I saw the creature's head turn toward the princess, and one of the beads spiraled lazily in the air before floating closer to her casual, like a predator savoring the final bite
My body screamed at me to move, to take the chance and disappear. Every survival instinct I'd honed told me this wasn't my fight. But just as I took a step back, a flash of silver ripped through the trees
A wall of radiant energy crashed down between the monster and the princess, followed by the shriek of metal against something called flesh, air shook and the bead that had hovered near the girl was knocked back, slamming into a tree with enough force to leave a crater
And then he landed
It was a knight
The knight's armor was polished steel inlaid with bands of black and gold, glowing faintly with magic inscriptions. His cape was royal crimson snapped behind him like a banner in the wind he stood with his back to the princess, one hand holding a massive rectangular shield still vibrating from the impact, the other wrapped tightly around the hilt of a broadsword wreathed in white flame.
He didn't look back "You alright, boy?"
I spat blood, staggering to my feet
His helmet tilted slightly, as if amused then his voice hardened. "That's Rakta..."
The name didn't mean anything to me until he added, "King of Ahama " and he also knows as a king of five million monsters One of the Blood-Sworn, no soul has ever survived a direct encounter with it in over five centuries"
I tilted my head and thought Why was he even telling me that ? I wasn't planning to die here worthlessly for saving someone
The monster tilted its head at the knight, not with caution but with another interest...
Then a thought came to my mind " what was a monster like this doing here, of all places at the outer edge of a forest ?
The knight braced himself "Get the girl out I'll hold it off "
Saying that he surged forward
Rushing his sword met one of Rakta's descending arms, and for the first time, the creature reacted a low, grating sound, almost like wind passing through broken stone not even a scream of pain had left from his mouthless mouth and then the battlefield descended into chaos
The knight was fast, faster than anyone I'd seen in this cursed book-world. His movements carved arcs of glowing air, each swing of his blade erupting with a different energy imbued pressure attacking with his sword and blocking with his shield. The beads shattered trees even then, it wasn't enough
The three beads shot forward in unison this time, it seemed a perfect formation of death as one hit his shield, sending him skidding back and the second curved mid-air and slammed into his shoulder as the third he dodged just barely, and only by planting his blade into the earth and flipping over it like a gymnast
I moved slowly, forming my square, grabbing the unconscious girl it was that princess i which had invited me to her castle shaking my head i dragged her back behind thicker roots.
My shoulders throbbed with each step, broken bones grinding under skin. I couldn't keep this up for long looking at the knight neither could he and as for my healing ability it seemed it was working but at a slow pace as always making me endure the pain
"Rakta he wasn't attacking randomly," the knight called out between breaths, intercepting a serpentine arm with a glow of green energy
The knight continued speaking mid-battle "Rakta is not like other monsters it has intelligence and looking at it, I think it hates you did you do something... like, did you see those eyes in its robes?"
I nodded grimly
"Hah! Nice job, kid," he said..
I looked at Rakta again the beads had returned to orbit the ring above its head, spinning slowly like moons waiting for gravity to fail it still hadn't moved not in any meaningful way and yet the knight's left arm now hung limp, blood streaming down his side, and his shield had cracked and now I knew we hadn't even scratched it yet
It wasn't even fighting us seriously just playing with us like a cat toying with mice
The knight lowered his blood-soaked arm, his body riddled with wounds "Get lost. You're not meant to fight this thing, boy." His eyes, once proud, now dimmed with resignation. "Weak humans like us shall not stand tall against a monster like this one."
When those words reached my ears, a cold air swept through me my gaze hardened, not with a so-called passion, but a sense of lowerity towards myself
"Us? Do you think we are alike?" I questioned to him, my voice now devoid of emotion
The knight's weakness disgusted me even more he had taken too much damage which was mentioned for this girl In this world, strength was the only truth the only benefit worth pursuing and my only belief, The monster before us was nothing but a stepping stone, an obstacle that separated the truly determined from the mass of mediocrity
Throughout my journey, whenever doubts arose about my belief I had but one principle survival If sacrificing others brought me closer to my goal, so be it. If enduring unimaginable pain yielded greater power, I would embrace it morality was a chain forged by the weak to bind the strong
"I will never bow... I.. will never bow, even if there are gods before me "
As I said that my voice cutting through the battlefield's chaos. "Not to gods, not to monsters, not to the judgment of lesser beings "
And now a knight, a so-called protector, was telling me to run? I always prioritized survival above all, but when the question rised on my beliefs, I shall rise even when I'm bleeding, even when my body is broken, even when I don't have the will to fight. I will rise for my beliefs alone
Before he could answer, Rakta raised five arms and pointed them toward the night sky the clouds above seemed beautiful. Red lightning crackled across the treetops. And then, without warning, the beads disappeared again
One hit the knight in the side of the head. His helmet warped and split as he was sent flying into the underbrush, blood spraying in his wake.
Seeing this, I moved
Gathering tai energy on my limbs it felt like fire surging through my veins i didn't think I could possibly reacte in time but i did diving toward the princess and creating a shield with all the Tai energy I could muster from my body as the second bead struck the dome, and in that instant, it shattered
The blow blasted me off my feet, the force crumpling my ribs even further as I landed beside the knight, gasping for breath. He was still alive I was surprised he was still alive so
He coughed blood. "You... idiot... should've run..."
"I'm bad at listening to others... as always ! "
The third bead reappeared, floating just above our heads now, vibrating like it was charging for something even worse than before.
I tightened my grip on the blade still in my hand, as i formed my square,princess was still breathing, and the knight was down Only me and that monster Rakta were left
And for the last time, my instincts screamed at me to flee
This wasn't just a fight between me and that monster anymore. This fight had evolved beyond that. It had become a fight to stand tall with my beliefs...