The battle between Charles and Kraig in human form continued, with their clashes sending shockwaves across the city. Kraig's claws lunged at Charles, but Charles successfully dodged by cutting the buildings into pieces. Charles used his blood chains to grab two large debris and launched them at Kraig, but he managed to slash them apart.
Charles smiled and thought to himself,
"I'm starting to figure out his barrier spell."
He then taunted Kraig, saying,
"You better not enter my range, Kraig."
Kraig appeared confused and replied,
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He then smiled and added,
"But don't make excuses; I don't like them, hahaha."
Kraig rushed to attack Charles, but Charles cast his
"Blood Chain Manipulation: Momentum Chains."
He unleashed chains into empty space, creating a shocking wave that knocked himself backward, evading Kraig's attack. Charles was forced back into a ruined building, but Kraig charged inside. However, Charles quickly knocked him back and reappeared from the building, holding his chains.
Kraig was shocked and stammered,
"It's impossible! How did your chains bypass my erosion barrier? It's supposed to nullify any spells."
Charles smiled and calmly replied,
"Do you think that these chains are part of my spells?"
Kraig regained his composure and said,
"So, those chains are natural objects, huh?"
Charles assumed his fighting pose, holding his chains ready to fight. He explained,
"Chain martial arts—this kind of combat I mastered since I was ten. Enhancing my strikes with the Combat Domain spell, I will be able to match your acolyte form and bypass your erosion magic in human form. I've already studied your magic. You can't use your erosion magic in acolyte form, so you have to transform back into your human form to activate that spell."
Kraig chuckled and said,
"I commend you for being knowledgeable enough to study my power's weakness, but you don't know anything about me, and that will be your worst downfall. It's decided; I'm going to execute you."
With determination, Kraig charged at Charles, and Charles braced himself to face Kraig's attack. The two clashed, creating a huge shockwave.
Meanwhile, Renji and Risstle were fiercely protecting Sanillia and Oliver, who struggled to pull Excalibur from the ground. They repelled each acolyte that charged at them using their spells and attacks.
Risstle exclaimed,
"We need to wait for Charles's backup plan. We've been exposed to our foes."
Renji replied confidently,
"Yeah, meanwhile, let me take some time for Oliver's improvements."
Risstle expressed her concern, saying,
"Oh gosh, Renji, I hope you're right about Oliver."
Renji focused his energy and channeled the
"Fire Generation Utilize: Fulgor Nova"
spell. He infused the surroundings with fire energy, creating intense heat and blinding light that dazzled and disoriented the acolytes.
Risstle cast the
"Water Degeneration Utilize: Desiccation Torrent"
spell.
She targeted the acolytes' bodies with water bullets, rapidly draining their bodily fluids, leaving them dehydrated and lifeless.
Renji and Risstle eliminated many acolytes, but the continuous usage of spells drained their Anima Mundi. Acolyte waves seemed almost endless.
Sanillia, frightened, exclaimed,
"Risstle, there are so many monsters!"
Risstle tried to comfort Sanillia, saying,
"Don't worry, Sanillia. I am here to protect you."
Meanwhile, Oliver remained focused on pulling the sword, seemingly unbothered by the chaos around him. His mind was filled with thoughts of the girl he loved and his future as the best version of himself.
Renji encouraged Oliver, saying,
"Hang in there, Oliver. I know you can do it. I'm proud of you."
Netheroc swiftly ordered the rest of his armies to advance toward Renji's group. His eyes locked onto Renji and the others battling his acolyte armies. With a quick transformation into his acolyte form, he soared through the skies, using his dark powers to accelerate his wing speed and arrive at the battlefield in a matter of seconds.
Upon landing on the battlefield, Netheroc confronted Renji.
"So, Knights Magus, huh? What's that imbecile doing, struggling to pull a sword in the middle of battle?"
Renji, brimming with pride, responded,
"Do not insult my disciple. He's stronger than you think."
Netheroc chuckled,
"You sorcerers are such arrogant creatures. No wonder Aneteron met defeat at your hands."
Risstle couldn't hold back her anger.
"You ugly creatures are terrorizing innocent people. We will never let you live."
Netheroc, his dark aura pulsating, replied,
"Relax, young girl. It's too early for you. You're not strong enough to defeat me."
Renji, tired of the talk, ignited his aura into a blazing energy of anima mundi and charged at Netheroc. But just before reaching him, Netheroc unleashed his
"Corrupted Vine Magic."
But before they could be ensnared, Renji cast a fire protection spell to envelop both Sanillia and Oliver.
The ground beneath Renji and the others opened like a dark portal, and a multitude of corrupted vines dragged the group downward.
As they descended into the abyss, Risstle panicked and asked Renji about his actions with Sanillia and Oliver. With calm determination, Renji explained,
"It's a powerful protective spell. I need Oliver to continue his training and protect Sanillia. I trust you with this."
He tossed a golden necklace to Risstle, who caught it, understanding the weight of the responsibility.
With that, the group continued their descent into the seemingly bottomless pit.
Meanwhile, the fierce battle between Kraig and Charles raged on. Kraig transformed into his acolyte form, unleashing a flurry of claw attacks at Charles. Charles deftly deflected every attack, their battle taking them to every corner of the building. They ran upwards on the side of the structure, exchanging chains and claw strikes in a deadly dance of combat.
Kraig had transformed into his acolyte form because he realized his erosion barrier spell would be ineffective against Charles's physical attacks usinng an actual chains
Charles, seemingly matching Kraig's speed and strength, left Kraig intrigued. He wondered,
"Strange, this boy is keeping up with me, even without using a combat domain spell. I wonder how he enhances his physical abilities?"
Kraig pondered to himself.
With a swift charge, Kraig closed the gap between them, landing a punch on Charles. But Charles reacted quickly, using his chains to wrap around Kraig's fist and delivering a powerful counterstrike to Kraig's stomach, sending him reeling.
Regaining his composure after the brutal attack, Kraig smiled menacingly. Charles asked,
"Are you ready to admit defeat?"
Kraig burst into laughter.
"I haven't lost yet, hahaha,"
he proclaimed.
Kraig transformed back into his human form, took a deep breath, and pulled a gun from his suit, aiming it at Charles. Charles scoffed,
"What kind of joke is this? Do you really think a bullet can kill me?"
Kraig replied calmly,
"Hmm, I think so."
He then opened fire on Charles, who easily deflected the bullets using his chains. However, as Charles was occupied deflecting the bullets, Kraig seized the opportunity to throw the pistol at Charles with tremendous force and quickly transformed back into his acolyte form, disappearing from sight.
Charles, now aware of Kraig's tactics, tried to attack, but it was too late. Kraig had already teleported to the same spot where the gun was hurtling towards Charles. Charles noticed Kraig behind him just as the gun was fired at point-blank range.
Kraig declared,
"I had my curse marking on my gun to quickly teleport to it, Charles Thoumas. Game over."
Charles turned towards Kraig, his face filled with shock and confusion as the bullet penetrated his forehead, causing blood to spurt out. Kraig wasted no time, firing the remaining bullets in his gun, ending Charles's life.
Lifeless, Charles fell from the building, and Kraig stood victorious, his sinister laughter echoing through the scene of their deadly battle.
After the battle, it appeared as though the Knight Magus party had been defeated by the Acolytes, or so they thought.
Meanwhile, the Acolytes were returning to their home base. Netheroc spoke to Karlina, instructing her,
"Karlina, I need you to repair and improve the security system."
Karlina responded respectfully,
"Yes, Master."
Netheroc then approached Kraig and inquired,
"So, what is the status?"
Kraig chuckled,
"Hahaha, their leader, Charles, is very formidable. He even forced me to use my curse markings to defeat him."
Netheroc cautioned,
"Don't boast too much. If the entire Knight Magus community becomes alarmed about this, we may have no choice but to abandon this place."
Kraig questioned,
"Abandon? What about our food sources, the imprisoned humans? I'm sure we can handle them all."
A worried Netheroc replied,
"As I said, don't get too cocky. These Magus are elite-level. If they send another sorcerer to this city, especially if they are Master or Grandmaster rank, then we are in trouble."
Kraig laughed,
"I don't have much knowledge about these Knight Magus communities, but I'm eager to taste their blood, hahaha."
Netheroc explained,
"The Masters and Grandmasters are a different story. They can easily defeat a Dread Master-level undead like me."
Kraig, trying to boost Netheroc's confidence, said,
"Oh, come on, Lord Netheroc, you're the leader of the Acolytes. I'm sure you can handle at least one of them."
Netheroc responded,
"I can, as long as I reach my complete form. I'll be able to take down one."
Kraig assured him,
"Don't worry, my Lord. We'll be fine. Let's head back to the base, recover our strength, and take another step towards our plan. We need to recover the talisman to regain our full form."
Meanwhile, somewhere in a part of the building near the battlefield, a random Acolyte transformed back into a human form, feeling relief after the battle. The Acolyte remarked,
"Finally, I can rest after that battle."
A mysterious voice responded,
"I didn't know these dead creatures craved rest."
Suddenly, a man mysteriously appeared and fell from the sky. He used his enchanted knife to cut the Acolyte's throat, instantly decapitating it.
This man was revealed to be Joel Hyzen, a Master-ranked Knight Magus. He smiled while holding the enchanted knife and an Acolyte's head in each hand, thinking,
"Alright, time to rescue these kids."