Bastion recognized the look the young noble had for Seraphina, and he didn't like it. Not because no man was allowed to look at his wife with a lustful gaze, which would be an asinine reason to attack anyone, but because that kind of look belonged to lustful, spoiled brats who always got what they wanted. They wouldn't take no for an answer and would do everything in their power to take what they couldn't have.
Unlike the times he had dealt with such spoiled noble brats before, he couldn't simply rely on intimidation to fend this one off. This time, they were the ones who weren't in control.
With them surrounded inside a fort full of guards, and with five Rank 2 guards matching their own strength, they were at a clear disadvantage if resistance was mounted. Add to that the fact that the young noble was the literal law in this fort, it was inevitable that a fight would break out. The only question was whether the Rank 2 guards would stop the brat or enable him.
Bastion turned to them and looked into each of their eyes, and he didn't like what he saw. They didn't care one way or the other, unlike the knight he had met in Mycelora. This meant they would inevitably fight if the young noble commanded them.
'Elyra, prepare to take out the guards in the watchtowers and sweep the walls,' Bastion commanded through telepathy. 'Let Ariel inside the carriage know to prepare for battle, but have her use the Rank 1 autocannon just in case.'
They didn't have the same level of privilege as in the Kingdom of Brilliance, so it was best to avoid tempting fate and experiment with the bounds of the kingdom's rank restriction. After all, the Rank 2 autocannon technically had Rank 3 power; whether that was allowed or not was questionable and might trigger a punishment they couldn't afford.
'Yes, Master,' she replied without question.
Once the young noble was within reach of his whipsword's maximum range, Bastion activated Reinforce, prepared Arcane Lockdown with his left hand, and lashed out with the other. He used Weapon Slot to call his sword to his hand, fed it mana to release its whip form, extended its range, and sliced through the Apprentice Rank young noble's neck with just the tip of the blade.
A full second of shock followed the death of their charge, giving Bastion the opening he needed to release his Arcane Lockdown. As a transparent blue dome covered the entire fort, sealing off all escape, the Rank 2 guards finally snapped out of their bewilderment and unsheathed their weapons. They turned to Bastion and charged forward with wild abandon, determined to avenge the young noble.
Bastion quickly equipped his diamond tower shield on his left hand before donning his helmet via the Armor Slot, then used Charge, targeting the right side of their loose formation. Just as they were about to clash, Ariel burst out of the carriage and opened fire with her Rank 1 autocannon, targeting the left side of the Rank 2 guard's formation.
The guards to the right braced for Bastion's attack, while the guards on the left ignored the threat of the bullets flying in their direction. Instead, they circled around and tried to surround Bastion. Their poor understanding of guns was punished as the first guard was riddled with holes, killing him before he could even use a skill, while the second, seeing the threat first hand, immediately deployed a barrier to block the rain of bullets.
Bastion, meanwhile, used Shield Bash to knock the guard at the center away before slashing out with Diamond Edge-enhanced Slashes to the right. Four crescent-shaped diamonds threatened to kill the guard, but he was no slouch, as he countered Bastion's attacks with three enhanced Slashes of his own, the slight difference between them immediately ending his life.
His sword glowed green before slashing out, matching Bastion's strength with each clash. By the fourth slash, however, his weapon was left unenhanced, breaking to Bastion's sword before the attack landed on his neck, cutting him down and killing him in an instant.
Now Bastion was down to a 2v3, with one guard keeping Ariel busy while Bastion faced off with the remaining two. Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the fort as a sudden battle began out of nowhere, the perfect time for Elyra to begin her slaughter.
A shadow emerged from each of the four watchtowers and the top of the fort and began cutting off heads with a single swipe, destroying armor and bisecting bodies with ease. A bloodbath ensued as the guards in the tower, fort, and walls were slaughtered by Elyra and her shadows.
Lilia, who was standing with Seraphina, took a while to process what was happening but didn't question Bastion's motives for now and instead focused on protecting the carriage. She immediately released her Mana Net to cover the entire fort before using Rune Casting with runes of Freeze, Ice, and Explode to target all the soldiers who were rushing toward them.
Shards of ice, freezing mist, and explosions tore through the surroundings before the guards could even get close, killing some while freezing others. Then she released her ice-enhanced golem to act as a distraction as mist began building up and covering the carriage.
Seraphina, meanwhile, stood in absolute shock at Bastion's decisiveness, taking the longest time out of everyone to regain her senses. She had been wrong about him, completely wrong, in fact.
She, like Bastion, recognized the look the young noble had and had expected to be harassed before Bastion would intercede and give the same lecture as before, only to be completely taken off guard when Bastion attacked and killed the little shit instead, without the slightest bit of hesitation. She didn't know or understand why it suddenly led to violence, but she was all for it. As Bastion had said, killing should only be a last resort, so there must be a pressing reason for him to skip dialogue and go for the kill.
Staving off the questions in her mind, Seraphina released Akari, her phoenix, before firing a Deathflare to Bastion's left, targeting the other guard and allowing Bastion the freedom to fight one on one.
The guard evaded the surprise attack with Dodge before rushing past Bastion and charging at her. Seraphina released her Scorching Wings and immediately strafed away while keeping Deathflare active on the guard. She kited him as best as she could while he occasionally took concentrated flames to his armor, boiling the skin on his arms, legs, or chest.
Once he finally reached Seraphina, he prepared a powerful strike, only to be sent stumbling back with Cremation Pulse as Seraphina retreated, continuing her Deathflare bombardment. The brief pause as he regained his footing was enough for Seraphina to sear his leg off, preventing him from running around freely.
Finally, she concentrated on his head, killing him as his brain boiled.
Ariel was having the easiest time, as she kept the guard locked down. All he could manage was to defend with a barrier skill, refreshing it a few times per second, draining his mana while trying his best to avoid being blown back by the power behind each bullet. Eventually, he ran out of mana from overuse and Bastion's Arcane Corruption, leaving him helpless as he was riddled with holes from the spray of bullets.
Bastion, meanwhile, chased after his retreating opponent, who realized he was the only one left. They were clearly fighting above-average adventurers who had no business being hostile towards them. This meant they were being schemed against, and he needed to escape to report to his liege.
Suddenly, an ethereal blue chain bound his leg to the railings of the stairs he was climbing, slowing him down just enough for Bastion to catch up. He turned to defend himself against Bastion's Diamond Edge coated Slash, but was taken by surprise as the sword suddenly bent mid-motion, coiling around his neck like a living chain.
Before he could react, Bastion yanked it tight, the blade shards biting into the guard's armor and shredding it with grinding force, carving through metal, flesh, and bone. In an instant, his head separated from his torso as his body collapsed lifelessly onto the stairs.
What followed was a massacre as the hundreds of guards in the fort were hunted down. Most tried to fight and were killed or frozen. A few tried to escape through a hidden passage beneath the fort but were betrayed by their own shadows. Those who remained attempted to jump from the walls, only to slam into a powerful barrier blocking their escape. In the end, they were all either killed or captured.
The girls all turned to Bastion, who had a cold expression, the questions in their minds at the tip of their tongues. They wanted to ask why the sudden battle had occurred and what they should do about the mess now.
"Elyra, clean up the fort just like I taught you. Lilia, prepare a purification ritual to send the souls. Seraphina, help her. Ariel, figure out our surroundings and pick the closest Rank 3 kingdom to head towards."
Elyra expanded her shadow over the entire fort, collecting everything that wasn't bolted down and dumping it beside the carriage, along with all the corpses and equipment. Then, with her shadows as the medium, she cast Clean over the entire fort, removing all signs of battle, dirt, and grime. The fort had never looked this pristine, even when it was first built.
"Elyra, interrogate the survivors and find out who is next in charge and who would care about the brat's death."
"Yes, Master," Elyra complied as she began her interrogation.
Bastion then flooded the pile of junk Elyra had collected with his mana. Having corruptive properties, his mana destroyed all the enchantments attached to the pile of weapons, armor, furniture, and supplies, leaving behind raw materials. He then stored everything in his inventory.
"Baron Aldenwood is the noble in charge of this fort and will be the only party interested in investigating. Also, there won't be anyone who finds anything suspicious about this fort for the next month, when their shifts change," Elyra reported after her rather quick and brutal interrogation.
"Good. Finish up," Bastion replied.
Elyra nodded before she began killing the prisoners with her Heartless Execution, ensuring every single one of them died, much to the other girls' horror. They wanted to ask why Bastion was being so brutal but saved their questions for later.
"Seraphina, cremate them, please," Bastion instructed.
Without a word, she unleashed Eternal Flame, creating a fast-burning pyre that began incinerating all the corpses. With a final Cremation Pulse to finish the job, all that remained were ashes. Finally, Elyra cast Clean on the pile of scattered ash and blood left from the execution, leaving the courtyard cleaner than when they had arrived.
Lilia, meanwhile, finished her preparations for the purification ritual. At the center of the courtyard was a large metal slab engraved with a ritual circle, filled with materials whose symbolism matched peace, rest, and purity. Once the final component was placed, she activated the ritual by feeding it her mana.
Seraphina followed, adding her own mana to reinforce the effect, her Life and Death–attributed mana pushing the ritual far beyond normal limits. Then, with a sudden flash, the emptied and cleaned fort was purified, ensuring no souls remained in the area.
"Everyone in the carriage," Bastion commanded before releasing Pebbles. "Cover our tracks."
With a nod, Pebbles sat on top of the rear of the carriage, preparing to erase any tracks left on the ground as it moved.
Finally, with everyone aboard, the carriage set off, heading back the way they had come, while the girls sat on the couches in the living room, waiting for Bastion to explain himself.
"Alright, let the trial begin," Bastion said, his gaze still cold, his countenance impassive.
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