As they continue walking, the five end up reaching the first zone where the first guardian would be. Siena takes a few steps forward, observing the place.
"So this will be the first combat area?"
The name of this zone was the Cathedral of Resonance, a vast space of white stone suspended over the void, where there is no wind nor common echo. Each step produces vibrations that shape the environment; pillars emerge and collapse according to the rhythm of the heart of whoever enters. This silence is as dangerous as noise, for this cathedral responds to the intention of every fighter who sets foot inside.
"So who will be the first to fight, Princess?"
Elowyn turns to the three, deep in thought. The best choice would be to send Velka first, as she was the weakest in that place.
"You should know what the monster's level is, right, Enrico?"
Enrico watched the field with curiosity. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to fight there, but the decision was Elowyn's.
"If you think the first is the weakest, then you're mistaken, Princess. The weakest is the third guardian. We could say this one is the fourth strongest."
Nodding, she decided to ask what the level of each guardian was to know what her strategy would be. After receiving all the information, she turned to Velka. The best choice really was to send her to fight first. A person without mana couldn't win against the guardians, so it would be smart to remove a strong one from the path.
"Princess, you can send me."
Narisse was the one who stepped forward. She wanted Velka to give up as soon as she entered, but she didn't know whether an opponent who was stronger would accept that, because from what she knew and thought along the way here, none of the guardians accepted surrender.
'It's best if Velka fights the weakest one; that way she won't get too hurt.'
"She's right. Besides, it would be good for her to use the next fight to gain experience."
Enrico also interfered in Elowyn's thoughts. He already had a plan to put Velka against the weakest of them; it wasn't just so she would get hurt less, even though that was part of his reasoning.
'She'll be able to develop, so there's no way I'm letting this chance pass.'
"Are you sure, Narisse?"
"Yes, my lady."
Closing her eyes, she immediately understood what the two of them wanted. It was annoying that they interfered with her plans, but perhaps it was better this way.
"All right. Velka, you will fight the third, and Narisse the first."
Velka felt a little grateful to Narisse, despite the fear in her heart, and as for Enrico, he added one more reason for her to follow him.
'It seems this one might be different…'
Receiving Elowyn's authorization, Narisse leaps onto the cathedral. Her position was on its left side. As soon as she stepped into the area, a sound distorted the air, and right in the middle of the cathedral a figure appeared.
'So he is my opponent.'
From what Enrico said, the first guardian was known as the Architect of Sound. She didn't know how he had so much information about these beings, but as her princess had said, he was special, so she decided not to ask.
"Your name is Aurélius Virecant, right? My name is—"
"I don't care about the names of people who are going to die."
With sweat dripping from her forehead, she observed Aurélius carefully. His presence made the air itself vibrate even before he had been seen by her in that moment, so he was dangerous. His body was tall and slender, covered in translucent mantles that resembled blades of glass suspended in space.
'Every movement of his produces almost invisible notes, just as Enrico mentioned. I have to be careful.'
They spread through the environment like structures being erected. Aurélius wore no armor, because sound notes themselves were a fortress for his body. The name of his magic was acoustic magic, but it was not limited to mere noise or impact; he builds, creates, and destroys using frequencies as pillars and collapses.
"One wrong step in front of him can make the ground break apart in waves or the space become rigid as if it were a sonic cathedral. That's because he represents the concept of the invisible order of the ancient king. Literally, this cathedral is part of his power."
Those were the words Enrico had mentioned to her. If it was true that his magic represented a concept of the ancient king, then it was unique magic, and that would make this fight more difficult.
'And to think that all the guardians represent a concept…'
With purple smoke coming out of her body, Narisse activates her poison magic. A purple aura covered her entire body, and with every breath she released a bit of poison. She was a little nervous, but at the same time there was a touch of anticipation as she imagined herself winning this fight.
'This is the moment I've waited for my whole life. I can't disappoint either my parents or the princess.'
Narisse's purple aura slowly spread, contaminating the Cathedral of Resonance with a toxic presence that tried to impose its own logic on the environment. Narisse was attempting something insane by trying to make her poison overcome that concept.
'To defeat him and surprise everyone, I'll try everything I can.'
Each step she took made the poison seep into the vibrations of the ground, but the cathedral's response was immediate. The sound frequencies shifted in tone, adjusting like a living organism that rejected that intrusion. Nearby pillars trembled slightly, reorganizing themselves into denser patterns, as if preparing to contain something dangerous.
'What an idiotic girl.'
Aurélius remained motionless at the center, but the air around him rippled irregularly. The invisible notes escaping from his body collided with the poisonous mist, distorting it, fragmenting it into unstable layers that dissipated before reaching him.
'This magic is completely interfering with mine.'
Narisse realized that her poison did not spread naturally there; every particle seemed forced to obey a rhythm that was not under her command.
'This is going to be much harder than I imagined, much harder.'
The combat hadn't even truly begun yet, but she already felt cornered. Taking a step forward, she concentrated the toxin in her arms, trying to condense it into something more lethal, something capable of withstanding that constant sonic pressure.
'So be it. I'll overcome him even if I die trying.'