The Phantom Riser

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - FEAR ME

There are many ways to reveal your presence. One of the most dramatic of them all; is blowing things up. Kiro and his team walked into a land minefield and it set off a series of explosions. Kiro had already reflexively put up his shield around himself, Karenia, and Victor. They were the only ones with him at the moment. The dust acted as a good cover, but Kiro was certain that Jovak wasn’t nearly foolish enough to attack them under the cover of a smokescreen. They had the advantage when it came to senses. They’d be doing themselves more harm than good. It was also risky for Kiro too to attack. So they both waited for the dust to clear out.

“I want to offer a proposal. For now, I bear no hostility towards you,” Jovak said. He had his psychopathic grin on.

“That explains the ‘warm’ welcome. You could have at least said that before you tried to blow us to bits,” Kiro said.

“Think of it as a screening process. At least I am sure you are worthy enough for me to want to strike a bargain.”

There were at least ten teams on Jovak’s side. Kiro scanned through. He spotted Isaac rather quickly. He had been staring viciously at Kiro for a while. He looked to see if he could find the Red Vase or Dominic’s necklace. He was aware that Jovak had found it. Well, everyone was aware. The feed had reported it. They usually report such things. That’s why a lot of Risers came to Kiro's team when it was announced that they had secured Azulon’s heart. The only difference that no one was brave enough or nearly stupid enough to attack Jovak. And after taking down Nuri so easily, Kiro’s team became one that most Risers would rather avoid than fight.

“I’m listening.”

“Drop this farce and help me achieve my goal. We can---”

“I don’t even want to know what your goal is. I’m not interested. I only came here for one thing. If you give it to me, I’ll leave peacefully.”

“What is it?”

“Your head.”

Jovak’s grin widened a little more. His face could barely take any more stretching. “If it’s my head you want, come and take it.” – Jovak pulled at his own hair. It looked excruciatingly painful for someone to lose his head that way, much less to inflict the pain himself. He threw the head on the ground and it rolled in Kiro’s direction. – “Here I am. Take me,” the head on the ground said.

Kiro frowned. He watched as the body slowly turned to dust. From a distance, Jovak laughed cynically. “You should have seen the look on your faces!”

“How’s that even possible?” Victor asked.

“It’s not abnormal for a necromancer to be able to use clones. They can’t stay far from them, however. But the fact that he can use it means he is already past the level thirty. And that on its own scares me,” Kiro whispered to his teammates.

“How do we know the real one?” Karenia asked.

“Unfortunately, that is something I never figured out. But his use of clones is limited. He definitely did that to intimidate us.”

“He’s not the only thing we have to worry about. These guys look crazy. Even Karenia’s calm,” Victor said. Disappointment engulfed him when he looked over his shoulder to see Karenia. She was shivering from excitement. What was wrong with that girl? How can she be so carefree towards such a dangerous fight?

“So what’s your answer, Phantom Riser?” Jovak asked.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Kiro said. “Brace yourself guys,” Kiro whispered to Karenia and Kiro.

“Very well.”

***

System Update

Jovak Leonard

Skill move activated: Army of the Undead (an army of undead minions are summoned. They continue to replenish themselves from their master’s energy)

Active Time: 03:00

***

Jovak’s army of the undead charge at Kiro and his team. They were just a bunch of armed skeletons with not a single piece of flesh. Attacking them was futile, especially since they could regenerate.

***

System Update

Kiro Ner

Skill move: Force field zone

Active Time: 01:30

***

Kiro used his force field spheres to trap each of the undead. Jovak was amused. He was in no hurry. He had the upper hand in every respect. He was quite impressed at how efficiently they were dealing with his attack. But that was nothing compared to what he had in store for them.

“His army of the undead won’t last forever and neither will my spheres. We’ll have to find another way of dealing with them,” Kiro said. What Jovak didn’t know was that he was stalling. He wasn’t just after Jovak’s head. He was after what Jovak had acquired; Dominic’s necklace and the Red Vase.

“Is that all you can do Phantom Riser? Defend?” Jovak teased. One of the Risers charged straight at Kiro but he was caught in his force field zone. He struggled helplessly to break free from Kiro’s force field sphere but it was futile. Kiro compressed the sphere to such a small size, that it crushed the Riser within an instant. “Oh, that is more dangerous than I made it out to be,” Jovak exclaimed. But it was all nothing more than amusement to him. He was still yet to attack in a real sense. None of his key members had made a move yet.

“Why don’t you step outside,” Kiro goaded. “We’ll see how tough you are when you are trapped in one of my spheres.”

“Oh, Isaac told me all about them. That’s why I had to find a way for you to use it from the start. We can stay out of range for as long as we want. After it elapses, you’ll be open.”

Kiro frowned. He had underestimated Jovak once more. He let off a sigh and gave a nod in Karenia’s direction. “Wreak havoc. Spare no one,” he said.

“Finally, it’s my time to shine,” Karenia grinned.

***

System Update

Karenia Zari

Special Skill Activated: Frenzy; Beast-types enjoy a limited period of a power boost as much as five times their original strength and speed. Active time is replenished once a month.

Active Time: 01:30

***