Weeks of training and hunting had passed. Everyone had reached malachite rank by now and had made progress in the rank.
Dexaril had finally become an arch-magus.
Yeseme's spear could hit you across the mountain range and riddle you with holes faster than you could blink.
Pharis was nimble as a rabbit and could fire arrows ceaselessly with each one always hitting their mark. Her skill with a shortsword and a dagger made her a quick and deadly close-quarter fighter too.
Sargon was at the peak of ebony and his next step was to break through to the next level.
Pharis's birthday was also getting closer too.
Their peaceful days were interrupted though. A combined roar that resonated with strength resounded through the sky. The roar was directed at them.
"Sir Sargon, I believe we are being challenged by something.", Dexaril stated.
"I concur Dexaril, I also sense a non-bestial presence mixed in. Yet, it isn't completely non-bestial either. It feels crazed."
Sargon looked to his companions, "The beasts seem to be high and peak malachite level. The other aggressor is peak ebony at least since it is hard to read its aura. Theor, are you able to fight with us?"
Theor looked to Sargon, "I am actively suppressing Flesh King Murjack at times so his influence is diminished. To fight now, would allow him to gain new forces and move his beasts unchecked. Hence I can not aid you in this fight."
"Then it will be us four against them. It is likely they are forces of Flesh King Murjack, Heilgrash, or perhaps both. They will not be easy opponents."
Sargon said to them.
"We understand Sir Sargon, my magic will not falter!"
"Neither will my spear!"
"No matter the enemy, I will fight with Master!"
Dexaril, Yeseme, and Pharis all expressed their understanding and willingness to fight.
"Let's go then."
In full armor with his sword and shield, Sargon walked out of Sanctuary with his fully equipped party. Yeseme with bone mail and half-plate bone armor. Dexaril will his leather trench coat, bone mail, and Alderwood staff. Pharis with her full leather armor with a bone chest plate. The bones are from monsters they encountered that specialized in defense and were then treated and worked into suitable armor pieces.
A few miles from sanctuary, they came upon the challengers that let out the roar. Two variant beasts and a man. One beast was a huge armored black lion, the other is a four-armed spiked monkey. The man was fully covered in various animal furs, not even his face could be seen. He had two huge barbaric axes on his back.
Sargon mentally transmitted for Pharis and Yeseme to team up against the monkey while Dexaril takes the lion.
Sargon calls out, "Name yourselves!"
The beasts do not answer with anything more than a growl. The man however speaks his name, "Beast Berserker Anfelgor, I have been sent here to hunt you down Starry Knight. Give me your head!"
The fight broke out. Anfelgor clashed immediately in a melee with Sargon. Dexaril clashed with the armored black lion. Pharis and Yeseme stacked up against the four-armed spiked monkey.
Dexaril made sure to maintain a good distance using firewalls to deter the lion. Trying to cut off movement before using direct attacks on his fast opponent. Yeseme went into a direct melee with the monkey to hold aggro while Pharis snipes at opportune moments.
Sargon was holding his own with Anfelgor. The berserker had no refined battle style, only wild swings with uncontrolled power. He fought wildly and only by instinct. With his long kite shield, Sargon easily deflected all the heavy ax attacks and blocked the light ones. Sargon had an impentrable defense. As their melee persisted, Anfelgor's attacks were steadily becoming stronger and faster. Along with gaining a more and more unhinged look in his eyes.
Sargon thought to himself, "For other people, this sort of opponent would be extremely difficult. for me though, it is just fighting another beast lost in rage. A simple matter, I will fight him methodically until I can deal a final blow."
Sargon began moving off-center while defending so he can have an opening for quick thrusts and narrow slashes targeting the arms and legs. Sargon remembered an old tale where a man was killed by receiving a thousand cuts.
"Let us see how many cuts it takes to bring you down...."
A minute into the melee and Anfelgor was riddled with cuts all over his arms and legs. Despite his now berserk state, his strength and speed increases were getting lesser and lesser. Soon his capabilities will start to drop instead of rising.
Sargon was noticing the berserker slip, he took the opening. He deflected a dual ax swing, turning the berserker's body to the left. He then sidestepped and downward slashed the back of the knee, then the back of the should in an upward slash. The berserker staggered from his right side trying to stay upright. Anfelgor brought his left about to try and swing with his left arm. Sargon skewered the elbow with a precise thrust. The attack still went through only to be met with a shield. Sargon then brought the shield on the elbow, breaking off the forearm and freeing his sword.
Anfelgor did not give up and attempted to kick the Starry Knight. Sargon caught it between his body and shield under his arm. He twisted it and made Anfelgor faceplant into the dirt.
In Dexaril's fight, his strategy of restricting movement worked perfectly. He slowly cooked his target with surrounding firewalls the lion constantly had to break out of and used homing fire arrows to barrage the lion to death. Weakened, the lion was done in by a large firebolt that should be coming out of a ballista.
Pharis had sniped the joints of the monkey's legs, making it impossible to dodge Yeseme's thrusts to its body. After taking an arrow to both its knees, the monkey could no longer dodge to make up for being unable to block all of Yeseme's thrusts. Soon, the monkey's torso was beehived and it had met its end.
Seeing that his companions had finished off their foes, Sargon looked to the writhing Anfelgor on the ground. Sargon delivered a simple thrust to the neck, severing the spinal column that connects to the skull, killing the berserker.
"For a goddess, her champions are lackluster..."
Sargon had of course detected the corrupted mana of his foe, and recognized Heigrash's taint.
"The Flesh King has indeed teamed up with Heilgrash. How fun."
The companions then made their back to Sanctuary recover from their fights and continue their preparation for the upcoming battle with the Flesh King.
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(In the Underworld)
"DAMN IT!!!!"
"Useless mortal!"
A certain goddess was throwing a tantrum