Maids VS Apocalypse

[Lara has defeated Neb’Alseth’s disciple (Apprentice)]

[+120AP]

Before the message faded from his sight, Mark watched as Lara came up to the Red Hood who had just evaded Ben’s projected hand and cleanly severed his head. She knocked him with the butt of her spear then turned her sight to the other disciple they were facing, barely stopping to glance at him.

The second Red Hood recognized the threat and turned to face her. He even summoned a halo, clearly intending to use an ability of some kind. Too slow. Whatever he planned on doing, Lara had no intention of letting him. She flung her spear at him then chased after it, crossing the distance in no more than two steps. Though he managed to dodge it, the spear was never meant to strike him in the first place. A kick to the side from above slammed his entire body into the floor, and though the impact was absorbed by he Force Field it could do nothing about the white blade that passed through his legs, severing them above the knees.

Unlike the last one, this disciple didn’t fear letting his screams be heard. The blood that was spewing from his fresh stumps stopped so he wasn’t about to bleed out, but the pain wasn’t about to leave him just yet. Fortunately for him, the maid was merciful enough to knock him out right after ensure he would never walk again for the rest of his short life.

"Good gracious..." Ben muttered, and Mark wanted to do the same.

It all happened so fast, and Lara made it look so easy. The Red Hoods who had given them so much trouble were dealt with just like that. The maid stopped to glance at the ongoing battle then nimbly retreated away from it, arriving beside those two.

"Master." She glanced over her shoulders. "Please accept my apologies. I failed to react and allowed harm to befell you."

A blank stare was the response she got, and for a few seconds that was it.

"Forget about that." Mark shook his head. "We need to think of what we will do from here."

Massive orange hands manifested around the two Red Hoods the maid had just knocked out and carried them out of the hall.

"Let’s hope they’re still with us by the time all of this was over." Ben said. He casually grabbed the sword pierced through his leg and pulled it out. "Sorry, lass. Can you stop the bleeding for me?"

There was no need to ask as she had already done just that.

"Thank you."

Blood manipulation had more uses than just turning blood into weapons. Mark couldn’t believe that his maid was still a novice when it came to that Ability when she was already integrating it into her fighting style.

"Now, lad." Ben faced forward as he spoke. "What’s this you were saying about passing out?"

Lara glanced behind her and silently asked the same question.

"I’m not too sure myself," Mark replied. "There is a chance it won’t happen right now."

"Maybe you and the lass should retreat for now."

"Those two aren’t back yet. We can’t go without them."

The goal had always been to get Kobayashi and leave—fighting the boss was never a part of it, although it should have been obvious that it would come to it.

’Seriously though...’ Mark recalled the earlier events. ’What’s up with him?’

Their short exchange informed him that the robed man knew him somehow, and it wasn’t that he mistook him for someone. He wanted to get it out of him, but that didn’t seem to be doable.

’I’m really the protagonist, am I not?’

Another thing to the pile of things the Peace Keepers were hiding for him. Just when he was starting to warm up to them it gets revealed that they knew about his connection to an enemy faction and didn’t even bother to mention it. Then again it was like that from the start. They never told him the entire reason for why they were monitoring him.

’Father should know...’

At that point, Mark became even more convinced that his only chance at learning the truth was reuniting with his parents.

"Hey! A little help over here!"

A shout from Franco snapped Mark out of his thoughts. Only the three Red Hoods facing him remained, in addition to the enemy boss. The battle seemed to be nearing its end, and noticing that gave Mark a really bad premonition.

"Lara, you go support him." He ordered. "We will keep an eye for reinforcements."

"... understood."

Since her priority was to protect him the maid was reluctant to follow that command. Still, orders were orders. She kept an even look and locked onto one of the enemies then headed out. Mark watched her go then turned his gaze to where Elya was fighting the robed man.

"The enemy boss seems to be of a higher level." He said.

"So it seems." The big guy replied.

Though neither were injured, Zhang Tianmu clearly had the upper hand. His swordsmanship was of a higher level and he wasn’t holding back on using that fire ability of his. Elya on the other hand was struggling. She kept switching the size of her weapon, sometimes making it three times larger than her, others turning it into a dagger. She was moving around a lot as well trying to not give her opponent a second of reprieve.

Mark considered offering her some support but gave up the idea. The blue fire the enemy boss used was bad news and barging in would only put more pressure on Elya who would have to protect them as well as the unconscious civilians near the podium.

The odds changed once Lara joined Franco. That pushed the Red hoods into summoning their halos and using their Abilities, though one of them lost his head before he could do anything.

Lara wasted no time drawing out the blood spilling from the decapitated disciple’s head and whipped it at the other two, distracting them for an instant and allowing Franco to generate the green fire from his sickles by rotating one of them.

A faint glow enveloped the two Red Hoods just as the green flames washed over them. They emerged from the other side unscathed and counterattacked right away. One of them had created a pair of crystals on either side of his shoulder and was preparing to shoot a beam. The other struck his palms together, and when he separated them a long purple rope extended from his palms.

Lara sliced through one of the crystals before it could fire and evaded the beam launched by the other one. The purple rope created by the second disciple fell around her just then and vanished the net second. Franco had sliced through it before it could tighten.

Hatred for anything long and purple grew in the maid’s heart and found herself locked onto the second disciple. She took a firm step forward and brought her spar up, drawing a crescent through the air. Unlike the previous rope user her current opponent wasn’t half as nimble. Because of that, he failed to dodge and had both of his left arm and leg cleanly severed.

’Only one left...’

No sooner had that thought crossed Mark’s mind than a light flashed right beside him.

’Enemy reinforcements!’

A bright yellow bolt of lightning. Seeing it head straight for Elya and Zhang Tianmu revealed the identity behind the caster.

"Ale-"

BOOOM! 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Thunder roared, swallowing every sound in the hall. Elya slid away from the impact and raised her head. The light faded to reveal the sight of the robed man’s glowing figure raising his jian to block a falling claymore.

The one swinging it was the blonde Peace Keeper, Alex Mahone, only he didn’t have the same easy going look that accompanied him so far. His eyes were bloodshot, his teeth were tightly clenched, and the veins on his forehead were about to pop. His hair tended to gain a spiky shape whenever he used his lightning Ability, but for some reason it appeared different this time.

"Tsk!"

Zhang Tianmu pushed back then jumped away. He reached up and grabbed one of the spheres of flamed coalescing around him and swung it , launching a wave of azure flames at the newcomer.

Lightning pierced the flames and a shimmering blade came down on the robed man who stepped aside at the right moment and allowed it to strike the floor. Thunder roared once more and shrapnel scattered from the scorched crater left at the rip of the claymore.

The jade jian flashed and toward the blonde one’s neck but only struck an afterimage. It’s owner’s dark eyes followed the crackling electricity and saw it heading his way, prompting him to raise his weapon and block.

CLANG!

The clash rang out and silence followed. Landing a dozen meters away from its center, Zhang Tianmu raised his jian defensively and grimaced.