Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 197 - Creature of Darkness

Just what the hell are they made of... How can they keep fighting despite these odds!?

That was the sole thought running through Volutia's head as she cast her whip through the air wildly, attempting to overcome Rosette's ironclad defenses. While the red-haired knight wasn't exactly a defensive fighter like Medrauta, even rudimentary techniques were enough for her to parry Volutia's attacks easily.

As a former noblewoman who only acquired her now-superhuman strength through becoming one of Amelia's Sworn champions, Volutia's skill at arms was middling at best, and she was a rather irrelevant threat if not for her seemingly natural talent at witchcraft and the army of Fiknights she had summoned.

Much to her displeasure and surprise, the three Fiknights she had initially summoned were practically wiped out in an instant by the combined efforts of the four knights, all of them no longer holding back a single ounce of energy or strength. After all, they were in front of the finish line at long last, and they were determined to go home victorious or go out in a blaze of glory.

In response, Volutia had summoned a much greater number of the creatures instead, practically filling the room with her witchspawn knights and pushing her enemies back through sheer numbers. Despite her efforts though, Rosette had managed to hold her position using her powerful Chivalric Arts, protecting Estelle as a flurry of rose petals whirled around the two, the floral storm obliterating any Fiknight foolish enough to approach.

"Medrauta!" Viviane shouted. "Slow down! You're going too fast!"

"I'm not gonna leave Rosette in the middle of that shitstorm, Vivi!" Medrauta shouted back as she wielded her sword furiously, hacking her way through the Fiknights that crowded around her from nearly all angles. The enemy's superior numbers did nothing to deter her advance, a sentiment that was shared by all the other knights. The war had accustomed them to fighting against such witchspawn tides, after all.

"I'm not telling you to!" Viviane released three arrows in quick succession, rolling to avoid a lance-wielding Fiknight's attack before quickly dispatching it with a shot to the head. "Lady Rosaline can't keep up with this pace!"

"Leticia!" Medrauta roared. "Pick up the pace! Lady Rosaline can't advance if you're moving slowly!"

"I'm fucking trying, Medrauta!" Leticia grit her teeth, annoyed at Medrauta's sudden order. She understood the urgency, but she was prioritizing her lady's safety over all else. With Viviane being the only noblewoman actually capable of fighting the witchspawn, both Eris and Leticia had to focus on their lady before all else.

That said, Eris was definitely doing a better job of advancing through the crowd of Fiknights while also shielding Scarlet from any would-be attackers, but that was no doubt due to her superior speed and the special properties of her dagger which allowed her to take out large swathes of enemies in a single attack.

"Lady Rosaline!" Scarlet spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too quiet, but just overbearing enough to carry over the din of battle. "Have you already forgotten what I have taught you? Move together with your knight and wield your Crest with pride!"

"Y-Yes, Lady Scarlet!" Rosaline stammered, her eyes shifting nervously at the enemies around her.

Although Leticia was eradicating them before they could truly surround her, Rosaline's place during the civil war and the battles that followed after had only ever been at the very rear aside from a few rare cases. Completely unaccustomed to having so many enemies around her, the noblewoman could barely focus on anything other than maintaining her Crest upon Leticia.

As the knights continued to struggle through the small army of Fiknights Volutia had summoned, her battle against Rosette continued to rage on, albeit not to her advantage.