Second Genesis

Grey began to weave around the guardian. He was sure that he understood its rhythm perfectly, so he probably should have expected something like that.

It wasn’t that the guardian came back to life, it was instead like its Stamina had all been refueled in an instant. Edmun had already told him that would happen.

The trouble was that when a human got all their Stamina back, they would still have their injuries. The only way to trigger a perfect healing like this was by syncing the rhythm of both Sacred Bulwark and Hallowed Endurance together and timing their peaks perfectly.

Unfortunately, the guardians were creatures of energy. That was why slashing at their vital points did nothing and the battles took forever. Meaning, if the guardian timed its rhythm to Grey’s death blow, it would "revive".

The problem was that Grey had found out the only way to kill them in a single blow like he had just now was to sync up his own rhythm to counter theirs, and he could do that by grasping an understanding of their rhythm first.

The issue with doing that was that the guardian could also read his rhythm and time its own Stamina replenishment to his rhythm as well.

’No. It shouldn’t be able to do that so easily. I got sloppy, but if I use a perfect harmony of the horns and drums together...’

Grey shot forward, his eyes leaving blurs in the air as he crossed weapons with the giant. The echo of blades filled the air as they danced around one another in what looked more like a choreographed dance of weapons than it did a true, chaotic battle.

They were countering each other’s rhythms, and then countering those counters in real time. Half the time, their blades didn’t even cross as they feinted again and again.

And then Grey’s own rhythm suddenly feinted and it was like the rhythm of the guardian was thrown completely off.

It slashed when it should have cut, thrust when it should have chopped. Its feet faltered as though it had two left ones and Grey slid to its side, his toes gliding across the polished silver platform as though metal slipping across metal.

His momentum reached its peak and he thrust forward, his sword piercing through a shingle in the guardian’s hip and angling up right through where its heart would have been.

BANG.

The Hallowed Endurance guardian shattered to pieces, leaving motes of light flooding into Grey as he took deep, slow breaths.

’Eighty-five... Fuck.’

He was at 88 Stamina when he thought he killed them both, but he had wasted more than he expected. This would only get harder.

The platform shook and began to expand again.

Grey sighed. ’They’re gonna run me into the ground. I can already feel it.’

Those guardians had already been stronger than the last. The Abilities were about the same, but their rhythm was just a bit more controlled. That much was fine to Grey, but the real problem was the fact their actual raw STR, SPD, and DEX were stronger.

They were so annoying even without any of the actual attack Abilities just yet. Once they got them...

Three guardians appeared and Grey could hear a third section of horns. This one played in quick, choppy staccatos. It was quick and abrupt, and it almost felt like it was walking someone down, as though an army of angels was marching forward one step at a time with no other thought but to cut you down with their music.

’Divine Sever...’

Edmun told him that when this rhythm reached its apex, it could cut through anything. Grey had tapped into it only a little while ago when he killed the Hallowed Endurance Guardian the first time, but it hadn’t been able to withstand it at all.

The main problem with this ability wasn’t that, though. Grey could still dodge it quickly enough so long as he paid attention to the rhythm.

The real issue Grey faced here was that Divine Sever had a cooling effect on healing abilities. Cuts that you suffered from it couldn’t be easily dealt with by healers, elixirs, or...

’Healing factors.’ Grey shook his head. ’Welp, here we go.’

**

The tension in the expansive room that seemed devoid of time and formed of infinite space was palpable.

One could imagine that after the envoy asked for Bishop Calixan, the awkwardness only increased. First they had killed a descendant of a Dukedom, then the killer was conveniently already gone off to complete a trial, and now their Bishop was just as conveniently in seclusion as well.

This Church sure did seem to have an excuse for everything.

Sir Ovaal and Edmun kept looking from the envoy to the children. The pressure coming from the latter had only increased and at this point, neither of the two were even sure any one of them remained alive anymore.

And yet, the hatred in their hearts was something they could only bury deep.

The kids didn’t deserve this, they had only wanted to give them a chance. But they knew if they asked the envoy to relent, it might only make things worse. They didn’t even dare to clench their fists.

They only looked toward the gates with fire hidden deep within their eyes, hoping that Grey succeeded, and that Blain and Chogh lasted for long enough in there that they wouldn’t suffer the same fate as the other children.

The room shook.

At first, they thought that someone was coming out of the gates. Their faces couldn’t help but pale, it was far too early. The only way something like that would happen was if someone had either broken every record there was or died a horrible death.

However, it was only quickly after that they realized this wasn’t from the gate at all.

An old man who looked more bone than flesh walked in, his robes dragging behind him with an elegant flourish. In his hand, he held a cane with a gem larger than the palm of his hand at its tip. Every step he made echoed with a clack against the hard ground.

Bishop Calixan was out of seclusion.

And the aura he radiated was, indeed, that of a Command Class, suppressing all of the envoy’s momentum in a single sweep.