There was a small cave near the mountain path. When Ayva went scouting, he discovered that the bandits have stationed a small group of guards there.
They all wore chain armor, as well as being generally better equipped than the other.
Of course, the most pressing concern was that that ominous presence was there too. The cave near the mountain path was in a clearing.
There was a chilly feeling even as Ayva was only lingering there for a time. He felt numb.
And more importantly, he discovered that the bandits were only lingering outside the cave, not inside.
Sheepishly, Ayva points at a certain location on the map
"I might just know exactly where the princess is."
And now, Micah, Ayva, Leonel and Eliza is running toward that location through the route Ayva has dictated on the map.
By locating exactly the location of the bandits with his [Sense Enemies], Ayva was able to lead the party to secretly burn strategic location and cutting off the escape route of the bandits while getting the party to safety at the same time. After trapping the main force in a raging wild fire, the party ran like hell. Ayva tries not to think of what happened to the people trapped in the fire.
They were bad people, but still people in the end.
"Try to guide the fire away from the clearing. Even though the fire may not spread, the heat and the smoke may harm the princess."
Leonel instructs Eliza who nods. Their mutual childhood friend was struggling with running. She was out of breath, it does not help that Eliza accidentally inhale some smoke when she got too close to start one of the fire.
"I will be fine." Eliza nods toward Ayva.
"You just run ahead Ayva." She told him.
Leonel has devised a strategy. Because of the usefulness of Ayva's [Detect enemies] and [Detect Trap], as well as the shocking reaction to his attack, Ayva acts as the vanguard of the party, as well as the shock factor. Most of the time, when Ayva strikes, he always strikes first, and it was always a fatal strike, a brutal one at that. Leonel insists on Ayva holding the divine spear Gungnir even though he wanted to switch to a less lethal weapon. Accepting the situation, Ayva went with it.
And with that first strike, almost all the lone group of bandits surrender just like the archers at the start.
However...
Ayva feels bad.
Really, really bad.
He feels like vomiting everytime. He is covered in blood. Just recently he killed a man for the first time, and now he is repeatedly doing it.
'Am I really not cut out for this?'
Dispelling that thought, Ayva arrived at the location before his party.
Leonel was just right behind him along with Micah who has taken up a buckler from one of the bandits. Behind them is Eliza who is busy chanting a spell. It was a [Mass Heal Greater Wound] she is casting.
They already discuss it before hand. Leonel came up with a rather brutal strategy when it comes to dealing with the heavily armed group near the cave entrance.
'At the start of combat, go at it like you are going to die.'
Ayva didn't even know what he was talking about. However, after Leonel explains it, Ayva feels that it was even crazier.
Because [Mass Heal Greater Wound] could even heal fatal wound, turning them to flesh wound, it was alright to sustain potentially lethal injuries to cause great damage to other size. With this strategy, Eliza has to start casting [Mass Heal Greater Wound] even before they start combat. Even crushed limbs could be healed as Eliza's arms demonstrated. The only danger is being amputated or decapitated at that single moment.
Ayva's eyes went swirly at the explanation. It is crazy. The people who agree to it are crazier.
For some reason, Micah agreed to it.
'For the princess and the kingdom, I would even risk my life'
And typically, Eliza too
'I believe in Leonel'
😨 [https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/joypixels/[email protected]/png/64/1f628.png]
Finally, being outruled, Ayva has to go along with it.
However, he has no intention to let anyone get hurt if he could. Muttering all of his courage, Ayva already activated [Lightning Reflex] and jumps into the group.
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The cold causes him to recoil, a frosty mist was covering the entire mountain cave. He froze when a debuff interface appears.
[Numb
Accuracy reduced by 60% (Nullified by Gungnir)
Dodge chance reduced by 50% (Nullified by Lightning Reflex)]
Ayva almost froze mid air. That debuff almost never appears on a player in Faulty Heroes.
It was because those are players' only skill.
However, focusing on the situation, because currently Ayva is temporarily able to ignore the effect of the Frost Curtain, he decided to connect
"Surrender or die!"
He screams at the bandits as Gungnir was nearing the point of contact.
Immediately his [Detect Enemies] skill detect it. That one being that light up in comparison to the rest.
It was an imposing man, two meters tall.
He stood above the rest with a bald head and an axe in hand. His face was morphed into an ugly expression. It was like he was snarling inhumanly. And, Ayva does not know if anyone else could see it or not, but clinging to the man, there was a thick curtain of dark miasma.
It was a demon in human form.
Suddenly, seeing Ayva, the man smirks. The force of Ayva's jump was fast, however, the man was just as fast, he raises his axe above his head and swings it in front of him just as Ayva was about to land.
"AYVA WATCH OUT!"
Leonel was screaming his name as a screech of wind washes over Ayva.
It was an inhuman swing as fast as the wind.
When it landed, the ground spits, creating a small crater.
The demon has a smirk on his face.
Everyone was stunned.
"Inhuman..." Eliza mutters
"Demon...!" Micah utters under his breath.
"Ayva!" However, Leonel was still watching the situation.
As even though the axe splits the air and the ground, Ayva was not there.
He has activated [Lightning Reflex], a Legendary Skill as well as a skill that he satisfied all the requirement for.
It was a skill that benefits quick Rogue who dabble in dps.
It was a skill that turn Agility and Strength into king.
It was a skill that breaks the limit of the game.
Light surrounds him as Ayva disappears.
Suddenly, Ayva became keenly aware of everything surrounding him. His friend's breathing, his enemies' emotional state, his own stamina, the location of the most opportune footing, the weapon in his hand.
The weapon in his hand became light, it was so light that he could swing it around like a children toy.
Ayva was keenly aware that he has reached the apex of humanity.
And so he stopped being Ayva.
In his place, there was a girl, her white hair sway just a little bit in the wind. With bright dark blue eyes, she took in all of her surrounding. Her prominent ahoge twitches just a bit at the demon in front of her. Her thick eyebrows morph into a frown.
"Wait what is this?"
At that moment, it was Ayva who screamed. However, he doesn't have a physical body. Instead he was in the body of a barely 14 years old girl with flat chest, white long hair, ahoge and thick eyebrows. And currently, she was in control.
Before Ayva could voice his objection, the girl speaks imperceptibly
"Demon spotted with bandits. Knights from the kingdom are behind. Commencing neutralizing of the demonic threat."
With almost a manic grin, the girl disappears and then reappears infront of the smirking demon.
And then she cuts him into part.
She cuts off his limbs first. Then, with a sadistic glee, she starts stabbing randomly without meaning to kill, earning pained yell. Then, before he could heal, she cuts off his head.
Then, she turns toward the bandits, only five second after landing, cutting off the limbs of their leader, torturing him before killing. Then, for the human, she gave them each a merciful poke in the heart, killing them instantly before they knew what happened
Suddenly, turning around to face the stunned party, [Evra] stated smugly.
"And that is how we do it when it comes to demon and bandits. Any questions?"
Before they could actually ask however, [Lightning Reflex[ was forcefully deactivated, and the smug anime girl disappears from view.
In her place was Ayva
"What the fuck was that?"
Micah's one question echo the sentiment of everyone