Shadow Slave

The enemy was in front of her, kneeling, and momentarily vulnerable.

Who knew how long that vulnerability would last? The demon would most likely regain his bearing a heartbeat later.

Everything inside Rain screamed for her to attack, to throw her body forward and slay the abomination before that happened. After all, she could not be sure that there would be another chance later.

Adrenalin flooded her bloodstream, and her heart thundered feverishly. Her pupils widened, her mind drowning in excitement, fear, and frenetic urgency.

But, at the same time, the memory of the teacher's arrogant voice rang in her ears:

«Bruise? What do you mean, it will leave a bruise? Listen, disciple… you should be grateful to your kind and gentle teacher for educating you so tenderly! The last time I made such a mistake, I was stepped on by a mountain. Not that left a bruise!»

It was the mark of a skilled warrior to keep a cool head in the middle of the fiercest of battles, And so, she suppressed her excitement, ignored her fear, and cast away her sense of urgency.

«Don't be greedy… greed will get you killed. It is a sin, and only those strong enough to bear the consequences have the right to be sinful… Rain did not abandon her caution and attacked calmly.»

The tip of her black sword slid into the seam of the Huntsman's breastplate, plunging deep into his side.

This time, there was very little resistance. Unlike her javelin, the dark tachi pierced the demon's flesh almost effortlessly.

But instead of leaning into the thrust or twisting the blade to wreak more damage, Rain immediately pulled it back and jumped away.

And just in time.

Although the Huntsman seemed momentarily dazed, and his weapon had been destroyed, his fist was already tearing the air with stunning speed. If Rain had been a split second too slow to disengage, her head would have been turned into bloody pulp. As it was, she had enough time to block with the dark tachi, and received the harrowing blow on its blade.

She was thrown backward like a rag doll. Which was the intended outcome. If Rain had been stubborn and tried to stand her ground, her body would have received the bulk of the impact. But by allowing her to be carried away, she dissipated the force greatly.

…It still hurt like hell.

It felt like every bone in her body was about to burst.

But they didn't.

Rain was tossed back into the shallow water once again and skidded in the mud. The ley water washed away her sweat and numbed the pulsing pain in her side, which felt almost pleasant.

need

time, it took her a little

starting to pull her down, Rain groaned

tachi rose into a high stance, sending drops of

did

pretty terrible wound… the black sword created by her teacher was even sharper, deadlier, and much more frightening than she

he wasn't… he was a Chalice Knight, a demon from the retinue of

was ghastly,

had done something equally

axe, effectively disarming the

stared

still kneeling, his hands resting in the mud. Fetid blood was spilling from the seams of his scorched armor. The bestial snout of

«Come on…»

to engage the abomination in melee. But he was more than strong and ferocious enough to tear her apart with his bare hands. Rain could hold out for a few seconds and survive a handful of exchanges, but attempting to fight

However…

towering, armored

faced its fearsome overlord. Instead, it was something that everyone in Ravenheart knew… that

tales of that battle had spread far and wide in the Song Domain. More than that, detailed Information about the surviving abominations was provided by the town hall

the Huntsman was no mere decoration. It hinted at his true nature… because all Chalice Knights

beast living in each of them, and when the ancient warriors faced a powerful enemy or

demon that she had been fighting so desperately did

that his axe was destroyed and his blood was pouring into the mud,

was Rain's best chance to kill

there, in front of her, the kneeling Huntsman let out a husky growl. His limbs flinched, as if struck

his growl grew into a deafening

bones cracking underneath it. His spine bent, and

tore through the metal

The transformation had started.

gruesomely painful. It was also deeply frightening — not only because Rain knew that the unleashed beast would

mattered

from what she knew, the transformation of the Chalice Knights took some time to happen. Even if it was just a couple of seconds… in a battle, those seconds were like an

her life on that eternity the whole

the Huntsman's bestial roar reverberated across the burning swamp,