Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 194 - Into the Spire

Fighting wasn't an option.

Not only was the behemoth far too large for the knights to feasibly engage, but the longer they stayed, the quicker the gap created by the Spirecrusher cannon would fill, nullifying their efforts and the plan entirely. The only option was to surge forward undaunted, hoping to make it through the behemoth's legs without being reduced to paste.

"We'll go one at a time!" Medrauta shouted, speeding up to draw level with Eris and Rosette. "Hopefully that'll force the thing to divide its attention!"

Eris nodded in response. "We'll make smaller targets as well. Who's going first?"

"We'll head through first." Rosette said. "Medrauta and Viviane can follow afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan!" Medrauta said, urging her steed forward even as Rosette accelerated. "If things get too dangerous, Lady Scarlet'll be able to teleport herself and Eris outta there!"

The three knights shot forward, their horses straining to achieve the speed being asked of them. Meanwhile, the behemoth raised one of its arms, preparing for a powerful swing that would no doubt annihilate all of the knights in one fell swoop should it manage to connect. The only saving grace was the huge monstrosity's lack of speed thanks to its gargantuan size.

Sensing an opportunity, Rosette surged forward, causing Estelle to tighten her grip around her knight's waist. While this would have made them a prime target for one of the behemoth's vicious kicks, the massive beast was currently tied up in preparing its deadly swing. Despite its strength, the gigantic blades that it wielded were still incredibly heavy, forcing it to remain on balance as it wound up its strike.

Rosette shot through the gap between the behemoth's legs, clearing the distance within seconds as her horse dashed to Leticia's position, stopping only when they had reached the Spire's interior. Medrauta spurred her horse on in an attempt to follow suit, but a quick look at the sky told her that the attack would be ready to fall upon them any second by now.

Shit...! What the hell am I supposed to do!? Medrauta grit her teeth even as she continued riding forward. Stopping would be a deadly mistake, but proceeding forward was equally deadly. Should she only be partially through the behemoth's legs after the attack was issued, she and Viviane would no doubt become subject to a savage kick that would be extremely difficult to dodge at such a distance.

However, stopping was equally dangerous. There was a chance of avoiding the attack and then waiting for another opportunity, but Medrauta had absolutely no clue where the attack would land nor how powerful it would truly be. For a moment, she considered using Clarent to stop the attack, but she wasn't entirely sure that it'd work. After all, she had only just acquired its power, and her mastery of the Oath was still lacking.

"Medrauta! What's wrong!? You're running out of time!" Eris shouted as her horse drew parallel with Medrauta's. The look in her eyes urged the silver-haired knight to hurry, but for some reason, Medrauta was still stuck in her mental dilemma.

Of course, Eris didn't share the same conundrum as her. After all, the look in Scarlet's eyes told Medrauta that the noblewoman was already planning on teleporting out of there once Medrauta had made it to the other side. There was still the possibility of Scarlet teleporting all four of them away, but such a maneuver would be highly taxing and would force them to abandon their horses, meaning they would have to close the remaining distance on foot.

Medrauta didn't know how quickly the behemoth would be able to turn around, but she sure as hell didn't want to find out. Fuck...! Alright, here goes nothing!

The silver-haired knight surged forward, the behemoth's blade falling at the very same moment. A sense of relief flooded her mind and body as she shot through the behemoth's legs, knowing that she would make it to the Spire in time before the behemoth could recover enough to lash out with its hooves.