Strength Vs. Speed.

The man wept and felt joyful at the same time, he gazed at the imposing figure of the white-haired Prince, who was guided by a radiant ball.

The ball floated in the air while the Prince held a heavy greatsword with his two hands.

Veritas felt deep terror inside of him, it was as if his Soul was crumbling by the mere sight of the man. 

The man in front of him, though, felt ghostly.. As if he were a mirage that touched the physical world.

"A pity."

"Truly blissful.."

Once he opened his mouth, two words came out and whispered in the surroundings.

The ghostly man then felt incorporeal in Veritas' vision. He did not have an answer to his question so Veritas asked once more..

"Who the hell are you!?"

He was met with the same response of weeping and smiling.

As the moments passed, the wind in the surroundings gradually returned..

Veritas could feel the cold breeze envelop his body once more.

And with the wind's return, it swayed the man's body with it. 

His entire being felt as light as a feather, scattering like soft cotton on a windy day. 

Veritas wasted no time and rushed towards the man, however.. upon reaching near him, his legs couldn't seem to move.

That is until the man completely vanished in sight. Veritas suddenly found himself in front of where the man once stood. 

He felt that something in the past second was deleted. The moment where he tried to run towards the man was suddenly skipped.

Or was it removed from his memories?

'What happened?'

Either way, a bigger threat seemed to replace the mysterious figure of the man. 

Veritas felt the winds shift behind his back and he immediately tensed up in response.

The metal ball couldn't illuminate that far in distance, so the darkness still prevailed in the far stretches of the forest.

And amidst the darkness, Veritas saw a distinct figure moving slowly towards him.

A stone carapace, taciturn body, formidable stature and... a gray dull blade.

He knew this figure all too well, he spent the past 3 months battling it after all!

"So it's you, bastard.."

The Gargoyle Knight walked with a formidable aura that made the atmosphere around it silent and still. With each step, the earth seemed to crumble.

The imposing dull blade reflected very well on Veritas' eyes. It was the blade that he used the most when battling the abomination. But now.. the stony bastard was using it.

It looked small when compared to the Knight's previous heavy greatsword. But that in itself had its own benefits. 

Its strength and heavy blows was traded for an incomparable speed. Veritas deemed that the Gargoyle Knight was now faster if not.. considerably so.

Their two main aspects were now traded with each other.

Veritas now had the means to break through the abomination's defenses.

And the Gargoyle Knight could now keep up with Veritas speed.

However, the long grueling training that Veritas did for the past month wasn't for naught.

His body was now more adjusted to the heavy greatsword. Although he hasn't put it into practice yet, Veritas was confident in his own skill.

"Let's end this.."

He pointed the heavy greatsword in the ground and awaited the Gargoyle Knight's movement.

They walked in circles for a little while, anticipating the first attack of the other.

The first to strike was the Gargoyle Knight, who rushed towards Veritas with great speeds. 

It struck down quickly, not giving Veritas any opportunity to strike back. However, he easily deflected it with the heavy greatsword of his. 

He tried counter-attacking but the Gargoyle Knight was already behind him!

Veritas ducked, and swung the greatsword towards the Knight's legs!

It effortlessly dodged with a light leap.

'So annoying!'

Veritas wasn't even given an opportunity to strike back! The Gargoyle Knight kept dodging every attack of his, even those that are carefully set up.

However, all he needed was to hit a single one in order to connect a full-blown barrage.

In this situation though, it was unlikely for him to hit the abomination due to its speed.

Veritas dodged the quick strikes of the Gargoyle Knight. When everything seemed at a pinch, he blocked with the heavy mass of his greatsword.

From now and then he accumulated damage from the hasty strikes. But Veritas, grabbed a vial of common-leveled potions and splashed it on his wounds.

He could only do this when there was a small opening though. Thus his wounds accumulated with each passing second.

His white tunic was tattered and bloodied, filled with various cuts.

The Gargoyle Knight's speed overwhelmed him greatly. 

Until, Veritas finally connected his parry to counter-attack!

For what seemed to be a devastating blow to his ankles, Veritas deflected the attack and he moved like a formless air. 

He was still quick in his steps but he was not as quick as before, giving the Gargoyle Knight the chance to dodge. 

That.. it did. However, Veritas saw through this and formed an advanced crescent slash to the Gargoyle Knight's leap.

It was hit directly, causing it to stagger in its steps.

It was perplexing for a second. Veritas used this opportunity to bathe himself in a vial of common-leveled potion.

Then, he connected that attack with another heavy blow.

This time.. The Gargoyle Knight parried it to the side, immediately sending a swift sideward slash towards Veritas.

"Grngh!"

Veritas writhed in pain as a gaping wound suddenly formed in his ribcage area.

'Shit!'

He immediately tried to bring out a mid-leveled potion but was interrupted instantly by the Gargoyle Knight!

The vial in his hands shattered due to its swift blade.

Veritas leaped back and defended his stance, losing blood by the second.

In a fit of panic, Veritas outraged in front of him. He formed an arc with the taciturn greatsword in which the Gargoyle Knight dodged easily. 

But hurting the Gargoyle Knight was not Veritas' purpose, he stepped back and brought out another mid-leveled potion to splash in his wounds.

It cauterized his injury and Veritas felt whole once more..

He breathed heavily before rushing back towards the Gargoyle Knight. He sent blows after blows and did not let the abomination counter-attack.

It was overwhelming. The Gargoyle Knight was immediately pressured by Veritas' heavy strikes.

But alas, it found a way out. Lightly deflecting the blade and spinning back in unison, the Gargoyle Knight used its agility to strike back at Veritas.

Veritas leaped back to dodge the impending blow.

He covered quite a significant distance before facing off with the Gargoyle Knight once more..

They were walking in circles once again.. awaiting the foe's strike.

The radiant ball illuminated the surroundings brightly. 

"Speedy bastard!" Veritas yelled.

To which the Gargoyle Knight replied with a shift in his body.

He stopped in his tracks and pointed his sword straight at Veritas.

In a second, the Gargoyle Knight vanished in thin air, showing up in front of Veritas once more.

'So- persistent!'

Veritas tried to dodge but the Gargoyle Knight wasn't aiming for him at all!

It was aiming for his source of light! The radiant ball!

Veritas realized too late..

'Shit!'

A swift strike impacted the radiant ball, causing it to flicker its illuminance.

For every 2.5 seconds, the radiant ball flickered. There was a slight radiance every now and then, which completely disoriented Veritas' vision.

As the lights shut off, the Gargoyle Knight used its mobility to instantly attack!

Veritas felt a shift in the winds right in front of him, blocking immediately with the taciturn greatsword.

However! When the lights finally glowed back, the Gargoyle Knight was nowhere to be seen!

'Behind-'

Too late.. Veritas was stabbed in his lower back..

'F-fuck.'

He spat out blood and felt a warm feeling enveloping him.

He got out of there fast, and leaped in the opposite direction of the Gargoyle Knight.

He tried to use another potion but was interrupted once more. He had already reached for it, so Veritas decided to throw it high up in the air.

Immediately, he deflected a few quick strikes and was being pushed back.

The lights flickered once more and the imposing figure of the Gargoyle Knight vanished again.

However.. Veritas was prepared!

He breathed deeply and formed a crescent slash with a spin, attacking everything around him!

It seemed to work against the Gargoyle Knight, who stopped in its tracks to dodge..

Veritas felt weakened due to the blood loss, but adrenaline kept his body functioning.

The battle continued for a few seconds, when Veritas almost fell down to his knees.

The Gargoyle Knight was truly formidable!

However, Veritas' efforts bore fruit. He felt a shift in the air atop of him a couple of meters away in front. 

He stroked heavily towards the Gargoyle Knight as it immediately side-stepped in reaction.

Immediately! Veritas rushed towards the location he determined and leaped high!

He sent an upward slash in the air.

If he had timed it wrong, then Veritas would've looked crazy. But! He perfectly struck the potion that he threw earlier!

It was a high-leveled potion too!

Shattering the vial of red liquid, Veritas showered in the droplets of the potion. Focusing most of the liquids behind his back.

This was all he needed to rejuvenate back into full health!

The light flickered and Veritas landed back in the ground.

The bloodied tunic of his looked menacing in the flickering landscape of a forlorn forest. He stared at the Gargoyle Knight with resolute, challenging the foe for another bout of clashing swords.

His eyes brightly shone deep gold, and his gaze was filled with malice.

"Come at me you stone prick!"

The lights flickered and the two clashed their blades once more. 

In the darkness amidst the forest, a flashing light lingered every now and then, showcasing the 2 figures of a stone Knight and a white-haired Prince.

The two figures battled in the long silent night.