him.
The thin man’s blade glowed hot enough for Ty to feel the heat from a distance. The bulky man’s hammer slammed into the ground with a deafening thud, sending shockwaves through the earth.
Amidst the chaos, Ty’s senses sharpened. The scent of earth and sweat mingled, and the gritty taste of dust coated his tongue.
The bulky man’s shadow crossed Ty as the massive hammer descended.
Nana raised her red hand behind Ty and snapped her fingers. The hammer wielder’s head burst apart, and the weapon dropped harmlessly beside Ty. The thin man stared at Nana, speechless.
Ty’s voice, filled with cold confidence, cut through the tension as he said, "You have no idea what I can do." With a swift punch to the side of the thin man’s blade, he forced it to rebound violently, striking the thin man in the side.
Blood trickled from the side of the thin man’s face as he glanced around, searching for any sign of the expressionless man, but it seemed like he had either fled or disappeared.
Panic flickered in his eyes as he turned his focus back to Ty, determination replacing his initial shock.
With lightning speed, the thin man drew a hidden dagger and lunged toward Ty, aiming for his neck. The blade sank into Ty’s flesh, and red lifeblood began to flow from the wound.
A malicious laugh escaped the thin man’s lips as he gloated, "Haha, not so strong now, are you?" But Ty’s expression remained unchanged, his calm demeanor unsettling.
Ty caught the man’s wrist and raised both hands over his head. The flesh covering Ty’s face receded, exposing his skull and the green light burning inside it.
Blood continued to drip from Ty’s neck as the wound closed. Ty brought both fists down against the thin man’s skull. His legs folded beneath him.
The thin man’s body struck the ground. Nana watched from behind Ty, her raised hand still shaking from the force she had placed inside the bandit’s skull.
A small blue orb slipped from the thin man’s body and sank into Ty.
Ty kept his attention on the trees. One bandit remained.
The silence that followed was broken by a rustling sound from the nearby trees. Out emerged the expressionless man, his blade still gleaming with a fiery aura. He had witnessed the gruesome end of his comrade and showed no visible emotion.
"Your powers... they’re unnatural," he finally spoke, his voice devoid of any inflection.
Ty maintained his stoic demeanor, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. "Unnatural or not, I suggest you walk away now, or you’ll share your friend’s fate."
Slowly stepping back, his skin faded into black ink that eventually dissipated. Ty looked on in slight shock. "Now that’s an ability," he commented.
"Thanks for taking care of the hammer," Ty said. He pulled a plaid cloth from the thin man’s coat and wiped the blood from his face. "That would’ve hurt."
Nana lowered her hand and looked away. "Don’t mention it."
"Those assholes shouldn’t have interrupted our progress," Nana said as the crow dived between them.
The crow transformed into a man clad in armor.
Ty pointed to him and said, "This was the man I was talking about."
The armored man, now in human form, was filled with concern. Ignoring Ty’s remark, he bent down to check on Nana, examining her arms for any cuts or bruises.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "I should have been watching this area more intently."
Nana reassured him, "No, everything is just fine. Ty was able to handle those weak bandits," she said with a slight laugh.