Chapter 606: Duel?
Vale had previously acquired two Sovereign Artifacts from Royal Knights Commander Gram and Vice Commander Laura.
Thanks to his Appraisal Spell, he could discern the nature of the items and glean some information. Although the appraisal result wasn't flawless, it provided sufficient insight into their capabilities and potential risks if mishandled.
The red glove worn by Lisa was the same Sovereign Artifact that Laura had possessed, known as the Red Bruiser, which boasted three distinct abilities. One of its abilities, the Space Breaker, surprised even Vale, as its power allowed it to annihilate anything it came into contact with during its brief activation.
Lisa only had a short 5 seconds to do it, but it was certainly a terrifying ability.
However, this ability could only be employed thrice a day, and was limited to physical objects, rendering it ineffective against spells, spiritual beings, or summoned entities.
Boom!
At this point, Lisa caught the sword of the White Knight!
She already activated the Space Breaker and nearly shattered the sword!
"Nice move... No wonder the Marquis looked so confident." Vale muttered.
He clearly saw how the White Knight displayed his remarkable reflexes.
The White Knight swiftly recognized the risk his sword faced from being destroyed. Without any hesitation, the Knight promptly aborted his Sword Technique despite the potential for injury.
Thanks to that, he was able to avoid the worst-case scenario for his sword.
However, as he pulled back, he heard something...
A resounding crack echoed through the training grounds as the precious sword sustained a few minuscule fractures from Lisa's brief hold.
"That equipment is above Royal Rank?" The White Knight muttered in astonishment, realizing that only an Artifact surpassing the sword's classification could inflict such damage.
There was no doubt Lisa's equipment must be at least a low-rank Sovereign Artifact!
The Knight, undeterred by the jeopardy his weapon faced, remained unfazed.
As a Knight working for the Marquis, he had confronted numerous formidable opponents, so he viewed each encounter as an opportunity for growth.
Swiftly discarding his now fractured sword, he drew a dagger from his waist.
"Since you have to touch the weapon to break it, as long as I'm faster, I'll have no trouble defeating you," He declared, leveraging his remarkable speed to close the distance to Lisa.
In response, Lisa chuckled upon hearing his words.
"You're correct... However, I merely tested this equipment. I just received it a few days ago. Now, I'll engage you in earnest..." Lisa remarked, deftly evading the White Knight's aggressive assault with graceful movements.
"You—"
The White Knight was astonished as he found himself outmatched by Lisa's swiftness.
Yet, his astonishment was far from over. As Lisa leaped backward, an ominous aura enshrouded the entire training ground, her eyes turning a striking shade of red. Her complexion paled dramatically, and her hair darkened, signaling a startling transformation.
There was no doubt! It was a transformation into a Vampire!
This time, Lisa had already nullified the effects of the Vampire Fang necklace she wore, which had been instrumental in maintaining her human guise.
Upon her transformation, Marquis Morgan and the Black Knights instinctively reached for their weapons, a reflexive response when confronted by a formidable creature.
"That woman is a Vampire?!" Marquis Morgan exclaimed, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.
The revelation that someone he had regarded as a feeble Arcanist was, in fact, a Vampire, caught him off guard.
"Hahaha! So it's like that! No wonder my Sixth Sense Spell is telling me that you're dangerous. Come! Face me!" The White Knight challenged, undeterred by the startling revelation.
He even seemed more excited after seeing her transformation.
After Vale saw Lisa's transformation, he knew that this battle was over.
Although the White Knight was strong, his techniques would only work against normal Arcanists. After all, Lisa could already fly and even transform herself into a mist!
As the battle unfolded, the White Knight unleashed a flurry of dagger techniques and swift movement spells, attempting to tie up Lisa so she wouldn't get away...
His expertise in close combat and agility were on full display as he sought to outmaneuver the Vampire.
However, Lisa's vampiric abilities, including the formidable Darkness Veil, and a host of other potent vampire spells, proved to be overwhelming.
In a display of otherworldly power, she used a combination of Darkness Manipulation, Hypnotic Illusions, and a chilling Malevolent Aura to steadily gain the upper hand.
Ultimately, despite the White Knight's valiant efforts, he succumbed to the relentless spells of the Vampire.
Vale saw how the White Knight was so frustrated as he didn't even manage to hit Lisa! Not even once!
***
Marquis Morgan empathized with the White Knight's plight.
He was fully aware of the unnerving challenge he faced.
Observing Lisa's adept manipulation of darkness, her ability to transform into mist, and her elusive evasion as a swarm of bats, he immediately realized that it was a bad match for his Knight.
She was undoubtedly the most formidable adversary for a Knight who was lacking a suitable weapon to combat a vampire.
Witnessing his Knight succumb to the relentless onslaught of vampire spells, including hypnosis and blood magic, Marquis Morgan even thought of intervening to halt the unequal contest.
Ultimately, Lisa's resounding slap on the White Knight's helmet served as a stark wake-up call, driving home the futility of his continued resistance against her overwhelming power.
"I'll be fighting next..." Declared by the Black Knight as he swiftly took the stage. He was aiming to win his duel to make it a draw.
He then looked at his opponent, Pearl, who didn't even wear decent protective gear, and was only carrying a cane!
"Same rules... If you're ready, you can now start the fight!"
As Faith announced the start of the battle, she sensed the impending confrontation. Faith swiftly positioned herself at a safe distance, anticipating Pearl's next move.
Meanwhile, the Black Knight gripped his sword tightly, enveloping himself in a formidable shroud of dark aura for protection.
However, Pearl calmly issued a directive.
"Drop your weapon."