The two opposing force are just staring with each other.
One side is Grand Ecstasy, cold sweats dripping on their face as they feel the intimidation. The tension is really digging on their skin to the point that everyone is shaking with fear.
On the other side is the uncanny female knight with a very refined combat posture. Mateo can't really tell what the opponent feels as despite looking like human, its pokerface partnered by fully white eyes doesn't show any kind of emotion.
Everyone is just waiting for each others' first move with silence. The only sound they can hear is the humming of the cave or whatever the thing that makes the peculiar sound inside.
The stand-off continues for entire 20 seconds and then...
.
.
.
!!!
The knight dash so fast that Mateo almost can't see the sudden attack.
"BELTRAND!" Mateo just screams. Wishing that Bertrand also sees the knight's movement and her target.
TING!
"Huh?" Sophia is shocked to see Beltrand suddenly in front of her, holding his shield that blocks the absurdly long sword of the knight. She suddenly feel grim with the realization that she almost died at that moment, Sophia makes a terrified expression after imagining getting skewered by the sword.
Mateo makes a counter attack by dashing on the knight and doing an empowered sword swing with an intent of decapitation. But the knight just cassually dodge it by jumping backwards thus increasing the gap like before.
"Everyone! Don't lose your focus if you don't want to die!" Mateo commands his team.
The knight just stand far away from them, looks like watching Grand Ecstasy with curiousity.
"Sophia! Cast all the buffs, we going to defend you if she's going to attack again!"
"Ok!"
Sophia quickly follow Mateo's command and cast all the buffs she knows one-by-one.
"Stamina Regeneration." Enhance the natural stamina regenaration of a person's body.
"Flexebility 2." Increase the body's speed and reaction time.
"Wait a minute. Why she's not attacking?" Shirna asked.
"I have no idea but who cares. It's a good thing for us." Beltrand responded followed by a concerned smile.
"Perhaps she wants us to fight with all of our best." Claustrine's answer.
"Is the power disparity really that huge?" Shirna continues to ask. But no one answers as the truth is painful.
"Powered will 1." Increases resistances to magic based attack.
"Blessed coating 1." Grants people a thin layer of yellow aura covering their body that can block attacks to some extent. More effective on certain type of enemies.
"Strenght 1" Increases the body's natural strenght.
Mateo and Beltrand enhances their weapons with mana while Shirna puts all of his types of arrows she pulled on his bag of storgae anf put them on his quiver.
"Haste 1" Increase the body's movement speed.
"That's all the buffs!" Sophia screams.
"What's our plan?" Beltrand asked.
"Let's go on the offensive." Mateo's simple command.
"Ok!"
Mateo intiates the attack and his friends follows him. The knight also dash forward and when they're close enough.
"Duck!" Mateo shouts which everyone instantly follows. Dodging a full horizontal swing from the knight.
Being the closest to the knight, Mateo makes an upward swing but the knight just casually dodge it by making one step backwards. The tip of Mateo's sword just almost scratch the knight's nose.
"Shit." Mateo just said and then he see the knight preparing to give him a front kick.
The knight kicks Mateo's stomach that sends him flying until Beltrand catches him.
"Are you ok?"
"Just continue the attack."
Claustrine casts numerous fireballs while Shirna use a three arrows coated with the poison of Galahar - A species of dragon known for their potent poison. Being a monster that can only be hunted by Hero ranked adventurers, Shirna spents big amount of money to gain a small vial that he can use to the very moment they have now.
The fireball hits first creating a smokescreen then the arrows followed but if the arrows hit or miss is still unknown.
"Retreat. Attacking with that smoke screen is risky." Mateo's command
Grand Ecstasy slowly walks backwards and just watch for the smoke to make a sudden movement which means the knight moves to attack them. But the smoke slowly dissappears.
"I guess that was expected." Claustrine us not surprised that her attack doesn't even make damage.
"Look. One of the arrow hits her." Shirna points to the arrow that strikes the Knight's leg.
"What kind of arrow you used?" Mateo asked.
"My strongest poison arrow. Coated with Galahar's venom." Shirna answered with a very proud expression.
"GALAHAR?! Where do you even get that kind of poison?!" Claustrine is surprised.
"I buy it of course. But the price is something that makes me broke for months you know." Shirna said then he frowns a little bit reminiscing his broke days after the purchase.
"Let's wait if the poison would take effect."
The knight looks on the arrow embeded on her leg. But with no hesistation, the knight just pulled it instantly and casually throw the arrow to the ground. There's no blood leaking on the wound created by the arrow.
Both side remains in stand-off for few seconds. Each passing moment makes Shirna looks more concerned.
"No way..." Shirna said.
"What's the matter?" Sophia asked.
"That poison should already in effect now and she must be laying in the floor, paralyzed..."
"I see... This only means one thing... The one we facing right now is already a dead man." Mateo said.
"Dead woman." Beltrand corrects Mateo who just look at him with disbelief.
"To be honest, she's not really look like a living person to begin with. There's no single drop of blood leaked on her body. Also, her skin colore and eyes." Claustrine said.
"Regardless... It's good that we learn something about her. Sophia, prepare your purification spells." Mateo said to Sophia.
"Got it!"
The undead knight breaks the truce by dashing in front of Grand Ecstasy and make a vertical smash. The slam is so powerful that it destroys the floor, sending chunks of rock everywhere.
But it doesn't hit Grand Ecstasy who already dodge the attack, each of them are now scattered.
The knight notices that Shirna is the nearest enemy and proceeds to make a stabbing attack. Shirna manages to dodge but he can feel the pressure on it. He leaps backwards to create distance then fires 3 arrows, all aimed on the knight's face.
But the knight just catch all three arrows with a single hand.
"No way!" Shirna screams in disbelief.
"Not yet!"
Mateo rushes to the knight and kicks the arrows that still on her hand. The plan is to push the arrow on her face but to Mateo's surprise, the knight's arm doesn't even bulge and the only thing destroyed is the back of arrow he kicked.
With no time to recover from his forceful attack, Mateo watch as the knight raise her arm holding the arrows and point the tip to him. Planning to use to arrow as some sort of dagger as her absurdly long sword is not suitable in such close range.
But the knight stops when she feels something cold hits her back. Seeing the knight interrupted, Mateo quickly escapes.
"Thank you Trinne!"
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The knight looks to the source of the attack only to see Claustrine with a serious expression on her face. A dozen of icycle are floating around her, all aimed on the knight.
The knight rushes towards Claustrine who respond by firing all the icicles and also adding more, creating a barrage of icicle spears. But the knight just easily dodge or block the icicles with ease.
Claustrine stops her barrage of frozen spikes and the knight is getting closer. But Claustrine is unbothered and creates a fast and powerful diagonal rock pillar far behind her. But... It halts and doesn't even tries to reach the rushing knight.
Until 1 seconds later...
THUD!
the knight suddenly receive a powerful blunt force to her face, stopping her on track and the impact push her back for 1 meter.
The knight recovers quickly and looks like doesn't recieve damage at all except from a very small dent on her cheek that caused by the unknown attack.
The Knight doesn't even got the time to comprehend what just happened as she got assaulted by barrage of attacks from the unseen enemy.
Until...
THUD!
The Knight kicks something that makes a sound. The invisible foe is sent flying but despite not being seen by the naked eye, the Knight jumps in the air, points her long blade to the ground and makes a plunging attack.
TING!
The plunge hits something that makes a metallic sound. The impact is so strong that it creates a crater on the ground.
As the knight is focused on thrusting her blade, she suddenly sent flying away as it turns out a rock pillar hits her flank.
Seeing the airborne knight. Shirna proceeds to shoot numerous types of arrows on her disposal, wishing that one of them works.
Everything just happened in the air. Smokes, burst of flame, cloud of poison, explosions. The arrows sent by Shirna cause chaos in the air to the point that the Knight is obsucured.
A trail of smoke falls down to the ground and when the smoke dissapears, the Knight reveals herself to be unaffected.
Claustrine rushes to the crater and then sees Beltrand slowly appears. He was clinging on his shield that almost got destroyed by the plunging attack.
"Can you move?" Claustrine asked.
"Yeah. I managed to block two of her attack. But my back is damaged a little bit."
Claustrine helps Beltrand to stand up.
"I guess your stealth magic is not viable tactic anymore." Beltrand said.
"I hate to admit but... Yes."
"Atleast we managed to land several hits." Beltrand said then make a proud smile.
Meanwhile, Shirna is constantly dodging all of the Knight's attack. Thanks for his agility, he can still buy time. But Shirna knows that one hit from those devastating attack might make her unable to fight for the rest of the battle or worse... Dead.
He already spent all of his arrows and now resorted on using his dagger. Unknown for the Knight, Shirna already did numerous counter attacks but she didn't even notices all of it because it doesn't do any damage.
"Why your body is so tough!" Shirna screams.
Shirna is starting to get tired and as time goes on, his movement also become slower.
And the worst happen when he's incapable of dodging anymore and choked out. He trying to move his legs to no avail. The Knight makes a horizontal swing, aiming on Shirna's neck. Shirna just close his eyes, not even enough time to say something.
CLANG!
Hearing the lound sound of steel, Shirna instantly opened his eyes and see Mateo using all of his strenbt trying to push the Knight's sword using his own sword. The two swords are making a rattling sound.
"Move." Mateo said which Shirna easily understand. Shirna uses adrenaline to leap and leave the area of combat. His leap is very rushed and forced that he didn't even get a proper landing and instead land with his side first.
"Ugh..." Shirna's discomfort.
Knowing that Shirna is no longer nearby, Mateo finally can't hold the gargantuan strenght of the female Knight and deflect her sword upwards. Then Mateo use the open space created to release two cross slash before leaping backwards.
"Tsk!" Mateo is still upset as his attacks still didn't make any sort of damage. The knight goes on offensive and rushes to Mateo who do his best to lure the Knight. But Mateo notices that something is off.
Despite wielding a sword twice her lenght, the Knight is now manages to do a very fast and organized barrage of slashes. Mateo is now getting overwhelmed.
"Why you suddenly become powerful!?" Mateo screams out of annoyance as he tries to block all of the attacks.
THUD!
The Knight stops attacking as he blocks Beltrand's plunge attack using his free hand. She now holds the mace that Beltran use. But instead of trying to get it back. Beltran just let it go and create distance.
And Mateo realizes why as he saw Claustrine chanting and dark clouds starts appearing above. He also creates distance.
"-Uil. Lend me your strenght and accept my deepest gratitude..."
Claustrine points her staff to the Knight.
"THUNDER CALL!!!"
A lightning falls from the clouds down to the Knight, illuminating the whole room for few seconds. They see the knight seems uninjured but not moving.
Mateo looks to the ground and sees that the line Sophia and him created while Shirna is distracting the Knight is not affected by the lightning strike. As if the Knight's body absorbs the attack and not affect the ground below.
Now. Everyone just wait for Sophia's turn.
"Light shall defeat darkness,
Irregularity created by the God
of Chaos,
You don't have place in the world of living..." Sophia chants while holding her wand in praying posture.
The circle lights up and now show the entirerity of its complex stracture. But the knights doesn't show any sort of reaction.
"With the blessing of the Goddess of Light Vivvily. As her devout believer, I shall banish you to this existence. With the power of the Goddess, I order you to return to your wicked world and never return!"
Sophia stabs her wand to the ground and a line of light appears, connecting the wand and the magic circle. Sophia then raise her hands and concentrates her mana on it. Now her hands is covered in glowing with bright yellow light.
"Purifying Arts: Goddess' Smite!"
Sophia puts her hands above her wand and all of her channeled magic is now transfered to the wand and then to the magic circle. A very bright light arise from the magic circle, engulfing the the Knight. The whole room is now fully illuminated again partnered by high tone screeching sound.
"M-more..." Sophia said as she continues to pump mana to her wand even though she starts to get exhausted.
Other members of Grand Ecstasy run towards Sophia and prepares if the Knight dares to make any attack to Sophia. Grand Ecstasy watch as the pillar of light slowly becomes smaller.
.
.
.
Purifying Arts. One of the magic employed by Church of Vivvily and also considered as the most poweful and potent magic they have due to the nature of the said magic.
Millenias ago. From what the church called "Deistic War" written on their holy scripture. When all of the Gods and Goddesses of the world fights a Powerful Being which existence is slowly erased by time.
Only recently named "God of Darkness" due to its evil existence, the God of Darkness did the unthinkable and blessed his believers the magic to reanimate and control the dead. From a small dead body of a rat, to a human skeleton or corpse, up until to the body of dead but dangerous creatures capable of destruction of great magnitude. To counter this, Vivvily alongside other Gods specialized on life creation gifted her believers Purifying Arts, magic made to erase the Dark God's essence infused to the dead. Purifying Arts is designed to only guaranteed destroy the Evil magic inside and not destroy the body in respect for the dead. Also the reason why it doesn't affect the living nor did any sort of damage. That Potency is also the reason why Purifying Arts is deadly against undead despite being the one casted the spell is just a lower ranked priest of the Church.
Due to the passage of time and lack of preservation. The church estimates that only 3 Purifying Arts exist to this day and the one Sophia used is one of the powerful ones. But, because of its huge prep time, its either only use for ritualistic purification when the target is already incapacitated.
.
.
.
Which only make everyone reacts with shock and horror when the pillar of light finally dissapears and reveal the results of such powerful attack.
"I-Impossible..." Claustrine said with grim look on her eyes.
"B-b-but how!?" Shirna becomes scared.
Mateo and Beltrand can only look with concerned expression. Sweat drops slowly drips on their faces.
In front of them is the same Knight. Not even a single sign of damage is visible and its just standing still without worry to the world, looking at them with zero expression. But there's one thing Grand Ecstansy can surely see.
It's still alive.
"N-n-no... w-way...." Sophia said. Tears flows through her cheeks before finally collapsing due to mana exhaustion. The fact that the used all of her mana only for it to do absolutely nothing must hurt her emotionally.
"Beltrand. Carry Sophia to a safe place and make her drink this. We watch for that thing." Mateo said then throws a vial to Beltrand who manage to catch it.
Beltrand sees that the vial is a some sort of potion. Probably a way to recover stamina. He nods then proceeds to carry Sophia and walks away.
"Well. That means whatever that thing is, surely not an undead." Mateo said, trying make light of their situation.
"I guess so." Claustrine agrees.
"Not only poison is not effective but also Purifying Arts. This is absurd." Shirna complains.
"And I assume that the lightning strike doesn't even paralyze her. She probably just stand there only to see what happens. What an interesting fella." Claustrine commented.
Beltrand returns and draws his sword and shield.
"Why she still doesn't attack us?" Beltran asked.
"Who knows? Maybe all of our shits we did earlier finally takes effect." Mateo said.
"Nice optimism you got there." Claustrine answer with sarcastic tone.
"Please! Can everyone take this situation seriously? I'm getting scared here you know!" Shirna complains.
Claustrine, Mateo, Beltran just look at Shirna with slight surprise then followed by soft laugh.
"What's funny!? Geez, I still can't understand you guys." Shirna just become more annoyed.
"Sorry Shirna. This is just how Grand Ecstasy do their life. I thought you already experience it yourself." Mateo said with a smile.
Shirna remembers the happy moments in the past along with Grand Ecstasy.
"I guess so."
Realizing that there's still a very powerful enemy they need to face. Shirna, Mateo, Beltran and Claustrine focus their attention to the knight. Only to get awestruck.
"What?" The four simultanously said.
What they saw is a Knight smiling. But not with malice nor wickedness. The Knight's smile is serene and gentle, like she's looking on something nostalgic.
The four feels confused on the Knight's sudden show of emotion. But they can't seem to feel disturbed as that the gentle smile is somehow genuine.
"W-what is that supposed to mean?" Beltrand asked.
"I have no idea." Claustrine answers honestly.
But Mateo seeing such peculiar interaction wants to try something.
"Does that mean... We pass some sort of test?" Mateo asked the knight directly.
Shirna, Claustrine and Beltran look at Mateo. Equally confused as earlier.
"What does that supposed to mean?" Shirna copied what Belran said.
"According to some stories I read in my world. This might be some sort of test. Maybe she's some sort of examiner because she guard the exit? And that smile is a validation." Mateo's hypothesis with total seriousness on his face.
Beltrand and Claustrine just pats Mateo's shoulder and gives a dissapointed sigh.
"In your dreams." Shirna said with a concerned look.
The four adventurers focus their attention to the Knight when they notice it move. The smile is now gone and she goes back to her poker face. She change combat stance, from a refined and elegant posture to now feral and vicious posture that looks like a predator. Crouching using her feet and arm while holding the very long sword that now over in her shoulder. The Knight is looking at the party like its ready to pounce her prey.
"See?" Shirna added while pointing to the knight.
The Knight finally do the offensive. Her leap is fast that Beltran barely even manages to block the brutal full downward wing the Knight did while mid air. The force is so strong, it even manage to create a small crater below Beltran's feet.
"Why her attack suddenly becomes so heavy!" Beltrand complains before screaming and throwing the blade he block upwards.
But the Knight quickly shifts her position and now standing at Beltrand's shield. Using the force provided by Beltran as additional power, the Knight jumps and its so great that she managed to reach the ceiling.
Without wasting a moment, the Knight bounce to the ceiling into the Grand Ecstasy. The power of the Knight plus the gravity tells the four that its a attack that they can not block. So instead of trying to parry the upcoming plunging attack, the party just leave the area of impact.
And the decision is proven to be a good choice as the Knight crash like a very huge builder fallen from a tall cliff. They can feel the tremor on their feet and the crash creates huge dust cloud that hides the Knight.
Seeing such destruction. Cold sweat flows again in everyone's face.
"Everyone. I want to tell something." Mateo said.
"Say it now before she attack us again." -Claustrine.
"I believe. Our opponent becomes stronger as the time goes on. If we not manage to stop her, we going to the point where we can't even able to dodge her offensives." Mateo said.
Claustrine, Shirna and Beltrand gulps as they can clearly see what their Leader is implying. Now that they see a huge spike of power the Knight have.
"I think we don't need to wait that long to reach that point." Beltrand commented.
"That's why we need to unleash everything we have to just even have a chance." Mateo grimly said.