Vol. 2 Chapter 97: The Bulwarks

The attack team has a clear mission: to push forward as far as possible. 

Luysia Camclair is the cornerstone of this strategy. 

The blonde is the strongest woman in Strauss Wagner's harem, equipped with multiple abilities that make her an unstoppable Tank, and the group she leads includes Kanna Merfal, an expert healer with dungeon experience, and a wizard like Welze Juble. 

Moreover, at this moment, they are accompanied by the wildcard Xiaikai Frolich. The class S summoner. 

In this group, there is all of Strauss's firepower.

They ascend the stone staircase leading to the top, intending to break through the enemy's defenses and seize as many gems as possible.

After a short time, they reach one of the eight smaller temples surrounding the grand Temple of the Grand Mother of Spiders.

Inside this small rock temple with spider statues carved from the rock, an enemy Servant is waiting for them.

The group halts a few meters away from this threat blocking their path.

The mysterious foe is not very tall, at most 140 cm, but he is robust and muscular, with a long and thick steel-gray beard, woven with gold and silver threads. He wears heavy armor, majestically decorated with sacred symbols and runes. 

The Silverdark armor is embellished with small purple jewels, a tribute to his dark elf queen. 

Around his neck, an unmistakable bordeaux gem identifies him as a participant of Azherie's team. 

He wears a heavy helmet, with a pompous brush decoration, but it does not hide his face. 

The blue eyes of the dwarf scrutinize the group, inscrutable and cold.

"Your journey ends here," declares the Servant firmly. "In the name of Queen Azherie Loree'Nahil, I will not allow you to pass, humans!"

"A dwarf!" exclaims Kanna, immediately recognizing the race of their opponent. 

Welze, despite the situation they find themselves in, cannot help but marvel at having encountered a creature she had only read about in books. "He's just like described in the books!"

"Stay focused. This isn't a book. This is reality, and this opponent is not to be underestimated," Xiaikai reminds her.

Luysia draws her new Silverdark halberd and points the blade at the enemy. 

Her gaze is icy and determined. She will not be intimidated. 

"Your name?" she asks in a show of chivalrous respect.

"Eykad Kzordodror, blacksmith, cleric, and former paladin of Izhad Ingul, now a humble servant of Azharie Loree'Nahil, the absolute Queen of the Underealm, Mother of the Spiders, and ruler over the dark elves," introduces the dwarf, slamming his gigantic war hammer, taller than him, onto the ground.

"Oathbreaker!" exclaims Luysia, recognizing someone similar to her. 

Like the blonde, the dwarf too is a fallen paladin who has renounced his god to whom he had sworn fidelity. 

Izhad Ingul is one of the Righteous Gods, the god of strength and self-reliance, 'the one who does not listen'.

"I would break my oath a thousand times over if it were to follow my Queen. I have stated my name, human. What would be yours?" Eykad confirms resolutely.

"Luysia Camclair, perjury of Chand," the woman responds.

The dwarf and the blonde exchange a glance, laden with mutual understanding. 

They have experienced a similar journey.

Perhaps for this reason, Eykad does not attack but instead demands a surrender from the group that has invaded his temple. 

"Surrender your gems, and you shall live without suffering until the end of the game. This is the generous offer I make in the name of the queen."

Luysia tightens her grip on her halberd. 

She knows the dwarf before her is a formidable opponent, but she has no intention of yielding. 

With a quick nod to her companions, she prepares to face the battle that awaits them.

A silence filled with tension envelops those present.

Luysia, with her halberd raised, studies the dwarf before her. 

Eykad Kzordodror, with his war hammer, appears as an immovable bulwark, a wall of strength and devotion to his queen. 

Kanna stays a step behind, ready to intervene with her cleric abilities. 

Welze's eyes shimmer with magical light, her hands already wrapped in an enchanted aura, ready to unleash her destructive spells. 

Xiaikai, enigmatic and confident, observes the scene, assessing the right moment to unleash her powerful arsenal of summons.

"This cannot be," Luysia declares with icy blue eyes, her voice echoing off the temple walls. "We will fight to the last." 

Eykad smiles, then releases a deep laugh that seems to shake the air around him. 

"Then, let the battle begin," he announces, lifting his hammer. 

Luysia moves first, her halberd slicing through the air with deadly force. 

The dwarf, despite his heavy armor, moves with surprising agility, blocking the blow with his hammer. 

The sound of metal clashing against metal reverberates through the temple.

[RAY OF FIRE]

Welze quickly enchants, drawing complex symbols in the air with her staff, and launches a fire spell towards the dwarf.

[SANCTUARY OF WILL]

Eykad, with a swift movement, lifts his hammer, and a protective field surrounds him, deflecting the attack. 

Luysia persists in her attack, trying to break through Eykad's protective field, but the blade of her weapon bounces off it without causing any damage.

"Luysia, it's a spell that creates an impenetrable field! No physical or magical attack can penetrate it," Kanna informs her, recognizing the spell used by the clerics.

Luysia clicks her tongue. "How do I breach his defense?"

"The protective spell lasts only a few seconds, and the user must remain stationary. You need to find the right moment to attack," the professor explains.

"Is this all you humans have?" Eykad bellows, his voice echoing in the temple, the sound of his words reverberating off the stone walls. 

"You will not invalidate the divinity of the queen with your weak attempts!"

The barrier surrounding the dwarf dissolves. 

Luysia, increasingly frustrated, decides to use her strength as a battering ram. 

She charges at Eykad, her Silverdark halberd firmly held in both hands, aiming to deliver a powerful blow. 

However, Eykad seems unfazed by her advance. 

With a swift movement, he lifts his hammer and then slams it violently to the ground.

[EARTHQUAKE]

The ground beneath Luysia and her group begins to tremble violently. 

A huge chunk of earth and stone breaks off from the floor and hits her with immense force. 

"URGH!" she exclaims in pain from the blow.

Losing her balance and falling to the ground, Luysia manages to block a second boulder that detaches from the floor, but a third one quickly follows.

"No," she groans, trying to get back up. 

The ground continues its relentless assault, knocking her down again and again. 

The entire group is shaken to the ground by the earthquake triggered by the dwarf's spell.

"Luysia! Are you okay?" Kanna asks, ready to cast a healing spell.

The blonde gets up stoically. 

The earth has stopped shaking. She signals with her hand for the professor to stop. 

"Save the MP, Kanna. I'm fine." 

The former paladin spits blood onto the ground while Eykad watches her challengingly.

"Time to get serious."

*****

EYKAD PICTURE

Eykad Kzordodror blacksmith, cleric, and oathbreaker of Izhad Ingul, Servant of Azharie Loree'Nahil