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Something changed. The man in the coat went on the offensive, and the Ashen Knights were forced to defend.
He had shattered one of them already, but dealing with a group was not as simple. No one would think that the fight could be turned on its head like that.
But there was no denying it, the man in the coat had the upper hand now.

“Wait, did he…”

The difference was the most clear in his attacks. Before, they hardly did anything to the Ashen Knights, but now a single strike made one stagger and step back.
A second attack and the Ashen Knight was gone. The remaining one did not last much longer either, its defenses quickly falling apart.
Not even a minute passed since the first Ashen Knight fell, and now there were none left.
But he was not done yet.

“Eagle, come here!”

Eagle, still being chased by Ashen Knights, made a sharp turn and headed straight at the man in the coat, looking relieved.

“Thank you very much, Master.”

Eagle passed by the man in the coat, luring the five Ashen Knights on his tail into the man in the coat’s range, who planted his feet and got ready for the encounter.
They were mere steps away when the loudest shockwave so far rang out.

It was a swiping kick, his leg moving so fast that it vanished from sight for a moment.
The air itself seemed to distort from the pressure, and all five Ashen Knights shattered to pieces.
He had somehow gotten stronger again, a change of a similar magnitude as earlier.

(Yes, it has to be that thing. Raging Defiant Soul.)

Mira watched closely, slowly deducing what the source of his strength was.
In the end, she figured it was Raging Defiant Soul, a Warrior Skill.

Learning it required the will to keep fighting through various adversities over and over, and in a way it was one of the secret Skills kept in the sleeves of Warriors.

Its effect was rather simple. When in a tough spot, defeating an enemy would create a rush of energy, which could be absorbed into one’s body to strengthen it further. And unlike other similar Warrior Skill buffs, this one could be stacked on top of itself, greatly magnifying its efficacy.

Only the fact that mastering it required going through hardships, or intentionally throwing oneself to danger, meant that it was not an easy ability to obtain.
Back in the game days, it was regarded as one of the gateways players had to climb to before being considered a truly high level player.
In other words, the man in the coat was also one such skilled Warrior.

“Now there are no more knights keeping you safe.”

Being quite confident in his multiplied strength, the man in the coat turned to glare at Mira, adding, “And don’t think of bringing out some high level summon, my fist is faster.”

In his mind, Mira’s hands were tied.
Even if Mira tried to use a dozen Ashen Knights and Holy Knights to buy time, the man in the coat would demolish them in an instant and reach Mira before she could do anything else.

Mira’s own defenses were based on her Armor Spirit Summons, so if those fell to his fists without resistance, Mira’s armor would be the same.
And yet, he tried getting her to surrender instead of rushing in.

“I could easily finish you off now, but I’ll give you one last chance. Go back and stop following us, at least you’ll live that way.”

Announcing that, he turned around with Eagle, heading back to their escape route.

“That’s very kind of you, but I believe there’s something you’ve failed to notice.”

As Eagle and the man in the coat ran away, Mira sent Dark Knights after them, which ran like a black phantom, lunging at the pair.
It all happened in less than a second. The man in the coat seemed to vanish, and the two Dark Knights shattered, and then he kept going.

“You just don’t get it do you?”

With a bit of frustration, the man in the coat seemed to vanish and reappear in front of Mira, ready to get rid of her for interrupting so much.

“I should be saying that to you.”

In response, the corner of Mira’s lips twisted into a grin.
A Holy Knight shield appeared in front of her, the man in the coat shattered it with one punch, and then…

“Gah..!”

As soon as the shield broke, an arrow passed through it, already in front of his eyes.
That arrow came from the Dark Knight behind Mira, as she had summoned it alongside the shield.
He instantly moved aside, just barely evading the arrow. Despite that movement, his stance remained firm, expertly controlling his weight.

“Your plan is to get away from here before your Raging Defiant Soul runs out, or the rest of the Twelve Apostles get here, yes?”

She asked, carefully watching his reaction, but he did not answer. He just stared at her, looking annoyed, and then glanced impatiently in another direction.

“So you’ve noticed that too. It won’t take long before Esmeralda gets here.”

Following his gaze, she mentioned the name of the person running in their direction. She had a good grasp on their surroundings thanks to the information Popotwise relayed to her.

“No use hiding it, huh… But Esmeralda is just a Saint, right? So she shouldn’t be much of a threat.”

Even if she was one of the Twelve Apostles, his strength was many times higher, making for an easy escape.
But that was not really what Mira was thinking about.

“Actually, your fate would have been easier to stomach if it was someone else. As for me, she’s the one I was waiting on.”

As soon as she said that, the Dark Knight released a second arrow.
It whistled through the air, packing all of the Dark Knight’s strength as it flew at the man in the coat.

“What, do you think you’ll last longer with a healer on your side? Sadly for you, your Armor Spirits can’t do anything to me anymore.”

He just grinned, raising his hand and plucking the arrow out of the air like it was nothing, an arrow with enough force to pierce through iron armor.
He had a point. His strength had been stretched beyond its limits, allowing him to easily deal with the attacks that pressured him earlier.
And once again, that only twisted Mira’s smile further..

“That’s wonderful. It’s been so long since I’ve come across someone stronger than them.”

A third arrow shot out from the Dark Knight’s bow.
Once again, the man in the coat caught it, then said, “Alright, if you want to die so badly,” and threw it back, with so much force that it did not feel like it had been thrown by a human hand.
But it never reached Mira. Instead, an Ashen Knight fell from above and intercepted it.