Hello Scrolls and Nazarins, we have reached the end of another fight in my fanfic The One Who Came Back.
Skills are put to the test and Lakius has a confrontation he cannot win.
With you
The One Who Came Back
Chapter 88: The Secret of the Art / See the Light
East Gate
The fight in front of the gate had become frantic, with a large number of beasts running back and forth, trying to kill at least a dozen ninjas. Quaiesse wasn't happy with the situation; for every girl killed, another would appear. Despite his beasts obeying his orders, he still used the whip with force and frequency, the feeling of authority helping him keep his focus.
One of the basilisks managed to bite Tia-or was it Tina? It didn't matter, because at the moment it bit down on the girl, its head exploded.
"IT'S A TRAP! YOU STUPID CREATURES! DON'T TRY TO EAT THEM, JUST KILL THEM!" the theocrat shouted, whipping the nearby animals.
The Cockatrice, a very fast bird, running through the fights, finally managed to use its petrifying gaze on one of the ninjas, who turned to stone only to be smashed by the Manticore the next moment.
"YES! ATTACK TOGETHER, USE FORMATIONS TO SURROUND THEM!" the One-Man Army ordered, cracking his whip again.
When one of the adventurers found an opening behind him, Quaiesse whipped her, and then a cloud of bats descended and shredded her.
From atop the building, Rapushin observed everything. So far, he hadn't been disturbed; it was as if they were purposely ignoring him.
"I'm not a threat," he said, watching the cloud of bats. "They're the eyes of the Jughead. Whatever they see, somehow it must be transmitted to him. So, to them, I'm just a curious bystander."
Months ago, like all the other Sentinels, he had received the same gifts from his instructor: resistance rings and strength bracelets. In addition, an exclusive item to enhance his performance: a cloak of concealment.
Much to CZ's dismay, Rapushin had refused to wear any of the gifts. "That will make me soft," he said. "The others can take advantage of these things, but if I use them for a few months, as soon as I'm without one, I'll become an easy target; I'll have lost my edge. I can't depend on them." It was an argument that CZ eventually considered logical. "Besides, who's ever seen a beggar wearing a Veil of Night cloak?!" said the boy, dressed in filthy rags, as he left for a mission.
Now, walking to the edge, he saw that he could perhaps make a leap of faith, falling on the theocrat, but the distance was too great; he would be caught midway, being perceived as a threat. He needed to continue being underestimated.
Rapushin took advantage of a rope extending to the wall. He walked across it until reaching the walkway and began descending, looking like a curious child. With a look of admiration, he reached a spot just above the theocrat, and, luckily for him, he slipped and fell onto his back... exactly where he wanted to.
Like a cat, he turned mid-fall and, at the last second, drew his knife, which contained deadly poison. But before he could strike the man, the theocrat caught him in the air, causing his knife to slip from his grasp.
"You thought you could stab me, you little thief?!" Quaiesse said, holding the boy by the collar.
The rogue tried to break free, only to have his neck squeezed by the theocrat's hands.
"I don't particularly enjoy this, but I'll take pleasure in strangling you, boy," Quaiesse threatened.
Rapushin struggled, kicking and flailing his legs, only for his blows to be blocked by the magical garments. He tried to break free from the grip, but his hands were too weak.
"Ablururan!" the boy murmured.
"Huh?!" the theocrat responded, pulling his victim closer to hear what he had said.
"PFFFRRR!" Rapushin made a farting sound, sticking out his tongue, and with a grin, spat in Quaiesse's face. "PTUUH!"
Instinctively, the One-Man Army threw the boy to the ground and tried to wipe his face. He knew that thieves and urchins could have all sorts of things hidden in their mouths: poisons, acids. Something like that might have been spit at him, but it took a few seconds to realize it was just... spit.
"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE, YOU LITTLE BRAT! KILL HIM!" he roared at his animals.
The creatures stopped chasing the ninjas.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? I SAID KILL HIM!" Quaiesse screamed, cracking his whip.
The wolves began to approach, as did the other creatures.
"STOP! BACK OFF! I ORDER YOU TO STOP!" he yelled, pointing his hands at his creatures, until he realized.
Rapushin, who was crawling on the ground, turned and smiled, showing his achievement.
"HEY! JUGHEAD! I think you lost something!" the boy taunted with a handful of rings in his hands.
"YOU! YOU CAN'T! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONTROL THEM!"
"I don't need to, they remember you."
The animals, baring their teeth and growling, surrounded the theocrat. But before the wolves could get him, a tiger bit his head, knocking him down for a bloody feast.
All the ninjas vanished in puffs of smoke, while most of the creatures fled into the air, jumped over the walls, or hid in the sewers.
Rapushin stood up and walked into a shadow. Two figures dropped down right behind him.
"That was clever. Maybe there's something..."
"... we can still learn," said Tina, finishing Tia's sentence.
"Girls, the secret is in the wrists," said the pickpocket, twirling his hands with fingers full of rings.
South Gate
Lakyus's fight wasn't going well; she was facing one of the greatest warriors of the Theocracy.
The only ones who could rival him within the scriptures were Zesshi Zetsumei and the one known as The Strongest Human.
Even though the Knight was giving her all, the Lancer didn't seem to need much effort.
Marin was at one of the windows, watching and waiting for another opening to use her special arrows. When she saw Lakyus locked in a strength contest with the man, she seized the opportunity.
The Lancer was holding back Lakyus's strike, she kept trying to push the blade against the lance's shaft. That's when he realized the strategy: a dozen arrows fell.
With grace and skill, the theocrat deflected from Lakyus, spun his weapon, and blocked all the arrows... except one. That one, strangely enough, moved faster than the others, an arrow meant to trick him.
Without even caring about the wound, he threw his lance in the direction from which the shots came. Marin had just enough time to jump out the window when the room exploded from the impact.
Rolling across another rooftop, she stood and began firing again as she ran, seeking another point of cover. But the theocrat, with a gesture of his hand, magically recalled his lance. He caught it mid-air and spun it above his head so quickly it resembled a disc, then hurled it again.
Like a circular saw, the lance sliced through the building where Marin was running, cutting from one side to the other. When it returned, the structure was already collapsing; the archer could not be seen anywhere.
After recovering his weapon, the Lancer pulled out the arrow that had lodged in his shoulder, right between the plates of his divine armor. It emanated a golden aura.
"Arcane Magic, where did she get something like this?" he said, breaking the arrow. "Give up, Lakyus! You cannot defeat a direct descendant of the Six Gods. This is Britomart's Spear, you will never surpass this divine weapon."
"If I were to be intimidated by everyone who claimed to be dangerous, I would never have left my home."
"Brave words, but do you have the strength to back them up?"
"Yes, I do, because I am Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, descendant and heir of the Black Knight, and this is his demon sword, KILINEIRAM!" shouted the knight, raising the weapon.
In the instant before the power was released, the theocrat prepared himself. He knew what this spell must be, as it had been reported by informants: the sword would emit a wave of darkness, blinding everyone within range.
He was fully confident his divine eyes could handle it, as night vision was inherent in his heritage. So he kept his gaze fixed on the knight, until he was surprised.
Instead of darkness, what struck him was light, white and bright. The flash blinded him for a second; he hadn't known the sword had been altered.
"SOUL SLASH!" Lakyus yelled.
Sensing danger, he chose to roll to the side, avoiding the hit. His vision began to return when he could see the large gash left on the ground where he had been.
The Lancer hadn't known about Lakyus's family origin, a surprise that explained why she had so much power.
"That attack could have hurt me," he said, before feeling something touch the back of his neck.
"Got you!" Marin said, holding her crossbow.
"Marin! Stop! Don't kill him! Let me talk to him!" Lakyus pleaded.
"You think you can hurt me? I don't believe you have more than one of those arcane arrows."
"You want to bet your life?" said the archer, pressing the tip of the arrow against his head.
"I don't want to kill you, but you need to listen to me. Innocent people are dying."
"You don't have enough power to stop me."
Then, a large teleportation circle appeared, and from it emerged the Blue Roses along with the Sentinels of Justice.
"Sorry for the delay, we were busy taking out the trash. Who do we need to punch?" said Gargaran confidently.
The theocrat didn't like the change in odds. At least one member of this new group was genuinely dangerous; the sorceress greatly increased the risk by joining the fight.
"Why are you protecting these people? They're traitors to the faith."
"This war didn't start because of faith. They're using that as an excuse to have you as allies," argued the knight.
"It's a war."
"Even in war, you can't allow atrocities. As a worshiper of Surshana, you should know how wrong it is, what they're doing to these people, to your people."
"They are not my people. It's a holy war being fought-our religion against theirs."
"Oh my god! You don't know! The southern army isn't just killing the followers of the Sorcerer King; they're killing everyone who doesn't worship the Four. They're slaughtering the worshipers of the Earth God and Surshana. It's a schism in our religion."
The lancer knew that many had been spared during the fall of Kami Miyako. Now, he had many doubts: "Could these words be true?" "Cardinal Dominic always favored the Four, could he be lying to me?" "Is my own religion on the brink of extinction?"
Looking at Lakyus, he saw that she believed in the words she spoke. He needed answers.
"This fight ends now!" he declared, quickly swinging his arm and destroying Marin's crossbow.
There wasn't another arcane arrow in it.
As everyone raised their weapons, the lancer lifted his spear and, with a great swing, struck towards the gates, sending a magical wave that completely obliterated them, bringing down part of the wall along with it.
He looked at Lakyus and left. He calmly walked out of the city, then, with a swift leap, soared over the invading army as if pulled by the spear he held.
When the man disappeared, Gargaran collapsed, exhausted, as did most of the others.
"Good thing he fell for the bluff!" said the Heavy Warrior.
"I don't think that's what happened," said Evileye.
"I also hope it wasn't," Lakyus said with a hint of hope.
...
Author's Note
Two more fights end, one over the underrated pickpocketing skill and the other over a frank conversation. I hope you enjoyed it.
About Britomart's Spear, I named it in honor of a character in an epic poem, his spear in the middle of battle, if thrown, would find its target wherever it was.
About Lakius being a descendant of the Black Knight, a Godkin, I wanted to give an origin for his strength and how such a powerful sword came into his hands.
