Attack from the other side! Dallion told the dragon, while he himself did another line attack in the direction of the temple. His goal wasn’t to destroy or even harm it, but the guardian couldn’t take the risk.

ATTACK NEGATED

Your attack has been sliced in two by PROLET

Attack has no effect

No sooner had the red rectangle appeared than Eury managed to get two hits in. The damage, while minimal, further reduced the dryad’s life total to what hopefully was fifty percent. Being unable to tell was rather annoying, although Dallion didn’t need to know. As long as they kept this up, they were inevitably going to win.

In a way, he almost pitied the guardian. There was no question that he deserved to win the fight, and he would have. Even working together all three could barely match him. Only through exploiting the guardian’s desire to protect were they slowly chipping away at him.

If this was the only way to take down a noble, no wonder that intrigue was so deadly. Any scrap of information, no matter how insignificant, could end up leading to someone’s downfall, regardless of the individual’s strength. Maybe that was the reason Dallion’s grandfather and his friends had been punished to such a degree. After all, no one needed a pawn that failed its mission, yet no one could trust one that had succeeded, either.

Two line attacks were done simultaneously from both sides of the temple. Unable to spot both himself, the guardian created an echo to assist him. Seeing this, Dallion continued with three more sequential line attacks.

This was the turning point. If the guardian managed to withstand the attack and keep the echo intact, the tides would turn very quickly. The difference of power would shift from three to one to three against two, then quickly shift into the dryad’s favor.

ATTACK NEGATED

Your attack has been sliced in two by PROLET

Attack has no effect

ATTACK NEGATED

Your attack has been sliced in two by PROLET

Attack has no effect

ATTACK NEGATED

Your attack has been sliced in two by PROLET

Attack has no effect

Red rectangles stacked up one after the other. The guardian was focusing entirely on Dallion now, refusing to let any of his attacks through. His echo, as predicted, had gone after Dark, slicing off half of the dragon’s wing with a single attack. Euryale had intervened to save the situation. Golden threads were flowing out of her armor, creating the impression she was floating above the ground in a cloud of gold. It was clear why she had gone to the hunter’s guild to obtain it. No longer merely an object, the gear enhanced her athletic and combat skills, transforming her from a powerful hunter into a combat dancer. Threads shot at the echo as an extension of the gorgon’s strike. A significant cut from any of them was enough to destroy it in an instant. Sadly, even that wasn’t enough. From the quick glance Dallion was able to get of the situation, the guardian’s echo had managed to swipe them away with an attack of his halberd before they could even get close.

More, more, more! Dallion drew the thread splitter with his left hand, then continued with a dual line attack. His right arm was already starting to feel numb. Gritting through the pain, he kept on going.

It was everything or nothing—the last thing one was supposed to do on the battlefield. Nil had often mentioned that an all out attack was a final act of desperation before defeat. However, it was also the wildcard that could turn a battle around.

Red rectangles were everywhere. The guardian was negating attacks left and right, while still managing to inflict damage to Euryale in the process. Aware that he was no match, the dragon had flapped away. Lacking the strength to do any more line attacks, he focused on his illusion powers, taking the shape of a large tome. It was a sensible move. Sadly, Dallion was too engaged in the fight to use his scholar skill in the situation. Even if he wasn’t, it would hardly make much difference.

Unable to feel his arms, he squeezed what strength he had to manage a few more line attacks. The effort was so great that he had stopped singing, gasping for air with every slash. And yet the guardian kept on negating them, as if they were nothing. Rectangles kept stacking up, growing beyond a dozen. Each one was identical to the last, until the very last moment, when one changed.

TERMINAL STRIKE

Dealt damage is increased 1000%

I did it? Dallion’s heart skipped a beat.

Sweat pouring down his forehead, he looked up, expecting to see the blue rectangle informing him of a skill increase. Instead, all he saw was the tip of a halberd thrusting his way.

The speed of the attack was too great for him to react on time. Thankfully, the armadil shield did it for him, expanding in size to prevent the tip from hitting any vital spots. Even so, the force of the attack was enough to propel Dallion back, as if he had been hit by a cannonball.

AGGRAVATED WOUND

Your health has been reduced by 15%

The pain lingered for a moment before fading away. The alarming part was that the damage occurred despite Dallion guarding against it.

It’s getting difficult keeping you alive, the armadil shield said. Can you move?

Dallion tried to raise his arms. While it was possible, it felt like bending steel pipes. After all the line attacks, it would be a few moments before they regained sensitivity.

What the heck happened? He asked.

Force shock, Vihrogon replied. The ability to focus force in such a way that it goes through solid armor, dealing damage along the way. You’re lucky that he’s only in his eighties. A dozen levels more and you wouldn’t be alive to see the follow up.

The shield shrunk, returning to its normal size. Over a hundred feet away, Dallion could see the guardian breathing heavily. The attack, as powerful as it was, had the same effect on him as the first line attack Dallion had performed. The good news was that most likely the dryad wouldn’t be able to pull off another one. The bad news was that he was still there, very much alive.

Eury was also visible, standing a few dozen feet behind the guardian. She, too, was in rough shape. Her overall health had been reduced to twenty percent. In addition, one of her arms was broken. In terms of realm combat, that was the equivalent of her having lost it.

“He’s down to a third,” the gorgon shouted.

A third? That wasn’t what Dallion wanted to hear. After all this, he was hoping that the dryad was down to his last ten percent or less.

The next few seconds passed in silence—a pause that seemed tremendously long. None of the participants had the strength to attack. If one side were to attack, the other would automatically gain the upper hand, creating an uneasy stalemate. Ultimately, it was all a matter of stamina: the first to gain enough to push on through pain and injury might well end up the victor.

Arms still tingling, Dallion slowly moved forward. Shortly after, Euryale did the same.

“I didn’t think an empath would fight that way,” the guardian said, keeping his ground. “Threatening the people under my protection is a low move.”

“Would I be still standing if I wasn’t?” Dallion hated himself for saying that. Even if he was careful not to touch the temple with his attacks, he was fully aware that he was counting on the threat to keep the guardian on guard.

To his surprise, the guardian started laughing.

“Everyone keeps saying how difficult it is to become a noble. In a way, it has to be. Only one in a thousand manage to get there, maybe even less now depending on the changes in the real world. At the same time, it’s painfully easy. You probably think that not everyone gets that way, that you’ll be different. Let me tell you now—you won’t be.”

“And you’re so sure?”

“That’s how things are. I don’t have to have seen every rock in existence to know that it would fall to the ground if dropped. Becoming a noble is becoming like a noble. If you ever pass through the gate, you’ll see for yourself.” The guardian took a step forward, still leaning on his halberd. His legs were trembling as he did. “The two of you are lucky, especially you, boy. Otherworlder humans have fewer limitations than anyone else in this world. Even magic creatures don’t come close. You have every chance of becoming a noble. Maybe that’s also your misfortune. If you do, you won’t have any excuse for what you’re about to become.”

Dallion kept on walking. The numbness in his arms had given way to the sensation of pins and needles. Just a bit longer and he’d be able to move them freely, maybe muster a final line attack.

“You say that, but you don’t seem like a monster yourself,” Dallion kept on talking, using his music skill to add doubt in his words. The chances of the guardian being affected were slim to none. However, in a situation such as this, every little bit helped.

“I’m the last surviving jailor in a realm that’s slowly killing all of its inhabitants,” the dryad replied. “We were aware that our actions might have unforeseen consequences, so we preferred it to the certainty of crackling decay. We were right, but others paid the price.”

“Are you sure you want to keep this up? We could end in a draw?”

“There can be no draw. For each of us to achieve our goals, you must win, but only after I’ve done everything to stop you. Those are the rules.”

“Rules can be bent.”

“Funny.” The guardian smirked. “That’s the same thing the Star said. Everyone has to follow the Moon’s rules, but they can be twisted. That was the reason we chose to accept his help, even after knowing the fate of all those before us. Or did you think that we trusted him?”

Dallion didn’t reply.

“You actually do, don’t you? That’s one of the fallacies of humans. Your kind is simultaneously ready to betray anyone, yet you trust them as well. You look at beauty and mistake it for naivete. No one tricked us into accepting the Star’s offer. There was no sudden betrayal or blackmail. A decision was made, one believed to be better than the alternative.”

“Clearly, it was the wrong one.” Dallion raised his harpsisword. The weapon felt heavy, but usable. So was the thread splitter.

“So, this is it?” the guardian asked. “One final attack?” He glanced at Eury over his shoulder. The gorgon had stopped twenty feet from him, waiting for Dallion to approach on the other side. “Chances are you’ll win. The two of you are good and have exceptional gear, but you aren’t nobles. The difference is just too large.”

“If it was that large, we would have already lost. A large part of your attention is on the dryads you’re protecting. As long as you’re distracted, we’ll win.”

“Will you? Your dragon is out of the fight. The shardfly knows better not to interfere, and the two of you are too weak to do another line attack. If by some miracle you manage to pull one off and not faint in the process, I’ll just have another echo sacrifice itself for me.”

“All for the greater good?” Dallion let out a sad sigh.

“All for the greater good.” The dryad nodded. “We both have reasons to keep on fighting, even if you think I’m going against my best interests.”

“I’m not. I’m just sad that I have to win in such a way.”

Taking a deep breath, Dallion then began to sing.