BAAAAAAAAAM.
A silhouette flew across the inner courtyard and crashed into a building, collapsing a wall. Inside, there were children, men, and women unconscious on the ground; they had hidden in the warehouse to avoid the chaos.
-Tchh... Damn Goddess, stop! Look at what you’ve caused!- shouted the old man Alan angrily. His body looked battered, and his right arm hung limply to one side, utterly shattered.
-This is the price you pay for your crimes, Sonic Knight. The families back then suffered the same fate- The man with golden eyes continued to shine under the divine aura of the goddess, although the glow was slowly fading.
"She has a couple of minutes left before he succumbs... Damn, I don't know if I'll last" muttered the white-haired man in resignation.
-Then I’ll pay for them-
An orange aura began to envelop the Sonic Knight. From his rapier, which glowed in an orange hue, it spread across his entire body. He was imbuing every part of his being with "intention," a form of ether used by swordsmen, said to be as powerful as magic.
Martin had heard of this during his visits to the tavern, but without a master to guide him and with little information at hand, he couldn’t even begin to investigate this power.
FLAAAAAAAASH.
A crimson bolt shot through the air, its destructive power dozens of times greater than the rays of the divine emissary. The Goddess of Nature combined fire and electricity in that attack.
CRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK.
Alan intercepted the crimson bolt with the tip of his rapier, causing sparks to fly and emitting a piercing screech.
-AAAAAAH!- a loud cry escaped the mouth of the former knight, who stood firm against the enemy.
The attack was so powerful that he could only repel it by pouring half of his ether into the rapier. If that attack had struck the ground, at least half the site would have vanished.
-Well done, Sonic Knight. Too bad it wasn’t enough-
Alan looked around, and half of the buildings were in ruins; the collateral damage from the recent clash was devastating. In the distance, he could see charred bodies struck by the released sparks and burning buildings. Even out of the corner of his eye, he saw a building collapse on the daughter of delirium.
"Defending makes no sense in these circumstances" Alan’s eyes turned orange, and the volume of the aura surrounding him began to increase.
Slash.
Alan took a step forward and pierced the air at a speed hard to follow with the human eye. The orange aura covering his rapier extended in a straight line as if it were part of the weapon and pierced the pilgrim’s shoulder.
-Damn it, stay still!-
The Goddess’s avatar reacted at the last second and moved slightly, avoiding a blow to the heart.
Slash.
A second attack pierced the avatar’s left arm, and he stared expressionlessly at the former knight.
Slash.
A third attack grazed the man’s cheek, causing him to frown in irritation.
Slash.
A fourth attack pierced the empty air as the Goddess’s avatar nimbly dodged and launched a counterattack.
Swooooosh.
A wind blade covered in lightning struck Alan’s rapier.
-Aggghhhh!- the electric shock coursed through his entire body as he tried to block it.
BAAAANG.
A spike of ice propelled by a burst of fire reached tremendous speed, spinning on its axis and adding penetrating power to the attack.
CLAAAANK.
A melodious sound radiating beauty covered the surroundings as Alan parried the ice spike, shattering it instantly.
The former knight leaped toward the Goddess’s avatar and began a flurry of attacks from all angles.
PAM PAM PAM PAM PAM.
A sideways swing was blocked by an ice wall. An upward strike was dodged by the pilgrim, who took a step back. A forward thrust was stopped by a dense layer of rocks. The rapid exchange between them reached a stalemate.
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The knight Alan used the Solar style of the Sworder family, which specialized in offense through agile, fast, and strong movements. The essence of the style was to overwhelm the opponent and break their posture through an endless barrage of attacks. Likewise, the style’s defense was low, and its energy consumption was extremely high, so if they faced an individual who could withstand the onslaught, they were at a disadvantage.
-Ah! ah! ah!- Alan’s breathing was labored, and his ether reserves were rapidly depleting. He couldn’t find any opening to land a decisive blow.
Fuuuuuuuuuuu.
A sudden wind blew and covered the scene with sand, clouding visibility.
SWOOOSH.
A wind blade imbued with fire shot out at high speed from the dust cloud.
-Tchh!-
Alan hastily jumped to the side, avoiding the powerful spell.
SWOOOSH.
A second wind blade wrapped in fire came down from the sky toward the spot where Alan had jumped.
-Damn it!- Alan, with no time to dodge, strengthened the aura covering his rapier to try to block the attack.
BOOOONG.
The destructive spell ricocheted off a shield and shot into the sky. The recoil force sent Robert flying backward, crashing into a building.
-Doyle! Lisa!- Robert shouted his companions’ names as he slammed into a building.
-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!- the white-haired, muscle-bound elf hurled his giant two-handed axe at the Goddess’s avatar, who was visible in the dust cloud.
The weapon was imbued with a brown aura. It hadn’t yet reached the level of "intention," so the elf infused the ether superficially to make the attacks more powerful.
PAAAM.
The Goddess’s avatar deflected the attack with her bare hands.
-Insect-
Without giving him a second to think, the wolf girl propelled herself from a pillar in the combat arena. She held both daggers in an inverted grip.
-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!- A wolf’s roar echoed around, and the Goddess’s avatar staggered slightly.
-Cross Slash!- The wolf girl imbued both daggers with darkness and slashed in a cross on the pilgrim’s back, which was shining less and less.
-AAAAAARGGGGHHH!- a man’s scream came from the pilgrim’s mouth, indicating that the man was still in that body.
-Oh Goddess! Your faithful believer prays for your blessing! Grant me the power to punish evil!- the hunched old man raised his staff to the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck the pilgrim.
BRUUUUUUUM.
The Goddess’s avatar fell heavily to the ground, and pieces of rock flew in all directions, dispersing the dust cloud.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
Alan charged forward at full speed, and a vibration could be heard in the air.
Slaaaaash.
The rapier pierced a newly formed ice wall as if it were butter.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
A sonic explosion occurred an instant later, shattering the ice.
Slaaaaaash.
Another ice wall was pierced, and the explosion occurred an instant later, shattering the ice in the process. The vibration of his rapier made each attack have a delayed explosive effect. The Sonic Knight could make his rapier vibrate at such high frequencies that they caused mini explosions.
Slaaaaaash.
The rapier pierced the pilgrim’s side.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
The delayed explosion sent flesh flying everywhere; the pilgrim’s rib no longer existed.
In a few seconds, the situation completely reversed, thanks to the support of the mercenary group. Robert was returning, and Lisa and Doyle watched the situation, alert to any setbacks. The hunched old man gripped his staff tightly, silently praying for blessings for those present.
Alan was about to finish off the avatar by piercing his chest, but a sinister feeling filled every corner of his body.
-LOOK OUT!- Alan warned as he took a step back.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.
The debris on the ground shot out in all directions like rifle bullets.
-AHHH!- Doyle covered his vital points, but the bullets pierced his lower limbs.
Lisa agilely ran, trying to dodge the bullet storm, but some bullets hit her.
BOOONG BOOONG.
Robert stood in front of the old priest and tried to block the incoming bullets. However, the rain of bullets was too intense, and cracks began to appear on his shield.
CRAAAAACK.
The shield shattered, but it managed to block most of the attack.
-Coff Coff Coff- Robert fell to his knees and began vomiting blood; his chest had been pierced at the last second.
-Robert!- cried the old priest in concern, seeing his leader bleeding.
The hunched old man knelt and placed his hands on Robert’s chest as a radiant light illuminated the surroundings, healing his wounds.
-Old man, stop... we’re done for... run while you can...- said Robert with difficulty, staring at the crater that had appeared.
In the small hole formed by the impact of the pilgrim, a figure slowly stood up with expressionless eyes, a dim glow covering his battered body, indicating that he only had a few seconds of power left.
-Good try- the Goddess’s avatar looked at the dying Alan.
The former knight was full of bruises and holes. The shrapnel attack had broken his defenses and pierced his orange aura. He was on the brink of death, with nothing left to do.
-Just... kill me...-
-I will. You will pay for your sins, Sonic Knight.-
The pilgrim closed his eyes, and a terrifying sensation filled the air. The atmosphere began to vibrate, and small sparks could be seen jumping from side to side. The hair of unconscious passersby stood on end as the air rapidly electrified.
-They... will not...-
-This is your sin; I’m just administering justice.-
-I’m... sorry...-
-Too late, Sonic Knight... 10 years too late...-
The sun shone in the sky, illuminating every corner of the tavern’s inner courtyard. Burning buildings, scattered corpses, unconscious people, and collapsed structures gave the impression that a natural disaster had struck the area.
The Goddess remained with her eyes closed, channeling the destructive attack that would obliterate the entire block. She was seeking revenge for her faithful followers who fell at the hands of the Sonic Knight and company. The surrounding scene brought painful memories of a distant past, where a small community that had harmed no one faced an unjust calamity.
-Ah... my children... soon we will be reunited...-
The pilgrim slowly opened his eyes, shining with resolve. His body had lost all divine power and no longer radiated that oppressive aura.
-Good B-
-Aggghhh...! cough cough cough!- A large amount of blood began to spill from the Goddess’s avatar’s mouth.
-Who...-
The man turned slightly and saw out of the corner of his eye a human figure clad in a rudimentary and strange suit made of metal mesh. The figure held a sword with both hands, which was piercing the pilgrim’s throat.
Slash.
The strange figure cut off the pilgrim’s head without hesitation. The pilgrim’s eyes widened in disbelief. The divine glow vanished in an instant, and the electrification of the surroundings ceased.
-Good night, Goddess. Faraday sends his regards- said the voice from within the strange suit with a mocking tone.