TRAILING SHADOWS

.At that, he reached out, dashing and climbing the wall as he flipped over Afolabi, standing behind him.

"You've become strong." Folarin smiled. "Must be training really hard to unseat me." He chuckled as Afolabi turned around, mockery in his eyes 

"I've not improved, father. Can't remember the last time I trained. So, I'm not strong.

Rather, it's you who has become weak." 

Folarin's gasped, a trickle of essence dripping down from his beard.

He had actually been cut!

The General frowned, cleaning off the drop with a stab of his thumb. As he did that, he brought the thumb to his lips and lickednwith a scoff.

"I know what your plans for Ibiyemi are." Afolabi said, smiling from ear to ear. "And believe me, there would not work."

He dashed, clearing the distance in a blink. As he arrived his father with two daggers held up in position for a stab, his father vanished from spot.

Or rather, instead of vanishing, General Folarin simply tipped, bending backwards while his knees lowered to the ground, placing his physique just under Afolabi

POW! 

His fists resounded into flesh, both of them power jabbing the stomach of Afolabi. His son coughed, the back arched like an inchworm as the air went out of him. Fuelled by the jab, he flew up for some more inches, landing down on the ground,flat out, a little after Folarin had moved away.

General Folarin stood behind Afolabi, by s eyes flashing in as he gripped the sword's hilt by the right hand. 

"So, so what if you know about it? What will you do? Come to complain about my favoritism again?" 

"Actually, Father. Not that, again. I have t-to..." Afolabi strained to rise from the ground, grunting and breathing rapidly. "T-to let you know how futile that would be."

He rose to his feet, taking a deep breath with a smile pasted on his face. Afterwards, Afolabi stretched his hand forward, the daggers floating up and then, zooming into his open waiting hands.

"Because no matter what... She'll never best me!" 

Afolabi slammed his feet down, pounding it on the ground to gain a momentum boost. Fuelled by the impetus, he twisted over, flipping into the air with a backflip. In mid air, he hurled a dagger at the back of the General who yet remained still.

"You underestimate your sister so much!" 

Simultaneously, the General's form shifted, shivering as he instantly swung the right hand with the blade backwards, clanging and deflecting the dagger to his far left.

"What can she do? Like I said, the only way things go south is if she can pretty much level up to Omega. And that, you and I know is literally impossible."

The second dagger whistled into the air ,fiercely piercing into the air for the General's stomach. 

"Or..." Folarin huffed, his senses tingling in anticipation of the daggers. "She can pretty much take you out of the picture and voila... There's nobody out there to try unseating me. At least not with you done for. "

As he did, the other dagger zoomed for his neck from the far left, in sync with the yanking movement of the now landed Afolabi from his right arm.

"That's impossible." Afolabi frowned, jerking his hands over as he controlled the daggers remotely to attack.

The General bent over, dodging it. The other dagger zoomed for his ribs from the far right. Quickly, he angled the sword again, blocking the part while the first dagger zoomed back.

CLANG! CLANG!!

Folarin's blade clanged and resounded, metal against metal, sword against daggers. Reflexes and muscles tingling and rippling as the General bent and twisted, turned swiftly around as he blocked the daggers, all the while being kept on the defensive.

"She has done it before. Or was about to if your lapdog didn't interfere. What makes you think she won't anymore?"

"Nooo..." Afolabi coughed out, spreading his legs apart as he weaved symbols in the air. "Law of light: lesser Destrocuto Beam" 

He threw his hands outwards and together as a white circle formed a perimeter around them. Immediately, the circle blinked, the white light that formed it suddenly blasting forward in a straight humming ray of heated laser energy.

BOOOOOOOM!

The steel blade vibrated heavily as the explosion rang out before it, the after effects resulting in an extremely shaking hands.

The explosion grew outwardly just as the two daggers zoomed for Folarin, one cutting him neatly and deeply by the neck and the other one by the back of his neck, drawing out large amounts of essence.

"Gwaaarggh!" Folarin gurgled essence, losing a grip of his sword just as the explosion rippled out, slamming him heavily against the wall.

"Like I said, father, you're weak!" Afolabi gloated as he caught the daggers with crossed arms.

Folarin's grimaced, biting his lower lip as he struggled to get to his feet. His sword was lying away from him but before he could bend over to pick it, Afolabi stepped over, kicking it away.

Furious now, he gritted his teeth, looking at his son. "I don't want to hurt you, son. Please, the spar is over."

"No, father. The spar is never over. I could kill you here but, I want you to be alive when I rip Ibiyemi's soul from her body and use it as decoration for your office."

"Don't. You. Speak. That. Of. My. Daughter!" Folarin grunted, pounding his fists down at the ground before jerking up. Instantly, a gust of blood seeking aura exploded, the impetus of it staggering Afolabi backwards to the ground.

The General clasped his hand, grunting. "Law of war..."

"Oh... No. No. You don't wanna do that!" Afolabi screamed, stretching his left hand to the father as he sat on his b.u.t.t.

Just then, the door at the balcony opened and two mercenaries stepped in, their faces telling of something that went bad.

Elias and Elisa.

"General!" Elisa called out, stepping to the railing and leaning over to the father and son in the pit.