Zellrid used every surface to his advantage – running along walls, swinging from exposed rafters, even using a weather vane as an impromptu springboard to launch aerial attacks.
The knight, though less acrobatic, was no less deadly. He adapted to Zellrid's style, using sweeping strikes to control space and powerful thrusts to keep Zellrid at bay.
When Zellrid tried to close in, the knight would transition to half-swording techniques, using his blade like a spear for precise, armor-piercing strikes.
In a daring move, Zellrid feinted low, then leaped high, somersaulting over the knight. But the knight had anticipated this. As Zellrid landed, the knight's gauntleted hand shot out, seizing him by the throat.
Zellrid gasped as he was lifted off his feet, his sword clattering to the ground. The knight slammed him down, pinning Zellrid's head against the rain-slicked stone.
Slowly, inexorably, the knight raised his blade, preparing for the killing blow that would sever Zellrid's head.
Time seemed to slow. Raindrops hung suspended in the air, caught in the stuttering illumination of lightning.
Zellrid's vision blurred, darkness creeping at the edges. But then, through the haze of pain and impending unconsciousness, he saw something impossible.
Far below, tearing through the castle gates, was a gleaming metal chariot. It roared with the fury of a thousand storms, wheels screeching as it careened towards the town outskirts.
At its helm, blond hair whipping in the wind, was a figure Zellrid recognized all too well.
Joseph.
Time slowed to a crawl as the knight's blade descended towards Zellrid's neck. In that frozen moment, Zellrid's gaze locked onto Joseph's distant chariot, and a desperate plan formed in his mind.
With a surge of adrenaline, Zellrid slammed his forehead into the knight's gauntlet. The impact sent shockwaves of pain through his skull, but the knight's grip loosened just enough.
Zellrid rolled, narrowly avoiding the blade that shattered the stone where his head had been.
In one fluid motion, Zellrid sprang to his feet and sprinted towards the edge of the roof.
The knight, momentarily stunned, recovered quickly and gave chase. Zellrid's boots pounded against the rain-slicked tiles, loose shingles clattering into the abyss below.
"Come on, come on," Zellrid muttered, eyes scanning frantically for an escape route. A flash of lightning illuminated a heavy chain hanging from a nearby gargoyle. Without hesitation, Zellrid leaped, arms outstretched.
His hands closed around the cold metal just as the knight's blade whistled through the air where he'd been. Zellrid's momentum carried him in a wide arc, the city below a dizzying blur of lights and shadows.
As he swung back towards the castle, Zellrid spotted a row of hanging banners. He released the chain at the apex of his swing, soaring through the air. Time seemed to stretch as he sailed between the fluttering fabrics, the knight's hulking form visible through the gaps, still in hot pursuit.
Zellrid's hands grasped the edge of a banner, his weight immediately tearing it from its moorings. He slid down the length of the fabric, using it to control his descent. As the ground rushed up to meet him, Zellrid let go, tucking into a roll that barely absorbed the impact of his landing.
He sprang to his feet, only to see the knight leap from the rooftop, armor gleaming as lightning silhouetted his descent. In a split-second decision, Zellrid dashed towards his falling foe.
Just before impact, Zellrid launched himself into a slide, positioning himself directly beneath the plummeting knight. The armored figure crashed down onto Zellrid's back, and together they shot across the rain-slicked cobblestones like a macabre toboggan.
Sparks flew as metal scraped stone, the duo careening down the steep streets of the city. Zellrid gritted his teeth, using subtle shifts of his weight to steer their improvised board around corners and through narrow alleys.
"Sorry, big guy," Zellrid shouted over the cacophony of their descent, "but I'm gonna need to borrow your armor for a bit!"
They burst out of an alley onto a main thoroughfare, directly in the path of Joseph's speeding chariot. Zellrid's eyes widened as he realized their trajectory would intersect perfectly—if they survived the next few seconds.
The knight, finally regaining his senses, began to struggle. Zellrid felt armored hands grasping at him, threatening to dislodge him from his precarious position. With a grunt of effort, Zellrid twisted, using the knight's own momentum to flip their positions.
Now on top, Zellrid rode the knight like a surfboard, mere feet behind Joseph's chariot. The blond man's eyes met Zellrid's for a brief, electric moment before he spurred his mechanical steed to even greater speeds.
"Oh no you don't," Zellrid growled, leaping from the knight onto the back of the chariot. He clung to the metal frame, his feet dragging on the cobblestones as Joseph swerved wildly, trying to shake him off.
Behind them, the knight had risen to his feet, his thunderous footsteps shaking the very foundations of the city as he gave chase. Citizens scattered in terror as the armored behemoth charged through market stalls and leaped over carts with inhuman agility.
Zellrid pulled himself up, balancing precariously on the back of the chariot as it tore through the twisting streets. Joseph glanced back, his face a mask of fury and fear.
"It's over, Joseph!" Zellrid shouted over the wind. "There's nowhere left to run!"
As if in response, Joseph yanked hard on the controls. The chariot veered sharply, heading straight for the city gates. Beyond lay a sheer cliff dropping into the churning sea far below.
Zellrid's eyes widened as he realized Joseph's suicidal intent. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, bracing himself for whatever insanity came next.
The chariot burst through the gates, wood splintering around them. For a moment, they were airborne, suspended over the yawning chasm. Zellrid locked eyes with Joseph one last time before gravity reasserted its hold, and they plummeted towards the roiling waves below.
Behind them, the knight skidded to a halt at the edge of the cliff, a silent sentinel watching their descent.
Lightning illuminated his battered armor as he watched the chariot plummet towards the churning sea below.
For a long moment, he remained still, the only movement the tattered banner wrapped around his helm fluttering in the wind.