Final Fight

Even while saying that she wasn't actually in First Chain City to work, Kyrie had deployed trap seals all around the city. They were the knight specialty and Lionheart knew it very well, after all dealing with her mentor meddlesome seals was an integral part of his knight training.

So, when she said that though those seals, she saw two people getting near the chains, he knew that she couldn't be wrong.

Not just that, the description she gave was too spot on with the enemies he half-expected, but didn't want to see. So while they ran towards the intruders, the young Saint Knight couldn't think of anything else aside wishing that the girl wasn't Kaede.

But who else would go around dressed like that? Maybe some other maid survived the mansion?

Ironically, the place Kyrie brought him to, was exactly the same in which he danced with Kaede fuori days prior. And there she was, completely drenched for some reason, but it was impossible not to recognize the girl. Her shocked reaction in seeing him was a superfluous confirmation of what he already knew. The girl was one the intruders…and the other was the man with the black helmet that defeated him in the mansion. A Fateless. [TRAVELER]

"Kaede…" her name escaped his lips.

She also muttered something, or at least he could see her lips moving.

"You know her, pretty boy?" asked Kyrie.

"She's one of [MYTHO]'s victim."

"Don't you say. She seems fairly healthy given what happened in that mansion. No injuries, no sign of the illness which is falling over everyone that was hiding in the other rooms of the mansion…and then, his suitor there. He's a Fateless."

"I…know. He's the one who froze me."

"Thought so. That girl's has an interesting company."

"He…must've kidnapped her."

"You sure? Because looking at them , it seems he's protecting her."

"Let's beat him, we can talk to her afterwards."

"You should see your expression right now, pretty boy. That dark look suits you."

Kyrie had a gleeful smile. She was enjoying every second.

*

Lionheart and the strange woman are talking but keeping their voices down, so I can't understand what they're saying. But it can't be good for us. She's pratically beaming with happiness, but him…it's true that I haven't known him for long, but that expression he's showing…it's unnatural...like if his face wasn't made to wear such an expression.

His eyes were looking down, his hair covering part of his face and his lips were tightened into a suffering grin.

"Kaede, I said run."

"I…ok."

I stand up and start to run. Actually, there wasn't really a place to run to. After all, I didn't know the city that well, so my objective was simply to distance myself from those three and give them space to battle. After all, the sewers showed me that I cannot allow myself to panic…so I need to run.

And have faith.

Gabbro will win.

And we'll break the chain.

*

"Oh, girls running away. Do we split?" said Kyrie.

"No, divide et impera. They did the divide part for us; we just have to beat this guy…and both of us are probably needed."

"Can't shake the feeling you're hiding something pretty boy. But I like it this way, you not being in control is refreshing."

Lionheart took a step ahead, thirty meters between him and the Fateless.

I already tried the formula, it didn't work then, it wouldn't work now. I have to come up with a different approach.

[Traveler] stood there, not making any move and not showing any intention in taking the initiative, so the only move at the Saint Knight's disposal was to take the fight offensively. He muttered "Cover me, Kyrie." To her companion and dashed towards the enemy.

Twenty meters…

Still no movements on the enemy side.

Fifteen meters…

No movements from the enemy.

Ten meters…

Nine…

Eight…

Seven…

Lionheart was almost in range to attack with the sword he carried sheathed on his side. His right hand already was ready to unsheathe the weapon.

In one movement, I have to do three things. Understand the endpoint of his helmet around the neck, Infuse the sword with sacred mana and trace an arc that can cut of his head.

It would be a short fight, more akin to a duel than a brawl.

Five…

With eyes wide open he searched for the best point of impact. It was tantamount that [TRAVELER] head was severed in one fell swoop. That was the only way he could be sure to kill him. The Fateless helmet was big and perfectly round, making it difficult to pinpoint its joints.

But Lionheart focused as best he could, his instincts told him exactly where to look and he found it, a trajectory that would have evaded the helmet and impacted only the fabric of the suit on the neck.

Four…

Holy energy flowed through his body, he could feel it from the heart using the veins alongside blood to reach his right hand and arrive to the sword by his fingertips. The blade started glowing in a white light.

Three…

He was now barely in range, normally, he would have already attacked.

No, the helmet could protect him from here. And I have no idea how durable that is, if I want to be sure about ending this fight right away…

He took another step and breathed in.

This is it!

Two…

He planted his right feet on the ground, unsheathed the sword, brought strength to all the muscles in his right arm and swung. Air trembled as the blade seemed to surpass the barrier of sound, a blast raised a huge dust cloud all around the two fighters.

But the attack was met by the sound of the metal clashing with something.
Among the dust cloud, Lionheart could barely see what happened.

A ice block materialized out of thin air and enveloped his weapon.

Shit! Did he materialize it as a barrier? How tough can that be!?

Before he had time to think about anything else to try, Lionheart fel a cold air from below, the walkway under [TRAVELER]'s feet was being frozen.

Was he expecting my attack to trap me again!?

He instinctively tried to take back his sword, but it was stuck bad, ice had already started to envelop his advanced foot.

I have to abandon my weapon…

Then, a blast shook the air, the ice block around the sword exploded. Lionheart directed the sacred mana to his legs and used its power to jump away, breaking the Fateless trap in the process. He landed right on his comrade side, which said to him with an air of satisfaction.

"Good try, if being defeated in seconds was you gameplan, that went perfectly."

"Fuck you."

"What bad language pretty boy, I just saved you!"

It's true, it's thanks to her shooting that I managed to retrieve the blade. Without it I would be either disarmed, frozen or both.

"You did waste the chance though…" continued Kyrie

"What chance?"

"After his little ice trick exploded, he was taken aback for a moment. You could have strike."

"And how was I supposed to understand that?"

"Always observe your enemy. It's easy to do so while you're not in deep shit, but the trick is to keep calm even on the hardest of times."

"Tch, no time for a lesson now."

"There's always time to learn."

"We need to win…fast. The longer this go on, the harder it will be to win."

"You say?"

"His ice powers are absurd…if he manages to lower the temperature enough to envelop the entire city…then we're dead…"

"Oh, pretty boy. You still have a long way to go."

"What?"

"What do you say we try my method now? We tried yours, it failed, so It's my turn."

"And what would that be?"

"Well, let's say we…."

*

"That was a gunshot."

Traveler was standing in the exact same place since the beginning of the fight, but his stance on the fighting was completely different. He could only hope his enemies hadn't caught up to that.

"This is troublesome…I hate being always right."

The soldier stationed at First Chain City were always few, the security around there was basically a waste of resources. But after an incident like the mansion one, it was obvious that the emperor would've strengthened defenses around what's basically one of the main symbols of hope for the empire.

One of the strongest Saint Knights was already around, and Gabbro had already managed to freeze him once, which would mean that achieving the same result again was bound to be harder. That alone already was enough to give him bad feeling about fighting to get to the Chain.

But obviously, if any support were to arrive, it was bound to either be very numerous…or incredibly strong. When he saw few people around, he thought that the second option was probably what had befallen them and now he had the confirmation.

"There's few people that can handle this world's magic as well as to emulate gunshots. And those that are able to achieve a piercing strength capable of piercing through eternal ice. My trap is bound to fail. But now what?"

Gabbro had a lot of experience as an explorer. He faced dangers, he discovered unthinkable things and even saw the end of the universe with his own eyes. But he had a lot of limits, one being that he was not a warrior and that had become a major issue all of a sudden.

"If I can't win being on the defensive…what?"

In the spare encounters he had with other magic enemies since his awakening as a Fateless, he was never on the offensive. His tactic was simple, waiting for someone to attack and then freeze them with the overwhelming power of the heat death.

"The only other way would be to bring heat death on the biggest scale I'm able too…but by doing that I'm not sure that everyone's lives will be spared…worst case everyone would die and that would be the same as letting Kaede's explode…"

He couldn't help but keep muttering his thoughts. But time wasn't on his side, Lionheart was already on the offensive, again.

"Maybe he didn't understand."

Twenty meters separated them

"He seems to be charging like before…"

Then fifteen.

"Maybe I can freeze him…but then I would have to think about what to do for the other one."

Ten meters…

[TRAVELER] focused, below him the temperature dropped all of a sudden.

"I will go a little harder on him. He can take it."

Nine…

Eight…

Ok, let's do as always

Seven…

Six…

Five…

Let's brute force it!

Air began freezing. It was like a wave creating ice in front of the Fateless.

"Distance doesn't matter anymore."

He couldn't see the Saint Knight, the eternal ice he created being too thick to be seen through. But he was sure of one thing, he hadn't evaded. Both on the right and the left, no one dashed away.

"Got y…"

Gabbro felt a chill

Something dangerous was approaching.

A blast.

The air recoiled under that sound, the wave disintegrated as a light bullet passed through it, Gabbro instincts told his to duck, he tried but the magic attack hit him. Part of the helmet disintegrated, shards of glass piercing his forehead, blood gushing down.

He fell on his back.

His eyes pointed towards the sky.

Lionheart appeared blocking it out, pointing a sword towards the Fateless throat.

"Do you have any last words?" said the Saint Knight.

"No words, but a wish."

"A wish?"

"Can you please move a little? I want to see the sky."

"Huh?"

Gray clouds covered everything the eye could see. Even then, Gabbro smiled and said "It's such a waste to die and not enjoy such a beautiful view."