Alpha Instinct-Chapter 76: "Mikaela’s Gambit"

The remaining black knight was concentrating all his energy on the sword. Seeing his companion fall, he went into a deadly frenzy. The aura of vengeance was palpable.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

The black knight, ignoring Leonard, charged towards Mikaela and Kaleb, his raised sword concentrating the infamous blow known as "Death Rail".

"Death Rail!! Watch out, Kaleb!" Mikaela shouted.

Kaleb quickly conjured a mana shield around her, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough against the force of that attack.

Before the sword could reach Mikaela, Evelyn used "Shadow Steps" and appeared from the shadows of the knight himself, deflecting the trajectory of the sword with a precise strike to his elbow.

The black knight, unbalanced by the unexpected move, stumbled to the side.

Leonard, taking advantage of the opening created by Evelyn, advanced with "Phantom Steps", becoming a blur. "I need to… for all of us, for myself…" Leo thought.

He wouldn’t waste that chance. His eyes, fixed on the black knight, analyzed every movement, every gap in the armor, every weak point.

It was temporal cognition at its maximum, the peak of his power.

He felt the energy flow through his body, no longer chaotic as before, but focused, directed. He took a deep breath, remembering Saito’s lessons: Fluidity. Precision. Control.

He closed his eyes.

Time seemed to freeze. He could see everything with the clarity of a master swordsman.

"Ready…" he thought, and the flow of time returned to normal.

With a swift and precise movement, he dodged the black knight’s sword, which whizzed by inches from his face. He spun his body, using the momentum of the movement to gain strength, and delivered a double blow with Smiling and Absolution.

The blades cut through the air and struck the target with surgical precision: the joint of the knight’s armor.

A sharp metallic sound echoed through the forest, followed by a sonic boom and a jet of black, putrid blood. The black knight flew backward, his arm hanging uselessly.

Leonard didn’t hesitate. He advanced again, extremely fast, and struck a second blow, this time aiming at the knight’s throat.

Absolution’s blade exploded on its target, ripping through metal and rotten flesh. A horrendous gurgling sound, muffled by the helmet, echoed through the forest.

The black knight fell to his knees, the sword slipping from his hand. He tried to get up, but his strength abandoned him. With a final breath, his body collapsed to the ground, inert.

A heavy silence settled in the clearing. Leonard, panting, his body covered in sweat and black blood, looked at the defeated enemy.

He had won. But victory brought no joy, only a weary relief.

Kaleb ran to check on Mikaela, who, despite the scare, was regaining her emotional balance, thanks to her sanctified aura. Evelyn, with a discreet smile, approached Leonard.

"Good job," Evelyn said with a proud smile on her face, as she hopped over to his side.

Leonard nodded, speechless. He couldn’t explain what he was feeling. A mix of exhaustion, relief, sadness, and… a hint of pride.

He had overcome an immense challenge. He had protected his friends. He had proven his worth for the first time.

"We need to go," Mikaela said, interrupting his thoughts. "We can’t stay here."

Leonard agreed. They needed to keep moving. The mission was still in its early stages. And, deep in his mind, a new concern began to emerge.

"What were those Black Knights? What was that cult? And what did Saito mean by ’Weise’?"

The answers, he knew, were far beyond that forest. And he was determined to find them.

Even if it cost him his life.

Evelyn interrupted Leo’s musings and said, "Those were rare-level Leirions, probably Gold-rank Neumonds before they died."

Mikaela agreed. "And only the Seven Gods know what’s inside that cave." Then she turned to Leonard, "Recover your energy. You’re overexerting yourself."

Leonard threw himself on the ground, sitting. "Haha, my legs are shaking. I didn’t even notice."

"Your body isn’t used to the Blade Dancer class yet," said Kaleb. "If it were me, the great mage, it would be easier..."

"You shut up, you sound like a poet," Evelyn said to Kaleb and looked at Mikaela, sharing a laugh.

"I know… Hey, help me here with these two, Leo," said Kaleb.

Leonard said, as he stood up, "You dug your own grave, friend. Don’t drag me into it."

Everyone laughed, including Kaleb. Even Kaleb’s forced laughter couldn’t completely mask the lingering fear. He shot a nervous glance at the spot where the Black Knight had fallen, as if expecting it to rise again.

"Just saying," he mumbled, mostly to himself, "maybe next time, a slightly less... deadly warm-up?"

Mikaela rolled her eyes, but a faint smile played on her lips.

They looked at each other and then at Mikaela. Kaleb was the first to speak, "Why didn’t you fight?"

"I’m a paladin. It would be too easy for me to finish them off from the start." Mikaela shrugged.

Evelyn started laughing nonstop.

"Hey, it’s true. Why, Mikaela?" said Leonard. "I was worried about you for nothing?" He frowned.

"If I helped now, who would guarantee that you guys would manage without me? I wanted to see how far you’d go against undead," Mikaela explained.

"Did you know, Evelyn?" Leo asked.

"Of course, silly!" she replied, continuing to laugh.

"Let’s go, Kaleb. They don’t deserve us," Leo said, jokingly. "Everyone ready?" Leonard asked, regaining his seriousness. "Check your gear before we go, and let’s go!"

As they reached the entrance to the dungeon, they noticed a chaotic and icy energy blowing from inside the cave.

"Creepy…" murmured Kaleb. "I’ve already said I’m too old for this..."

"Shut up…" Mikaela said, drawing his attention.

They took a deep breath, steeled their resolve, and entered the sinister cave, the darkness swallowing them as if they were entering the mouth of a giant predator.

The faint sunlight that entered through the opening soon extinguished, and the group found themselves in complete darkness.