Revenge pact

Adonis shifted his gaze to the side, where his eyes met Naomi's.

Despite tears and mucus still tracing down her cheeks, her once-piercing cries had subsided, and she now stood in silent support of the boy.

"Run!"

Utilizing his final reserve of energy, Adonis forcefully stomped on a wooden floorboard, sending a flurry of splinters scattering in the direction of the approaching knight.

THUD

Quick to react, Quin raised his left arm as a shield, guarding his face against the onslaught of splinters that threatened to obscure his vision.

While he typically would have employed his spear's rapid rotation to form a protective barrier, the confined space of the cottage denied him that maneuver.

Without hesitation, Adonis sprang toward the tearful young woman, sweeping her off her feet before she could even comprehend the situation.

Cradling Naomi securely, Adonis bounded toward a nearby table, using it as a launching pad to propel himself higher.

With a graceful rebound off the wall, he propelled himself toward a small window.

In a daring move, Adonis burst through the window, taking the brunt of the impact to ensure Naomi's safety.

The window shattered upon collision, yet Adonis skillfully shielded her from harm.

SHATTER

Before Quin could fully process the audacious escape plan, Adonis had vanished, leaving only a scattering of glass fragments in his wake.

Unwilling to waste a moment, Quin immediately initiated pursuit, driven by his determination to capture the young fugitive.

Despite Adonis's comparative physical inferiority and slower pace, his superhuman abilities still granted him a remarkable agility that kept him apace with the relentless knight.

"Get back here, you coward!"

Adonis maintained his breakneck pace, hurtling forward with unyielding determination.

He abruptly veered into an empty alleyway, weaving through its confines and executing several sharp turns in an effort to elude the pursuit of the furious knight.

***

Ten minutes of unrelenting sprinting finally yielded results for Adonis as he successfully managed to create a temporary gap between himself and Quin.

Seeking a respite from the chase, he darted into a secluded alley, where he concealed Naomi and allowed both of them a few precious moments to catch their breath.

"Where are you Mongrel!" Quin shouted as he continued to roam the maze-like alleys of the residential district.

Navigating through one alley after another in his relentless pursuit, Quin's keen eyes caught sight of a distinctive figure.

Emerging from an empty passage was a figure dressed in a flowing white chiton.

"I found you!"

As Quin identified the boy he leaped at the commoner with his spear outstretched, targeting Adonis' abdomen.

"Hm?" With lightning reflexes, Adonis sprang sideways in a desperate attempt to evade the impending attack.

However, his reaction fell short by a mere fraction of a second. The spear's blade, sharp as it was, breached the fabric of the white chiton, staining the once-pristine cotton with a vivid crimson hue.

SPLURT

"Argh!" Adonis was sent rolling by the momentum of the attack as he continued to bleed from the side of his body.

{I'm not even surprised at this point.} Eos said in a disappointed tone.

Quin expertly twirled his spear in a fluid motion, its deadly edge glinting in the ambient light.

A deliberate, measured stride carried him closer to the crouched figure of the young boy, who clung to his injured side with an expression of pain etched across his face.

"Where's my bride?"

"She's not your bride." Adonis raised his hand and summoned a long black staff.

"Did your parents not teach you how to mind your business?"

Quin's derisive snort accompanied his spear's swift thrust toward the boy's face.

Adonis emitted a sharp grunt, his reflexes kicking in as he skillfully employed his staff to divert the knight's spear thrust to the side.

BAM

Seizing the opportunity, Adonis retreated a step, swiftly assuming a poised combat stance with his improvised bo staff at the ready.

"This is where you lose your life, mongrel. I've grown tired of seeing your face."

"I was told I'll die in eight years. I don't plan on dying prematurely." Adonis said sternly as he dashed towards his opponent.

Adonis raised his stick and threw his first attack since their encounter in the cottage.

The young boy swung his staff at Quin's head and the knight reacted appropriately by ducking and using his own spear to jab at Adonis' stomach.

Instead of stepping back or dodging as one would conventionally do, Adonis used his knee to hit the flat underside of the blade interrupting the attack's momentum and knocking the spear out of his hands.

THUD

No longer startled by the boy's level of creativity, Quin stayed level-headed and grabbed Adonis' lifted leg to initiate a tackle.

{Punish it!}

Adonis launched the leg he stood on towards Quin's nose who had his head low.

SMASH

Although Quin was quick enough to react to the attack, he was still too late to try and evade it entirely because he had already committed to the tackle.

The boy's other knee, the one that he hadn't used to knock the spear back Adonis smashed Quin's nose in causing blood to flow freely.

SPLURT

"Ahh!"

Resisting the anticipated recoil from his failed attack, Quin maintained his momentum and committed to a fierce tackle.

Swiftly, his free arm seized the boy's opposite leg, the grip unyielding as he forcefully slammed Adonis onto the unforgiving, cold ground.

THUD

The bo staff that Adonis had wielded was sent spiraling into the air, an unintended result of the impactful collision with the knight.

CLATTER

A distant, brittle crack reached Adonis's ears as his slender frame connected harshly with the ground, the imposing bulk of the knight pressing him down.

The taste of iron filled his mouth, a telltale sign of blood, as a subdued cry of anguish escaped his lips.

'Now's not the time to dwell on injuries.'

Quin asserted his dominance by mounting the smaller figure, his weight bearing down to immobilize the boy beneath him. With cruel intent, he unleashed a series of forceful punches upon the boy's once-angelic visage.

BANG

"Tell!" Quin exclaimed before he went ahead and throw another punch.

BANG

"Me!"

BANG

"Where!"

BANG

"Naomi!"

BANG

"Is!"

With each brutal blow, Adonis's complexion turned increasingly bluish, his features contorting as the assault caused his face to swell significantly.

"Never!" Adonis raised his arms and tried using them to block the knight's unrelenting punches.

Just before Quin could resume his assault, Adonis summoned all his strength and thrust his hips upward, causing the knight's weight to lift slightly.

Seizing the moment, Quin swiftly readjusted his position, quashing any escape attempt. Yet, his shift inadvertently gave Adonis a fleeting opening.

Capitalizing on this chance, Adonis snapped his upper body towards Quin, executing a headbutt that struck the knight's nose, eliciting a fresh burst of blood.

BAM

Adonis then skillfully twisted his body, rolling free from Quin's hold.

Once a few feet away, Adonis scrambled upright, his gaze locking onto his discarded staff.

Quin, back on his feet as well, intercepted Adonis's intent and charged without relent, allowing no chance for the boy to regain his weapon.

In a split-second decision, Quin unleashed a menacing punch aimed at Adonis's battered face.

However, rather than absorbing the attack, Adonis evaded by swerving beneath the punch, instantly retaliating with a punch of his own.

Adonis's strike connected with Quin's outstretched hand, momentarily forestalling any reprisal.

Without hesitation, though, Quin absorbed the hit, choosing instead to launch a counter-assault.

His powerful right hook whistled toward Adonis's head.

With unwavering resolve, Adonis embraced the impact, retaliating in kind.

He pivoted, his left leg executing a swift kick to Quin's calf, causing the knight's knee to buckle.

The force of their simultaneous blows sent both combatants sprawling to the ground, their struggle palpable as they scrambled to regain their footing.

Once upright, they adopted ragged fighting stances, their intense gazes locking in a testament to their unyielding determination.

DUMMMM

DUMMMM

Initiative returned to Adonis, who surged forward with a swift approach, unleashing a side kick aimed at Quin's lower abdomen.

BAM

Though Quin deflected some of the force with his raised arm, he was still pushed back slightly.

Anticipating the next move, Adonis pivoted into another kick, this time targeting Quin's calf.

Quin, anticipating the maneuver, swiftly lifted his leg to check the attack.

THUD

Undeterred by the unsuccessful strikes, Adonis forged ahead with another attempt, employing a different tactic.

This time, he shifted his weight and launched a hook kick at Quin's side...

***

After a few more minutes of trading blows, Adonis and Quin were exhausted and covered in bruises and cuts.

With his hands on his knees, the knight huffed multiple times as he looked at the boy with an expression of realization.

"Do you know what I find funny mongrel...At first, I thought you were fighting me to merely preserve your life, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Because if self-preservation was your agenda you would've never engaged in this battle and ran away like at the cottage."

"..." The boy didn't reply as he kept a solid expression.

"And there's been a trend in all of your behavior, you fight to protect... So, in this empty alleyway...What're you defending?" The knight's smile curved up as he reached a reasonable and highly likely conclusion.

"I didn't realize it before, but I found you as you were leaving a dead end. But I didn't see you enter said crevice, meaning you stayed there for a couple of minutes and there are only two things you could've been doing under such circumstances... You took potions, hence why you came out in better condition and more energized."

Adonis' breathing became heavier as he realized where the knight was going with his analysis.

"And most importantly, you hid the girl in said dead end!" Quin smiled menacingly as he saw the look on Adonis' face turn to despair.