Swoosh!
Clank!
Swoosh!
Having completely shattered all the furniture and items in the room they were in, Reginald and Chase both stopped on their tracks and faced each other.
The two were both battered and tired as they were breathing heavily too.
"Huff. Huff. Had enough?" Reginal said with a corky attitude.
"Hahahaha. I am just getting started." Chase disappears as he finished and starts blitzing around the room at light speed.
'Tsk, I have less than five minutes to end this or my snatch steal's duration will end.'
His opponent had a similar thought as he had also burned a lot of stamina and was planning on ending the fight as well.
Reginald sounded confident earlier whereas in reality, he was worried that soon enough his relic' s ability will end and enter a cooldown period thus he won't be able to keep up.
'Here I come.'
He holds his sword with both hands and took a stance as he closes his eyes.
After duking it out for so long against the speedster, Reginald had finally figured out a way to harness his aura even if it was a little.
' If I can't extend a lot of it as the demon spawn does, I'll heavily concentrate the little amount that I can muster and coat my sword with it.'
This was the aura coating technique.
He knows that this could very well be the last attack he can dish out so he was planning on going all out with this one. He channels the power of the boots of Hermès and awaits an opening.
Chase's maniacal laughter echoed through the room as he readied his final attack.
"Die! Die! Die! Blitz x rush!"
The speedster jumps and leaps forward with his right leg sticking out as it was glowing red from the friction he had generated whilst running around the room.
"Shooter's fencing 1st form: Pierce!"
He thrust his sword forward at the charging speedster and a thin beam of concentrated aura was emitted from the blade as it pierces the speedster's right leg causing the speedster to cry out in agony as he fell hard to the ground.
" Huff. Huff. Huff. It's over"
Without another word, he seethes his sword as he walks over to his opponent who was rolling around the ground while holding his injured leg.
Chase stares at Reginald as he bends down and tears a piece of clothing which he then uses to wrap the wounded spot on his leg to stop the bleeding.
"W-why help me? I'm the enemy you could have just let me bleed out."
Chase's reason was understandable.
He was the enemy, just a few moments ago they were both trying to kill each other in their heated confrontation.
Reginald could only sigh in response.
"Idiot. Before the battle starts, we were enemies. Once the battle ends, we're no more enemies. You're simply a stranger whom I. Just so happen to stumble upon that needed help."
Chase was silent in his thoughts as he watched Reginald walk out of the room.
Unbeknownst to Chase, Reginald took something of his.
He was currently skipping through the halls of the mansion holding a sack filled with coins as his eyes lit up and he starts drooling over the coins that were inside. He estimated that it was about one hundred gold coins.
"Hehehe, jackpot!"
Conroy was running around the room barely dodging the arrows that came his way.
"Hahaha, why don't you surrender? My mantra gives me access to limitless ain. I'm practically invincible!" Lexi declares as she shoots another arrow.
"My apologies but my esteemed captain is counting on me to take you down therefore I do not plan on giving up just yet."
Conroy's response only seemed to anger his opponent as she increases the pace at which she fires her arrows.
They were fighting equally at the beginning until she used the mantra which grants her the ability to drain ain from her surroundings which include all attacks that may come her way.
'I don't even know why I said that!'
Conroy was someone who would easily give up when a challenge gets tough. But he couldn't find it in himself to run away this time around.
Was it the sinister warning he received from Ace earlier?
Sure that might have played a role in it but he just got tired.
Tired of being pushed around by everyone around him.
First was Serena, the leader whom he idolized. She turned her back on him and sold him off to accompany Ace.
At first, that was what he thought, but looking back now.
Both Ace and Serena wanted the same thing for Conroy.
"I have decided to accept their wishes in seeing me take on anything that heads my way with an iron force resolve!"
That was the case. A while back, Conroy wouldn't think twice about surrendering just now.
But this time, it was different.
"I used to think that I was only fighting for myself, that was how I developed the habit of running whenever the fight gets tough."
He changes his course and was now running in the direction of Lexi.
"Now, I have people who will fight for me just as much as I would fight for them. So, don't insult me by asking me to surrender... My resolve is stronger now!"
Lexi scoffs seeing as how her arrows were being evaded easily by the approaching enemy.
'What has gotten into him!?'
She takes a step back as she shoots more arrows only for him to evade them too.
A look of desperation appears on her face which Conroy seems to have noticed as he smirks when he finally comes face to face with her at point-blank.
"Tell me, why is someone who has unlimited ain scared of a coward like me?"
She yelps as she tries to fire another arrow only for Conroy to headbutt her.
The female archer foamed at the mouth as she fell backward.
"Why haven't you fired your purifier attack? It would have received a major boost."
She had access to all the ain around them but only sort to shoot normal arrows generated by her relic.
"It's because you can't use your own ain as the mantra markings will only absorb them like it absorbed my attacks. In short, your mantra is incomplete!"
That was the case, once she uses mantra, every and all attacks would be instantly absorbed by relics so she needed to maintain a high level of concentration just to prevent her regular arrows from being absorbed as well. She couldn't do the same for her aim coated arrows and purifier.
The mantra grants her boosted physical abilities similar to doping, that was how she could make her regular arrows fly faster and hit harder.
Conroy uses that to exploit her. He not only managed to close the distance with his opponent who had still not regained her senses after suffering from a devastating headbutt, but he also severed her mantra due to her poor mental condition.
Her markings had disappeared completely.
All she could do was use up a lot of her focus to fire regular arrows.
Conroy curled up his fist and pulled her by the collar.
"My apologies for this in advance, but I must knock you out now."
She was already dazed from the shock her brain received while using up all her concentration.
"If there was another way, I wouldn't have had to lay my hands on a lady but I'm a bit desperate here."
Wam!
He sends her flying with a big right as she crashes through the door to the room behind her.
He shakes off his hands as he winced in pain and walks in her direction.
He stays a few meters apart and quickly bows at her before holding up his bow and taking aim at her.
"My apologies once again but I must make sure you won't be able to get back up till my captain takes care of your captain."
"Sun binding arrow!"
He fires a golden arrow which then transforms into golden chains as it wraps itself around her body.
"Conroy!"
He turns around towards the direction of the familiar voice that was calling out to him.
"Oh, sir Reginald! I take it you've successfully beaten your opponent as well? Well done!"
Reginald puffs his chest and rubs his nose as he pats Conroy on the back.
"Hehehe. I, the great Reginald Star have gracefully won my fierce duel against a formidable opponent."
"That's great, let's go check on Sir Vorus he's this way!"
The two quickly ran towards the entrance of the room that Vorus was located in.
When they first came, they were attacked by a mace-wielding opponent who easily overwhelmed them. Vorus stepped forward to face this opponent head-on and told them to head out in different sections of the mansion in order to regroup with Ace.
As they entered the room, their expressions darkened as they were met with a horrific sight.
"Vorus!"/"Sir Vorus!"
Vorus was lying on the floor completely battered and bloodied and Falkner was seated atop the large man with a strange-looking object floating beside him.
The item was his vajra in its normal form. It consists of a spherical central section, with two symmetrical sets of five prongs, which arc out from lotus blooms on either side of the sphere.
"It seems we have more guests."