"Lancelot! That's far enough! I won't let you pass through here and enter my lord's castle!"
Braford, the dual-wielding knight loyal to Arlon, sat atop his warhorse with flowing red hair. He blocked the path ahead, holding a longsword in one hand and a shortsword in the other. His tall, slender frame was clad in light armor, earning him the title of the "Elegant Dual-Wielding Knight."
"Is that so? Then let's see you try."
Lancelot spurred his horse forward. The two armies crashed into each other.
Cyan rode Unabi at the rear, drawing the attention of most enemies. Unused to mounted combat, she felt restricted and awkward on the horse's back. Had her demon blade not been so long, she would have already dismounted.
"Kick him."
While swinging her blade at nearby foes, Cyan ordered Unabi to attack. The obedient horse lashed out with its hooves.
A halberdier in chest armor was kicked squarely in the torso and fell. Just as he raised his axe to strike the horse's legs, spider silk shot from Cyan's collar and struck him in the eye. Unabi seized the opening, reared up with a sharp neigh, and stomped down hard on the man's face. Blood sprayed as his skull caved in. The horse then trampled over his twitching body, ending what little life remained.
Asuka, who badly wanted to fight from horseback, glanced enviously at Cyan while fending off enemies.
Braford leapt nimbly from his steed. His body spun through the air as he swung both swords, sending waves of battle aura hurtling toward Lancelot.
Battle aura…?
Asuka was briefly stunned by the sight, but she still managed to bash away a swordsman diving at her from above.
Lancelot blocked the incoming aura with his sword. His white warhorse neighed and took a step back. Seizing the momentum, Braford gathered battle aura onto his blades and launched a fierce assault.
A heavy impact traveled up Lancelot's arm. His expression hardened. He switched to a two-handed grip and swung back with all his strength.
After forcing Braford back, Lancelot leapt from his horse and gave chase through the air, spinning with his sword raised.
"Sir Lancelot!"
Seeing Lancelot locked in a hard fight, Orlov's eyes lit up. This was a perfect chance to raise his favorability with a major story character. If he helped take down this boss, he might even obtain a rare boss-exclusive skill — perhaps even a battle aura skill book.
The other survivors noticed his movement and began closing in on Braford as well.
Five bull-horned knights stood beside Braford, their maces dripping with blood and scraps of flesh. Their eyes, visible beneath their horned helmets, burned with murderous intent.
The survivors gathered around Lancelot, waiting for his signal.
"Charge with me!"
Lancelot took a deep breath, eyes blazing with fighting spirit, and raised his sword with a roar.
"Kill them all!"
Braford leapt into the air and unleashed rapid waves of battle aura toward the survivors and Lancelot. The bull-horned knights roared and charged.
Wave Sprint!
Cyan pressed both hands against Unabi's back. Golden lightning spread across the horse's coat.
"Charge through."
Unabi neighed and surged forward. It leapt over the bull-horned knights, its front hooves clashing against a mace with a metallic ring.
Infinite Style: Gale Slash!
Green, flame-like sword aura gathered on the demon blade. Cyan jumped from Unabi's back and drove the blade straight through a bull-horned knight's helmet and skull. She kicked off his shoulders and landed lightly back on the horse.
The knight collapsed to his knees. Blood sprayed from the hole in his helmet as he died.
No card dropped.
The demon blade trembled, clearly craving more blood from stronger opponents.
Another bull-horned knight roared in fury and leapt at Cyan with his mace raised. She hurled the demon blade without hesitation. It pierced his skull mid-air. Unabi then kicked the falling body to the ground.
Cyan retrieved the card that dropped and patted Unabi's neck.
Orlov, who had been watching her closely, was visibly surprised. Only a short while ago she had been a complete beginner at riding, yet she was already fighting in perfect sync with the horse.
Gaze of Fear!
Asama Ai locked eyes with a charging bull-horned knight. He suddenly froze, trembling as he was trapped in his worst nightmare.
Nishi appeared in front of him in a blur and drove her blade into his neck. She picked up the bronze card with a silver sheen that dropped and gave Asama Ai a thumbs-up.
"That skill is really strong."
Nishi walked over to Asama Ai. She finally understood why Cyan had decided to team up with her.
"Don't worry. Half of whatever's in this card is yours."
"Mm." Asama Ai nodded, quietly pleased to be useful.
What the hell was that skill…? This could be troublesome.
Orlov frowned. The stronger the people around Cyan became, the worse it was for him and the blue-clothed ninja — especially with that obvious control-type ability.
He raised his gauntlet to block a mace swing, grabbed the bull-horned knight's arm, and shouted.
"Super Argentine Backbreaker!"
The heavy knight was hurled into the air. Orlov immediately canceled the follow-up slam, letting gravity do the work instead.
The bull-horned knight hit the ground hard, coughed up blood, and struggled to rise. Orlov grabbed him again, locked him in a suplex, and snapped his neck with a sharp crack.
Asuka raised her greatshield and blocked another bull-horned knight's attack.
Tch… They've already finished their targets? I need to pick up the pace.
Unwilling to fall behind, Asuka gritted her teeth. Veins bulged across her body as a faint red mechanical silhouette briefly appeared around her. The ground cracked beneath her feet as she exploded forward with terrifying force. Her lance punched straight through the bull-horned knight's armor!
The knight howled in agony, eyes bloodshot. Asuka yanked the lance free violently, sending blood and chunks of organs flying. With a final distorted scream, he died.
Seeing all five bull-horned knights slain, Braford swung his long and short swords even more frantically. He pushed his body to the limit, desperately unleashing waves of battle aura with a do-or-die attitude.
"Lancelot! Even if it costs me my life, I will stop you!"
"The moment the Lord of Arlon pledged loyalty to the evil Archduke Garibaldi, your defeat was already decided!"
Lancelot poured battle aura into his sword, gripped it with both hands, and swung with full force. He shattered the incoming aura waves and left a deep, bone-visible wound across Braford's chest.
In the survivors' eyes, Braford's HP bar dropped significantly.
Wave Sprint!
Infinite Style: Heaven-Crushing Slash!
Golden lightning flashing across her body, Cyan closed in on Braford at high speed. She slammed her elbow into his chest, followed by an upward slash that carved another deep wound. The two cuts crossed into a bloody "X" shape. The spurting blood was greedily absorbed by the demon blade.
Infinite Style: Single-Blade Slash!
As Braford tried to counterattack, Cyan drove her knee into his stomach and launched him into the air. She followed up with a powerful downward slash.
Blood splattered across Cyan's cold, expressionless face.
"Die!"
Cyan's blade moved in a rapid storm of slashes. Blade light engulfed Braford as his HP plummeted.
When only a sliver remained, she thrust the demon blade into the center of the "X" wound and pinned him to the ground. The demon blade drank deeply, and faint blood-red vein-like patterns began to appear along its surface.
[Demon Blade: Crimson Steel Grudge Maru]
[Type: Plot Character Weapon]
[Stats: Attack 56~73, STR+2, CON+2.]
[Special ①: Infinite Single-Blade Style (Special) skill level +1.]
[Special ②: The Crimson Steel Grudge Maru has gorged on the blood of the innocent, becoming a Demon Blade. Its obsession with slaughter will disturb your mind. At the same time, it has growth potential; continuous slaughter of strong fighters and absorption of their blood will make it stronger.]
[Special ③: Attacks restore 1% of the damage dealt as HP (No recovery if damage is less than 1).]
[Equip Requirements: STR 15, AGI 15, CON 10. Note: Once equipped, this item is soul-bound to the wearer and cannot be traded. If the wearer dies, this item disappears!]
[Remark: Zankuro Minazuki used the blood of countless people to turn the Crimson Steel Grudge Maru into a Demon Blade!]
Cyan pulled out the demon blade, checked its updated stats, and picked up the Silver Card Braford dropped.
Unabi walked up to her and looked at her obediently.