Boom! ×N
Heavy footsteps rang out with a cheerful rhythm as Berserker of the Red Faction—Spartacus—stormed across the plain littered with skeletal Dragon Tooth Warriors and homunculus golems. Having slipped out of the Shogun's sight a few minutes earlier, he finally arrived at the chaotic battlefield!
Crack! ×N
The Dragon Tooth Warriors before him instinctively mistook him for an ally and did not attack. The homunculi, however, were not so lucky.
"Hahahahaha! Don't block my way!!"
Boom!
With overwhelming force, he smashed aside the homunculi and golems that blocked his path like scattered building blocks, charging unhindered straight through the battlefield!
Ignoring the minor soldiers around him, Spartacus suddenly barreled toward Red Lancer Karna and Archer Atalanta. By now his mind was nothing but chaos, killing everything in sight. Blind instinct drove him toward the fiercest point of battle.
"That's… Berserker?!"
Atalanta's eyes widened as the giant rushed in.
"Spartacus, huh… you've come at just the right time."
Swish!
Dodging a series of thrusts from the Grand Prince, Karna caught sight of the charging Berserker at Atalanta's shout and calmly remarked.
"Don't get distracted in the middle of battle, Lancer!"
The Grand Prince gripped his lance and swept it wide.
"The Lord of Execution!"
BOOM!
A vast area of the ground glowed red before countless steel spikes erupted upward like a hedgehog's quills!
Karna's form ignited into crimson flame as he slipped swiftly through the gaps, batting aside the thrown lance aimed at him and soaring directly into the sky.
The Grand Prince leapt upon the spikes as footholds, chasing him into the air!
Crash!
The two clashed again midair.
After several strikes, they slammed back to the ground with tremendous force, raising clouds of dust.
"Lancer, behind you!!"
Atalanta's shout made Karna whirl around just in time to evade Spartacus' ground-smashing strike!
BOOOOM!
The earth split apart under the impact.
"Hah… looks like Caster's spell worked—!"
But before the Grand Prince could finish, Spartacus swung at him again. He barely leapt aside, scowling grimly.
"So it failed after all? No matter… he's an enemy to be defeated either way!"
The battlefield had grown even more chaotic—an unstable berserker in the mix made things worse.
Huff…Huff…
On the other side, Karna brushed aside the dust and calmly gazed at the maddened Spartacus.
"Spartacus, are you truly betraying your faction?"
Swish!
The giant swung his greatsword.
"Hahahaha! To every oppressor, I bring death in turn! None of you shall escape!!"
His eyes now only white voids, Spartacus declared loudly, pounding the earth as he laughed in ecstasy.
"I see… then I must apologize for mistaking you as a traitor. You are merely carrying out your mission."
Karna spun his golden spear and held it behind him, replying with composure, his voice devoid of displeasure.
"Hahahaha!! Now die!!"
Swish!
The giant leapt high, bringing his blade down in a mighty overhead slash!
Karna swiftly evaded the devastating strike.
BOOOOM!
The ground shattered beneath the blow, shockwaves rippling outward.
From the sidelines, Atalanta drew her bow, nocking an arrow aimed at his ankle, and loosed!
Whoosh!Thud!
The arrow pierced his lower leg with pinpoint accuracy.
"Hahahahaha!!"
Yet he did not falter in the least, still grinning wildly as he charged at Karna, each step carving cracks into the ground.
"Tch… I should've aimed for his tendons back then!"
Atalanta clicked her tongue in frustration at the ineffective strike.
Karna evaded another of Spartacus' swings, only to find the Grand Prince attacking him again!
One against two was indeed a disadvantage.
Clang!
Blocking the Grand Prince's lance with his own, Karna called back while holding his ground—
"Archer, I'll leave that one to you."
Now the numbers balanced out, not yet beyond control. He would handle the Grand Prince—Atalanta could deal with Spartacus.
"Understood!" Atalanta replied at once.
-Atalanta gave a firm response, pulling her mask up over her mouth as she sprinted toward Berserker!
"Urragh!"
Spartacus raised his greatsword, swinging it down at the spot where she was about to pass.
But Atalanta smirked mockingly, lowering her stance and sliding beneath him.
Swish!
She slipped cleanly under the giant's legs, rolling to her feet behind him and instantly drawing her bow, aiming at his back.
"To think of it, you really are a pitiful creature!"
Swish! ×N
With those words, dozens of arrows shot out like a shotgun blast, streaking through the air like beams of light and piercing into his back.
The attack pinned Spartacus in place, driving him to one knee.
"Heh…"
Atalanta sneered, just beginning to rise—but then—
"Hahahaha! Not enough! I told you, it's not enough!!!!"
He roared, his body instantly recovering. Without the slightest warning, he spun and lashed out with a brutal kick!
BOOOOM!!!
"Urragh!!"
The blow landed squarely in Atalanta's abdomen, striking her completely unguarded. The impact blasted dust and air in all directions.
Pfft!
She spat blood as her body was hurled like a bullet, tumbling across the ground and carving out deep craters before she finally stopped dozens of meters away.
Clutching her stomach, she curled up, her face pale—it seemed she could hardly rise again. Several ribs had been broken by the strike, the pain so sharp it nearly made her faint.
"Damn… khh…"
She forced herself upright, coughing, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Hahahahaha!!"
Still grinning manically, Spartacus strode toward her with heavy steps, eager to finish her himself. But—fate had shifted.
BOOM!
A streak of lightning split the night sky like a dragon, slamming into Spartacus' side with such force his massive body twisted unnaturally, bent into a U-shape. To onlookers, it looked almost comical, even grotesque.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth cracked beneath the impact, fragments of soil rising as though defying gravity, swirling into the vortex of thunder and storm.
"Urraghhhhhh!!"
At last, Spartacus' smile vanished, replaced by a scream of agony.
CRASH!
His body was hurled like a cannonball, plowing through the battlefield like a bulldozer, gouging out a massive trench in his path. Dirt and dust rose in torrents as he skidded for several seconds before finally coming to a halt.
Atalanta could only stare, dumbfounded, unable to even process what had just happened.
Facing the Grand Prince, Karna too noticed the familiar lightning. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"So… you've arrived?"
His words were confirmed.
The violet lightning that had struck Spartacus condensed upon the ground, materializing into the form of a woman in traditional robes. One hand pressed to the ground, the other gripping her naginata, she knelt on one knee, raising her gaze with eyes of thunder.
"Black Faction's Saber."
The Shogun tilted her head slightly at Karna's words, before turning her sharp gaze upon the berserker she had just blasted away. The trench his body carved into the earth glowed faintly with sparks of fire and electricity.
[Finally caught up. This one really can run.]
Ei sighed in her mind, complaining. They had been chasing him all along—he truly was fast.
This meddler was far too disruptive amidst the chaos of battle. It was best to eliminate him here. That was her purpose in arriving as well.