The outer crescent of the blade gleamed like wrought iron and released waves of heat as it burned. The blade swung in an arc and its trail crystallized into a stream of embers. The embers danced like dying flames and joined together into shards like glass. The fragmented edges were under her command. She slammed her crescent staff towards her enemy and the blades of launched forward. Rana followed their assault, and together they rushed towards her enemy.

She knew the inherent dangers of a mage-class rushing towards a warrior-class, especially against an experienced one. The more a marked one has gained in levels, the stronger the advantages they held against others become, but it also made their weaknesses more apparent. It was not that the marked one became weaker, it was simply what they were weak against became stronger. There was a reason that a rookie mage-class might be able to defeat another rookie warrior-class, but less likely when both combatants were veterans.

However, she had to go forward. The opening move of any combat situation dictated the flow of battle. If this fight were to proceed normally, there was no doubt that her defeat would be the end result. The room was decently spacious, but its walled-off nature and lack of obstacles made the one with the superior physical capabilities have the advantage when maneuvering around. If she allowed the enemy to push her until her back was against the wall, or if the enemy managed to corner her in one of the tight corridors, there was little room for her to fight back.

Rana had to create as much distance as possible between herself and the walls. The enemy marked one knew that as well, and no doubt during the course of the fight the woman would aim to restrict her movements and shift the melee towards more crowded spaces. That was why she decided to reveal one of her trump cards the moment the fight started and chose the lesser of the many opening moves available to her. To her enemy, the mage-class that should’ve cast a Spell that prevented her enemy from getting close chose to engage in a melee instead of skirting the distance. The presence of a mage-class with an unknown weapon and one confident enough to engage her enemy in melee, was something to be wary of.

That moment of hesitation was enough for Rana to steal the opening move and initial flow of the fight. With the blades of ash as her vanguard, she would be the first to strike. However, she knew this alone did not lead to victory and it would be foolish to believe an outlandish move was enough to topple an experienced foe by using an instance of bewilderment alone. The enemy accepted the decision to receive her first strike was because the enemy was capable of such a thing.

The woman’s eyes only had a moment of confusion before lighting up with a smile. Rana didn’t know whether it was because the woman believed her foe to be green and overconfident, or that she approved of such a play. Rana only knew the woman was confident she could defend against the first strike, and she was not wrong. With a sword in one hand, the woman raised her other and slapped the blades of ash away, as if they were nothing but minor nuisances. It was not unexpected. The blades of ash were sharp, and their ignition was powerful. However, in terms of destructive potential, the were nothing more than thrown daggers if faced head-on. Regardless, they did their job.

Rana slammed her staff towards the woman’s skull, but her attack was blocked as expected. It was enough. Her enemy only had one hand on the grip and she was able to keep her posture steady. She did not meet the brute strength of her enemy with her weapon. Instead, she slid the edge of the blade down the tip of the sword, not giving her enemy a chance to disrupt of her footing. With her feet firmly planted on the ground, she was able to raise her guard and prepare her defensive form.

The woman launched her flurry of attacks and each one aimed for one of her nonexistent critical weak points. The woman was skilled. They were just attacks that probed for an opening, to gain an upper hand as blows were being exchanged, but they nonetheless could be lethal if not answered properly. However, Rana did not give away an inch of her footing and maintained the melee to the center of the room. She did not meet the attacks head-on, but used the momentum of its force to push herself towards the side and never behind. There was a reason that Sapphire had the most skilled inquisitors in single combat among the five Orders. Their prey were disgraces and traitors of the Church, powerful marked ones tempted and then corrupted by even greater and much eviler power. Rana was the best among them, and also had a powerful sparring partner as well.

Rana as a mage-class could contest warrior-classes in melee, and Mara could not be stopped by simplistic Spell combos.

The melee dragged on and she could tell the woman was surprised at how resilient Rana was. That was when she felt mana surge in the woman’s sword. Was this the opening she waited for? No. She stepped to her side, but the force behind the blow pushed her back slightly. The woman used Charged Strike, a Skill that costed little mana and moderately increased the strength behind the attack. It had a noticeable cast time, but Rana as a mage-class was not able to take advantage of the opening without leaving herself vulnerable.

The woman continued to attack. The two combatants continued to dance in melee, and the woman would occasionally use Charged Strike to slowly push Rana back and towards the direction of the wall. Rana knew why the woman did not use the Skill in quick succession. The woman was saving mana, making sure there was enough to unleash a finishing move. It was not a bad move. It was cautious and lead to the win condition slow but steadily. It also let Rana know what it was, and therefore she would be able to stop it. The woman would soon know why inquisitors were not to be trifled with, why every corrupted filth never dared leave the comfort of secrecy.

The inquisitors and paladins were the elite forces of the Church. Their selection process was strict and very difficult to accomplish. There was a reason for that. The fighting forces of the Church had access to ancient arcane secrets that only the most loyal were privy to. They rather control a small elite force than an army. They preferred to give their agents the tools and training necessary to complete their task. This came in the form of many powerful weapons and wards, powers no marked one would encounter in their lifetime, and if they did, they would not live to tell the tale.

Rana was the head of the Order charged with hunting traitors among the elite.

Rana raised her staff and aimed the crescent blade towards the woman’s jugular. The cut landed but the enemy’s chained collar prevented a critical injury. It was an opening she allowed Rana to take. Rana knew that. The woman turned around and mana gathered into her blade and arms. Rana used the opportunity of her enemy’s exposed back to fire off a Mana Blast and it connected with the back of the enemy’s head. However, the woman did not flinch at the damage and continued her cast form. Ring Slash was coming to cleave her in half. However, she slammed her staff onto the floor and locked the end of it with one of her feet. With the Support Attack Talent, she tried to anchor the enemy arms with Ice Geyser. It did not stop the Skill but reduced its force. She used the push Ring Slash to allow herself to escape from the corner she was backed into.

The roles were now reversed. The enemy was backed to a corner. Rana slashed the air with her crescent blade and launched a hail of ashen shards against her enemy. This time, the blades were glowing with mana. The woman ducked and the ashes cut into the walls. Rana charged and readied her weapons. Crescent blade in one and a knife in the other. That was when the woman’s eyes, someone who was supposed to be cornered, lit up in glee. The woman brought her weapon down, one filled with mana. The mana within exploded and interrupted her as Fool’s Fire latched onto the sword and ignited the mana within. Rana managed to slash at the woman, but the light in her enemy’s eyes did not fade. The woman was faking it. She wanted Rana to charge at her as she saved enough mana for three consecutive Skill usage. The woman knew Rana was experienced, she knew she could not end the mage-class with only one attack, or even two. She had to prepare another that could take advantage of the mistake that followed, and one mistake was all it took for a marked one to lose their life. There it was, the mistake that could not be reversed.

The woman was not wrong, and Rana was waiting for that mistake.

The woman charged her blade with a massive amount of mana once again and prepared to crash the weapon down. Ground Slam wielded by a high level marked one had so much area-of-effect damage and range that it was impossible for the approaching mage-class to escape. However, that was only when the weapon slammed into the ground. If it didn’t, it was nothing more than a long stun status ailment that was ineffective against a zombie.

Blue chains shot out from the walls and gripped the forearms of the enemy. The mana within the sword exploded downwards but it did not crash into ripples of force. Rana stopped her tracks and used raised both her weapons, halving the already reduced damage with Support Defend. She then launched a Mana Blast and used the Support Attack Talent to crash herself into the chained enemy marked one.

What good was armor when it became an oven for the flesh it guarded?

Rana slammed the knife into the enemy, and like Jerome, the woman had to face a point-blank explosion to the face. With a small smile, she ignited the steel edge and set it ablaze.