As the fog door dissipated, the group stepped into the open space at the top of the bell tower.
At the far end of this space, the shadow of a young girl stood, holding a staff, gazing up at the great bell above. Beside her, the shadow of a knight silently stood guard.
Compared to the previous shadows they had encountered, this girl's shadow seemed far more blurred. The only sensation they could gather was that her silhouette somewhat resembled Artoria's, though considering they both came from the Fairy Realm, such resemblance was not surprising.
In contrast, the knight's shadow standing beside her was far more solid. So solid, in fact, that they could clearly make out the details of his armor.
He wore finely crafted mithril armor, draped with the finest deep blue silk embroidered with intricate patterns. His leather pauldrons and waist were encrusted with colorful gems, and even his armguards and boots had matching gemstones embedded in them, all extravagant beyond measure.
The knight's sword and shield were just as impressive. His round, shield was also made of mithril, with a blue gemstone set in the center. His sword, hanging at his waist, was even more remarkable. At first glance, the hilt and the tip of the blade appeared to be made of a single large gemstone, evidently a magnificent magical catalyst, constantly emitting a soft, blue glow with powerful magical vibrations.
However, for some reason, when Guinevere saw the knight's armor and weapons, an overwhelming sense of déjà vu surged within him. It felt as though he had seen this same armor and weapon before, but there was no time for him to ponder its source.
With their entrance, the shadows of the witch and the knight stirred. The witch slowly turned around, tightening her grip on her staff.
The knight's sword, already unsheathed, moved swiftly, and he charged toward the group, closing the distance in an instant.
The moment the knight drew his sword, an unspoken pressure descended on everyone's hearts. Even the air seemed to thicken, making it harder to breathe.
"I'll be the decoy!" Redra shouted.
With that, Redra charged ahead. Though dissatisfied with Grim's earlier dismissal of them, Redra never let its guard down for the upcoming test. As a beast, its heightened senses made it acutely aware of the looming threat ahead—the knight was no ordinary human.
Without hesitation, it swung its great sword with full force, aiming at the oncoming knight.
Someone had to test his strength and fighting style. And given Redra's resilient, tough nature, it seemed only right that it should go first. But then...
A brilliant flash of light appeared before the knight, and in the next instant, his shadow vanished.
Then, the sound of sword striking flesh, followed by Guinevere's anxious shout:
"Artoria—!"
What happened?
Redra quickly looked back, only to see that the knight had already reached their companions and, with one swift strike, pinned Artoria to the ground.
"Dammit!"
Guinevere's eyes immediately turned red. He swung his mithril great sword toward the knight. The knight, however, swiftly raised his sword to block the first strike.
But for Guinevere, blocking a single strike was meaningless. Using the momentum from his swing, he quickly adjusted and aimed another blow at the knight.
Taking advantage of the clash, the knight stepped back, vanishing from sight. When he reappeared, he was two meters away, leaping into a dazzling light, only to reemerge right in front of Redra.
"What is going on—"
Redra instinctively swung its great sword toward the knight, but before the strike could land, a sharp blue blade cut through the air and severed Redra's head.
Eh?
As its vision spun, a question mark flashed in Redra's mind: Was that the long, narrow blade the knight had just used?
However, the expected death did not come. With a crack, the scene rewound. Redra's severed head suddenly returned to its neck, and the wound closed up as if nothing had happened.
—It was Grim's life-saving magic at work.
Not only Redra but Artoria, who had been pierced through the heart, was also revived, though she could no longer hold her staff. Gasping for air, her heart still raced wildly from the near-death experience, and she had lost all of her strength.
Grim's life-saving magic wasn't without consequences. While it saved their lives, the time manipulation magic placed a heavy strain on their bodies, rendering them unable to continue fighting.
"It's Ash's Water Mirror Magic!" Grim suddenly shouted. Stepping forward, he raised one hand, and a golden lance formed in his grasp. He hurled it toward the witch's shadow.
Yet, the witch's shadow didn't even flinch. A brilliant Water Mirror appeared before her again, and Grim's lance flew into it. At the same time, another Water Mirror unfolded behind Grim, and the lance flew back toward him, aiming for his back.
But, just as it was about to hit Grim, the lance suddenly veered off course and changed trajectory, flying straight toward the witch's shadow.
Although Grim was merely Odin's agent, he still carried Odin's blessing. With that blessing, his lance had the qualities of the legendary weapon Gungnir, meaning it could never miss.
Like Cú Chulainn's Gáe Bolg, Gungnir had the "inevitable hit" property, making it perfect for fighting an enemy like Ash, who specialized in space manipulation. But...
"What?!"
Grim widened his eyes in disbelief as, just before Gungnir struck Ash's shadow, Yusse's shadow swiftly moved to intercept. He raised his shield and deflected the incoming spear with ease.
Normally, even if something were to deflect Gungnir, it would automatically find its way back to its target. But as the shield and the lance collided, a ripple of blue energy spread out, and when the lance struck the ripple, it disintegrated into raw magical energy, breaking apart into three flying swords that hovered behind the knight.
The flying swords then adjusted their aim and locked onto Grim, flying toward him.
—Yes, although the spear itself was supposed to hit, if its existence was negated, the inevitability of its strike was also nullified.
At that moment, Guinevere's eyes widened, and a single word, filled with frustration, escaped his lips.
"Damn!"
He recognized that move. Not only the move, but the knight's armor, his sword and shield, even the strike that had severed Redra's head—he recognized it all.
"This guy really is the Guardian Knight of the Witch!" Guinevere cursed under his breath.
"Stop spouting nonsense! He's the Guardian Knight of the Rain Witch, obviously!" Grim yelled, his arms trembling as he parried the three magic swords. Seeing Guinevere still dazed, he shouted, "This isn't the time to be stunned!"
"No, you don't understand what that means—"
Before Grim could finish his sentence, the knight switched his long sword for an enormous, broad blade, as tall as a person, and crouched down like a beast.
In the next moment, a surge of power exploded from his limbs. The knight leapt high into the air, flipping his body, and slammed the massive sword into the ground with incredible force. The Water Mirror unfolded in front of him, and once again, the reflections showed their companions.
But this time, the group, having learned from the previous encounter, scattered as the knight's sword struck the ground with a deafening thud, missing everyone.
"Now's our chance!" Grim and Percival shouted in unison, charging toward the knight with a staff and a spear aimed directly at him.
"Don't go! Fall back!" Guinevere shouted, but it was too late.
As his words fell, the knight pulled his sword from the ground, and a massive explosion of icy magic erupted, sending Grim and Percival flying.
—Royal Greatsword: Wolf Assault.
It was the legendary sword of a half-wolf knight, a token of his oath to serve the witch. The sword itself was imbued with cold magic.
When Percival hit the ground, he quickly rolled and stood up, but as soon as he did, the shadow of Yusse was already moving forward. A massive magical greatsword appeared in his left hand and swung toward Percival.
Seeing the sword's arc, Percival instinctively tried to dodge, but his movements felt sluggish, as though his body was frozen.
"What—"
Just as the sword's energy was about to strike Percival, Guinevere moved in front of him, knocking him out of the way. The sword's freezing energy passed over them, and the air around them turned into ice shards.
"It's ice! Our bodies are frozen solid!" Guinevere shouted.
"I know! I'll break the freeze!" Grim's voice rang out again. He stepped forward, waving his hands to create several runes, which quickly turned into fireballs, shooting toward the knight.
The sudden rise in temperature dispelled the freezing magic the knight had previously unleashed.
However, just as the fireballs were about to hit the knight, he spun his staff to intercept them, and a complex pattern appeared in the air. A magic formation quickly materialized, creating a turquoise-colored shield that expanded outward, deflecting the fireballs and sending them to the side.
—Topas' Field.
It was a legendary magic developed by a genius sorcerer who was never appreciated in his time. It was capable of deflecting even divine miracles.
As the fireballs were deflected, the knight swung his greatsword, and a brilliant sword beam shot toward Grim. Grim tried to dodge, but Ash's Water Mirror magic once again manifested, guiding the blade straight to Grim's back, shattering the protective magic and temporarily paralyzing Grim.
The knight's body surged into the air once again, and a large magical moon of energy formed around him, locking onto Guinevere and Percival. It then hurtled toward them.
Without hesitation, both Guinevere and Percival dove in opposite directions, avoiding the magical moon as it crashed into the ground, exploding into a massive wave of magical turbulence.
Then, two trailing blue magical blocks shot out from the remaining icy energy, like comets streaking through the sky, heading directly for their chests.
Percival couldn't dodge in time and was hit directly by the magical meteor, piercing through his chest and leaving a massive hole. Time reversed, healing his wound but robbing him of the strength to continue.
On the other side, Guinevere had already prepared for defense. He swung his great sword, deflecting the magical comet, sending it flying into the sky.
—Thanks to the magic of the Dark Moon, which obscured the attack, Guinevere was able to pull off this trick. He had used it often enough in Elden Ring's arena.
Yes, he recognized the knight's identity. The bastard wasn't even from the Type-Moon universe! The flashy armor, the extravagant sword and shield, the magical combat style...
This guy was definitely a Calia Knight from Elden Ring's set!
And not just any knight...
Guinevere looked at the man raising his knight's sword in front of him, at the torrent of magic gathering around it, forming a massive blade over ten meters long.
The Calia Knight's Sword: Great Calia.
As the massive magical blade, filled with terrifying energy, descended toward him, Guinevere closed his eyes in pain.
Hunter's Stride, Moonblade, Royal Greatsword, Calia's Return, Lena's Staff, Adula's Moonlight, Topas' Field, Dark Moon Greatsword, and Broom Star...
This wasn't just an ordinary Calia Knight—this guy was the full-equipped Elden King!