Shield Master was the first to act after manifesting his Brightguard Shield, which was in the shape of a round buckler. As someone who was specialised in full-body magical barriers and close combat, he moved in to defeat using extreme prejudice.
Since they were subordinates of the Royal Family doing as they instructed, he inwardly prayed that they wouldn't hold what he was about to do against him. After all, this was just business. All the man wanted was to get the Prince out of his hair.
Like Jasmine, he was ready to make use of his overwhelming superiority in speed to defeat them.
The first one would be the annoying Archer, who had her sights on him since the battle music began, thus moving onto the Warrior. He didn't care about making a spectacle for 'outsiders'.
He could tell that the Cultists he brought along were worried for him in the background, even though victory was assured. There was no way for any of them to defeat Lightspeed Movement.
It was just like how Jasmine was able to overwhelm Alex despite his superiority in martial arts. Even if you have the best techniques, it meant nothing if the opponent can outpace you at every turn.
Though little did he notice a difference in the 'Lighten' used by these two test subjects. If they were weak, they wouldn't have qualified to be the bodyguards of one of the most important people in the Human Empire. This was their pride...!
[Leg Whitening- Lightspeed Movement!]
[Advanced Lightening- Flashing Reflex!]
The moment he lunged towards the Archer at the back was also when the Warrior did the impossible task of intercepting him. The helmeted man's Vastlight Sword smashed into the Brightguard Shield, not once, not twice, but multiple times in succession. The Shield Master didn't learn the first time about how using his Half Spells was useless!
The audience saw flashing lights that seemed to harmoniously blend in with the dropping beats of Electro Swing. This wasn't dubstep with its high tempo that went off the charts, but a jazzy blend of instruments strung a much stabler rhythm.
Though it was nice to see visually, Shield Master clenched his teeth and endured a punch that landed on his face. Despite the extreme speeds he was trying to move at, the Immortal Warrior continuously intercepted him and countered him.
This was until the sword stopped intercepting him once the helmeted man caught onto when he would next use his Half Spell. He stored his Spirit Essence back unto his body. Instead of clashing straightforwardly, his now free hand grabbed the edge of the shield his opponent was using and ripped open his guard. This happened while his other hand simultaneously gave an uppercut...!
The result was as you'd expect. Fortunately, it wasn't that Shield Master's jaw was hit at the speed of light but that he couldn't escape Vhalen's bodyguard no matter how many times he moved.
Every time he changed locations using Lightspeed Movement, the Immortal Warrior would already be a step ahead of him to attack him at the same time as he moved. This was essentially like walking into another person's fist no matter with step you took.
No, it would be better if he didn't move. After finally realising that Lightspeed Movement has Ben countered. He decided to fight 'normally' with them instead. Though despite having the chance to return to the standard range a Warrior would keep to use swordsmanship, the Immortal Warrior continued to fight the Sentinel in close combat.
Shield Master could tell by exchanging fists with his opponent... These weren't the fists of someone who was unwilling to kill. He could feel a great malevolence from the eyes of the two bodyguards that Vhalen kept beside him, throwing him off his game. The Cultists, who could sense his emotions, felt his anxiety. They watched this duel nervously...
However, they couldn't interfere with this battle whatsoever. Sadly, an Imperial Duel will end in failure once interfered with. Both sides won't have to honour their promises once they stepped in.
This would waste the efforts of their wise companion who had brought them here...
Seeing that his biggest trump card was countered so easily, Shield Master chose different tactic. He used a different aspect of Collective Radiance to use a Skill only prospective Priests could use.
[False Collective Radiance Skill- Resonance!]
Using this special power, he connected his mind and heart to the two bodyguards as they fought.
Fitting then, that their movements harmonised with the battle music in the background even further as they used many technical moves. It was as if the battle had been choreographed. Shield Master hit the floor, but next thing you knew, he blocked an arrow to the knee, plus a kick to the... ya know~ A fire lit this party as the audience went with the flow.
"You shouldn't have offended Royalty. They are of higher caste... Not those we can contradict." The voice of the Warrior rang in the Cultist's head as it didn't seem like he was bothered by the Skill.
"You're willing to become their slave? Other than being born, what have they done to earn their place?!" This would be a common argument for those living on Earth. It was natural that a caste system would be despised if it showed favouritism.
"They don't need to, we Humans are the ones who put them on a pedestal. It's not the other way around. Despite having wealth and honour, you still choose to be ungrateful for what you have...!" This retort came straight from the heart of this test subject who had his human rights stolen from him at birth. To him, Royalty wasn't the problem...
The Archer popped as the Warrior locked and the Sentinel knew that he needed to deep rock. They swayed and mocked each other as the bow user took the shots, trying to beat him out of his socks.
She was quiet despite her connection also allowing her to express her feelings, but her actions spoke louder than words. The moment he closed in believing she couldn't be downed easily, her hand smacked the air behind her before clinching into a fist. She stretched out her muscles in a relaxed gesture despite this movement being the winding up for a hook. Her legs were rooted, and she looked damn flexible as she met her opponent.
[Compressed Vigour- Oak Lightening!]
Her thin arm that looked as delicate as if it was a beautiful doll's smashed into the Shield Master's approaching guard and shattered it like glass. She smiled professional as her man followed that flow and turned his heel, shaking his organs with a kick.
"Even Commoners can earn great wealth, but there's only limited space at the Capital. What's the point of having wealth when you are competing with an infinite number of citizens living here?" The Sentinel didn't give up as he hopped to the flock.
The Eteropin Warriors were shocked this Cultist unhesitatingly jumped at a table that was already taken, looking as if he was about to use them as meat shields. The Archer stopped but her energy arrow shot and ricocheted off the dance floor.
The temporary opening made by his block gave the Warrior time to bop and throw his sword at the double-toothed man's leg. It cut through his pant to transfixed him in place before these bodyguards followed along. The helmeted sword user grabbed some utensils after throwing a frisbee (plate) at Shield Master, who was launched by another kick.
Despite this being a casual party, the two bodyguards flashed the expensive silverware in their hands before throwing them as projectiles at the Sentinel. The shield user reached out his hand to utilise his Class Skill to form a barrier of light.
[Barrier Forming- Omnidirectional Guard!]
The expensive tableware was damn strong...!
They managed to form a crack on his barrier after using Advanced Lightening to throw them. Even Vhalen watched in wonder as after the bystanders had got out of the way, the Archer woman flipped a table into the air and threw it towards her foe.
"Conflict is healthy in small enough doses." The Warrior spoke through the 'resonance' all while grabbing the exquisitely crafted table in the air with one hand and covering the Sentinel with its table cloth with the other. He didn't retrieve his fallen Spirit Essence and instead piled on the hurt! His opponent became flustered and 'flashed' again.
The Shield Master wanted to quickly regain his vision throw the table that had blocked by his barrier off his head, but the Immortal Warrior didn't let him after circling around him. The ball-like barrier was struck multiple times in randomly chosen directions and patterns, especially when he accidentally tried using Lightspeed Movement and was countered by Flashing Reflex once again.
Mary clapped as he became another kind of disco ball the size of a human being, getting played for laughs as the table cloth was being torn to shreds by the rotating axis of the interconnected attacks!
"You can only say that because you live here." After he calmed down, Shield Master timed a counter perfectly. He deactivated his barrier the moment the Warrior charged in to used his strongest hack.
[Warrior Skill- Assault Charge!]
He dived towards his opponent but didn't expect the target of his attack to disappear as the Sentinel got low. His body crouched into the blind spot of the Warrior before cutting deep using his shield's edge, a blade energy covering the buckler diced!
Blood spilled out of the bodyguard's chest, which was followed up by another slash hitting his back.
Shield Master 'flashed' out of the way of a energy arrow, but wasn't countered this time. This gave him great confidence as he continued to cut up the Warrior horrifically. He intended to kill the man first!
"And are those outside the Capital oppressed? Any kingdom's Capital is big enough to house many people... No one is deprived of their status nor is power taken from them. They are truly free." There was a tinge of envy in that voice as reacted when he heard the worried voice of the shawty he was protecting in the background. His wounds healed as he once again continued to counter his foe.
[Independent Healing- Self Repair!]
The shield user's eyes widened as he couldn't believe what he saw. Those deep injuries quickly patched up and vanished as seemingly waited for that lapse in movement created from sheer shock.
[Archer Skill- Vital Pinpointing!]
The woman tried slaughtering the helpless lamb...
An arrow surgically manoeuvred past his guard before hitting him in the abdomen, the very same place the Warrior had been hitting multiple times today with his kicks... Almost as if he had a grudge towards fully functioning organs, mind you...!
"Wealth, status, power... What a big joke~ Can any of these feed the soul? It can't bring happiness...!"
"Then what can do it? As someone who had been deprived of those joys you don't value, what makes you think we can empathise with each other?" The Warrior drew a line between them with those words. It was a difference in their experiences.
He couldn't emphasise with 'normal people'.
It was at this point that Shield Master noticed a golden blonde hair that signified reaching the level of 'Druids' and the cut off ear that was being hidden by the other bodyguard's clothes. He knew they were freaks, but he didn't expect that their true appearance would be so eye-catching. The two quickly hid their appearance as they noticed that the Sentinel noticed their special traits.
"You should join us. At least you won't be treated as freaks when you're among us." He saw straight through the weaknesses in their hearts after getting to know them before offering this proposal.
They were tempted by him, but didn't show it on their faces as another feeling suppressed any thoughts of betraying Royalty. The faces of those who were omnipotent to them arose in their heads.
"Just as you feel admiration for your 'God', we fear the Gods who bind us. Forget it." The Archer finally expressed through their 'resonance' as she refused the offer outright. The fear that had been etched into her bones stopped any forms of treachery...!
Their opponent could accept such an answer, but he couldn't honestly agree with the second one:
"Don't care. As long as one person accepts me." A different kind of reply was given by the Warrior.
This made Shield Master cut off the connection they had between them as he decided to go for broke. Rather than channeling the Half-Spell into his legs, he channeled 'Whitening' onto his shield before getting ready to throw it at the two of them.
[Light Spell- Beheading Saw!]
Love... Such a concept wasn't rejected by the Mirror Cult, it was just that they didn't believe that people other than them could achieve 'true love', as unlike other people, they could empathise with each other beyond the level of the 'disconnected'.
Seeing what he was up to, the bodyguard duo channeled their Spell Slots together into a power that overwhelmed the oppression given off by Shield Master's prepared Spell. The match was decided as everyone predicted the outcome.
Just like how many athletes would feel a sense of deja-vu the moment before failure, the Sentinel also realised not that made a mistake, or that he made a wrong decision, but that he was going to be overwhelmed despite his great efforts...!
The Elven Bow in the Jungle Archer's hand overlaid the Vastlight Sword the Immortal Warrior brought in front of her. The normal size radiant blade changed in quality as she placed the handle of the bow on the sword's guard. Once they touched each other, the wood-like bow changed form as it bent and morphed to create a larger blade.
Their Spell Slots welded together as a new technique was formed by their connection...
This would be their last attack! And so, the Immortal Warrior swung his new broadsword!
[Fusion Spell- Culling of the Lambs!]
Their wills almost ended the match, but an interference they didn't expect happened at that moment. Little did anyone know... that this night would be remembered for reasons no one wanted to. Especially when the venue was dyed red...
The murderous trio descended...!