Klein had pondered all day about the recent strange occurrences. He didn't want to think about it at the time, but his run-in with Nystagmus and Million-eyes gave him pause for thought.
Especially when he recalled them vanishing with the daylight.
That was why, amongst his four strategies to combat the strange creatures of the night, one of them had been light.
He had tested it out on the Wraiths, and using light-enhanced combat moves seemed to be somewhat effective, though not enough for Klein's liking.
He had faced three Wraiths so far tonight, and he learned that they were rather weak. So if the amount of light he used was not drastically increased, he would not be able to face Night creatures that were stronger.
And Klein knew that the Knight he was currently facing, whatever it was, was indeed particularly strong.
That gave him pause for thought. He wondered about those creatures, and aside from daylight, what other approaches could be used against them.
And that's where his other approaches were considered.
The first was using physical attacks; which had proven in every case, completely ineffective as far as Klein could tell.
The second was light; only remaining somewhat effective.
His third approach of the four was...
[Petra's Soulspells]
Despite still being wary of the techniques inscribed onto that vast golden soul tablet, he had to admit to himself that he would continue using them.
In fact, he had a hunch that these spells would be rather effective on these Night creatures, or at least, the ones he had come across so far.
So throughout the day, he had focused on the three new spells he acquired.
[Soul Fortify],
[Soul Scream],
[Soul Steal].
[Soul Fortify] was a circulation technique that he was still in the process of deciphering, and he decided to take his time making headway into that skill for the time being.
As for [Soul Scream], he had actually managed to claim a beginner-level proficiency in the spell, as it had utilized similar principles as [Soul Link] which he had already extensively studied.
It worked by overpowering other souls by emanating a wave of force from his own - similar to a 'scream' that came from his own soul.
As for [Soul Steal]…
It was a particularly insidious spell that would focus on ripping apart a soul from its living vessel, and absorb its essence.
In fact, this was also a spell he managed to make some progress in, though perhaps not enough to use in any combat situation yet.
He questioned whether he would use it in practical situations or not.
He always remembered what Mr. Weathers used to say: "A Magus is only as good as his boundaries"
And although Klein didn't agree with the old coot, he had enough respect for him to take on his words properly.
However, Klein could think of certain situations wherein he would be more than happy to use such twisted techniques.
Klein stood on the stone palm, blood trailing down his chest, quickly coloring his white tunic red. Thankfully, the cut was shallow, and despite the pain, he was still able to maintain his mobility.
Whish.
The armor once again turned into smoke, and Klein cast [Soul Scream], hoping it would be effective.
The armor appeared in front of him not a moment later, its sword already reaching for Klein's heart.
Before that could happen, Klein's spell had completed its cast, and the armor froze for the briefest moment.
'Now!'
Klein stabbed his knife downwards into the ghostly armor through its headless opening, pouring most of his remaining mana into sending an intense burst of light into it.
Clank. Clink.
The armor shifted noticeably, the light having had some visible effect, but after a moment, it regained its mobility and dissipated once more into the smoke.
Undeterred, Klein abruptly swung his knife arm backward, slashing at the armor that had just formed behind him again.
Shing.
This time, the knife swiped against the armor, causing sparks to fly from the contact.
Klein reacted quickly, sending a kick against its chest plate to increase his distance from it.
He felt the briefest of contact against his foot before the armor dissipated into the smoke once again.
'Hiss...' Klein sucked in a breath of cold air, inhaling the strong scent of iron that permeated the crimson sea.
'I think that slowed it down for a second...' Klein replayed the exchange in his mind quickly, remaining alert about his surroundings as he did so.
[Soul Scream] was slightly effective, and the gap it created was enough for him to fight on even terms with the ghostly armor.
The only problem was...
His mana had almost completely bottomed out.
And...
Whish.
The dreaded armor seemed fine and unaffected by the previous exchange and appeared before him like nothing had happened.
However, Klein noticed that its speed had slowed significantly.
And Klein wasn't totally helpless in a physical altercation with the apparition. The way he utilized magic was completely different from most other mages after all.
A sword swung at him, and he deflected it with his knife, simultaneously sending a low kick at its knee.
He at least hoped he could dismantle the armor, ridding whatever was inside it of its shell.
The armor stumbled before turning into smoke once more.
Exhale...
Swish.
A downward slash came at him, and he sidestepped away before sending a kick toward the perpetrator.
His foot met nothing but smoke.
'Huff... This... Isn't good' Klein had the feeling this would last forever if he didn't do anything to change the situation.
The armor seemed to be slowly recovering from its previous damage, and it was gradually sending attacks approaching its previous speed.
Slash!
Klein was slightly too late to dodge a horizontal sword stroke, and the skin of his abdomen was broken, painting his clothes with more red.
Although the wounds seemed superficial, they were definitely dangerous. Not only because of blood loss, but Klein also felt he might risk a serious infection.
'That sword definitely doesn't seem hygienic...' He thought with a morbid smile.
Swish.
Sadly, his thoughts were interrupted by a fierce gale that was aimed at his temple. He barely managed to get away from it before striking the elbow of the armor's sword-carrying arm with his knife.
Clang!
Miraculously, his knife didn't meet smoke as he expected, and instead, his knife jammed itself into the joint of the armor's elbow.
Before he could remove it, the armor ignored its mechanical disadvantage and began to swing the sword with its shoulder, giving off a strange sight.
Klein shortened the distance between them and made to grab its sword arm, attempting to pull it away.
Clang.
To Klein's surprise, he succeeded, the arm in his hand not having the heft he expected it to have.
It was too light for it to have sent those explosive and domineering attacks his way.
He had no time to think any further before...
Clink. Clang. Cling.
The armor disassembled itself, and a black ghostly smoke with two red orbs flashing at its apex emerged.
Then it charged through Klein's body without giving him another moment.