"Watch me!" Frus, fully clad in his black armor, roared and brought his massive axe crashing down toward the Crab's head.
The two Crabs blurred into motion, trailing heavy violet afterimages as they scuttled apart. They weren't meant to fight head-on, their real mission was to survive and provide their master with a wide, multi-angle view of the battlefield.
The great axe smashed into the earth with a deafening thud, leaving a jagged crack several meters long.
Sensing danger, two groups of Krugs burrowed underground in unison. Meanwhile, the Sentinel pressed forward without hesitation, their massive right fists turning to solid stone before hurling boulders forward.
Each rock bore glowing blue vortex patterns, spinning through the air with a sharp whoosh as they flew toward Foster and Frus.
Foster braced his black shield, deflecting two stones. Frus met the other two head-on, swinging his axe upward, the steel ringing as stone clashed against blade.
The heavy clang of metal striking metal echoed across the mountainside. Both men felt the weight of the blows and realized these summoned beasts were no ordinary creatures.
Before they could advance again, six Wolves burst forward, leaping over the Sentinel's heads with snapping jaws and bone-clawed paws aimed straight at their armor.
Three gunshots rang out, blending almost seamlessly with the twang of a bowstring. The wolves yelped as bullets and arrows struck home, several collapsing into black mist before they hit the ground.
"Nice shooting, Fei! Good work, Siaxes!" Frus bellowed in triumph.
Up on the fortress battlements, a man and a woman in black armor revealed themselves. One reloaded a musket with practiced ease, while the other calmly nocked another arrow, both already lining up their next shots.
The earlier bullets and arrows burst apart on impact, scattering with small explosions. Four of the lesser wolves dissolved instantly.
Yet two of the larger Wolves pushed through, ignoring their wounds. With snarling determination, they latched onto Foster and Frus, jaws clamping down on helmets, claws raking against shoulder plates.
The knights' visors snapped shut with a hiss, small glowing arrays sparking across their helms. The wolves' fangs scraped harmlessly against hardened enchantments, and their claws couldn't pierce the black armor.
Suddenly, blue runes pulsed on the knights' pauldrons. With a heavy hum, a pair of shockwaves blasted outward like invisible hammers, striking the wolves square in the chest.
The beasts were launched backward, colliding hard with the advancing Sentinels.
Foster and Frus pressed their advantage, stepping forward in unison, sword and axe cleaving down. The wolves flickered, their forms collapsing into mist as they vanished.
"They disappear again," Foster muttered, eyes narrowing. "This has to be Summoning Magic."
There was no time for further speculation. The Krugs erupted from underground, snapping at their ankles, while the Sentinels swung massive stone fists toward their chests.
The gunner and the archer raised their weapons to assist, but their focus was suddenly broken. A flock of red-feathered birds wheeled overhead, unleashing a barrage of razor-sharp darts like a storm of scarlet rain.
Recognizing the threat, the two immediately ducked behind the battlements, pressing their armored backs to the stone wall. They weren't about to test their armor against such unknown power.
The rain of darts tore into the stone fortifications, embedding themselves deep into the ground with sharp thunks. Each feather drove in several inches, shattering stone on impact.
Chunks of rock sprayed up, clattering against their armor.
"With that kind of force—"
"As long as they don't strike the same spot, we'll hold!"
Both knights turned sharply, aiming musket and bow through the narrow firing slits.
What they saw waiting for them froze their blood.
Two pale, spectral faces hovered silently in the gloom, phantoms with hollow eyes staring back.
"!!!"
"What in the world are those things?!"
They instinctively fired, one pulling the trigger, the other loosing an arrow. Two small Wraiths were struck, tumbling backward and vanishing in puffs of dark smoke. But two larger ones surged forward, latching onto their shoulders and flipping them onto their backs.
Sharp claws scraped harshly against their armor, producing a teeth-grinding screech but leaving only faint scratches. Defensive Magic arrays shimmered faintly across their helmets, and light pulsed from their gauntlets. With practiced coordination, one swung his musket and the other his bow, both striking the Wraiths hard across the waist.
The spectral bodies bent under the impact, sent flying until they smashed against the battlements.
Overhead, the Raptors wheeled and shrieked. Seeing their allies driven back, they launched another deadly volley of feather darts.
The two armored fighters rolled awkwardly along the stone, doing their best to prevent repeated hits to the same weak spots in their armor. The clang of impact echoed as feathers ricocheted around them. By the time they reached the base of the wall, another shot rang out, one raptor was blasted from the sky. An arrow followed, felling another.
At that moment, the rest of the Black Knights joined the fray. A spear-wielder, a hammer-bearer, and a saber-user burst out of the gates, while the last, a woman armed with a clarinet, took her position on the rooftop.
Sekende leveled his spear and clashed with a Two headed Murk Wolf. Selude swung his great hammer down, flattening another. Another member extended his saber to an impossible ten meters, cleaving through four smaller Wolves in a single sweeping arc.
Mira's eyes sparkled as she watched from afar. "That saber, Lily once wielded one that could extend too."
Rhodes chuckled. "Then I'll bring him a souvenir."
He remembered how Mira had thrashed Lily back in Edolas. Maybe a gift like that would even the score.
More importantly, the Knights' armor itself stood out. Each piece glowed with different enchantments, helmets, gauntlets, boots, even shoulder guards. Rhodes had already seen how Frus unleashed bursts of power with their combat boots, blowing apart the Krugs.
That armor essentially turned them into walking Magicians, each with a versatile arsenal. No wonder Wakaba had said he wouldn't bet on himself in a straight fight against them.
Then came the clarinet. A lilting, eerie tune rose into the air. Immediately, the circling Raptors slowed, their wings heavy as if weighed down. Even the lone surviving Wraith drifted sluggishly.
Gunfire and arrows struck home, finishing the weakened beasts one after another until the skies were clear.
Now all eight Knights were in formation. The rooftop trio turned their attention below, lending support to their companions. The five on the ground crushed through the last of the Krugs and surrounded the Sentinels, smashing four to rubble.
Frus growled, "Damn it, where are all these powerful Magic Beasts coming from? They even fight like a trained squad."
"It's clear there's a summoner behind this. If we find them and cut off the head, the rest will vanish."
"And what about those two giant crabs?"
The River Crabs, realizing the focus had shifted, scuttled hurriedly away, leaving only purple afterimages in the dust. A bullet and an arrow landed just behind them.
"Tch. Fast."
Fei, however, kept his musket lowered, his eyes on the hulking shapes climbing the mountain behind the Crabs. "Forget them. We've got bigger problems incoming."
Little Blue and Little Red, the Void Sentinel and Void Brambleback were advancing, each step shaking the slope.
"Stay sharp. Fei, locate the summoner. Cut them down, and this fight ends."
"Understood," Fei replied.
Siaxes raised her bow, drawing back a gleaming arrow aimed at Little Blue's chest. "Then let me test this one first."
The arrow whistled through the air, only for two globules of purple liquid to surge up behind Little Blue, arcing beautifully before splattering down toward the top.
...
Stones Plzzz
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