'I wonder how many trials I will get here.' Hayden thought as he felt the changes in his surroundings once again.
Indeed, the battlefield shifted once more.
This time, they were inside a grand cathedral bathed in golden light. It had such a different vibe from the others.
It felt as if he was about to listen to a sermon.
However, he soon noticed his next opponent. Standing at the center of the cathedral was a figure clad in plate armor, a small shield in one hand and an oversized hammer in the other.
'Hmm… Is it a Paladin this time?' Hayden thought…
At the same time, his Ocularis Lens started scanning the opponent.
The Paladin's armor was adorned with engravings that he couldn't fully understand. But it seemed to be the emblem of the church this person was serving.
Furthermore, Hayden had a strange feeling that his opponent this time was not just a mindless person created by the Orb of Trial.
After all, he could sense from its eyes that it had a soul in it, not the lifeless ones he previously defeated.
As the Paladin raised his hammer, Hayden felt a strange aura on him…
'It's not too strong… Aura Initiate? Knight Candidate?'
It seemed that the level of trial had increased by a notch. It would be his first time to fight someone who had awakened an Aura. He felt excited.
'I guess he's an Aura Initiate since the trial will probably slowly increase its level.' He mused. If he defeated this Paladin, he might have to fight against someone who was at least at the level of Knight Candidate who was capable of using Aura but with a low level of control.
Then, as Hayden was preparing to attack, the Paladin suddenly spoke!
It was something the other opponents didn't do!
"You have come far, child," The Paladin said, revealing that he was also a man with a very deep voice.
"But this is where your journey ends. You can come back once you're ready…"
Hayden tightened his grip on his light iron sword.
"I'm not here to give up," he replied as he felt curious about how strong an Aura User could be,
The Paladin nodded as he acknowledged Hayden's resolve.
"Then prove your worth."
The Paladin moved with surprising speed for someone in full plate armor.
He closed the distance in an instant, and his hammer swung from above, aiming to end the battle immediately.
Bam!
Hayden barely managed to dodge to the right as he felt the pressure from the gust that followed.
'This body…' Hayden frowned. There was simply no way to bridge the gap of having a smaller body.
'This is bad… I can't let him have his momentum.' Hayden thought. This time, he knew that his body was simply too weak, and parrying an attack from an Aura user with his frail hands was courting death.
Thankfully, his Ocularis Lens had already started analyzing the Paladin's movements. It was a good thing that his burst of speed just now was just a momentarily and he couldn't keep it up for a long time.
'The armor is too thick for my sword to penetrate, and his Aura enhances his strength and speed. I need to find a weakness.'
The Paladin followed up with a shield bash, forcing Hayden to roll to the side. But the impact sent shockwaves through the ground, and it even cracked the cathedral floor.
'I'd be dead if I'm hit by one of that shield bash.' He thought.
Hayden's Ocularis Lens soon highlighted the Paladin's joints as potential weak points, but getting close enough to strike would be risky.
The Paladin's hammer was even getting faster as they continued to fight…
'I can't keep dodging forever… I don't even know when will his Aura be depleted.' Hayden realized.
'I need to find a way to break through their defense.'
Hayden had no other choice but to activate the Ocularis Lens' extreme combat mode, which began simulating possible strategies while he was moving away.
Normally, this extreme combat mode would consume a lot of energy and could overheat his Lens. This time, however, since it was already connected to his soul, it would only consume stamina which wasn't a problem in this location.
Soon, one projection stood out…
The Lens analyzed that the Paladin's Aura usage was concentrated within the center of his body or internal organs. It was as expected of an Aura Initiate who could not control or move their aura to other parts outside of their body or even to their weapons.
In short, aside from having enhanced strength, agility, and vitality because of the existence of Aura, the Paladin's combat technique was still average.
The Ocularis Lens immediately noticed that the Paladin was leaving their movements slightly slower when transitioning between attacks.
'I guess I'll just use the same method… If I can bait them into overcommitting, I might have a chance,' Hayden thought.
This time, Hayden feigned his weakening strength after deflecting a few strikes, and almost losing his sword. He also slowed down on his movements, and he even started breathing heavily.
Thankfully, the Paladin just believed that his young opponent could no longer continue to dodge and took the bait.
The Paladin wanted to end the battle so he attacked Hayden with a series of powerful strikes without caring for his position and focused on a stronger assault!
Soon, the Paladin raised his hammer high, gathering his strength for an overhead strike to finish Hayden off.
"You fight well, but this ends now!" The Paladin said to Hayden who was currently looking on the ground and seemed really weak to even move.
He seemed to be incapable of even lifting his sword!
However, Hayden was waiting for this moment.