Choices and convictions

I went ahead, climbed to the second floor, and entered the next room, which was large and spacious. It was empty, but soon, with the sounds of footsteps, I saw several people approaching; they were armed with swords and bows.

They began to shout, and also to emanate their Numen, Vital Force abilities, and Creation with a yellow aura. Then some started to shoot Numen arrows from the Creation Ability.

"Air Ability! Evasive style! Turbulent Flow!!!"

The blows flew and dissipated, hitting the ground, walls, and ceiling, raising a cloud of dust and some debris.

"Right!" I said.

I decided to move, running further to the left, where the dust cloud was strongest. I needed 10 seconds to use this technique. I took the sword with both hands and raised it above my right shoulder. I started to concentrate my aura.

"These walls seem to be strong, so I can attack with full power."

"Air Ability! Area attack! Gale!!!"

I moved the sword forward, and a great gale went in the direction of everyone ahead, causing great damage, throwing everyone everywhere, breaking the walls, and throwing everything away.

I began to walk in the midst of debris and dust, past all the wounded enemies, who could hardly move, quite wounded.

"This technique was used with double strength thanks to the sword's effect. Although numerous, you are not very strong."

I started walking faster, then saw a ladder. I started climbing it. I can’t feel any stronger aura this second on this floor. Besides, they’re not here.

Then I reached the third floor.

It was well-lit. The area was quite spacious, filled with columns. I expanded my aura to look for some enemy. That’s when I felt an energy coming towards me. It was a yellow beam of light that, in an instant, passed through the hall towards me. I narrowly dodged to the right side.

The beam shot through the wall at the back and caused an explosion behind it. It was a reinforced blow. Combined, for sure, it was a dualism.

Then I saw her approaching...

"You don’t get tired of getting in the way, do you?" Annie said. "Your Mora trash!"

"Annie..." I said.

She was wearing golden armor of aura protecting her entire body, but it was strange; she had two types of metal pipes coming from her back, coated with aura and attached to her shoulders. Besides that, her feet had a shape that seemed to be an animal's. She was definitely taller. It was as if she was walking on two wooden feet, only instead of wood, they were metallic and coated by her aura, as if they were hooked up to make her steps easier.

"Is this some technology from the past too? Something you use to increase mobility?" I asked her.

"They called it an exoskeleton."

"...I get it."

She was silent. Then she said, "You don’t have to fulfill any more contracts to protect Wini. Why do you keep getting in our way?" said Annie, quite annoyed.

"I won’t let you make Wini bear this heavy burden of helping to take so many lives," I replied.

"And what do you want to do, save her and put her as a servant of Mora just like you?" she asked.

"I don’t know, but I can’t let her be used because of her potential power in that way. Her power wasn’t developed for it."

She was silent.

The place turned dark, out of nowhere. I felt her moving around. I started to move and send out my aura to try to locate her by the wind. Judging by the color of her aura, she’s a Creation type, and that last blow was a lightning type.

I saw two yellow energy lights glowing in the dark.

"There!"

Then it disappeared, and then she appeared from the other side, throwing the two lights and forming a yellow electric energy beam. I dodged to the side, but the impact of the explosion pushed me away, sending me flying and spinning across the floor.

Then she disappeared.... I only heard quick steps... I saw a light on the middle right side... Then behind me, she appeared again, throwing this beam of light. I stooped down and ran sideways, deflecting from the blow. The beam struck a column that fell on my back. I jumped back...

I was in the center of that large, dark hall.

"Now you have no way out..." she shouted, moving quickly in the dark thanks to those attached metal legs. They allowed her to take steps, increasing her speed as if she were a leopard.

It seems that I am falling for her strategy... I can be attacked from all sides of this position without a clear escape... Besides, using the darkness and those things to move, she must have surely seen me use the sword to paralyze Klaus.

However, I have already noticed her weaknesses. She loads the energy at a point, and then fires. The only time she stands still for a few moments is when she shoots; in that case, I just have to take this chance to counterattack. I probably won’t be able to paralyze her easily, but at least a strike is possible.

I quickly raised my eyes and saw the lights in the air again. Then she was gone. It’s too fast! Then, from my side, three meters away, she shot! There was no time to deviate completely.

So I decided to dodge and then advance towards her. I crouched down and ran; the blow passed over my head and exploded deep behind me. She was already within my reach. Then I stepped forward and jumped to cut with my sword.

"You idiot…" She laughed at me. "I’ve been waiting for this!"

She jumped back, avoiding the cut, charging her energy for a second on her shoulders, and shooting... "You’re not going to paralyze me, idiot!"

I made the cut using the sword with the Ability of Air to strike her from a distance. Energy shots came towards me, but my sword cut them, dissipating them to both sides behind me, causing an explosion. My blow cut her diagonally at stomach height.

She fell on her back, crashing down without understanding. She was utterly defeated.

"How?" she said with blood in her mouth. "I used a dualism, I’m sure you used a cut that was not of two combined abilities. How in one blow did you cut off my attack and break my armor..."

"In a normal situation, you would have hit me, but this sword is not an ordinary sword, and it does not just have the power to paralyze," I said, looking at her.

I turned and walked forward.

"This is Fragarach. It cuts anything. You didn’t know all the powers of the sword, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t try to attack again... Goodbye."

The mission of salvation continues!