Alice opened the door to the building where the generators were running, and she was jumped by a swarm of small Depraved. Conjuring her sword, she swung at them, killing each of them in one strike.
"That wasn't a pleasant surprise," Alice said, dispelling her sword.
"Sure wasn't," Rachel added with a sigh.
"Now, we must hurry, the generators may not last for much longer at this rate!" Noelle warned, taking Alice's hand as they ran further into the building.
As they ran, Alice could see the generators beginning to fail, the machine whirring down as it struggled to keep its power running. She could feel Noelle's hand squeeze hers, the tension beginning to rise as they sped through the corridors. They heard the sounds of generators buzzing and electrical sparks going off, followed by the low rumbling of a generator shutting off, the sound becoming more and more frequent until several generators shut off with a loud clunk, before it started dying down.
"There must be Depraved nearby," Noelle shouted, holding on tighter to Alice's hand as they rushed over to the generators, the Depraved coming out from their hiding places one by one.
“Ha, you really think you're going to save the day, don't you?” A voice called out from above. Upon looking up, the girls saw a blue-haired male Knight in red and blue armor with a hood over his head.
"Who are you?" Alice shouted, ignoring the ominous feeling that she got from him. As if in response, the Knight smirked, stepping towards her.
"Who am I?...You do not need to know who I am, just yet," he said as his hood fell back. A smirking face was revealed, his eyes of a blood red color stared at her from under his eyebrows, his sharp gaze sending chills down her spine.
"I must ask, my dear, but are those your friends?" he said as he motioned to the others, who were fidgeting by Alice's side.
"Yes they are!" Alice answered, stepping forward in front of her friends. The figure smiled and then laughed, a low, raspy sound that filled the air.
"How amusing, these cute girls you have acquired...I could take them out in a flash if I wanted to, but you have piqued my interest. You’re an adorable young lady with potential aren't you~?" the cloaked figure whispered as his hand rose to her face, resting at her cheek.
"Get your hands off me!" Alice threatened as she brushed away the Knight's hand. He continued to chuckle, looking at her as if she was a mere toy, something that he wanted to play with.
“Ah! Getting feisty, are we? Very well then, keep playing hard to get. In the meantime, I'll be continuing my mission to seize the World Core.”
“World Core…?” Alice asked as she squinted her eyes.
Instead of receiving an answer, the Knight made a motion. The Depraved that waited to strike all came jumping down right at her and the others.
The Knight watches, grinning as the fight begins. Alice and her friends fight off the Depraved with their weapons, defeating them easily despite their overwhelming numbers.
“Damn, I wish I could make myself useful too,” Rachel whined out loud as she watched the others fight. “Everybody but me were kicking ass the last time. If only I could conjure the gun I wanted to make, but it's still far too early… Wait, I'm a Projector! That means I can at least…”
Rachel narrowed her eyes, lifting a finger and using Pinpoint to focus off of her aura in it. Aiming at a Depraved, she fired her aura at it like a bullet. It pierced its body and it vanished.
“Ha! I can work with this!” she rejoiced.
The Knight smirked as the fight went on. The girls eventually manage to clear out the Depraved from the generators, but not before some have managed to destroy the generators and shut them off completely.
As the last of the Depraved are killed, Alice looks to the Knight, who still hasn't moved from where he was spectating. He remains with that same smirk on his face as he looks at the fighting, his eyes studying Alice and her friends.
“Now tell us,” Alice demanded. “What is a World Core?”
“Something you're not going to get,” he replied with a chuckle, waving his hand.
Ugh, so helpful… Alice thought as she rolled her eyes. She turned to Noelle. “Um, Noelle, do you know what it is?”
“The best way to explain it is… It's like the soul of a planet. World Cores are balanced with Light and Darkness, just like human souls.”
“Oh, somebody went to school!” The Knight praised. “But do you know what happens when you corrupt a World Core with Darkness? You're all about to find out!”
The man’s words hung in the air, his smirk making Alice take a step back. She looked to her friends as they traded glances, their expressions mirroring Alice’s.
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Noelle sighed, her gaze remaining on the Knight. As if sensing her gaze, he looked over, his expression softening as a slight nod of approval came to his face.
“You look concerned, dear,” he began with a grin. “Do you not have faith in my words?”
"It’s not that," Noelle replied. Her expression tightened from his teasing, her eyes narrowed sharper as she stared at him.
"It's just that nobody takes well to threats. Not even us. So tell us, what's all this about the World Core?”
The Knight chuckled, nodding his head as if he agreed with Alice.
She's brave, I'll give her that, the Knight thought.
"The World Core. Every world, every realm has one. They are a manifestation of a world's life energy. They're where new life is born, and where the world's energy resides. It's the heart of all existence.”
Alice blinked, processing the information she was given. So the World Core was the key to the universe's health and continued survival. The idea that there were those out there who wanted to corrupt it with darkness was a cause for concern.
"And what would happen if someone corrupted it with darkness?" Alice asked.
"A dark world would be born," The Knight replied. "One engulfed by chaos and despair, and devoid of the life it once had. Without life, there can be no Light. Without Light, there can be no order. Without order, there can be no life. And if all worlds fall into that state, then everything will collapse. That is our ultimate goal. And now, I believe we've had enough conversation. Shall we start the true battle?”
Alice remained silent as the man took a dramatic step back and unsheathed his sword,
"All right then," Noelle replied. "We will fight against your darkness, by any means necessary."
The Knight laughed, his dark aura growing as he prepared for the fight. Alice and her friends did the same, bracing themselves for the fight to come.
"Let's see you fight against this power then. We shall see which one of us is stronger!"
With that, the Knight launched large blasts of dark energy at Alice, which she managed to block with her sword.
Rachel shot a bullet of her aura at the Knight's head, which he dodged in the nick of time. He whistled and raised a brow at her.
“You idiot! You're not the only one here with long-range attacks!” Rachel taunted with a scowl. “Why don't you stop being a coward and come fight us up close?!”
The Knight shrugged with a smirk and shook his head. “Very well, I'll accept. Now, it's MY turn!” he said before he jumped down and swung his blade at Rachel.
Rachel ducked and jumped out of the way of each strike. Every attack was a close call, and Sharline ran up to the Knight to intercept with a kick.
The Knight looked to her right and saw a foot coming at his head at blinding speeds.
“Damn,” he said, raising his arm to block it in time. Sharline's foot broke his hand with ease and kept going, slamming into his face, sending him tumbling across the floor.
He got back up as he rubbed the deep impression on his cheek with a demonic smirk. “You're damn strong, young lady,” he began before lifting his hand from his cheek. “...But not strong ENOUGH!”
Sharline glared at him as he raised his hand, her body tensing as she stared at him.
What is he doing…? she thought.
Sharline's glare only seemed to make the Knight grin more. The Knight then charged forward, acting like he was going to swing at her before pivoting and swinging his sword at Noelle. Despite being shocked from his sudden change of plan, Noelle dodged the swift strike with ease, but the Knight swung his blade at her again. She blocked the attack, but the force of the strike sent her crashing behind some debris, her staff flying from her hands.
The Knight laughed and pointed his sword at her. “Huh! You don't look like you're all that, yet you’re faster than I expected. But that will not save you from me. Now, watch as I finish what I have started.” The Knight then lunged forward in a thrust. Noelle jumped out of the way in time to avoid being impaled.
As she was getting up, the Knight lunged at her again, but this time he tried to attack her from the side, making it harder for Noelle to dodge. The Knight managed to catch her off guard, but Noelle ducked and threw a powerful kick upwards. The tip of her heel crashed into his chin, slamming his mouth shut. His teeth cracked under the pressure, and his breath was knocked out of him as he hit the ceiling. He fell back down to the ground and put his hand over his mouth, looking at his bloodied fingers. He glared at her as he began to prepare himself once more.
“Damn you!" he began, his words slurred due to the broken teeth. “Do you even know how much dental work costs out here?!"
The knight then pointed his sword at her, his stance prepared for another attack. "You got lucky there. However, I am still stronger than you.”
The Knight ran up, brandishing his sword as he swung it forward with all his might.
Noelle braced herself and swung her staff upwards, connecting in the center of the sword and causing a devastating collision.
The Knight's sword went flying out of his hand and crashed into a wall, cracking into pieces as it landed in a heap.
The Knight steadied his breathing and charged forward, swinging his sword as he did. Noelle ducked and pivoted behind him, her back to his front. Before he could react, he felt a foot crash into his crotch without an ounce of mercy.
Ohhhh… Zalgo thought as she grimaced.
The Knight let out an angry bellow as he fell, and he landed face first into the ground. He pounded his fists against the ground, kicking at the floor and knocking over debris in his fits of rage.
“Holy Tiff, you guys,” Blair said, her mouth agape as she watched Noelle with her friends. “She's really kicking his ass all by herself!”
“Yeah,” Sharline added. “It's like her physical might is comparable to her magic prowess.”
The Knight swung his blade at Noelle again, this time aiming for her chest. But she saw the strike coming and ducked under it, landing a sharp kick into his stomach. Seeing he was unable to react, she followed up with another kick to his stomach, this time with much more power.
He stumbled back from the blow, which was followed up by a sudden tackle from Blair, sending him to the ground. Unable to budge an inch due to Blair's strength pinning him to the floor, he couldn't dodge Sharline's incoming attack, landing on his chest with both feet. He coughed up blood, which was mixed with tooth fragments.
The Knight's breath was ragged as he let out a shaky groan. He looked around, seeing which of her friends was standing. He spotted Rachel, who was staring at him with bold eyes and a scowl, as if daring him to attack again.
Challenge accepted, the Knight thought.
He smirked and pointed his blade at her. "You're next." he threatened.
Using Fortify, the knight charged forward with an onslaught of strikes, each one faster and more powerful than the last. Rachel was quick and nimble, but she struggled to land any counters.
The Knight's relentless assault made Rachel sweat, and she began to tire, yet she was still doing her best to evade his attacks.
Shit… I won't last too much longer like this… she thought as she began to sweat.
“Alice! Hold him!”
Alice reached out towards the Knight and used Possession to stop him in his tracks.
Rachel let out a relieved sigh and stared daggers into the Knight, putting her hands on her hips.
The Knight huffed, giving a slight smirk to her.
“Ha, you think you're so scary, don'tcha? Well, your short, petite frame and frilly dress certainly isn't helping you in that department.”
Rachel scoffed and began to take off her shoe, holding it as she used Enfold on it.
“Who cares what I look like? All that matters is you're toast!”
She then threw her aura-enhanced loafer at his face, which broke his nose with a crunch.
“Take that, dumbass! Wanna talk shit now?”
He grunted and shook his head, using Increase and snapping his eyes wide open. “That's it! Quantum Fist!”
Rachel and everyone else were pushed back against the wall on the opposite side of the room by a powerful impact. It happened in an instant, with no time for anyone to respond or fight back. The Knight then stumbled as he stood up, heading into a door between two of the generators and closing it behind himself.
“Wh-what…the hell was that attack…?” Blair asked out loud.
“I'm unsure,” Zalgo replied. “He said ‘Quantum Fist' and then we were suddenly pushed back. I've never seen such an ability before.”
“No matter what abilities he has, we must finish him off and save World Core before he corrupts it with Darkness!” Noelle announced, getting up and dusting off her dress.
“Damn, you can get up after that attack?!” Blair asked.
“Don't worry, I have your back,” Noelle replied before bathing the girls in her aura, healing their injuries. Each of them got back up and stepped closer to Noelle.
“Thank you, Noelle,” Alice said. “So where did he go?”
“You're welcome, Alice. I'm unsure where he went, but I can use Scout to search for him.”
“Hold on, Scout? What's that?” Rachel asked.
“It's a technique where you project your aura using Increase, and then using Barrier to create a field that allows you to discern every aura in your surroundings.”
“Huh?! Why didn't Cel teach us about that? It sounds useful!”
“Well, she makes decisions on a whim, so I couldn't answer that… But let me see…”
Using Scout, Noelle felt a weak, dark aura moving downwards. “Ah, I got him. He's going down a stairwell below this room.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get ‘em!” Blair ordered.
“Yes, let's get going,” Noelle replied, following the trail of blood leading to the door the Knight exited.