Freedom Jumper-Chapter 153: Decay

"Don't worry about me, I can handle it." Elijah had Lith attached to his back while softly and steadily running towards where he saw the pink flag.

Just before reaching the trees that opened up into the steep hill, Elijah had Lith get off his back as he realized such a plan wouldn't work just yet. While Lith used his eyes, Elijah could focus on traversing the dense forest within the violent storm – hopefully finding danger before it finds them.

"GREEN!! ATTACK!"

As soon as Elijah had revealed himself from the trees and stared upwards towards the beginning of the mound that had a clear view of the sky above them, a bunch of contestants on the pink team had revealed him for the world to hear.

"WAIT! STOP!" Elijah tried his best to act in a peaceful manner, but unfortunately had to block a sword strike that would've caused a horrible wound to his shoulder.

"Stop! Please! The game is over! We have to leave the area as I believe there are enemy spies infiltrating the area!"

Of course, nothing Elijah had said even made a dent in their beliefs. All around them, they saw the strikes of lightning and fireworks going off. What they didn't know was that not a single person that had activated their fireworks were being rescued.

At least, this was what Elijah had assumed...

While pulling out his firework, he began to hover over the red button that sat in the center of the star shaped parchment – neatly folded and stapled together. The rune had not been destroyed from the rain as it was in the form of metal, and burnt onto the parchment paper.

Unfortunately, just before Elijah had been able to press the button that would hopefully solidify his theory, Jonah had come from the side – from within the covering of a tree, and tackled him to the ground.

"You are one idiot for thinking you could fool us!" While holding onto a pile of green leaves he grabbed from the floor, Jonah began creating metal buckles that formed over Elijah's wrists and legs, planting Elijah to the ground with metal stakes.

"Dammit Jonah! I am not joking! If you activate your firework, no one will come to save you!"

"It's the elves! It's the elves!" Lith began doing everything he could to save the situation from behind, in a place unseeable to the eye of anyone on the slope of the mound.

BANG!

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

From within the illumination the strike of lightning had brought, Jonah saw a figure dressed in all black sliding a knife into his teammates throat – one by one.

Jonah had been confirmed to have a creation ability with likely a flaw that only allowed one to create when something organic or natural was given in its place. When the death of his teammates had occurred, he gave a long sorry stare at Elijah, and began running for his life down the slope of the hill filled with trees – leaving Elijah to die.

"HAHAHA I KNEW YOU WERE THAT TYPE OF GUY!"

Heavy and sloppy footsteps of a tall man dressed in black created an ominous presence when walking into Elijah's line of sight. A man with dark purple eyes that were only briefly seen within the illumination of the lightning.

The effect of placebo hit Elijah's mind – stopping him from easily breaking free of the chains. Feelings related to the void stepped into the staircase of his mind, slowly reaching the top. Purple eyes were not something that anyone naturally possessed, but maybe a natural eye color specific to what Elijah had assumed were the elves.

"Looks like you are gonna have to die as well... kid. You may not be the target, but still, no one can see our faces." The man began speaking through his black cloth mask that only left his eyes visible. What Elijah hadn't noticed earlier were extra pieces of his black suit that seemed to be part of a one-piece. Flared sides underneath his armpits.

"You came from the sky." Elijah said in a monotone voice while shuttling a large amount of mana through his entire body.

The man responded quickly while walking over top of Elijah's body. "How did you figure that out?"

"It's been a long time since I have had a taste of freedom. And now, here you are, trying to end the chase..."

"What are you saying kid? Ah... Whatever, probably just mortified..."

BANG!

Breaking the sound of the rain that hit the leaves, a strike of lightning caused the man to hesitate after pulling out his sword. The lightning strike had incinerated the pink flag that stood atop the mound.

BAM!

Instantaneously, the ground underneath Elijah cracked and splintered as the metal bindings broke into small pieces. Of course, the moment this happened, a small spatial storage portal opened up simply from the mana that was coursing through his ankles.

While Elijah quickly flew to the top of the mound, and looked down at the man whose eyes were illuminated once more to hear words of excitement and anticipation.

"Looks like I have a fight on my hands!"

All the while, Elijah was feeling the exact same thing. Within the cells of his flesh was a tingling sensation that created a rhythmic beat in his heart. Especially once the dirt around the man's hand turned to nothingness – black ash rose high into the air, and disappeared into the darkness of the night...

Before, Elijah would have done whatever he could to gain as much info as possible. But, now, he just wanted this man to die — as the slayer to the people of this kingdom.

Expectedly, the man quickly ran up the mound to face Elijah with only his fists.

Only, when Elijah pulled the red rimmed curved and spiked dagger from the dead body he had found earlier, he stopped in his tracks — wincing from fear?

Elijah took this hesitation and swung the dagger across the man's body, only to have it disintegrate as it ran through the man's palm.

'So it is decay... I wonder if I can even touch him.'

Elijah quickly formed water whilst backing up from his fistful lunges, and covered him with water — only to see it disappear into nothingness.

The fight continued on in a stalemate as Elijah did whatever he could to dodge each attack, even if it meant flying high into the air, which was only done when absolutely necessary.

The sounds and rumbling of the lightning increasing in the surroundings only made the fight more intense. Whoever is hit first, would become the loser...

During the time Elijah had been fighting the man, he had noticed his physical body decaying. The half a hand he had was now shriveled to the end of his wrist bone, as well as one of his eyes that seemed to have lost its color.

While the man had an incredible and destructive power, its flaw made it near impossible to increase its power. Likely, this man had touched a monolith, and only used the power in absolute desperation, which is where he stood now.

In front of a child with a myriad of powers that made him practically untouchable.

Although, if the man Elijah were facing had any other physical power, he would likely be dead already. Knowing his physical combat prowess and bladeship was severely lacking — he resorted to escaping at every close encounter while throwing the best water spells he could.

Desperation was what would give Elijah victory as every missed punch would result in the ashes of his body being thrown into the air.

Slowly, Elijah began to secure his victory, and began asking questions while floating into the rainy sky with his hair draped over his eyes.