Chapter 84: The Price of Speed

Not attacking? Then stay put!

Attestor stomped down, causing the ground beneath her feet to crack and splinter. Her body shot forward like a cannonball, hurtling towards the three Black-robed Knights before her.

However, just as Attestor was about to collide with the Black-robed Knights, a flicker of firelight erupted from beneath the ground directly in front of them.

“Boom!”

A massive pillar of fire erupted, soaring towards the sky. Attestor was completely engulfed by the raging inferno.

“Hehehe, what a brainless fool,” the Black-robed Mage chuckled. “Truly simple-minded and all brawn.”

The Black-robed Mage gazed with a sneer at the towering column of fire. They had meticulously investigated Attestor beforehand. Her ability to resist magical attacks stemmed not solely from her impressive physical constitution, but also from the magic-resistant enchantment woven into her Holy Shield.

Consequently, he had pre-emptively set a Fireburst spell beneath the ground. The moment Attestor drew near, he could instantly activate the magic. Without the protection of her shield, what threat could Attestor possibly pose?

As the fiery glow dispersed, Attestor’s form slowly materialized. She was kneeling on one knee, gasping for air, her silver armor marred by patches of black char.

“Oh? Not significantly harmed, I see? It appears your inherent magic resistance is quite formidable,” the Black-robed Mage mused. “You, go engage her.”

Observing that Lucia was already fully engaged and believing no further threats loomed, the Black-robed Mage instructed the Tier 4 Black-robed Knight to advance and attack Attestor.

Attestor leaned on her greatsword, utterly silent. Her gaze briefly flickered to the Ring of Barriers adorning her finger, before she slowly pushed herself upright.

Her relative lack of injury was entirely thanks to the Divine Barrier generated by this ring. Though a Tier 3 Divine Barrier instantly shattered against a Tier 4 Fireburst spell, the barrier still managed to absorb a significant portion of the damage.

The four Black-robed Knights had already spread out, effectively encircling Attestor.

Attestor’s gaze swept over the four figures surrounding her. It then sharpened, fixing intently on the Tier 4 Black-robed Knight.

Through her brief observation, she discerned a crucial detail about these Black-robed Knights. They were clad in light armor, which offered slightly less defense, and wielded more agile, lighter one-handed swords. Clearly, they were knights who prioritized speed, valuing agility over brute force.

In fact, with the sole exception of the Black-robed Mage, this entire contingent of Black-robed figures consisted almost entirely of speed-focused combatants. This suggested they were a specially trained assassin squad, their speed specifically honed for swift target elimination.

Attestor concluded that she could leverage her Ring of Barriers to, to some extent, withstand the attacks of the other Black-robed Knights. Then, when the Tier 4 Black-robed Knight attacked, she would unleash her full power to eliminate them.

As Attestor deliberated, the four Black-robed Knights had already surged forward, closing in on her. The first to engage was a Tier 3 Black-robed Knight.

Unlike the previous assailant, he did not unleash a full-power swing. Instead, he held back a significant portion of his strength. The moment he saw Attestor raise her sword, he would immediately recoil and alter the direction of his attack.

He had no intention of being cleaved in two, sword and all, like the one before him.

Yet, to his astonishment, Attestor did not swing her greatsword. She didn’t even raise her Holy Shield to parry.

‘What is the meaning of this? Is she looking down on me?’

The Black-robed Knight’s fury flared. He amplified the power behind his sword swing and brought it crashing down upon Attestor’s shoulder.

“Clang!”

A faint, white glow emanated from Attestor, forming a thin, circular barrier over her body. The barrier shimmered for a moment, then shattered under the impact. The knight’s blade scraped against her shoulder guard, sending sparks flying.

Simultaneously, Attestor drove her heavy sword hilt into the Black-robed Knight’s abdomen. The knight’s eyes rolled back. He collapsed to the ground, instantly unconscious.

This marked the second barrier activated today. Without hesitation, she triggered the third. While she knew this would render the Ring of Barriers utterly useless, she believed such artifacts were precisely meant for moments like these. If not now, then when?

The second assailant’s blade merely grazed Attestor, failing to fully break through the recently activated barrier. In turn, he narrowly managed to dodge Attestor’s elbow strike.

She then raised her Holy Shield before her, deflecting the third assailant’s attack and repelling them a good distance. Only then did the barrier completely shatter, and the Ring of Barriers finally dimmed to utter darkness.

The Tier 4 Black-robed Knight’s blade descended towards Attestor. Its speed alone was considerably greater. Though she hadn’t yet felt its full power, she knew it would far surpass the attacks of the preceding Black-robed Knights. Attestor tightened her grip on her greatsword, unleashing a powerful swing to meet the Tier 4 Black-robed Knight head-on.

“Boom!”

An explosive sound reverberated once more. Attestor felt a sudden impact from her side, her body instinctively lurching forward. Her right hand lost its powerful grip, causing her to stumble, and her heavy, full-force strike fell uselessly into empty air.

“Thwack!”

The Tier 4 Black-robed Knight’s slash arrived before Attestor could fully regain her balance, striking her squarely across the back.

Attestor instantly coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. The Tier 4 Knight’s power was simply overwhelming; a single strike had shattered her armor’s defense. Without that protective gear, she might well have been dead already. A torrent of blood erupted from her back as she collapsed to the ground.

“Idiot,” the Black-robed Mage sneered, “did you truly believe I was doing nothing?”

The Black-robed Mage twirled his wand, faint wisps of smoke still curling from its tip. He had shrewdly timed his attack for the precise moment Attestor was fully committed to her own powerful strike. When one exerts maximum force, even perceiving an incoming blow makes defense incredibly difficult.

“Thor!”

Lucia watched Attestor get slammed to the ground, and her composure instantly fractured. As Lucia’s gaze darted towards Attestor, an Assassin suddenly burst through Imeline’s defensive ice aura.

Imeline had been relentlessly casting Ice Cones to repel the Assassins. She was unable to unleash a new offensive spell instantly. Confronted with the assassin’s sudden dagger thrust, she opted for Spatial Teleportation.

However, the moment Imeline materialized from the ground onto a nearby rooftop, a sensation of extreme danger emanated from directly behind her.

“How could this be!?”

It was the Tier 4 Assassin! They possessed extensive knowledge of Lucia and her companions. Knowing Imeline’s proficiency with Spatial Magic, they had deliberately positioned the Tier 4 Assassin to lie in wait. Their plan was to ambush Imeline the instant she used Spatial Magic to teleport away and inevitably let her guard down.

They were aware that Imeline likely couldn’t employ Spatial Magic consecutively, making this single strike a definitive killing blow.

“Die.”

“Clang!”

The Tier 4 Assassin’s dagger brutally tore through the Tier 3 Divine Barrier. Astonishingly, the dagger’s force remained undiminished, poised to plunge directly into Imeline’s heart.

“However…”

“You’re absolutely right. Die.”

Yet, the dagger could no longer advance even a single millimeter.