BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The hail of indiscriminate light fell upon them all with an equal judgement- searing lights that would easily kill a man with one hit had struck them all repeatedly again and again,and as a result, such a powerful attack had only left a few of them alive in the process of the repeated firing.
"Take cover! Take cover! Tak-"
Most of them would not be able to escape the hell that had been unleashed upon them- a great too many of them were instantly turned into hole-ridden corpses as they ran around desperately trying to look for cover.
It would only be more or less 30 seconds before the endless firing from his hellish weapon would finally cease, and by then, there were too few survivors who had managed to weather through the onslaught...
...
"That weapon of his is dangerous... I couldn't even save some of the soldiers... I guess it's best that we don't get hit by that thing too much, eh?"
The rain of searing light had finally come to a grinding halt after what seemed to be such a long moment of time- the soldiers and mages behind the 2 champions of the Hundred Seats had been laid to waste, as each of them had been torn into smoking piles of dead bodies peppered with large gaping holes on their bodies.
However, as Novus had expected, the 2 would easily manage to survive the barrage from his weapon: it seemed that it was going to take a lot more effort than he thought it would.
"You're the only one who has to dodge, my friend. I do not." Margus responded to his companion's words, putting his hand on his chest plate as he banged on it once in a proud display of his armour. "My armour is more than enough to withstand whatever force that weapon of his can unleash."
How the 2 had managed to survive involved an uncomplicated series of events- Margus had easily withstood getting hit a thousand times due to his armor, while Joseph had quickly moved behind one of the walls that could provide him protection; even with the swordsman's great speed, he knew that he wouldn't be able to block such attacks that were as seemingly as fast as light itself.
"Yeah, right... Anyway..."
BOOM!
The sound of an explosion then echoed throughout the hallways, as a thick cloud of fog then erupted and began to envelop their enemy in a deep cloud of smoke. A smokescreen, Joseph could easily tell- it would seem that their enemy was trying to flee the scene, and of course the swordsman would definitely not allow this to happen.
You're not getting away, ya bastard!"
He swung his sword twice in a powerful manner, producing powerful gusts of wind that easily blew away the smokescreen. Perfect, now he had his sights on him and could strike properly: all he had to do left was to attack.
CLANG!
A few seconds was all it took for him to move towards the young prince, as he swung his blade into the air and prepared to slice him in half with a downward cleave- It was a surprising display of speed that went beyond Novus' expectations, and for a moment, he would remain dumbfounded with just how lightning-quick this man was- he was, after all, ranked 15th among the Hundred Seats based on what he said earlier, and for him to display such a monstrous agility was not truly all that shocking.
However, despite Joseph's immense speed, it wouldn't be enough for him to quickly achieve the outcome he desired.
His blade had landed upon a blue, solid, spherical barrier that took away all the kinetic energy from his blow once it had landed upon the shield's surface: how bothersome... Instead of his blade reaching his target's soft, vulnerable flesh, it had instead hit a barrier that had suddenly manifested, an obstacle he couldn't even properly cleave through.
"Margus, it's now or never!" Joseph the Blade-feller bellowed to his partner with a shout. "Don't let him attack again!"
"Understood! To me, my almighty hammer!"
Margus then rushed towards the barrier that had formed to protect their enemy- as he did so, he raised his hand into the air, and an impressively large metal warhammer materialized onto his right hand. Within a few seconds, after he had reached a sufficient distance, the hammer then began to move and unleash a devastating blow.
BLAAMMM!!!
The effect of the hammer's impact was immediate as soon as it hit the shield- the sheer kinetic force of the blow, which was also enhanced by Margus' mana, easily tore through the barrier's protection, leaving what seemed to be a massive hole and creeping fissures that formed throughout its area of impact. Completely unimpeded at this point, the warhammer then went straight for the vulnerable Novus' body, only taking a few seconds for it to be just mere inches away from its fleshy target.
"Die, cultist scum!"
However, as soon as it made contact with their enemy's 'body', or so it appeared to be, the hammer went through him as if he had never been hit by the attack in the first place- instead, it had struck down a nearby pillar and completely demolished it in the process, sending powerful shockwaves as crevices and fissures formed even upon the nearby walls.
Had the blow hit him normally, it would have completely destroyed the poor lad into bloody chunks and pieces... Just how did his attack simply go through him as if he was some sort of ghost?
"What in the name of-?!"
Suddenly, to their left, a small, black, cylindrical object had been thrown into their vicinity: it was a small, metallic device that seemed completely insignificant. Why and who had even thrown this at them?
"That was a hologram, you dolts."
The metal device would then explode, not into a massive expansion of heat energy, but something else rather- it was a blindingly dazzling light that temporarily blinded the eyes of the champions, as its explosion simultaneously produced a deafening sound that immediately made the ears of the 2 ring painfully. It was a flashbang several times more powerful than a normal one- Novus had used this once to successfully incapacitate a massive red bear for a while, and for the situation he was in right now, it would definitely work just as effectively.
"Arghhh! Curses!" both of them would curse as they fell to the ground and covered their eyes, the brief pain being too great for them to bear. "Damn you, dragon worshiping scum!"
They hadn't noticed it when he had ceased his endless firing, as a few seconds after the gun had stopped, Novus had actually already fled the scene to hide someplace else- he was a gunman after all, and allowing these 2 brutes to get close to him within melee range would be a complete disadvantage for him.
To deceive them and make them think that he hadn't left at all, he placed a small, disc shaped device on the ground that produced a 3 dimensional, accurate display of what he looked like- a holographic trap, and as soon as the trap had been set up, he quickly made his retreat using his stealth cloak, a cape like device that allowed him to blend in and become perfectly undetectable like an invisible chameleon blending into its environment, as he then patiently waited for the 2 to be distracted by his false image.
Unfortunately, at least for the 2 of them, the hologram had also been another deadly weapon that had been sprung the moment they came within its vicinity.
BANG!
It was another flashbang effect- the small holographic display had also served as a makeshift proximity mine. A few seconds after the hammer had made contact with Novus' false holographic display, the device quickly exploded into a blinding light, stacking with the effects that Novus' flashbang had on them and prolonging their suffering. Instead of them being able to recover from the explosion's effects, they were once more exposed to brutal elements as they were temporarily blinded and deafened once more.
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"Argh! This is madness!"
And of course, this was the perfect opportunity for Novus to unleash another attack from his weapon.
[DEATH RAY MODE - ACTIVATED]
The lights on Novus' blaster radiated with a deathly red glow- he had switched the weapon to it's deadliest, most powerful mode of all, one that was capable of disassembling the very molecular bonds of any target it would hit. In fact, it probably would have been enough to leave at least a small scratch on his mother's dreadfully impregnable armor.
BANG!
A single blow was all it took to end their 2 feeble lives- a deadly beam of black light emerged from the weapon's smoking muzzle, hitting and disintegrating Joseph the Blade-feller's entire lower torso, as well as Margus the Steelrender's armored head, melting through his once invulnerable armor and disassembling the proud warrior's head into nonexistence.
They were strong, yes- in fact, their strength could allow them to level entire sections of the castle. However, strength alone was not enough to determine the outcome of their short skirmish. Ultimately, Novus' superior tactics as well as his access to vastly better technology had allowed him to triumph in this battle, leaving the 2 great warriors dead as their dying cadavers slumped onto the ground in complete defeat.
"Well... That was quick..." Novus sighed in relief as he finally removed himself from the safety of his concealed position- there was no longer any need to hide since every enemy was already dead. "Time to find Whitlea then. You guys were good, but I just have much more experience with these sorts of things than you 2."
Indeed, had they been more careful and cunning, the 2 champions probably could have won and quickly killed Novus from the very start- they had many chances to just be done with him and plunge their weapons into his body before the fight even started, and yet they never seized the opportunity to do so, instead offering him a false deal that they would never have even upheld in the first place. Alas, it was too late to hold any regrets, as the victor of the battle had already been determined.
Novus would then begin to walk away, to navigate the endless corridors of his home once more in order to complete the task that had been given to him by his 'mother'.
"Farewell."
________________________________________
"This is getting dangerous."
Meanwhile, in Whitlea's case, she had been forced into a defensive position from the very beginning- despite the hulking armor the man known as Falmuth bore, he was terrifyingly quick on his feet and had managed to force Whitlea to block his swift sword attacks using her esper abilities.
[Rain of thunder!]
There were no words from her as the spell was casted- instantaneously, several, arcing bolts of lightning rapidly emerged from mage Alryn's staff, quickly making their way towards Whitlea's body: fortunately, the faint, purple barrier coating her skin, a protective measure which she had long activated, would safeguard her once more from the long-range attack.
This wasn't good, Whitlea contemplated to herself amidst the battle she was deeply embroiled in. She knew that the protection she was using wouldn't last forever, and she had no way to at least temporarily disable either of her attackers in order to use more of her abilities.
This was a drawback that Whitlea had now began to hate fervently- while her abilities were powerful, they too had to take a momentary delay in her movements in order for them to be unleashed successfully. Unfortunately for her, this weakness had been eagerly exploited by the 2 opponents she was fighting.
[Magickal Rain.]
Several missile-like constructs of pure, arcane mana were then launched at her once more. However, by this point, the barrier protecting her had already weakened greatly- it was now only capable of surviving approximately 3 more attacks from Alryn's powerful spells, and Whitlea couldn't help but curse at the 2 silently as the impossible situation continued to play by.
BOOM!
The first attack hit her left hip, and the barrier still stood strong.
BOOM!
Another magickal missile had struck, this time to her back- the barrier was now failing to maintain even its glow, and Whitlea could feel a bit of fear and dread crawling on her skin.
BOOM!
The last attack had completely disabled her barrier- there was no longer any form protection enveloping her body, and the poor maid was now completely vulnerable to another attack from the mage's long-ranged spells.
"You have nothing to protect you left, vile witch!" Falmuth shouted as he increased the intensity of his attacks to their very limits. "Meet your end! Alryn! Do it now!"
"I got you!" Alryn screamed, the blue crystal on her staff rapidly beginning to glow. "Meet your end, heathen!"
[Holy Li-]
BANG!
"... W-what..."
...
It was an unprecedented attack from a far away place- a precise, red beam of light had suddenly struck the armor of Falmuth, an attack that easily tore through his helmet and instantly erased his head.
THUD!
His body then fell onto the ground in defeat, completely lifeless and dead, as the beam of light had instantly taken every ounce of life from his very soul.
It was a dumbfounding moment for Alryn- one that would leave her paralyzed in both disbelief and shock as her spell ceased to be casted, with her eyes firmly planted upon the now dead corpse of her beloved friend.
"... W-what... T-this can't be..." Alryn stuttered, her mind still denying what had just occurred. ".. H-hey, Falmuth... Get up... You can't possibly be dead after just one attack... P-please..."
"I'm afraid he already is." Whitlea too would stare at Falmuth's dead body for a moment, though instead of feeling sympathy, she felt only admiration for how precise the attack had been- she knew just who exactly did this after all.
"That attack was from my partner from far away. There's no way he can survive that, especially since his head is completely gone."
A partner? Alryn's thoughts were rushed and confused. This bastard had a companion with her all along?! This was impossible, she thought: how could such an attack happen so quickly, and how could it have even come from such a far-away distance, to the point where she couldn't even see where this other enemy was?
"N-no... I-I refuse to believe this..." Alryn slumped onto the ground in defeat- Falmuth was her dearest friend, she still completely denied the death of such a wonderful, strong man. "T-this can't be... This can't-"
"Oh would you shut up?" Whitlea scoffed as she eyed her insultingly. "Just go and die already."
The swords and spears of the dead soldiers would then levitate, their metal bodies enveloped with a faint, purple aura as they hovered into the air- Whitlea had no time to waste with this attack, and she needed to completely make sure that the mage would completely die with this next attack.
"Farewell then, Miss Alryn. May we never meet again."
The despair of losing Falmuth had taken over her mind too much- in truth, the 2 champions were lovers who were madly in love each other, so much so that they were supposed to be wed in a few weeks. Unfortunately, the impossible had happened, and now Falmuth had fallen and died, with Alryn no longer having any will to fight because of this tragedy.
Her life flashed before her very eyes- the happy days of her childhood, as well as the joyful memories she formed with the now-dead man she loved deeply. She didn't want to accept what had happened, and so she immediately fell into a deep grief as her eyes began to water themselves in complete despair.
"..." there was only silence from the mage's mouth, as tears of sadness fell down from her eyes- if her partner had died, then she would gladly join him in the afterlife, no questions asked. She already knew that she wouldn't even be able to pose a threat to the maid anymore after Falmuth's death, as he was the primary reason why they had even managed to stand a chance against such a monster- the moment he no longer had her pinned down would automatically be considered a loss.
The hovering, metal weapons would then mindlessly lunge themselves towards Alryn's body, plunging their metal bodies into her soft, warm body, splattering blood and gore all about as Alryn quickly met her demise.
THUD...
If it was any consolation, Whitlea had at least made sure that the first sword that would stab Alryn would hit her in the head, killing the poor mage instantly and not allowing her to suffer any further than that- perhaps Whitlea had felt a slight bit of pity when she saw her despair over her loved one, or maybe it was due to Whitlea's nature to dislike inflicting pain upon others... Nobody could tell for certain...
"Rest in peace..." the maid whispered quietly, as her voice slowly trailed into a cold silence.
...
"You nearly got killed. How was it?"
Novus would take a while to reach Whitlea's location- he had shot someone from far away using his terrifyingly precise gun, and by now, he was feeling a bit exhausted from everything that had just happened to him.
"... Dreadful, dear." Whitlea sighed in response. "You seem to not be too bothered though... Did you kill many of these idiots as well?"
Novus would give a nod in affirmation. "Yeah. Ran into 2 that were just as annoying as the ones you fought." he would then give her left shoulder a brief, rather forceful pat. "Well, at least we survived right? You don't look too good yourself though?"
"I just took some lives, Novus. Of course I'd be... Bothered by it a bit." she replied. "... H-How come you're not bothered with all of this anyway?"
"Anyhow..." she would then walk towards her, wrapping her hands around her body as a smile formed on her beautiful face. "I'm glad you're safe... I thought you'd end up dead or gravely injured... It's honestly quite a relief..."
"You're being pessimistic again... I'm not that weak, you know." he would then laugh with a grin. "... By the way... We should get going. We have to meet up with 'mother' as soon as possible."
A good decision, Whitlea thought. She would not question the reasoning of his words, as it was the perfect next-step for the events that were transpiring before them.
" Alright then, dear..." Whitlea said as she would then let go of him. " Let's go... Ah, by the way... would you kindly lead the way please? I'm feeling a bit dizzy."
________________________________________
"I've told you this thrice already, you pompous little shit: You cannot defeat me no matter what trick you pull. Give up, and I will be kind enough to give you a quick and painless death."
Stephan was lying down on the ground, his body full of wounds and bruises as he remained there motionless and unable to move- as expected, the battle didn't even take more than 5 minutes to conclude- Stephan, despite his gifted talents as both an elvish mage and an arcane swordsman, could not bridge the strength gap between him and her, despite the fact that he had seized multiple advantages before the fight would even begin.
"... Y-you monster..." Stephan the elf cursed back, gritting his teeth in frustration as he repeatedly tried to get up, which would always eventually lead to no avail. "... I really don't have a chance against you no matter what I do... This is unacceptable..."
"Sadly, that is indeed your reality, tree hugger." Anastasia responded quite jeeringly. "Now... Any last words?"
"..."
Stephan didn't want to use it- though he had the potential to use it due to being a high elf, he had always felt that sense of dread whenever just the thought of using it crossed his mind: a spell that would allow him to become one of the greatest creatures, the undisputed, ultimate lifeforms of their world that his race would often fervently worship with deep respect.
All he had to do was to sacrifice his very soul- the lifeblood of his very existence, the most important aspect of his otherwise meaningless life, in order to reach a power that never would have been possible for him to achieve. For one to become a dragon, a magic-born must sacrifice his very soul in order to reach the pinnacle of power, and for as much of a power-seeking warrior Stephan was, he would not sacrifice such an important piece of his existence in order to gain such an ultimate power.
However, the situation right now was different- if he didn't choose to do it, he would die and fail, and everything he had done and sacrificed would ultimately become pointless, worthless endeavors that would mean nothing in the end, and Stephan definitely didn't want that to happen.
"Pro victoria..." his voice slowly trailed into a dark, somber tone, as he came to accept that there was no other choice for him to choose other than this one. "... ipsam vitam et animam meam offero."
...
"!!!!"
Within seconds, the very foundations of his soul twisted and burned in severe anguish. His flesh would deform and mutate, reforming itself into a form that no longer seemed to belong to that of an elf, as his entire body became engulfed in a red spherical miasma that would not let even light penetrate its impermeable barrier- and from within the confines of his temporary containment, his body began to undergo severe changes that would forever strip him of everything he held dear.
His skin melted away and was replaced with hardened scales that could endure the harshest of attacks; his limbs, bones and muscles broke down and were shattered, only to be rebuilt and reborn into ones that were massively more larger and terrifying; his eyes would explode into a fountain of blood, as a set of new, unnatural eyes would follow suit to replace the now-empty sockets.
Most importantly, however, his strength had changed- his physical prowess had been improved by a hundredfold, stronger than even the mightiest warriors of his race, and his magick capabilities, as well as his mana reserves and arcane affinities, have all been improved to such impossibly high levels, that he could no longer be in the same league with even the greatest of the high elven mages.
This entire process took only 5 seconds- immediately afterwards, the impenetrable miasma would quickly dissipate into nothingness, as the new, transformed Stephan emerged from his cocoon as a new, monstrous individual that could finally hope to stand a chance against the behemoth of a woman he had always been meant to fight against.
"... Aha, is this all the strength you can hope to muster, knife ears?" Anastasia would mock once more with her smug tone of voice- simultaneously though, she could feel a bit of excitement rushing through her body; it had been a long time since she had been able to fight against a foe of this caliber after all. "... I must admit though... This is definitely going to be a pain in the ass."