CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Under normal circumstances one was unable to contest with the strength of a single apostle, but Canis had the upper hand. The terrain made it so the apostle was unable to use its spells effectively, a shame considering 90% of her spells were AOE.
And of course one should consider the fact that Canis was no normal being, be it incineration, amputation, or laceration, she withstood each fatal attack to her body as if they were nothing more than fleshwounds.
Her claws never buckled under the weight and strength of the apostle's longswords, instead it was the longswords that were starting to show signs of breaking.
CREAK CREAK!
The apostle, Delia, quickly shunted from Canis' claws, sliding against her body before turning around swiftly. Entangling with the target's claws would only apply pressure that would spell her end.
CLANG!
No to mention the ability Canis had that no one other than Ivan and his group knew, that being her specialized magic that only enhanced her abilities the longer she exerted herself.
In contrast the apostle's body was wearing out due to the strain, even if its body was painstakingly crafted, it was still a mortal vessel. Just as Canis abused the blood flowing through her veins, she also abused the muscles that broke after prolonged fighting.
WHOOOSH!
Delia threw the sword in her right hand the moment it showed signs of breaking. Her throw being the final straw that made it implode before being dissessemilated into hundreds of shining lights.
What was amazing was that the sword had created a significant amount of damage upon breaking, likely a factor added to catch opponents off guard.
Though at her current pace Canis had no fear for projectiles, simply sidestepping it before shutting down the idea of catching it and returning to sender. At its velocity it would likely only pull her along for the ride.
THUD!
The wall it hit caved in, warping around the point at which the broken sword struck.
Canis moved in swiftly, her opponent just lost one of her weapons. Now was the best time to strike, especially when the apostle in front of her was wary about using her physical body to shunt her claws.
SPLAT!
Reaching from your left to your right was an awkward position for anyone, even for the apostle who wasn't able to deftly cover her right arm with the sword in her left. Even if she was able to make it in time, the position her arm would've been in would just make the defense meaningless in front of a strong attack. As the balance would fail almost immediately.
Delia lost an arm and a sword, her wings were low on feathers, her body strained, and yet her opponent had nothing to show for the battle other than torn up clothes.
For the first time ever, she felt true shame. Shame in failing her mission. Shame in not living up to her Lord's expectations. And shame in having lost.
But even so she wasn't going to give up so long as she still breathed, clenching her sword tight enough to make her pale knuckles red, the sword began to show cracks coursing through its body. Delia swung with a strength that turned the kitchen into the wreck site of a hurricane.
SLICE
Canis saw the attack coming miles away, not literally, but to say the apostle's movements were done in slow motion were somewhat accurate in her case. Her instinct as a byproduct of one of the most powerful beasts in the Orcus dungeon, paired with the strength she built up in this fight enhanced not only her strength but senses as well.
She crouched low to the ground, her claws hovering above the surface of the kitchen floor, her chin centimeters from it as well. Her visible calves tensed to the point it looked as though the veins sprouting were about to pop out.
The ground beneath her bent inwards, the sound of metal bending would have been distinctive if not for the whirling winds of Delia's attack.
An unstoppable force and… another unstoppable force…
Only one could remain, the other torn into shreds. One fighting to buy time for her father's 'rebirth' the other fighting for her creator's goals.
In that split second where the world turned silent, Canis' slit-like pupils were about as thin as a needle.
CRAAAASH!
"...."
Delia wasn't allowed a single moment to process the movement of her opponent, the next thing she knew, she was staring at her own headless body. Cradled in Canis' arms, she struggled forward to connect herself with her body.
"...."
Canis stared at the head nestled in her chest, sighing before approaching the collapsed body.
STAB
And like that Delia's core had been destroyed. Essentially being her heart, she was only allowed a few seconds before slipping into eternal darkness.
=====================================================================
Her comrades were taking too long in their mission to destroy the barrier from within, suddenly a vast amount of data invaded her mind. The apostles she was awaiting had all been killed.
Hearst snorted, with her options numbered the only thing left to do was focus everything on one point. Something a group of apostles had been doing already but nothing near the amount it would be if she had everyone do it.
The only problem with that plan was the puppets shooting at them, focusing everything on destroying the barrier would leave all of her comrades defenseless. Their wings would be singed almost immediately, but nonetheless it was a sacrifice that had to be made if the mission was to be a success.
"Rearrange the formation, form a single file line and turn ninety degrees to the right, focus all beams of evaporation on the manor. Not a single member is to activate any other ability, know that your sacrifices are essential to this mission…"
"...."
Hearst received no response, and neither did she expect one either. As apostles, they were to follow the orders of their superiors without question. And as such for the first time in centuries, they followed an order knowing full well they'd be exposed to great danger.
BZZZZZZZZT!
It would've been a beautiful sight if the beams being directed toward the barrier weren't meant to destroy everything within, that and the occasional singed body that fell from the air as their wings were destroyed.
CRACK CRACK!
And after twenty minutes, and hundreds of apostles lost, the barrier finally showed signs of cracking. This renewed the vigor of the apostles, their beams growing in intensity as hope to complete their mission bloomed.
Except in this whole bout of destroying the barrier, they completely forgot that it was not their original goal, and that their true goals were staring at them from the inside, awaiting for their inevitable entry into sacred grounds.
Five minutes later, and the barrier completely shattered.
*SHATTER!*
BZZZZZT!
The beam didn't stop there, it kept hurtling toward the manor, only being held in place when a black dragon, the size of the manor, contested it with a beam of her own.
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If you want to support me please follow this link! There's a couple new links added~: https://linktr.ee/ardoaleister
Started playing SevTech ages (a modded minecraft pack) again after a long time. The sense of progression from being stuck with primitive tools such as flint axe and pickaxe without a furnace or reliable crafting table to making horse drawn contructs that automatically process wood, grind material, and doing rituals to summon buffalos has been real cool.
Though I'll admit that I got so distracted that I didn't start writing this chapter until late in the day. I apologize! But either way I hope you enjoyed, next time--- the insertion of the heart. Until then, have a great evening, and I'll see you all next time~!
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