EnroItzal

  Azae and her team were close but they were greeted with grave news by her scout’s familiars. The small vilges and settlements around Green Scar were also facing an imminent attack from the monster horde. These vilges weren’t targeted specifically but merely colteral as a result of the horde splitting up. The horde was huge and they weren’t attacking in a single file, a behavior unexpected from monsters. They were fnking the town of Green Scar from all sides. The vilges would be trampled by the horde as it advances.

  Against Lucan's suggestion of letting those vilges be and focused on their main course, Azae split her team up, each Padin would be responsible for defending each fnk. Azae herself would proceed onwards, to the main force of the horde. Though she had questions regarding her companions’ characters but when it came to their combat prowess, she had the utmost confidence in their supremacy. They rode through a small valley smothered in lush green. This was where they split in their path. Azae watched her companions depart until their figures were swallowed up by the abundant trees and distance. She prayed silently for their safety and success.

  Azae didn’t doubt her companions’ strength but anything can happen. There were plenty of abilities or magic in this world that ignores the level system. Considering they were up against an enemy of aberrant nature, her worries weren’t unfounded. She was also aware that she was being lured further away from The Singurity. She had no doubts this was another scheme of the Necromancer but she was the only one present that could fend off the horde. Quinteburgh had the merchants’ personal army should the Necromancer unch a simir assault on the town. The small town of Green Scar, on the other hand, was completely defenseless. Their borders weren’t meant to fend off a monster horde. As merciless as the rumors had painted Azae, she wasn’t one that cked any compassion. She didn’t know how those rumors started but she had little time for rumors.

  Azae wasn’t worried about her pace. The road after the valley was neatly paved but even so, the persistence of nature quickly found its way back to the path. Had Azae’s mount been a horse, her pace would be considerably slowed but she was riding a Tyrux. It didn’t have hooves but talons. The slight undution on the road was no issue for it. If the rider was ever more dexterous, a Tyrux could easily traverse from branches to branches across trees. But that would be too demanding for a Tyrux.

  Azae began encountering some monsters which strayed too far behind the horde. A sword manifested in her hand and she made quick work of the monsters. For the monsters which were out of her reach, she threw a three-point star-bde, which also manifested into her hand out of thin air. The star bde traveled in a radius around Azae, dismembering and decapitating all monsters the star bde passed through. Once the sword and the star bde had done their work, the two weapons were swallowed by the space around them.

  None of the monsters dared to approach Azae and Azae herself didn’t bother with the monsters that seemed to lose all notion of joining the horde. Her mission wasn’t to cull the horde but to merely fend them off or dissipate the horde. All in all, she was having a retively smooth journey and none could hinder her advance.

  Until a certain figure stood in her path.

  Azae pulled on the reins and forced the Tyrux into an immediate stop. The Tyrux didn’t resist the sudden command as it too could feel the individual in front of it was a threat of a high degree. The Tyrux was taking steps back from the individual standing in its path. Despite being a carnivore, the Tyrux was shaking like a cornered mouse in front of a cat.

  Azae hopped off her mount and sent the Tyrux away. With the individual in front of her, the Tyrux would only become a liability.

  “Name yourself, stranger,” Azae demanded as she pulled her hood down, revealing her short hair of a brilliant red. She pierced her scrutinizing gaze at the stranger with her emerald-green eyes.

  “Auriver Dusktride,” replied the stranger. He was a burly man of rough features and dark skin, standing over eight feet. He sported a clean-shaven head and the pair of horns on his forehead made his race even more evident. He was donned in a clerical robe that wouldn’t look out of pce amongst a battlefield.

  “And pray tell, for what purpose does an Augur of the Dusktride Cn like you to come standing in a Padin’s path?” Azae asked.

  Auriver chuckled with a sneer. “I was compelled,” he answered.

  Azae spared no breath to entertain the Augur’s poorly concocted reason. What’s more, she felt a dark aura emanating from him. “Are you the Necromancer?”

  “Necromancer?” Auriver raised an eyebrow. “Ah, you mean Ba’al. In that case, I am not the Necromancer but I do know of him. We’re in a fellowship, sort of.”

  “So, you’re admitting yourself to be an accessory of his offence.”

  “How imprudent. I have no hand in this conundrum he has created. However, I do have a hand in helping him gather his army but… this wasn’t the pn. He wasn’t meant to attack a few insignificant human settlements with our painstaking hard work.” Auriver made an exaggerated sigh. “He has strayed from the plot.”

  “Regardless, you’re still an accessory. Therefore, you are under arrest in the name of her eminence, Ruva.”

  “Still… I guess this isn’t all bad. He did manage to lure a champion of a divine to me. This unaccounted change does have its silver lining.”

  “Champion of a divine...”

  “Surely you know what I’m talking about, Scarlet Bde. I am very much like you too.”

  “I see. So you’re an apostle too,” Azae said and uncsped her cloak, letting it fall to the ground, revealing her slender tunic underneath. The fabric of her tunic was so thin that her skin was almost visible under the right amount of light. However, that appearance of hers didn’t st long as a suit of bck metallic armor with a shade of red manifested over her body, including her head.

  “Apostle, champion, emissary, whatever. We’re both the divines’ chosen. We are obligated to fight one another, no?”

  “No,” Azae answered sharply. “But I will be shirking my duties as a Padin to let such a dangerous individual like you walk free.”

  “That’s the spirit, Scarlet Bde!” Auriver bellowed joyfully. He smashed his fist together. “Come on, give me your all.”

  Azae didn’t have Appraisal but she could roughly gauge her opponent’s strength and level. She surmised Auriver’s level to be around the range of the lower eighty, same as her. It wasn’t common to find an individual of such a level but she wasn’t arrogant to think individuals of a tremendous level were a blue moon. She was well aware of the off-chance that many concealed their true power and level.

  Auriver thrust out his glowing right fist and a stream of red energy shot out. Azae summoned a shield into her hands. The energy stream collided with her shield, pushing her back but not making even the slightest dent on her shield. When the stream dissipated, Azae appraised the damage done to her shield before tossing it away and letting the space swallow it. Auriver fired off another stream of red energy but this time, Azae simply waved her hand and the energy stream disappeared into thin air, much like all of her weapons.

  “Clever of you,” Auriver praised. “To think that would ever be someone who would think of storing magic away.”

  Azae offered no response and took out a chain hook this time. She threw the chain hook at Auriver but it missed. Azae tugged on the chain and the chain itself shortened at a thrilling speed, pulling Azae close to Auriver.

  The Augur quickly attempted to dodge but Azae reached him before his massive figure could retreat out of the Padin’s range. She brandished a sword in her hand as she reached her target. She swung but her bde left only a mark of her attempt instead of drawing blood.

  Auriver snickered. “Surely that’s not your finest bde, Scarlet Bde.”

  Azae stowed away her chain-hook and sword and produced a greatsword. Auriver eyed her curiously and just waited patiently for her next move.

  Azae imbued the greatsword with Arcane Edge and began swinging at Auriver with one hand. He dodged the first swing but was forced to take the second swing due to their speed difference. It didn’t cut through his skin but the pain was still there. Auriver was greatly surprised at Azae’s physical strength. He thought her to be a speed and tactic-reliant fighter but that wasn’t all she was.

  Auriver stopped dodging and stood his ground. He retaliated by bringing down a flurry of fists at Azae. She wasn’t fazed by the sudden change of strategy from her opponent. She took out the same shield from before and let it absorb all of Auriver’s assault. She parried his st punch with the shield and thrust the greatsword at his chest. The bde didn’t penetrate his skin but it was enough to send him plunging back.

  Auriver recovered his bearings quickly but Azae was already in his proximity. He swung his fist but Azae slid under his punch. Arriving behind him, she had already switched out her shield and greatsword with a battle axe, sending the giant bde down on his back.

  His whole body caved into the ground but as expected, even the such a huge bde didn’t manage to leave a scar. Azae didn’t stop there. She brought down her axe again but Auriver turned around and grabbed her axe. “Not so fast,” he snarled.

  Azae let go of the axe and the weapon disappeared like all of its predecessors.

  Auriver took this opportunity and kicked at Azae from where he y. His kick was heavy but much too slow for Azae. She swiftly dodged the poor attempt and drew out a pair of short swords. Auriver pushed himself back to his feet and blocked her flurry of attacks with his arms raised. None of the bdes managed to even scratch him but he was still forced to take a step back.

  “That does it,” he growled.

  He predicted where her bdes would nd and reached out, grabbing the two bdes with one hand. Before Azae could retreat, Auriver sent a punch that finally nded on her. She flew and tumbled across the ground before grazing the soil to a stop. A trail of blood was spilled.

  “Your strength is commendable but no better than mine. Your speed is the only advantage you have over me,” Auriver gloated with a scoff.

  Azae got to her feet slowly. She was visibly hurt by that one punch and the recovery of her bearings was wobbly. Nevertheless, she pushed herself to her feet. She lifted her visor, wiping her lips of her blood before closing it back up. “It has been far too long since I st witnessed my own blood. This is… thrilling,” she said with a smile as she looked at her blood-stained hand.

  “It won’t be just your blood but your guts too,” Auriver said and shot off like a cannon with a kick off the ground. He flew straight into the Padin.

  Azae tried to dive away but Auriver’s sudden burst speed caught her off guard. His fist glowed bright red. He sent a straight at her. He missed but his fist grazed her cheek. His second punch came but she deflected it with her arm. He punched again but he missed completely this time. Adapting to his new speed, Azae was slowly regaining her advantage. He threw a wide hook but Azae raised her leg and trapped his swinging arm under her foot. She followed up with a knee right into his face. He fell back but he reeled himself back in and threw another hook. Azae caught his hook and used his momentum to toss him away. He ended up tumbling across the ground.

  Auriver got to his feet without a moment lost. His eyes had not the slightest notion of losing the fire. His fists glowed red again and he thrust both of them out, a bigger stream of red energy was fired. Azae did the same thing and waved both of her hands, and the stream disappeared.

  “This is preposterous,” Auriver said, calmly. “To think even a skill of that mass could be stored away like a mere item.”

  “The preposterous one is you. You’re around my level but your skills and abilities are not much to write home about.”

  Auriver chuckled. “It certainly isn’t anything special but no edge has ever managed to draw my blood. It seems our fight is coming down to a matter of endurance.”

  “Is it now?” Azae muttered dryly. Unperturbed by the futility of her strikes, her gaze remained ever vigint and resolute. She drew a saber with a long and curved bde with a hilt that curved in the opposite direction of the bde. Her breathing slowed. The rise and fall of her chest steadily came to a still. She drew air into her body. The bde of the saber glistened with a vibrant red.

  “A new trick, finally!” Auriver commended with open arms but his expression curled in the next second. “Huh!?” he blurted out as Azae disappeared from his sights, leaving a trail of a fading scarlet glow.

  Azae reappeared to Auriver’s right but if it weren’t for the disturbance of the wind, he would never have known. She sshed and Auriver raised his arm in defense on the beckon of his instinct. The ssh drew a cut across his forearm, a shallow cut but a cut nonetheless.

  “Impossible,” he muttered to himself in disbelief.

  Azae sshed again.

  Auriver raised his other arm to block the attack. A patch of bckness spread over his left arm. Azae’s bde bounced off against the bck patch. The bck patch shrunk back into nothing. Azae lunged again before he could offer a remark. He trained his gaze on Azae’s bde. His neck, chest, and waist grew a patch of bckness which all deflected a blow from Azae’s bde. But he failed to perceive the blow aimed for his thigh. By the time he realized, Azae had drawn a long cut across. He sent a kick at her way but she had already withdrawn out of his reach.

  Only then, Azae breathed out and began gasping for air when she was within a safe distance away. The scarlet glow faded from her saber and scarlet vapour oozed out through the gaps of her armor.

  “I see… Scarlet Bde. So that’s where your moniker stems from. I will admit, it’s beautiful but it’s a shame such a beautiful thing won’t be around for long.”

  Azae held in her breath once again. The vapour stopped oozing out and her bde glowed scarlet. She disappeared from where she stood and only to reappear behind Auriver. The Augur turned around swinging his fist but Azae was long gone. Sensing movement to his left, he swung, but he missed again. A cut appeared on the left shoulder. This pattern reoccurred a few times. Auriver could only vaguely guess where Azae would reappear but each time, he would either misjudge or mistime his retaliation.

  Although Azae was finally drawing her opponent’s blood, Auriver nevertheless had the toughest defense she had ever encountered. It wasn’t just his skin but in all likelihood, every fibre of his body bore the same power of defense. Azae wasn’t using a spell that increases her speed or strength but a mere trick and skill that showed the mastery of her body and magic. By holding her breath, she was able to compress her magic power, making it far denser than it should be, greatly enhancing her strength and speed. Then, she transferred the compressed power into her weapon. She had amazing control of magic but the awful truth was that she never had an affinity with almost any Magic Art. She was forced to compensate for that weakness with creative uses of her limited arsenal. Still, her understanding and mastery of magic led her to become one of the most feared fighters across the continent.

  This trick of hers bore a significant weakness of its own. It was dependent on how long she could hold her breath. She would need a few seconds of rest in between her flurry of attacks. Auriver caught on to this weakness of hers.

  He waited patiently for the moment her movement began to slow for even a bit. When she did eventually begin to slow down, Auriver pounced on that window.

  Azae dodged the grasp that came for her arm but she failed to dodge the punch that followed after the grasp. She crossed her arm, resorting herself to the strength of her armor and body’s endurance. The punch caused ripples to form in the air as Azae was sent flying through the forest, demolishing the trees, razing the ground, and raising clouds of dust and smoke.

  On the bright side of things, Azae was now closer to the town of Green Scar than before. And she also obliterated quite a number of monsters as she was sent flying. There were still quite a number of monsters in the vicinity but not a single one made a move. Even though they had a defenseless-looking female knight struggling to get to her feet in front of them, the level difference caused the monsters to flee instead.

  “I’m curious, Scarlet Bde,” said Auriver as he strode towards Azae like he had all the time in the world. “As the chosen ones, we are all bestowed a gift from our patron god. This impervious body of mine is the gift. What about yours? Why aren’t you using it? Do you think I’m not worthy of your Goddess’ gift?”

  “Gift...” Azae ughed. She pushed herself up to her feet with trembling limbs. “You called it a gift? Then tell me, what has this “gift” taken in exchange for that invincible body of yours?”

  Auriver was silent and his face grimaced.

  “It’s no gift, Auriver Dusktride. It is a piece of divinity. No matter how small, us mortals are not meant to hold such power. It would only destroy us.”

  “Don’t push your insecurities of your worth unto others, Scarlet Bde. I am chosen. I am worthy to hold such power. What has been taken from me in exchange is nothing but a small price to pay.”

  Azae scoffed. “It’s no gift if one has to pay for it.”

  “Enough, I will hear no more of your deceit. If you won’t use it, allow me to convince you,” Auriver said and bent his knee. He gathered strength into his legs as he squatted lower down.

  “By the grace of Ruva...” Azae muttered as she realized Auriver’s intention. Instead of stopping him, she ran from him.

  Auriver then jumped far and high up into the sky until he reached the clouds. Once he reached the highest point of his jump, he kicked the air into ripples and unched himself straight back to the ground.

  On this day, a quarter of Green Scar was razed and demolished into an empty crater.