Dual System: Ascension of A Nameless Nobody

Maverick gathered himself, shaking off the blow to his chin, "...So, you've got kicks, eh…? I'll have you know…kickboxing was part of my repertoire!"

Meeting halfway, the two clashed from a powerful dash launched by both of them, clashing leg-to-leg as both of their kicks resulted in an immense gust of wind propelled outwards from their position.

Pushed to the absolute brink, teetering on consciousness-and-unconsciousness, he let his instincts take over as his martial arts proficiency was all he pulled from, aided by his Sage System.

Pulling away from one another, they immediately clashed kick-for-kick again as a shockwave resounded, but he used the momentum to spin around into another kick, though Maverick wove his way out of it with a duck of his head.

Each time their legs clashed in a deadlock, they canceled out the damage from each other's attacks, repeating this deadlock over and over as they both were delved into the "zone"--fighting at the top of their reflexes, instinct, and capabilities.

Maverick launched a few successive kicks from the same leg, all being swiftly dodged by the sight-taken man who silently evaded each strike with his instincts guiding him.

It all came together; the techniques he learned through cultivating taekwondo–he launched himself into another kick, this time opting for a frontal to Maverick's burly chest.

"Guh–!"

Maverick spit out, being knocked off of his guard, giving him the perfect opportunity to follow up.

Pressing forward, he unleashed a string of attacks: using instantaneous [Blink Steps] while hardly having to perceive it, using the swift momentum from the warps to spin into harsh kicks against various points of Maverick's sturdy body.

It wasn't just kicks; he unleashed punches tailor made for destroying his opponents–going for a reverse punch launched with a shock wave emitting force.

[Martial Arts Proficiency: Taekwondo: +3 | 33/9999]

[New Technique(s) Acquired: Flesh Temple]

Again, he launched a chain of kicks, launching them with a supernatural force. Amidst the air, having kicked his much larger opponent up with a sharp, high-kick to his jaw, he jumped higher than him, gathering momentum for himself once more.

"Eve of The Dragon."

–A special technique that manifested itself in a flaming spiral, a new technique learned just then that allowed him to conjure flames in semblance of a dragon that followed his leg before crashing it down into an ax-kick upon Maverick's chest.

The impact slammed the man into the ground, resulting in an explosion of the draconic flames that assaulted the boxer that was etched into the marble flooring below.

"Gyraaah–!" Maverick spit out as all of the air was forced from his lungs.

He flipped back, catching himself on his wobbly-sense of balance as he hacked up blood, feeling a throbbing heat centered around the wound on his forehead.

You have to be kidding me…He thought.

Even after all of that, Maverick still got up once more, and to his dismay–the champion pugilist raised his bulky arms.

"How…?!" He let out.

Maverick caught his breath, bearing a nasty, purple-and-yellow bruise that stretched across his torso, "..."Last Stand"...that's my unique ability. Call it a miracle worker, whatever…I don't care…It means I'm comin' at ya' with everything I've got, Jeong-Hui."

Those words weren't laced with any falsehoods as not a moment after, Maverick charged at him with a resurgence of energy.

…This is bad! It's not just a direct hit anymore that'll do me in–the slightest flick of damage, and I'm dead! He thought.

All at once, he put everything he had into heightening his senses and maximizing his balance as a flurry of blows were sent his way from the close-quarters fighter.

Small-scale explosions emitted from the knuckles of the boxer, forcing him to dodge in unorthodox ways such as leaning his entire upper-body backward to avoid every instance of damage that could reach him.

It was a wobbly dance he was forced to perform, pivoting and spinning as he did everything he could to avoid the range of the blasts, listening to his instincts and following his enhanced perception to the thinnest wire.

Repeatedly, he bobbed and weaved through the rapid haymakers, spinning himself around and flipping back as Maverick slammed his massive gauntlet against the ground, resulting in a trail of explosions hunting him down.

"Ghh–!"

With a [Blink Step] that felt as if it was tearing as his calf muscles, he managed to evade the pillar of volatility, trying to wipe the blood from his eyes only to see the large, dark-skinned man rushing towards him once again with little semblance of mercy in those determined eyes of his.

Sorry, Maverick…but, I promised myself I would never lose anybody again. Even if it makes me a bad person…I'd rather be that than betray myself again–! He thought.

It played in his head; those words from the assassin-class cultist he encountered months prior–berating his inefficiency at killing.

However, in this moment, he released those shackles–uninhibited by morals or his emotions.

As an unexpected counter to the boxer's rush, he flicked his wrist, hurling a splatter of his own blood directly into Maverick's eyes–blinding him with pinpoint accuracy.

It wasn't a special, named technique, but it was something that came from his cultivated instinct as both an assassin and a martial artist: the necessity to win–no matter the cost.

"Grugh…!" Maverick grunted, instinctively closing his eyes as his opponent's blood blinded him.

That moment in which both the boxer's sight and direction was ripped from beneath his feet was all he needed, bursting forward by focusing all of his power into his legs.

–Even if it means I have to betray the values you gave me, Mom…I have to do what I think is right. I have to value the living over the dead–I have to value my trusted comrades over strangers.

I have to kill this man, he thought.

He closed the distance in that moment, easily avoiding the aimless strike that Maverick launched out of desperation before gripping both handles of his twin daggers that were lodged in the man's shoulders.

In a swift, merciless movement, he plucked the blades from Maverick's boulderous shoulders in a vicious tear, leaving the man yelling out in pain.

Just as Maverick forced his eyes open, holding a completely bloodshot tinge to his whites, he attempted to bring his arms around the much smaller, thin-built assassin–but it was too late.

With a quick, singular movement, he swung both blades in a straight, perfectly-executed arc, slashing directly across the foreign man's throat in two separate directions.

"--"

He kept his gaze down, listening as gargles sounded out from Maverick's lips before a rain of blood spewed out from the man's parted neck.

[Congratulations. You've reached [Level 24]. Current EXP: 50/13500.]

[Resources [Health] and [Spirit] have been fully restored. Remaining Health Points: 3250/3250 Remaining Spirit: 3600/3600.]

[Remaining Skill Points: 3]

[Assassin Proficiency: +3 | Level 32]