Eternal Elysium

The corrupted knight staggered back on his feet, shaking his head.

Then in turn he raised his sword and swung it back at Jamal, who could only raise his shield back in defense.

Swoosh!

As the sword came down it twisted mid-swing and swept toward Jamal's left, where he possibly couldn't defend.

Thud!

The knight's sword hit his abdomen but Jamal didn't budge nor did he blink as I froze his time.

Then in return I reached the knight beast in a blitz of speed and lunged my sword his way.

I was obviously under a lot of pressure. My abilities were keeping the beast slow and saving Jamal's lives by putting them in [Static] in moments of danger.

But it was needed—I was needed.

The knight again drew his sword out and swung it my way without a moment of hesitation. Our blades clashed; a song of steel echoed in the great hall before we parted ways as I was pushed back.

Then the knight took a step forward, and both his hands threw a jab on my side. I twisted and took a step mid-fall in the air before dodging and delivering my own slash on his hands.

A single drop of blood before vanishing in fierce flames that came out of the beast.

"...!"

I gritted my teeth, bracing for burns.

But they never came.

Chris stepped in between, his eyes turning red, patches of blood visible on his frame.

Chris smirked and then thrust his spear into the knight's arm holding the flames, piercing it completely.

"Nice one, Chris!"

Before I could even finish speaking, the knight let out a roar and jumped back.

However, the moment he did chains and hands again, they followed his dark trail, binding him down before an explosion hit him.

Boom!

"Finally!"

Summer cheered, her lips curling up into a smile.

But as she did, a dark flame rose in the air. Filling the sky and illuminating the dark room in a weird light.

I froze seeing this.

"Asher, make me faster!"

Captain Maira yelled from another corner. My eyes shifted toward her, and then, almost by instinct, I did as she asked.

A small hope lingered in me that whatever plan she had would work.

Maira, empowered by [Kairosflow], crossed the room in a few seconds and appeared near the knight in an instant.

Then with a smile, Maira pushed her hand toward the knights as I slowed him down.

As Maira's hand touched the knight's chest, her hand burned, and steam rose in the air.

A small spout of water appeared on the surface of the knight's armor and between her palm.

Then one more appeared on his torso. The fire above started to calm down before the knight swung his sword down on her, cutting past her shoulder.

"Agh!"

Maira let out a painful cry, tears building up in her eyes as her vision blurred.

The sudden shift took me aback.

I grimaced and reached in between them in under a second.

The knight noticed me and reached out to me with his sharp claws aimed right at my neck.

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'This is going to hurt.'

Just as thoughts entered my mind, a spout of water engulfed the knight in a frenzy of storm.

The knight stumbled, his balance shifted, as his body got submerged.

Just then the fire above broke down, and the darkness covering the room subsided momentarily. However, it didn't remain calm; just as the flames vanished, the knight's eyes shone in the large bubble, and red flames flickered in his visage, covering him entirely.

Crack—

Crack—

The knight shuddered, then his armor cracked before flames filled him completely. The water started to boil over; steam filled the space. And then the water erupted from the inside as the knight swung his sword horizontally.

I clenched my teeth seeing this display of power.

How…

How is he so strong?

This didn't make sense. He overwhelmed us completely in all aspects. Be it strength, abilities, or even after being slowed down it still moved in a way hard to follow. The only weakness, if one can even call it that, was his fighting techniques. It was rough, unrefined and as mad as him.

Every attack brought destruction but it was led by sheer belief in its force. The power it possesses, nothing else.

Corruption stems from the world of abstract. To many it was a ban but to some it was a boon. And it seems the demonic knight was the outcome of the latter. Anyone can go corrupt after all.

[Static] doesn't work on him for long, not enough for me to achieve anything.

What should I do to turn this situation around?

How can I achieve it?

Time…

Time was running out.

Clang!

Clang!

Every time I heard the sounds of blades clashing and shields creaking, my heart ached.

It was frustration.

Frustration at not being able to do anything by myself.

But the situation was not as hopeless as it looked right now. I still have a card to play… Which I honestly wanted to save for bigger trouble.

I sighed and stood up amidst the explosion happening.

In front of me I saw the knight swing his sword at Chris only for him to parry it. Then in the next second another explosion happened as chains and shadows held the beast down. As the explosion happened, the knight took it at once; his armor cracked, and the knight's blood was shed, staining his armor in crimson.

Their faces looked grim. Everyone was tired and even injured.

Jamal, whom I had talked to no more than twice, looked pale, taking strike after strike in a row.

I stood silently observing the fight.

My heart went calm as I listened to the melody of attacks and then raised my hand toward the beast.

"Let's end it now." I whispered and then summoned something from my bracelet.

What appeared in my hand looked something similar to a metallic rod with a pointed tip similar to that of a baton. It glowed slowly, pulsing softly in my hand.

As I held it, the information regarding the artifact filled my mind.

I pushed those away, already aware of its ability and how strong it was.

I pointed the baton at the corrupted knight as my finger shivered slightly.

My breathing hitched and then the knight lost its balance as it suddenly floated above the ground and then he was thrown at the wall.

Boom!

Thud!

The wall shattered; the chairs attached instantly were destroyed the moment the knight hit the wall.

Chris took a step back, his eyes wide open as he watched the scene unfold. The knight lay there, his armor smoking, his eyes flickering with rage. But for a moment, he was still.

I kept him still, my lips curling up as seconds passed.

But my eyes were bleeding; a small laugh filled with bafflement escaped my lips as a metallic taste filled my lips.

Ah... It hurts.

My head throbbed too much to keep the knight frozen. It was the same sensation I felt when I had first stopped Jacob, a transcendent. A pain that told me my limits.

Was the knight, a corrupted beast, in a status similar to that of a transcendent?

I don't think so.

It must be a reason I was still unaware of, but I will find it out one way or another like I always have.

I closed our distance as fast as I could.

The knight broke free from [Static], his attention returning back as he sent another wave of flames toward me.

I blitz through it, jumping above their reach. The knight didn't stay still and lunged his sword right at me, closing the distance. Seeing the sword made of bones, now full of cracks after our continuous clashes reached near me, I tried to parry it. But I failed as my sword flicked away, leaving my grip.

I gritted my teeth, feeling the sharp sting as the knight's attack slid slightly, grazing my neck, almost cleaving my head away from my neck.

A small attack would do no damage, but at this range I could do something bigger.

Something better.

I smirked, my gaze now filled with resentment and pain, looking directly at the knight's eyes, which were dark and uncanny.

"A monster is a monster after all."

The baton now pointed toward him as it pulsed in a blue light. My left hand at the same time turned red, and sparks flew around me as painful marks bloated on my hand, making my nerves pop out.

Then, outside the ruins, the sky rumbled. The grey sky above darkened as heavy clouds gathered, cloaking the ruin in shadow. From them, three bolts of lightning fell like judgment. They tore through the hills, each strike flashing with blinding light, ripping apart the ceiling before crashing down on the corrupted beast standing ahead.

He took it head-on, unaware of the danger it presented.

The knight's armor cracked, his dark skin started to melt away and his knees, like a crooked branch, buckled down, hitting the floor with a wet thud. In the end his sword fell out of his grip; before he could even scream, the light ended as the beast fell silent.

Thud!

The beast fell; this time no flames emerged threatening to drown us.

The beast was finally dead.

The knight has been hunted down and was slaughtered.

No one made a sound as they watched in silence, their mouths left agape.

"It's dead." Enzo muttered, breaking the silence.

One of his onyx hands flipped the beast. Seeing the gruesome scene, no other confirmation was needed.

A sigh of relief left the group's mouths as they all turned to look at Asher.

He was lying on the ground, his face red, eyes closed as he took a slow breath. Blood pooled around his hand like never before, as if shattered by an unknown force.

Jamal near him rushed toward him and slowly touched his neck, stopping the bleeding there first with a piece of cloth.

"He… He is alive." He said with all his strength, as his hand shook from bearing the shield all day long.

They all had survived.