Nolan's grip on his sword tightened until his knuckles paled. His deep-set eyes narrowed, and he snapped his arm forward, throwing a dazzling golden Dagger.
It shot out with razor intent, carving a brilliant arc through the air.
"Out of your mind!"
Ingram immediately understood the Carian side had no intention of backing off. A single man dared to charge straight at them. He raised his Heavy Greatshield without hesitation.
"Then die!!"
With a furious roar, the Golden Dagger slammed hard into the Greatshield. A dull impact rang out, and the blade was swatted aside by sheer strength.
Golden motes burst outward like fireworks, lighting up the dim lakeshore in an instant, as if daylight had fallen.
In that sudden blaze, a slightly blurred figure flashed through the crowd at breakneck speed, too fast for the eye to follow.
He spun his wrist, and when everyone focused again, he was already holding the glintstone staff once more. A powerful surge of magical power gathered rapidly within the stone.
Meteor Shower!
Nolan plunged into the mass of enemies and flicked out six magical meteors. They streaked across the air in dazzling trails, flying straight for the front ranks.
At such close range, the glintstone meteors showed their full, violent force, detonating directly on the soldiers in his way.
The scattered star-like magic rained down, killing several people in the blink of an eye. Bodies were blasted apart by the shock of magical power, blood and shredded flesh spraying in every direction.
Even under that onslaught, a knight with a shield didn't retreat. With practiced skill, he forced his shield up to block.
He drove forward on instinct, and something slipped past his side.
He turned his head without thinking and saw a meteor shard coming straight at his face. His heart lurched. He tried to dodge, but it was already too late…
It turned!?
Thud.
The magical meteor punched through the knight's helm, piercing straight through his face and out the back of his head, leaving a bright streak of blood in its wake.
His eyes widened, disbelief and agony frozen in them, and he sagged to the ground as life left him in that instant.
Not far away, Igor saw it all. His pupils tightened, a hard jolt of shock running through him.
He knew exactly how terrifying that level of control was. It was already no weaker than the academy's seasoned Associate Preceptors.
But the surprise lasted only a heartbeat. Igor's hands never slowed.
He swept his arm up, and another enormous Cannon of Haima came screaming in like a falling meteor, hurtling toward Nolan with crushing force.
Nolan answered with a slight twist of his wrist. Deep blue ripples blossomed around him, as if an invisible barrier had snapped into place.
The Cannon of Haima slammed into it with a heavy thud, unable to push through. In the same motion, it was deflected and sent arcing away.
The bodies in front of Nolan burst apart at once. Flesh and gore scattered, and blood sprayed over him like a fountain, soaking him until he was painted red.
Nolan's expression stayed cold. He stepped back, and a sharp glint dropped into his view.
The Gavel of Haima crashed down from above, hammering the ground and sending a violent tremor through the earth. Dirt erupted upward like a geyser.
Nolan tightened his core and drove power through his arms. His greatsword and staff swung together, golden and blue blades surging forward in a savage pincer.
Sacred Blade!
Carian Greatsword!
A gale rushed in. Igor only lifted his left hand, a shield in his grip. Ingram appeared to his right and raised his own hand as well.
Scholar's Shield!
The greatsword strike stopped dead. Nolan cut his eyes sideways, catching a cold flash stabbing in from the flank.
A knight had already crept in silently, longsword gleaming with an icy sheen as it thrust for Nolan's waist.
Nolan didn't panic. He turned into it, and his body vanished from where he stood.
Bloodhound's Step.
The Promised Claymore slashed down from behind at a diagonal, aimed straight for the knight's head.
The knight didn't even have time to react before the blade split his skull cleanly.
Nolan didn't pause for a breath. His figure vanished again without a trace.
Igor and Ingram's vision swam for a moment. They stared wide-eyed, and all they caught was a single, shrill scream rising right beside them.
When they came back to their senses, Nolan was already standing still with his sword lowered. Another man lay dead. He turned to face the Cuckoo Knights, who were pale with fear.
Those two were terrified of dying. Knights and soldiers had formed a half-circle around them. Without clearing the area first, there was no way to approach from behind.
In the instant they hesitated, Nolan burst forward.
His blue cloak streamed behind him, like a meteor tearing across the sky, carrying a sharp, unstoppable momentum.
The greatsword leveled in front of him, driven straight forward by the force of his charge.
Thud!
The blade punched through the first knight's back. Its razor-sharp tip tore through the broad chest, plunged straight into another equally sturdy body, and then burst out the other side.
Three men were skewered in a single line. Nolan kept driving forward with their bodies still impaled, and at the same moment, a faint violet mist silently spread along the greatsword.
Shhk—
A piercing sound rang out. Shreds of flesh and fragments of armor exploded outward, fluttering through the air like a swarm of startled butterflies, scattering wildly in all directions.
Ingram finally swung his lance. The tremendous force ripped through the three armored bodies with ease. The weapon surged forward with unstoppable momentum, stabbing straight toward Nolan.
He didn't feel his movements slow. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he sensed the massive light hammer closing in from the right, right up until the blade that had pierced through him twisted.
"He's not dead!?" Ingram jolted inwardly.
Nolan glanced down at his chestplate. A savage gash had been torn through it.
If he hadn't shifted aside in time, his chest would have been pierced clean through. Fortunately, he had already expected this man to have no regard for his comrades' corpses.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The great hammer above had just been raised and hadn't yet fallen. Nolan decisively twisted the blade free from his body.
There was no need to think. Years of battle-hardened experience surged through him on pure instinct.
He dropped low, lowered his center of gravity, braced one hand against the ground, and skimmed across the battlefield at ground level, sliding straight behind the battle sorcerer. A sweeping greatsword strike followed immediately.
Igor sensed something was wrong, but by the time he realized it, there was no chance to react.
The moment the giant hammer came down, it smashed the knight's corpse into pulp. Pain shot up from Igor's leg without delay, forcing a sharp gasp from his throat.
The Vice Commander beside him was no empty showpiece. Realizing the lance that had pierced his body couldn't be retrieved in time, he released it without hesitation, drew the greatsword from his back, and drove his feet into the ground.
His body shifted a step to the side. With a deep, furious roar, the greatsword came crashing down.
Boom!!
The ground shook as if struck by a colossal hammer, releasing a heavy, muffled rumble before a deep crater was carved into the earth.