Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 177 - Struggle

Clang!

"Guh!" Medrauta stumbled backwards, nearly losing her grip on her sword after barely managing to parry the Walpurgisknight's latest strike.

That was the second time Medrauta's sword had almost been knocked from her hand that day.

The first had been during the Walpurgisknight's initial advance, his colossal obsidian sword plummeting toward the silver-haired knight in a crushing downward swing. Still reeling from the sight contained within the tower, Medrauta had been ill-positioned to receive the attack.

Though her technique and bladework were still sound, the knight's focus had greatly diminished after inadvertently gazing upon the shield tower's innards. There had been nothing particularly terrifying or hazardous within. Rather, its sole contents consisted of the statue of a woman in the very center and several bookshelves lining the wall.

Viviane too had been shocked by the sight, but to a far less extent than her knight. She hadn't expected to encounter a depiction of this particular person within the shield tower, but she also wasn't stunned by the sight, nor did it trigger the severe migraines that Medrauta was clearly suffering from now.

So this is what Emrys meant when she said Medrauta would understand everything here. Viviane grimaced, firing several shots from her bow with expert precision. Each arrow found itself in one of the many crevices of the Walpurgisknight's armor, burying themselves deep in the black-clad knight's body. Though they did little in terms of actual damage, her mastery over the Lake's power now made the embedded arrows slightly hamper the Walpurgisknight's abilities at the very least.

With how Medrauta's condition was progressing, the knight needed every tiny advantage she could get. Viviane winced as she watched Medrauta's latest exchange with the armored knight towering over her. The Walpurgisknight's attacks were neither quick nor deceptive, but they were undoubtedly heavy.

Each powerful swing pounded into Medrauta's hastily raised blade, the obsidian slab of iron hungrily biting into the steel of Medrauta's sword. The longer the fight progressed, the worse Medrauta's condition was going to become, and it was obvious that the Walpurgisknight was more than familiar with Medrauta's weakness.

Rather than continuing to press his attack, the black-clad knight instead opted to position himself in ways that would forcefully expose Medrauta's vision to the statue within the shield tower, hastening the debilitation of her mental faculties to such a degree that she was forced to scream with every movement just to keep herself from falling unconscious.

"Surrender." The Walpurgisknight intoned, the rasp of his gravelly voice almost merciful. "You have no hope. Your strength leaves your body. Your limbs refuse your commands."

"Go fuck yourself." Medrauta responded through ragged breaths. She lifted her sword, swinging it at the Walpurgisknight's chest.

Despite lacking her usual power and authority behind the blow, it was still a dangerous one that was capable of cleaving straight through her opponent's armor. Yet, the Walpurgisknight did not seem to mind as he allowed the attack to fall on his chestplate.

As expected, the still-gleaming sword tore through the obsidian steel of the Walpurgisknight's armor, biting deep into his flesh and drawing forth rivers of black blood that rapidly cascaded from the wound and leaked out the bottom of his breastplate. As always, the Walpurgisknight did not flinch even after receiving a grievous wound.

"Surrender," the Walpurgisknight repeated. "You have already lost, Medrauta."

Though the silver-haired knight wished for nothing more than to respond with a witty retort and drive her blade further through her opponent's body, a sudden cluster of sharp pain assailed her head as the Walpurgisknight leaned slightly to the left. The small motion caused him to shift just enough, revealing the statue in the shield tower again.