renegade (seven deadly sins)

ACT ONE / never too late

<EDITED ON JANUARY 31>

okay tbh this is also one of my favorite chapters i've written lmao

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Howzer and Guila murmured behind you, discussing your chances of victory against a cardinal, Great Holy Knight, and Diamond-rank Holy Knight. However, the only thing you could focus on was Gilthunder, who stood to the right of Dreyfus with his sword in a similar position. Nothing in the past could have prepared you for something like this. Nothing could have prepared you for the knowledge that you would be one of the foes a Holy Knight had been trained to defeat.

Dreyfus' eyes narrowed. He charged forward.

"Not by a long shot!" Howzer cried, raising his lance up to the sky. "Rising Tornado!"

A twister shot out of the ground. It enveloped your opponents and launched them into the sky. Jericho cried out in pain, but none of the others seemed to be affected.

Howzer looked to you and Guila. "Pour every last drop of your magical powers into my tornado!"

"Stop it, Guila!" Jericho yelled. "I'm your comrade, dammit!"

For a moment, you worried that Guila would forsake your one chance of catching your opponents by surprise. But she made eye contact with you, and you saw the resolve in her gaze.

"Forgive me, Jericho." She leveled her lance at Howzer's tornado. A familiar group of explosives formed around the point. "But I have no other option! Shot Bomb!"

You raised your rapier to the sky and brought it down in front of your face with both hands. You concentrated. With a shout, you swiped at Howzer's tornado. "Gemini's Twisted Laughter!"

Two twins born from white clouds appeared on either side of the tornado. They grabbed hands, their faces peaceful. But their expressions soon morphed and grew hideously deformed. Piercing white rays shot from their mouths, brightening the tornado and encircling it with light. With the addition of your spell, you heard pained grunts from the other Holy Knights in the tornado.

"Combined Skill, Twisted Bomb Cyclone!" Howzer didn't relent in his attacks. Neither did you or Guila. "Keep firing until our magical powers are depleted!"

Something shifted in the air behind you. You directed one of the beams at your assailant. The light blinded them, judging by the shout, and you spun to meet Gilthunder's sword.

"I did not think that attack would hold you for very long," you admitted. You pressed down on Gilthunder's sword with your rapier. "After all, storms are where you thrive, yes?"

Gilthunder didn't answer. The tornado swirled to a stop behind you. Jericho fell to the ground in a heap. Helbram drifted down next to her.

Gilthunder's eyes flashed. You and he darted around the battlefield, exchanging blows every time you stopped. You weren't surprised that he could keep up with you. He had been one of the few you trained with whose speed matched yours.

You came to a full stop behind Helbram and Jericho. It was a struggle to gain the upperhand on Gilthunder, and he seemed to be having the same problem. You pinched your lips into a thin white line. Sweat rolled down your face.

You knew full well that either of you could play dirty. But although you were enemies now, your honor as a Holy Knight stopped you from doing so. Gilthunder seemed to be having that dilemma as well, much to your relief.

A foot slammed down on the floor to your right. You blasted Gilthunder away with a gust of wind and caught Dreyfus' blade. His sword dented your gauntlet but thankfully didn't slice through. You pushed him back and danced away. They watched you carefully as you went into en-garde.