The left knight, now finally moving his feet from what seemed to be a stationary position, appeared now about to take things seriously. Seeing how the situation had played out so far, I could only imagine that the knight was not all talk. The way space, time, and the environment worked in this place was very unusual, as sometimes it followed the laws of physics that I was familiar with, but that it self was only if I didn't just know the basic and simple laws. But what made me come to this conclusion was when the space around us seemed to expand. The left knight, moving towards the shadow creature, was now miles ahead of me and the right knight. How was the ground able to pull us apart without me being conscious of it? This place could expand in size and space? Incredible.
Then the left knight, as he was the one who clearly wanted me dead, responded, "Do not get too comfortable, child. Your death is still definitely going to happen, but it seems as though the creature after you doesn't understand that once I mark my target, only I get to kill it. Just wait and see, child." Was the crazy knight serious? Who wants to hurt a child? The heck.
The right knight now also stepped forward in front of me, as the distance between us and the two about to battle was now massive, as the earth had stretched in distance and space, as if its primary function was to be a battle field. The right knight then turned towards them right in front me, driving his sword into the ground. A white, visible, translucent shield was now in action, acting as a wall. "Barrier has been set. Now make it quick. I can sense Azazel."
Who is this Azazel they keep talking about? Could he be some kind of senior knight? Looking at the battle about to commence, I wondered who would finally get what's coming to them: the annoyingly persistent shadow creature or the loudmouthed knight who has no problem sending me to the shadow realm. "Have I heard that reference before?" I thought. The shadow creature, again seemingly not interested in the knight, rushed towards me. The scene before me could only be accurately described as a human against a cockroach. The knight repeatedly prevented it from coming to me. This also irritated the knight more, as he swung the blunt, flat side of his massive fat sword, using it as a bat to hit the creature. The creature splashed against the wall, like when jelly is hit. The knight was "rag-dolling" the shadow.
The shadow, still very much after me, in a frustrated attempt, charged up another energy ball. It was bigger this time, much more suited for a larger target. Boom, boom, boom, boom! Four rapid balls shot out. The left knight took a stance, holding his massive sword with his two hands. The first time in a while..as the environment began to heat up.
"This slow build-up of heat…"
It was the suffocating kind, the kind that clings to your skin and seeps into your bones. Like being trapped in a sealed room with no air, where every breath grows heavier and hotter. My body felt sapped, as though the heat itself was wringing me dry leaving me dizzy, lightheaded, and too weak to lift a finger. My vision wavered at the edges, my pulse thudded in my ears, and a sickly nausea coiled in my stomach. Was I succumbing to heat stroke?" It drained not just sweat, but willpower the very desire to move, to think, to exist. Yet even through this barrier, the scorching weight refused to relent.
The four blazing orbs split into separate positions, yet their intent was clear they were all locked on me, chasing as though I were their only target. Each time he slashed one apart, it didn't vanish or explode it multiplied. One became many, fragments igniting the air as they scattered, then regrouped with relentless precision. Before I could grasp what had happened, the four had multiplied into a swarm of a hundred miniature bomb-balls, all circling like heat-seeking predators. They moved with the same merciless hunger as missiles, correcting their course each time I moved. Like the heads of a hydra, every strike only bred more, and the more they split, the more suffocating and crowded the battlefield became. As I now started feeling extremely exhausted due to the heat, which all seemed to be caused by the left knight, the right knight spoke aloud, "I knew he would go overboard, idiot... This was why I created the barrier in the first place. "So the barrier was to shield us from his attacks... for this reason? Placing my hands on the barrier, I immediately removed them as the heat scorched my hands, but I was immediately healed by the pendant again. Breathing became difficult, and I began to sweat from my temple more now.The right knight then asked me a question: "What kind of taboo did you and your parents have to commit to get this creature on your head? For someone created an authority solely to destroy you?"
So this meant only one thing: this had to be the taboo of twins, and this is the monstrosity I would have to train to fight? A creation of a drOgan. "No, no, no, " whatever happens, I shouted aloud, "Kill it! Kill it!" All I hoped was for this knight to do the dirty work for me, as the mini-bombs were still heading in my direction. The left knight then stretched out his sword, and the tip of the sword began to make a loud ring. Then, in the blink of an eye, the mini-bombs changed their trajectory back to their sender, the shadow. The shadow began to dodge its own attacks. "It appears you're not impervious to your own attacks. Pitiful," he said.
The knight shifted into a stance so heavy, so absolute, that the entire ground buckled beneath him. In an instant, the world seemed to lurch downward, the floor giving way as if the whole area had dropped to a lower level. My stomach twisted violently, the same sickening jolt as when an elevator free-falls for a split second before catching. The air rushed out of my lungs, my knees nearly buckling under the sudden drop. "What is going on in this hell?" I gasped, the sensation leaving me weightless and crushed at the same time, caught between panic and disorientation.
"Great Divider!" The sword first lit up with red flames, then orange, and then finally blue flames. The shadow creature was already badly damaged by its own bombs as they tore holes in its body as it consumed them, and they exploded within it, becoming overwhelming for it. As my eyes began to burn a bit as I stared at the left knight, he said, "Filth, I will send you to your master in ashes. He can have you as smoke. Here is what will put you to sleep." Swinging his sword, as the impact slowly built up as the momentum grew, all I could wait for was the impact. "Yes, this bastard will finally die," I thought, relieved. I could at least smile. "Stupid taboo."
"Too late... he is already here, brother," the right knight said. "Who is already here?" I thought.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now, Galahad," a new voice said.
First, I turned my head around to see where the voice came from. Upon doing that, I realized the massive gate these two knights guarded had already been opened, and with that, I saw the left knight's sword halt.
From the depths of the gate, a figure emerged, his form a perfect fusion of piety and terror. He wore a long, flowing robe the color of a starless night, cinched at the waist with a simple leather belt. But it was the details that spoke of his true station: gleaming gold adornments, stark against the black, tracing arcane symbols and celestial patterns across his sleeves and collar. A golden eye, etched into his gauntlet, seemed to watch with a quiet, knowing malice.
His face was a grotesque, beautiful mask of gold, a hollow skull from which a single, dark eye stared out, devoid of all human emotion. A conical hat, impossibly tall and crowned with a golden, sun-like emblem, reached towards the heavens, a mockery of a bishop's miter. In his hand, he held a staff of polished brass, topped with a crucifix forged from the same unholy metal, its shape more like a key to a forbidden vault than a symbol of faith. He was a cleric, yes, but not of a god of light. He was the high priest of a forgotten god of shadows and secrets, and every inch of his being radiated a silent, unshakeable authority that promised a swift, merciless judgment. So this was him? Adjudicator ? Azazel?