Still they could not believe it. They had killed so many nobles. Even if a noble trained in sword wielding it was never strong. But Elias was strong, he had incredible speed that had long outmatched all of them. His reflexes were so instinctual as if he had trained all his life for fighting only.
And more than that, he was ruthless. He had no shed of fear or pity as he killed them one by one. Many wanted to run away, they were not sure if they could defeat Elias or die just like their friends.
But they had no choice so they attacked him once again. Three of them moved their swords toward him at once. He spun with force barely catching the fourth man's sword with his own. They grappled, blades locked. Elias headbutted him, then kneed him viciously, driving him back, but another attacker slammed into his side. They crashed to the ground, rolling in dirt, fists flying.
The assassin was strong. A brute with a shaved head and scars on his forearms. He tried to strangle Elias with both hands. Elias grabbed a rock and smashed it into the man's temple with sheer force. The blood poured at once and his grip loosened.
Elias gasped, scrambling to his feet. His body was aching. But there was a strange thrill that filled his chest. He could feel he was much stronger than them and they did not hold a chance against him. He was much stronger and now he could hold his revenge easily.
"You.. how are you doing this?" even the boss had realised something was wrong with this man. He was killing all his best assassins with just one attack or two.
"Because you are too weak." Elias smirked and licked his lips with a thrilling look in his eyes. They all get their teeth tied, their eyes burning with hatred and the desire to kill.
Another man attacked with duel swords this time. He attacked Elias from both sides. Elias took out a dagger and held it in his other hand.
The man smirked, laughing at his actions.
"I have been practicing dual swords since I was young and you want to face me with this fancy dagger." he scoffed, looking at Elias. Maybe he had defeated many of them but he took advantage of Elias now, "I will take revenge on my brother you have killed. It is not about robbing you anymore." with a desire to kill, he attacked with both swords at once.
One was aiming for his chest while the other was lowered to his gut on the other side. Elias used the sword to parry the sword coming for his chest while he used the small dagger to block the attack on his gut. The man smirked, putting more pressure but he was stunned to see that he could not fight against a simple dagger. It should have flown away or broken under the force of his sword.
But somehow, Elias had used it to block him completely. He could not accept this result. He would.. Getting his teeth, he took a step back and attacked again. Their blades danced, fast and precise. Sparks flew as metal clashed. Whenever the man slashed, Elias dodged with such ease as if he was only training the man for a better opponent. Elias countered, the man parried only with the help of his dual swords, his face paling and covered in sweat. The spectators would feel they were at equal footing. But the man knew Elias was just playing with him. Fighting with a dual sword requires a lot of power, stamina and concentration. If it continued, he would be at a disadvantage as he could not continue this.
The soft smile on ELias's face told him that Elias was already aware of it. And was just playing with him. He gritted his teeth and attacked Dagian, he did not have a choice. The cheers around him added humiliation to him. A flurry of strikes followed with more force with the intention of defeating Elias, but Elias feinted left, then reversed his grip and drove his blade under the man's ribs. The duelist gasped, dropped his sword, and fell, shocking everyone around them. What just happened? Was he not winning earlier?
They felt goosebumps on their skin just looking at his body. How could a flint dagger be stronger than a trained sword? It was definitely the man wielding it that was much stronger than them.
But they noticed that Elias stumbled back. And a deep wound on his side burned. His breathing came hard now. His vision blurred at the edges.
"Though he did not lose, he was fatally injured. This is our time to teach him a lesson." shouted the leader. He could not leave without taking revenge on his men.
Elias was surprised that they still wanted to continue. He had underestimated their deviation, These weren't mere thieves. They were trained to kill.
"You would not learn your lesson that easily." he laughed, "but I admire your courage. Come! Let's end this quickly." they all gritted their teeth hearing his comment but they were not arrogant like before. They were much more cautious and worried.
The sixth came next. He was a short, stocky, brawler with fists like iron. He tackled Elias into the side of the carriage. The wooden frame cracked with the force, and Elias was bumped into it. Elias grunted, losing grip of his sword. The man punched him back to back without giving rest until Elias's lip split and blood filled his mouth.
But pain was no stranger. Elias barely felt it now. The man grinned and continued to attack Elias's chest but this time, Elias drove his forehead into the man's nose and the bone crunched at once. The assassin reeled with pain. Elias shoved him back, reached under his coat, and drew a hidden dagger from his boot. With one smooth motion, he slashed across the man's throat.
Only two remained now. One tall and lean, wielding a staff. The other, silent and hooded, stood further away watching with cold eyes.
"Come on, I do not have much time left." Elias looked at them with a bored expression. What shocked them more was his wounds did not look as fatal and gruesome as before. They were totally depending on the fact that he was getting fatally injured by all of them, and soon he could not fight anymore. But now, they were not sure anymore.