The Saintess pulled open the heavy wooden door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
Levi's voice was low.
"O-oh... the other Saint,"
The Saintess replied.
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't call me that."
Levi stepped inside.
Low whispers echoed from the corridor's shadows.
"How lucky they are, in the same room,"
One of the cloaks breathed.
"Shall we go and start, Boss?"
"Scorched earth. Kill everyone except the two Saints."
"Got it."
One of the cloaked figures broke away and headed straight for the Saintess's room.
A sharp, blinding flash assaulted her mind a sudden vision of a brutal ambush playing out in seconds.
"Sir Levi, we're going to get attacked!"
She hissed.
"SHIT, THEY KNOW! GET THEM BEFORE THEY ALERT EVERYONE!"
??? barked.
An arrow tore through the air, aimed to put them to sleep.
Levi moved instantly.
His blade rang as he deflected it and drove the shaft into the floor.
"Damn it."
"Get behind me, Saintess. You'll get hurt."
"I shall help you. You're not the only one who knows how to fight."
"Nice. Just what I needed."
A radiant, golden holy light manifested in her hands.
She summoned Holy Arrows and fired them in a rapid barrage into the advancing cloaks.
Levi stepped forward into the vanguard, slashing directly at the Captain.
"You dare SLASH AT ME? ME, OUT OF ALL PEOPLE? You're courting death! I'm gonna kill you!"
The Captain roared.
"Why don't we see if you will 'kill' me?"
Levi replied, tightening his grip.
The Captain's strength was on another level.
Fueled by defiance, he lunged, movements blurring into a whirlwind of steel and shadow.
"Captain, wait! The orders were to apprehend them, not to end them!"
One subordinate shouted.
"Silence! I will not be humiliated by a child!"
The Captain snapped.
He swept his blade in a wide, reckless arc.
His subordinates scrambled to avoid being struck by his fury.
Levi recognized an opening.
He adjusted his grip and centered his breathing to prepare a high-level maneuver.
'Not deep enough,'
He thought.
He pivoted on his heel, driving momentum forward to turn a glancing blow into a decisive strike.
The Captain's gauntlet clashed against Levi's blade, parrying at the last microsecond.
"You think a desperate gamble like that will work on me? I am a master of the vanguard! I will savor every moment of your defeat,"
the Captain boasted.
"Then stop talking and try it,"
Levi shot back.
"Azhir, if you're finished napping, I could use a hand!"
Levi called.
"Is it that time already? You truly are a demanding host."
Azhir said.
Azhir manifested beside him spectral and unimpressed.
"WHO ARE YOU MUTTERING TO? FACE ME!"
the Captain barked at a nearby attacker.
"Give me a moment. I'm occupied,"
Levi added, then turned back to the Captain.
"It seems you've finally hit a wall you can't climb alone. Very well. Shall we see what happens when we turn up the heat?"
Azhir said to Levi.
The Captain, consumed by ego and rage, charged with a thunderous roar.
His heavy blade rose for a crushing overhead strike.
Levi executed a desperate roll.
Floorboards splintered where he had stood only a heartbeat before.
"LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM KILLING YOU!"
the Captain screamed.
"Fine. Just for a moment, let us show him something spectacular,"
Azhir muttered.
Azhir's ethereal form ignited in a brilliant sapphire flame, radiating ancient power.
"Take the flame. Let it guide your steel."
"About time. I won't forget this,"
Levi answered.
The Captain swung with the force of a falling mountain.
The air before the blade compressed.
Levi's guard was caught and he skidded back across the stone floor.
He stabilized, boots leaving dark scorch marks, arms trembling from the momentum.
A resonant boom echoed through the palace.
"Captain, investigate the source of that disturbance immediately."
Maverick ordered.
"At once, my Lord. But... will you be secure here?"
The Senior Captain hesitated.
"You question my capability? Go. Now,"
Maverick snapped.
"Understood."
The Senior Captain saluted and vanished down the hallway toward the Saintess's quarters.
Back in the smoke-filled room, Levi steadied himself.
"Let's settle this properly."
He glanced briefly toward the Saintess to ensure she was safe.
She moved like a blur.
Her holy light seared the darkness as she fended off the remaining intruders with practiced grace.
"Don't worry about me! Take down the leader!"
She called.
"GLADLY! PREPARE YOURSELF, BOY!"
The Captain bellowed.
Levi sank into a low stance.
Azhir's ethereal heat flowed into his sword until the metal glowed a dull, dangerous red.
Levi began the fluid motions of the Imperial Rainslash, then snapped his wrist to transition into the Sovereign Fangstorm.
They were meant to be separate, Levi thought, but with this power he could bridge them.
Combining the precision of the Rainslash with the ferocity of the Fangstorm.
He unleashed a dual-natured strike that carved light through the air.
The blow shattered the Captain's guard, leaving him staggered and vulnerable.
"A STRIKE WORTHY OF A KNIGHT! BUT I AM NOT DONE-"
The Captain boasted, only to be cut short.
A silver blade emerged from the shadows behind him with impossible speed.
The Senior Captain entered like a vengeful spirit.
Two swift strokes neutralized the threat entirely, securing the room with grim efficiency.
"My thanks..."
Levi breathed as the adrenaline faded.
Exhaustion washed over him.
The world tilted.
He collapsed and sank into a well-earned rest.
"Saintess, report. Are you injured?"
The Senior Captain asked as he checked on her.
"I see you held your own. Good,"
He added after confirming she stood firm amid the aftermath.
Later, in the quiet of the royal office, the Senior Captain reported to King Maverick.
"The paperwork for this will be an absolute nightmare," he said.