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Chapter 61: Outclassed
"A peak rank 1 Magus…I guess Charles Artois did not want to take any chances of me living, to send someone like that…" Said, Siegfried.
"Actually, Lord Artois only hired those three guys that you and your friends defeated. It was my little brother, Lancel, the one who asked me to come. You see…my family knows how unreliable an organization like the 'Dark Hand' can be. They are nothing but a second-rate organization, the fact that three first-year apprentices managed to defeat three of their members is proof of how useless they are. The only reason Lord Artois called them was that he didn't want to involve our families."
"Very thorough of your brother." Said, Siegfried. He was trying to make some conversation while trying to think of a way out, but could not think of any way to beat an oponent of this caliber.
'Even if I go all out and use everything I have to the point of destroying my body…it will probably not be enough to win.'
"I assure you that I dislike quite a bit to bully some apprentices," Ashwood said that but his cruel smile never left his face.
"But enough chit-chat...let's see some blood!"
Ashwood sent three more knives at Siegfried, aiming for his lungs, throat, and belly.
Siegfried decided to try something, he channeled a huge amount of fire mana into his sword. A crimson flame came into existence and surrounded the blade, greatly surprising Iris.
"What?!, it took me months to learn that!" She gave Siegfried an incredulous look.
Siegfried made a vertical slash that intercepted all three fire knives, not letting them change directions as they were impacted by the flames of his sword.
All knives disappeared with a loud puff and smoke.
"Yes!, he found a way to block them!" Shouted Edward.
"That's amazing…" Admitted Iris.
"Quite impressive…" Started Ashwood. "It's been a while since someone had blocked my knives like that…magical swords are quite a pain…"
The four remaining knives disappeared and Ashwood's face started to change and twist.
"Hahaha!" He laughed loudly. "This is a glorious day!, I get to use this again…"
Flames started to appear all around him. They started as crimson ones but their color started to get darker and darker.
"What is happening to the fire?" Asked Iris.
"I don't know… it's becoming…black." Edward started in horror at the dark flames.
'What is that?' Siegfried was also paying attention to the changing flames.
'There is something mixed up with the fire mana, but I can't tell what it is.'
'That's death energy' A female voice resounded inside his head.
Siegfried was startled, He was not expecting someone to answer his inner monologue.
'Are you the phoenix?... Oriane?'
'Who else would it be? perhaps you thought that you were losing your mind?...never mind that. Those flames contain a sliver of death energy…is just a very tiny bit, but for someone on your level, just being grazed by those flames will destroy your body completely.' Explained the phoenix.
The black flames condensed into small throwing knives, there were ten in total.
Ashwood laughed.
"Then…shall we start?"
'Come here' Oriane called.
Siegfried felt his mind being pulled and suddenly, he was in a very familiar place. This was his soul realm, the place where he comes when in meditation.
The phoenix, Oriane was still floating on top of his mana pool, but this time, she was looking at him directly.
"You really are awake now…" Commented Siegfried while looking at the small phoenix.
"I was never sleeping. Merely resting my wounded soul. I have been observing your doings while absorbing part of the measly energy that you collect while cultivating in order to restore myself." Explained the phoenix.
"Measely?, I have been advancing my cultivation faster than anyone else!" Siegfried was indignant at the coment.
"Maybe for you mortals, that is the case…I don't have much experience with mortals, to be honest."
Siegfried could not rebuke that…the difference between mortals and Gods was truly something that he could not fathom. The memories of the Sword God still linger in his mind and haunt his dreams.
"Wait…" He had just realized something. "If you weren't sleeping…you have been observing everything I have been doing? like everything...everything?"
"If you are referring to your matting rituals with those two females…yes, I have seen them and I have no interest in them. I can't believe you are thinking about that right now, your life is on the line, but more importantly, is that your dying right now would be a huge setback for me!."
"I know my life is on the line…You are the one who pulled me here at the worst time! I'm probably dying already in the real world."
Orian gave him an intense look.
"You don't have to worry about time in this place. Your perception of it is very different here. You would be surprised at how fast your mind can process information."
Concepts like time perception were a bit difficult for him to understand but at least he got the gist of it.
"I see…so we can talk for a bit before I go back to fight that guy."
"Your oponent sees no threat on you, I would not call that 'fighting', He is just playing with you. Like a predator amusing itself with its prey."
It did not look to Siegfried that the phoenix was trying to be condescending but he had to admit that her words hurt a bit.
"Yes, I understand that. My present oponent is out of my league, currently at least. I assume that you have a solution since my death would be such an inconvenience for you."
If Oriane could feel the sarcasm in Siegfried, she did not show it. But it was hard to tell what she was thinking since the phoenix did not have facial features as humans do.
"I do have a way for you to defeat that mortal…I will give you some of my blood." Said the phoenix.