Fortress (IV)

『Byzan Fortress, First Floor.』

The dimly lit corridors of the first floor were silent except for the sound of Lamperogue drawing his two shortswords.

"I've got this," he muttered to Archibald, channeling [Lightning Magic] through his weapons.

With a practiced motion, he slashed them in the air, sending waves of lightning towards Xiro.

But Xiro was ready.

He deflected each wave with ease, barely moving his hand.

Archibald couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What kind of move was that?" he exclaimed.

"That was the [Sky Lord Arts]," Xiro replied calmly.

"The [Guiding Hands of the Untouched]. It accelerates hand movements so quickly that one can defend against ranged attacks." (Archibald)

"Wow, sharp boy.." (Xiro)

Without another word, Archibald stepped forward, deftly wielding his longsword.

"(Since he thinks I can use only [Sword Saint Arts], I'll focus on using only that for now. And besides, I don't think my skill chart in the [Thunder God Arts] will do much against him. His defence, it's even better than Roloʼs)" (Archibald)

He assumed the [Sword Saint] stance and charged at Xiro with incredible speed.

It almost looked like he was using the 『Thunder God Arts' • Burst of Sound』.

But no, this was his raw speed.

Xiro was caught off guard as Archibald performed six high-speed consecutive thrusts.

But Xiro's defense was impenetrable.

"Guiding Hands of the Untouched," he muttered, blocking each thrust with ease.

Not done yet, Archibald followed up with a downward and upward slash.

But again, Xiro blocked both with his sword.

With one swift motion, he swung his blade and almost sent Archibald flying across the corridor.

Archibald managed to roll on the ground and get back up on one knee, thanking the basic defense skills of the [Sword Saint Arts] that he learned back in his village.

"He's too strong," Lamperogue said, eyeing Xiro warily.

Xiro smiled, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"You have no idea," he said, assuming a battle-ready stance once more.

Archibald and Lamperogue slowly walked towards the left and right flanks of Xiro, spacing out progressively.

Xiro sighed, knowing they couldn't defeat him.

"If you boys don't show me your worth, I'll be forced to forgo my sword and use something more befitting your lowly standards." (Xiro)

"If we attack him, he'll attack back," Archibald said to Lamperogue.

"It's the only way he'd use the [Sky Lord Arts]." (Archibald)

Lamperogue nodded but wasted no time in charging at Xiro.

"I'll take you down!" he yelled as he leaped towards Xiro with his swords at the ready.

Xiro chuckled menacingly.

"I hope you didn't think I could only defend and launch counter-attacks, how narrow-minded of you both." (Xiro)

His sword <<Festid>> had a wind mana core built into it.

Lamperogue swung his swords with incredible speed, but Xiro blocked them with ease.

Then, Lamperogue abruptly stopped and swept Xiro off his feet.

Xiro hit the ground.

"It's over!" (Lamperogue)

About to land the finishing blow, Xiro shot his sword forward.

A surge of wind blew Lamperogue across the room and into a wall.

Archibald rushed over to his friend, shouting his name in concern.

Lamperogue coughed up blood as a result of the attack.

"Are you okay?" Archibald asked, helping Lamperogue up.

"I'll be fine," Lamperogue said, holding his ribs. "But we need a new plan."

"Are you finished playing around?" Xiro taunted, a smirk forming on his lips.

He was always like this.

"Come at me and give me a sliver of entertainment." (Xiro)

Without hesitation, Archibald launched himself at Xiro's left flank, his sword pulsating with energy.

At the same time, Lamperogue conjured an orb of lightning in his palm.

It molded into a spell called [Emission Sphere].

He shot the sphere and it broke into five smaller, faster spheres.

They accelerated like blue streams of light racing towards Xiro.

"Useless." (Xiro)

Xiro's sword, <<Festid>>, radiated a green light as he activated the wind mana core.

A gust of wind erupted from the sword, sending Archibald flying across the room.

The wind also decelerated the lightning spheres, allowing Xiro to destroy them with a simple flick of his sword.

Again, using the technique called [Guiding Hands of the Untouched].

Archibald coughed heavily as he collided with a podium in the large corridor.

Lamperogue quietly assessed the situation, taking in Xiro's skills.

"That's a shabby strategy," Xiro said, looking down at his defeated opponents.

"This guy.." (Archibald)

"But then again, it's expected of worthless trash like you." (Xiro)

Lamperogue remained calm.

"We were trying to increase the number of alternatives of what you should defend against, but I dare say your defence has no limits." (Lamperogue)

Xiro chuckled.

"Useless. You think a simple strategy like that would work on me? You really are naive." (Xiro)

Xiro believed the two were no match for him.

"Perhaps I overestimated your abilities, you both aren't worth the weapons you're wielding." (Xiro)

In that moment, the two boys shared a look, as if passing a secret message.

Suddenly, Lamperogue charged at Xiro again.

His movements were accelerated by the [Lightning Body] technique, boosting his speed and agility.

He crashed into Xiro with both blades, but Xiro held his ground, and in an instant, the two began clashing their swords so quickly that all that could be seen were sparks flying back and forth.

With each swing of the sword, Lamperogue's barrage of attacks increased, and so did Xiro's defensive speed.

"What the?!" (Xiro)

Xiro hadn't seen an opening to act, almost as though Lamperogue didn't want to give him any room to counter-attack.

But finally, Xiro managed to overpower Lamperogue and push him away with a powerful swing of his sword from below, disarming him as well.

In that same moment, amidst the chaos of the fight, Lamperogue placed his right hand forward and created an orb of lightning that exploded like a flash grenade, disorienting Xiroʼs sense of sight.

"I can't see! How dare you!" (Xiro)

Xiro began shouting.

However, Lamperogue didn't complain because it was part of the plan.

With everything in perfect setting, Archibald now had the perfect opening for an attack.

He assumed the [Thunder God] stance.

He was using the weapon — Black Night — in place of his go-to sword.

An intense energy surged through his body, illuminating the room with an electric purple glow.

Lamperogue, however, crashed to the ground, coughing heavily

With tension thick in the air, Archibald charged towards Xiro, his sword pulsating with energy.

Archibald charged at Xiro, the distance between them closing in a fraction of a second.

"You should have never challenged us," he said, his voice filled with determination.

Xiro tried to react, but it was too late.

The purple streak of lightning left in Archibald's wake was the only warning he had before the elemental sword skill 『Thunder God Style • Purple Flash』 came crashing down on him.

The sound was thunderous, the entire room shook as Archibald's blade collided with Xiro's.

The shockwave that emanated from the attack tore the room to shreds.

Even Lamperogue was blown into a corner.

"Nghk!" he exclaimed, pain in his voice.

Xiro was blinded, disoriented by the force of the blow.

"Where are you?" he shouted, trying to locate his opponent.

But Archibald was too fast, too skilled.

His sword sliced through Xiro's blade with ease, reducing it to fragments.

Then, with a powerful swing, he cut through Xiro's armor, leaving a deep cut wound on his chest.

Xiro fell to the ground defeated, blood pouring out of his chest and mouth.

"You may have won me, but it's not over," he gasped out, "you'll never get what you want."

Archibald was panting heavily, his energy spent but he was still in good condition.

"Don't underestimate the power of lightning," he replied, his voice filled with pride for his elemental sword skill.