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---Previously---
Alaric smirked, not turning around. "It's rude to sneak up on people, you know..." he called out into the vast, silent chamber.
---Now---
Seeing that there was no reply, Alaric sighed and turned around as he saw...
"W-Woah..." He widened his eyes as a beautiful woman was cautiously standing just a few meters away from him.
She was a few inches shorter than him, meaning she was quite tall for a woman in this era, perhaps around 5'11.
She had dark-brunette hair pulled back in a practical side braid that framed a face possessing classical Greek beauty… a straight nose, and captivating brown eyes that held an ancient wisdom and weariness.
Her skin had the slight tan of someone who spent much time under the sun, and her lips were full and luscious.
She wore a practical, dark attire suited for movement… a sleeveless tunic that showed toned arms, cinched at the waist by a simple, loose belt. A leather strap ran diagonally across her chest, making her said chest pop out slightly.
Her forearms were wrapped in dark leather bracers, and Alaric immediately spotted the unmistakable glint of a hidden blade mechanism attached to her left bracer. Her long and athletic legs were covered by dark leggings tucked into sturdy, dark leather boots.
"Who are you, stranger?" the woman questioned, her voice steady but laced with caution, her brown eyes narrowing slightly as she glared at Alaric, assessing the intruder who had bypassed the doors to Atlantis' defenses.
'Damn...' Alaric felt an unexpected jolt, almost like a physical blow, as he met her gaze. He was momentarily stunned by her presence, her beauty, the sheer weight of history she represented. 'I think... I think I'm in love...'.
He quickly pushed the thought down, forcing a charming smile onto his face. Before he could speak, however, the woman spoke again.
"Is someone as handsome as you," she asked, tilting her head slightly, "a part of the Order of the Ancients? Perhaps their predecessors?"
Alaric blinked, his eyes widening slightly again, this time in surprise at being called handsome by her. He quickly recovered.
"Ah... no," he replied smoothly, offering a slight bow. "No Templar affiliations here. I am Alaric Jonathan Kenway… may I know the name of the legendary misthios I have the honor of addressing?"
The woman's eyes widened significantly in shock this time, her cautious stance tightening into outright suspicion. "How do you know that name?"
'Okay 'Laric, play it cool,' he coached himself internally. 'Don't lose your damn footing over a beautiful lady who's literally ancient.'
"It is not a name," he replied calmly. "It is a title, is it not?"
The woman didn't relax. With a faint shimmer, a sword seemed to appear in her hand from nowhere, likely Isu technology integrated into her gear.
"A witty one, are you?" she questioned again as her glare intensified. "Fine then... how do you know of that title? And how did you get in here?"
Alaric raised his hands slightly in a placating gesture. "Woah now, careful with that sword... you could hurt someone."
Kassandra, for Alaric was now almost certain it was her, glared at him for another long moment, then her gaze flickered slightly, as if listening to something only she could hear.
A faint chuckle escaped her lips, breaking the tension slightly. "You break into this place, bypass defenses that have stood for centuries, and you expect a nice greeting?"
Alaric's smile widened slightly. "Did you perhaps talk to Aletheia just now? Did she warn you about me?"
Kassandra's eyes widened again, this time with genuine alarm. Her grip tightened on her sword hilt.
"It seems you know far more than you should, stranger," she said, her voice dropping low, losing all trace of amusement. "I should just question you again when I break your legs… I have been civil enough."
Without further warning, Kassandra exploded forward.
She didn't just charge, she flowed across the Isu platform with blinding speed, her sword swiftly aimed directly at Alaric's throat.
The sheer power radiating from her was immense, far exceeding Reuben's even when he wielded the Sword of Damokles. Alaric recognized instantly that this ancient warrior, kept alive for millennia by the Staff of Hermes, was on another level entirely, easily at least five times stronger than Reuben.
Alaric met the attack, not with casual ease this time. He sidestepped the initial thrust as the sword tip whistled past his ear.
Kassandra immediately transitioned into a relentless flurry of slashes and stabs, each blow carrying enough force to shatter stone. Alaric found himself needing to put actual effort into dodging and blocking, his movements becoming sharper, faster than they had been against the Assassins or even Reuben.
He parried a powerful slash with his forearm, feeling the impact jar him slightly despite his enhanced body. Another thrust came instantly; he twisted, deflecting it with the back of his hand, the force scraping against his knuckles.
'Okay, definitely stronger,' he conceded internally. This wasn't a game anymore.
He unsealed Kusanagi from the tattoo on his shoulder, the familiar weight of the Chokutō settling into his hand. Kassandra didn't pause, pressing her attack, her ancient Spartan fighting style mixed with millennia of experience making her a terrifyingly unpredictable opponent.
Clang! Clang! Shiiink!
Kusanagi met Kassandra's sword, sparks flying in the dim blueish light of the Isu chamber.
Alaric blocked, parried, and occasionally counter-attacked, but Kassandra's defense was just as formidable as her offense. Her strength was immense; blocking her blows sent vibrations up Alaric's arm, forcing him to constantly reinforce his stance with chakra. Yet, despite the genuine effort required, Alaric remained outwardly calm, his expression focused but unpanicked, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he matched the legendary Misthios blow for blow.
After several minutes of intense, high-speed combat where neither could gain a significant advantage, Alaric saw an opening. He feinted high with Kusanagi, then delivered a powerful spinning kick aimed at Kassandra's midsection. She reacted instantly, attempting to block, but the force of the blow sent her staggering backwards, skidding across the Isu platform before catching her balance near the edge.
"Malakas!" Kassandra cursed under her breath, glaring at Alaric with renewed intensity. She held out her empty hand, and with a brilliant golden flash, a staff materialized in her grasp.
Alaric whistled softly, genuinely impressed.
"The Staff of Hermes Trismegistus..." he commented, eyeing the glowing artifact. "Now that looks dope."
Kassandra's eyes widened again at his casual recognition of the Isu artifact. With a determined glint in her eyes, the Staff shimmered and reformed, its golden light coalescing into the familiar shape of the broken Spear of Leonidas, though this version pulsed with far greater power than the original spear ever could have.
"I will stop playing now, stranger," Kassandra declared as her voice resonated with the Staff's power.
She lunged again, but this time her speed and strength were amplified exponentially. The spearhead blurred, striking faster than seemed possible, each blow carrying the weight of an Isu artifact.
Alaric found himself pushed back, Kusanagi working overtime to deflect the relentless assault. He had to put in significantly more effort now, his movements becoming a near-invisible blur of dodges, parries, and chakra-enhanced blocks.
He landed a solid punch on Kassandra's shoulder during a brief opening, making her grunt, but she barely seemed fazed, replying with a shield bash using the energy of the Staff that forced Alaric to leap back. He countered with a swift kick that she blocked with the shaft of her spear, the impact echoing through the cavern.
'She's really strong,' Alaric thought, parrying another blindingly fast thrust. 'Definitely stronger than Reuben, Jonathan, and Thulani combined, even if they trained for another hundred years. The Staff makes a huge difference.' Yet, even as he acknowledged her power, he felt no real danger. He wasn't pushed to his limits, not even close.
'I don't even need to use Sharingan or Sage Mode for this...'
The battle raged across the central platform, a whirlwind of flashing steel and golden light. They fought under the silent gaze of the floating pyramid and the giant hexagonal window displaying the serene ocean depths.
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