Chapter Six: Singularity Encountered
Slash. Dodge. Parry.
The beautiful garden once peaceful was filled with the clashing sounds of metal. The woman who wore a fine cloth over her eyes wielded her great sword with speed that betrayed her average sized arms.
Swinging the large broadsword as if it was a weightless toy.
I had at minimized the 0,3 percent boost but now I knew just what kind of powerhouses heros could be, let alone legendary one.
Even at barely 1% of the combined capabilities of Kira and Tyr was enough to allow to keep up with this echo.
[Hero Plunder] was really a cheat skill, imagine when I would reach hundred percent assilmilation. A single man army of heros, for real.
Pant...Pant.
But coming back to the moment I could barely stay alive against the illusion created by the trial.
As I turned to look to my side, I spotted Lysia locked into her own battle with a man with short sliver hair and eyes. He too was included in my flashback.
The man wielded a thin long metal spear with skill that matched Lysia's.
Boooom!
Both me and the echo jumped back as where we stood a crater formed as a fireball crashed with the earth.
"Damn support units." I growled as I looked to where the blast came from. A group of men dressed in priest robes, chanting in union as they evoked various elemental magic strikes.
At this point I understood that how this broken trial worked.
It turned people in our memories to echoes that it used to fight against us. These priests where likely from Lysia's memories.
Not only that but it planned on dividing and conquering by separating us into individual battles with our echoes as it used the unstable crackles in the air that threatened to swallow us whole to ensure that we stayed apart.
It was planning on picking us off, one by one.
Fritz was currently still stuck in a block of ice with his echo, a girl with fine long black hair guarding his ice prison.
Freddy was chasing after the nimble noble woman throughout the ladyrinth while Vivi was locked in an 2v1 against the two knights.
So yeah...not the best situation if you asked me.
Dodge.
I jumped backwards as the woman's blade swept where I previously stood.
"Lysia, you are the destined hero of our city!How can you waste you time working with common adventurers and even dare to take a abnormality to the script under your wing." One of the priest yelled as the fired another fireball at Lysia. "We thought you better then this!"
I could tell that Lysia was trying her best to ignore their ranting but by the way she narrowed her eyes it seemed their words didn't fall on deaf ears.
Okay, need to take them out first!
[Crimson Step]
In a flash I left the woman behind me as I dashed to where the priests were and with a flow that once belonged to a hero praised for his speed and precision with his blade, I cut down all the priest in fluid succession of movements.
The Mages class was always lacking when in came to combat at close range
Whooosh!
Barely giving me the chance to breath the woman was already behind me, her sword raised over her head.
Descending to the earth with tremendous force that caused cracks to appear on the ground where I narrowly managed to move out of the way.
"Lysia don't let some geezers tell you what to do! Be whatever the hell you want to be!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as I barely managed to parry a slash from the woman.
To be honest, getting bad mouthed by some priests didn't sit well with me even if I didn't know much about this hero, I wanted to let her know what I thought about their prophecies.
They can go accomplish it themselves!
It was just glorified plot armour, if you asked me.
Having created some distance between us the echo finally stopped her assault standing still as she faced my direction as though waiting for me to strike first.
Clack!
I stuck my sword into the ground, flexing my knuckles as I jumped in pass.
Spamming [Crimson Step] was starting to make me feel dizzy, as expected I couldn't use my abilities infinity without suffering exhaustion.
I couldn't afford to use all my strength on a mini boss, could I now.
"Changing tactics." I announced with a grin as I put my guard up. I had been the champion of our school's female boxing club, let's hope that I haven't rusted too much.
Surprisingly after a odd moment of silence, the echo followed my lead. Discarding her sword and bringing her fists up infront of her.
I took steady breaths as I replicated a breathing technique that I obtained from Tyr's memories.
Inhale....exhale!
With one leap I closed the distance between us, immediately unleashing a barrage of jabs that the echo leaned back to avoid.
Kira's swift footstep techniques allowed me to break off and slip back into her guard to deliver a direct blow.
"Ahh..grrr" I held back a cry from pain as the echo's fist met the side if my cheek. Clutching my jaw as I counterattack with punch of my own.
Punch. Defend. Punch.
Neither of us backed down instead we took the full forces behind each other's fists and replied with more punches.
I was going to shatter this damn fog hiding the truth, behind my reincarnation, behind my connection with the broken blade and the seven hero!
My soulbrand burned but I fought through the pain, focusing on defeating the obstacle in front of me.
I will find the tru—
Whoosh.
My fist passed through smoke, as the woman's body began to dissipate into mist. A sad smile playing on her lips as she slowly vanished in a cloud of smoke.
I had overcame the echo and took my first step to unraveling the truth.
I took in a couple of deep breaths to calm my burning lungs before turning and running to where Lysia had finished her fight with spear wielding echo.
Since I had taken care of the priest she was likely able to handle the echo, she was a destined hero afterall.
"Lysia we have to go help regroup and—!!!" The air pressure thickened as reality shattered like a glass frame behind.
My newly acquired sixth sense screaming as my sliver mark flared in response the shift in the atmosphere.
What was looming behind me was none other the...
[Trial Singularity Encountered: Ogre Tyrant–Mu.]
Finally decided to show yourself?
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