Chapter 26, It's but an Illusion

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*Clash*

The knight’s blade was blocked by someone.

Wearing a gambeson and some parts here and there being iron... He was none other than Lou Jun’s father named Jerelloid. Having a leather mask which paired with his fine metal helmet. Though with a dent on his helmet and a noticable slash on his armor. Mud could be seen and traces of a fierce battle could be diagnosed on his appearance.

After mustering his strength, Jerelloid pushed back the knight before exchanging a set of swings, parry and feints. Every step both individuals took, gave a splatter to the water on ground which came from the large area of ice magic from Lou Jun.

Growing annoyed as to how he was only at the receiving ends of the attacks... So, Jerelloid he kicked his foe away.

He then turned to his daughter to find that she was alright, no vital organs harmed it seems.

Farengoth noticed how skilled his foe was in terms of blade. Even though he could tell the opponent was quite rusty.

After eyeing the man’s worried look to the lady beside him... The Knight leader concluded that this man was none other than this guild’s boss.

With that all being said, he couldn’t help but think out, “If he’s here... Then something has happened to Elana and the other soldiers.” He gritted his teeth before putting aside the thought of their corpses in his mind.

Noticing the thinking look the Knight had, the Guild’s boss blurted out, “Don’t worry... Aside from the males, the woman and that particular knight were spared.”

Farengoth was left speechless before questioning his reason.

You couldn’t see but a smile appeared behind Jerelloid’s mask before he replied, “My code of honor doesn’t allow any woman to be killed by my hands. As I wouldn’t allow this world to wallow up in grief when one or more pretty woman dies.”

Even more than before, his words left the knight leader flabbergasted. He couldn’t help but had a though pass by, ‘An honor oath coming from an Assassin’s Boss.’

Jerelloid shrugged before saying out, “Judging from our recent exchange... It seems that you want me not dead but alive.” He then looked at the knight seriously before continuing, “So, how about a deal instead?”

“A deal?” The knight showing hints of confusion.

“Instead of my life being preserved... Could you take my daughter instead as captive?” Jerreloid said as politely as he can.

Hearing his words made Farengoth silent before he turned and looked at his subordinates dead preserved bodies... Frozen in place.

His eyes showed an emotion of cold heartedness.

The Knight Leader then bowed before pointing his sword at the men in front of him.

Seeing his next set of movement caused Jerelloid to have a sense of grief before saying, “It seems my only way out of this predicament for me and my daughter... Is for you to be killed. A shame.”

He then switched the dominating arm of his blade to his left before inserting chi/mana into it.

A fiery flame appeared as it engulfed the blade of his weapon.

His eyes glowed in red light before he focused the flames on his blade to condense.

Slowly but surely, the blade of his started to have the appearance of something that just came out of the forge. The smell of metal escaped into the room.

Jerelloid then charged forward, brandishing his blade and had one thought in mind. It was to fool the Knight with his planned feint and then perform his most trusted attack.

Though he didn’t expect even in his wildest dream that the Knight in front of him would stand still and take a stance of preparing to block the incoming attack. As if ignoring the fact that his blade being 2800°C in temperature.

If he was wielding a normal iron weapon, his blade would have melted of immediately long ago. But his weapon was different as it was coated in inscription which allowed the material of the blade to withstood the intense temperature while also keeping the heat coming off it at bay.

He though the knight was foolish as Jerelloid scrapped away his previous plan before aiming to cut the man in half along with his blade.

The moment his blade touched the Knight’s one... Nothing happened.

This incidence widened the eyes of Jerelloid.

Farengoth revealed a devious smile as he keeps the man’s blade in place before he says, “No mere magic could withstand my blade.”

The knight leader forced the blade to the side with the help of his strength before unleashing a devastating swing at his foe. The way Farengoth swung his blade had his armpits tucked.

Luckily the masked man side stepped in time.

Jerelloid then threw out a pile of sand from his pouch which landed on the knight’s eyes. This hindered his foes sight.

Catching this opportunity, he used his blade to thrust into Farengoth’s chest while keeping in mind that his blade will melt through the armor.

Though what he didn’t expect was for his blade to easily get parried.

Even with his sight hindered, Farengoth practiced the way of fighting without sight from a certain someone.

Lou Jun’s Father cursed inwardly before receiving a blow on the face from the Knight’s gauntlet.

He was surprised at how his foe could switch easily between two handed and single handed with ease.

He tasted the iron in his mouth before staggering backwards.

Farengoth vision returned and so he closed in before aiming to slice away the man in front of him.

Jerelloid head was ringing but he knew that if he didn’t do anything... His life would be taken.

He performed a guard stance before blocking the foe’s strike.

Without a moment to spare, he then inserted mana/chi into his muscle before releasing a burst of strength on to himself. Though this act had one consequence and that was for his blade to return back to normal.

With his strength, Jerelloid collided with the knight’s blade and would have caused Farengoth’s blade to flew away if weren’t for the fact that any swordsman first training was for their hands to be gripping into the shaft of the blade tightly.

Jerelloid then assumed the pose of half-swording and drove his blade into his foes neck. By having one hand clasped onto the weapon’s blade half length... He could precisely thrust the sword.

After taking a step, he thrusted his blade into the knight and aimed to skewer the man’s neck.

With skill, Farengoth moved his body to his left.

Though all of his movements were already predicted by the masked man.

As before the knight could do any strike, Jerelloid released his right hand from the blade before gripping the hilt with both his hands.

After performing the required pose... He then swung his blade horizontally towards the knight and aimed to decapitate him.

Seeing that the blade was coming towards him, Farengoth immediately blocked the attack with his sword by erecting it upwards.

Jerelloid anticipated this also. He then like before, inserted chi/mana into his muscles before slowly overpowering the block performed by his foe.

The knight knew that he was going to die if he kept this act up.

With the correct timing at hand, he ducked and managed the dodge the full sped up swing of that man. Leading the opposing blade to taste nothing but air.

Without giving any moment to spare, Farengoth swung his blade horizontally and opposite in direction as compared to the masked man.

Slicing across the leather and cutting through some tendons of Jerelloid’s front thigh.

The masked man gritted in pain before backing off.

Eyeing the knight, he made a cold stare before slowly inserting mana into the mark on his chest.

His secret technique.

The room got engulfed in pure pitch-black darkness.

Farengoth prepared his stance waiting for any danger to arise towards him.

But no spell came in front of the knight... Except someone very familiar to him.

The knight’s eyed furrowed before he uttered, “Sheirl?”

Afterwords, the surrounding darkness started changing. The ground became muddy and the sky appeared above.

A smile then appeared on the lady’s face before she pulls out a wand from thin air. She then inserted mana into it.

With a simple hand gesture, piles of rock started emerging from the ground before combining in front of her.

After it grew to a small boulder, quarter the size of an average human, she then flicked her hand which sent it flying towards Farengoth.

The knight dodged the attack, but he didn’t expect another boulder was already ready by the time he dodged.

His head felt the ringing sensation before he was sent back from the force exerted by the next boulder.

He couldn’t help but think ‘What sort of magic is this? This type of illusion is too realistic... Even her magic is the same as I recalled. Though too accurate in landing attacks.’

After standing up, he rushed towards Sheirl. Evading all boulders on his way.

When Farengoth came close, the mage lady erected an earth wall between them which curved towards him.

Though the knight already predicted this and used his blade and mana to fling himself over the wall.

The knight emerged in front of Sheirl before aiming to cut her down.

But before he could... His heart clenched and he couldn’t help but look at her face and feel despair.

He couldn’t harm someone he knew... Someone he accompanied him throughout most of his years... Someone who he fell in love.

Sheirl’s eyes struck on to him before she said, “You can’t leave if you can’t kill me.” As if she was... Really her.

The lady then inserted a large chunk of her mana into her wand before a large hand slowly excavates out of the very ground.

The earth like giant hand, has a height of at least 30 feet tall and width of 9 feet.

It then swooped down before smacking Farengoth away.

Some of his armor fell as his body tumbled the ground.

His head felt a ringing sensation and he couldn’t help but cough out a handful of blood. He knew that his left arm wouldn’t budge even if he wanted it to.

Though the large rock arm didn’t stop there as it swatted upon the knight, crushing most of his bones and denting his armor.

When the hand was raised, Farengoth could finally breath before he concentrated the stray mana in his body into the talisman located in his pocket near the chest.

The talisman was his last source of retaliation in case of being in a dire state.

It would heal the body’s fractured bones and damaged organs to a certain degree.

After the white light enveloped his body, he could slowly stand up once again. He looked around before fetching his sword.

Farengoth knew that Sheirl casted a stage 2 spell and by recalling her mana grade, it wouldn’t last that long.

The giant rock hand returned back to a bunch pebbles on the ground.

He gritted his teeth before saying to himself repeatedly, ‘She’s not Sheirl but a clone. Nothing but a clone...’

The knight then assumed his stance before sending his mana into his blade. Covering his weapon entirely in sky blue light.

After focusing his blade, he then slashed the very air.

His act caused a large mana wave to surge out of his blade towards Sheirl.

It was very fast, that blinking twice will miss it.

Sheirl couldn’t even dodge or raise a barrier in time before getting hit by the mass of amount of power.

A large wound appeared from her shoulder to near her waist as she was pushed back.

She fell down to the ground with a *Tudd* noise. Losing any strength to keep her wand clasped on her hand. Blood could be seen dripping down the ground.

This is one of Farengoth’s most used techniques, the ‘Mana devouring surge’. A stage 2 Art, unique to him only.

His hands were shaking as his eyes were closed, not willing to see his beloved in pain again.

He would normally only use this technique if he was in a predicament as it would normally drain 30% of his mana supply.

The man then waited for the illusion to end. But it didn’t.

He felt annoyed as he forced himself to walk towards Sheirl’s clone.

Once near, he felt a long surge of pain. He couldn’t lament before on her death and saved it after the missions were done... But he didn’t know that he had to witness it again.

This time he was the one who dealt the blow.

He looked at the pale faced Sheirl before uttering, “Even if you’re a clone... I... Still harmed you... This time directly.”

Sheirl strangely looked at him before revealing a smile.

His heart clenched and couldn’t help but feel that this was the real Sheirl right now.

He bent down to his knee before holding her hand. The tears he held back before could now be seen.

Before long the illusion around him crumbled. Sheirl’s body slowly disappeared into nothing.

The before Assassin’s guild place returned to his vission.

Strangely he was standing still. His armor still intact, his body having energy and his mana back to normal. And he could feel the talisman still there.

As if that fight didn’t matter at all.

The knight stared at Jerelloid who had no mask and had traces of blood flowing down the corners of his mouth.

He could now see his pale rugged face.

The looks of a man desperate to save his daughter.

Jerelloid’s secret technique allowed himself to bring a person he wanted to be in a world of illusion. Where they partake against their loved one in a trial.

If they lose their life in the illusion, the person would turn unconscious after leaving the illusion.

Though it required him to constantly supply 0.25% of his mana per second to the mark on his chest. Since he didn’t expect that the Knight would last that long, he couldn’t help but use his life essence as a mana replacement.

With all that being said, he couldn’t baffle as to how the Knight succeeded his illusion.

Now death only looms over him.

The knight knew that the man in front of him was going to die even if he didn’t attack.

So, he decided to give the man a proper death.

“People that speak your tongue call this Secret technique but in mine, we call it Aerith Malugus. Since you were a worthy foe, I will grant you a death suited to one.”

Jerelloid couldn’t help but smile at the knight’s funny accent. He then replied, “The pleasure is mine... from a worthy knight. Though please spare my daughter... As a father.... I can’t let her get harmed... Or else I’ll haunt you even after death.”

The knight paused for a while, “Either way, I needed someone to interrogate and give what the minister wanted. The daughter may work, so be at ease.”

Jerelloid gave his thanks.

The knight then focused all of his mana into the mark on his hand.

Before unleashing the blow.

The father of Lou Jun couldn’t help but think, ‘Beautiful.’ Before the surge of force lands on him. Before his eyes closed permanently, he thought out, ‘Sorry Lou Fei, hopefully our daughter will survive.’

Jerelloid faced death admirably.

Farengoth had a haggard breathing as he walked towards the unconscious young lady to the side.

He then placed a pill inside her mouth before tying her body with rope he found.

The knight then sat and leaned his back to the wall before giving out a sigh.

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