Chapter 24: The Echo of Despair
The Greatsword Knight, Percival, was well-trained. He anticipated the attack instantly, whirling around and raising his massive blade high to block the monstrous punch and counter. But no one, not even the disciplined Magic Knights, could have anticipated the creature's ruthless strategy.
Right before its dark fist could strike the sword, the monster curved its arm and slammed its fist into the ground instead, unleashing the very move the Knight had used moments earlier: a contained, earth-shattering kinetic burst.
BOOM!
A blinding flash erupted where Percival stood, followed by a vicious tremor that shook the ground. An intense shockwave blasted outward. Cassian watched in awe; his heart began to pound faster, feeling the incredible concussive pressure even from a kilometer away. His dull expression finally broke, his lips curving into a genuine smile.
Then, Percival's large body came flying backward, hurtling directly toward the carriage.
"No," Cassian muttered.
With a rapid, subtle motion, he flicked his hand to the right. The incoming Knight followed the invisible force, stopping in mid-air just short of the carriage, and then was redirected violently to the right. Percival struck a thick tree trunk with a sickening thud and fell to the ground, motionless.
"This is getting better than I expected," Cassian conceded, watching the light from the explosion die down.
The monster stood triumphant at the center of the huge new crater. The remaining adventurers openly trembled, and while the Knights tried to mask it, fear gnawed at their composure.
"Percival!" one of the Knights yelled anxiously.
"I don't believe it... it copied Percival's technique!" another stammered.
"Commander!"
The commander Eliot was reeling. He hadn't expected this sheer destructive power. Percival was one of his strongest, powerful enough to rival the Commander himself, yet he had been defeated with a single blow that utilized his own signature technique.
"What will I do?" he asked himself, his eyes flicking toward the carriage.
"I must not let her, or the others, down."
"Form 1: Phoenix!"
"Strike!" The Commander roared, injecting adrenaline into his voice.
hearing the command, the Knights didn't hesitate; their chain of synchronized attacks began.
The two Knights with swords instantly vanished, reappearing mid-air in front of the creature with frightening speed. Both drew and swung their weapons in coordinated slashes. The monster raised its remaining hand to block and leaped backward on instinct.
CLANG! CLANG!
Sounds like steel striking tempered iron rang out. Before the monster could counter, the Knights were relentless, continuously slashing and striking. They were surprised to see not a single dent on its hide.
Then, the Commander suddenly appeared beside the beast, directly beneath its large, blocking arm.
"O goddess, grant unto me thy power that I may vanquish evil and serve thy holy name!" he chanted quickly.
"Starlight Slash!" he yelled.
There was a quick, brilliant flash of white light. As the glow faded, the creature was seen reeling back more hastily than before. Its right arm—the one it had used to block the initial sword strikes—was cleanly severed, sent flying from its shoulder socket.
The two sword-wielding Knights immediately pressed the advantage, utilizing their overwhelming speed and agility to keep the one-armed monster on the defensive.
While they kept it busy, the Commander turned to the last Magic Knight, the one wielding the spear. The Knight nodded, understood the signal, and took a tense stance, stretching his spear forward. With a single, powerful thrust from his hind leg, the ground beneath him fractured. He accelerated so fast that he seemingly vanished from his position.
The stage was set for the finishing blow. The Commander had created the opening; now, he had to secure it.
"Holy light of god, bless thy servant so he may vanquish evil!" he chanted, the blade of his heavy battle axe beginning to glow, turning pure white and crackling with yellow, bright charges.
With all his remaining strength, he raised the heavy axe high into the air. He leaned forward, took his stance, and released every ounce of built-up power in one desperate throw.
"Holy Embodiment! Thunder Clap and Flash!"
The sheer force of the throw unleashed its own shockwave. Faster than the speed of sound, the axe flew like a rotating, circular saw of brilliant light. The monster tried to dodge, but in a searing flash, both of its legs were instantly severed just below the knee.
The two sword Knights dropped down from their positions. Suddenly, the Spear Knight from before reappeared right in front of the kneeling monster to deliver the final, killing blow.
High-pressured air gathered instantly at the spear tip and began to swirl, forming a perfectly compressed sphere.
"Mana Infusion!"
The color of the swirls deepened, turning a vivid blue as more and more mana infused into the high-pressure sphere.
"Rising Dust Form!" the Knight declared, and he thrusted his spear forward, aiming for the monster's exposed chest.
It seemed utterly over. A Knight was going for its head, another for its remaining arm, and the Spear Knight was going for a clean, piercing blow to the chest.
But in the few, crucial moments before impact, it felt as though the monster's power surged exponentially. Its severed legs instantly regenerated, followed by its missing arm, all within a fraction of a second. It raised a massive, newly formed leg and met the Spear Knight with a brutal, thrusting kick that sent him flying backward.
Before the other two Knights could land their attacks, the monster's entire body seemed to ripple, and it vanished, leaving only a dark, fading after-image.
The two Sword Knights landed, turning to face each other in stunned silence.
"What happened?" one asked, bewildered.
"I… I don't know," the other replied, fear creeping into his voice.
The Commander stood in shock. He had seen the instantaneous regeneration with his own eyes and simply couldn't believe it.
Then, the monster materialized behind the downed Spear Knight. It raised its hand, and high-pressured air, far more intense than the Knight's version, gathered in its palm. With a horrifying surge of mana, a large, dark energy ball formed, crackling violently.
"Nooooooooooo!" The Commander screamed, fighting the crippling exhaustion from his powerful attack to help his comrade.
It was no use.
He watched, horrified, as the creature's wide mouth curled into something that looked like a sadistic smile. The monster then struck the Knight, using a distorted, dark version of the Knight's own Rising Dust Form.
BOOM!
A final, devastating explosion rocked the earth, sending a tremor of terror through every adventurer. The Commander's eyes widened in utter shock. He felt utterly powerless and struggled, uselessly, to get himself up