In a single move—a series of consecutive attacks, like river waters flowing flawlessly between boulders—the Visage of the unknown girl cut down everyone behind Brandon.

The instant it passed Brandon, deceiving him with an afterimage conjured by skilled movement phasing, the Visage rushed in, cutting down Sylvie, Ellric, Liz, and Hannah.

Sylvie, though a gold-rank mage adventurer, fell prey to the blade of the Visage, which cut her enchanted staff in half and cleaved a deep wound into her chest.

Ellric, unable to see the Visage's movements or follow its speed, fell to his knees without a chance to brandish his weapon. In the split second it took, the Visage's blade cleaved through his silver armor as if it were ordinary cloth, leaving a wound large enough for his blood to stain the silver red.

It was the same for Liz, who collapsed unconscious from the shock of sustaining such a critical injury for the first time in her life.

Their only silver lining was that Hannah remained conscious. Thanks to her near-death experience with Alex's sword, even after sustaining the same wound as the others, she was still able to stand, straddling her mace for support, refusing to fall.

Seeing his companions gravely wounded and on the brink of death, with the Visage standing past them and looking back at him, Brandon resorted to using his ace—one he would only unleash when certain he could not win and where losing meant death.

After all, the gate they had entered into the Dungeon Master's hall had already closed. Their only choice was to fight, and their only hope was to win.

"Burnout"

A second activation of his divine gift—not to draw out the potential of his enchanted weapon and armor, but of his own body—enhancing his physical and magical capabilities to their utmost limit until his body broke.

With that power, Brandon was confident he could defeat the Visage of the unknown girl, or at least match its strength.

Or so he thought.

Gripping its longsword with both hands, the Visage took its stance, then charged at Brandon the moment he activated his divine gift.

At full strength, Brandon could now follow the Visage's movements with his eyes and react quickly enough to counter its attacks.

Sharp cutting sounds resounded within the hall with each swing of their longswords.

Sparks ignited in the air each time their blades clashed.

Each slash grew faster than the last, unleashing an aura that cleaved through the stone floor.

Each strike grew stronger with every clash, sending shockwaves reverberating through the air.

Yet despite his confidence, Brandon was pushed back, forced a step backward with every exchange.

'Bloodshed'

An automatic activation of his divine gift at the brink of death—that was what saved Ellric.

With Bloodshed, the more injuries his body sustained, the more he bled, and the closer he came to death, the more his physical and magical abilities surged.

His silver armor, stained red, and the pool of blood beneath his knees as he leaned on his longsword to keep from collapsing, marked his boosted strength. With that power, Ellric could now follow the Visage's movements and fight alongside Brandon.

"There's no need to heal me, Hannah," he said upon hearing her prayer to the goddess Isleen, preparing to cast her divine blessing.

"Ellric… don't fight…" Sylvie muttered, lying listless on the floor.

"Heal"

Understanding Ellric's resolve, even with Sylvie's worries and refusal, Hannah cast her divine blessing, trying to heal everyone—including herself, especially Liz, who was barely alive and on her last breath—except Ellric.

Though she barely managed to stop the bleeding before collapsing from the strain of using divine power, Hannah had succeeded in preventing anyone from dying.

"Please look after Hannah and Liz, Syl—" Ellric paused, realizing this might be the last time he could speak to the woman he loved. If so, he at least wanted to tell her how he truly felt.

"Please watch how strong I am, Mom," he said to Sylvie with a cheerful smile before rushing toward the Visage.

Sylvie couldn't say anything as she watched Ellric through tear-filled eyes, remembering the deaths of Ellric's parents, her dearest friends.

'Gale'

'Shockwave'

Although Ellric's swordsmanship still could not match the Visage's, every slash of his longsword, imbued with his combat skill, carried speed and power equal to Brandon's.

"Keep it up, and we can win, Ellric."

Following Brandon's lead, their duo synchronized their attacks. Yet even with relentless effort, neither Brandon nor Ellric landed a direct hit.

Even against multiple opponents, the Visage of the unknown girl stood its ground. It did not falter, blocking each slash from Ellric's sword imbued with the advanced combat skill Gale and deflecting each strike imbued with Brandon's Shockwave.

The Visage's less durable body took no damage—the cleaving auras cut nothing but air, and the devastating shockwaves struck nothing but stone.

Worse still, the Visage had not even unleashed its full strength.

Its slashes grew faster and sharper, its strikes heavier and stronger.

And with a technique Brandon had thought impossible, the scale of battle shifted to the Visage's favor.

A consecutive series of slashes, a technique in which the blade struck multiple times within a fraction of a second.

At least, that should have been the attack that hit Brandon and Ellric. But in their eyes, it was as if four blades existed when the Visage swung its longsword, all striking at once. Two were blocked by their longswords, but the other two cut through their armor, carving fresh wounds into their bodies.

Despite the injuries, the excruciating pain, and the blood drenching their armor, Brandon and Ellric held their ground, glimpsing a fragile hope of victory against the Visage of the unknown girl.

The Visage's longsword shattered after unleashing its technique, breaking apart not like mirror or crystal shards, but like rusted metal.

Regardless of the disturbing difference from how other Visages had shattered, Brandon and Ellric raised their weapons, disregarding defense to unleash their full strength in one strike.

We won.

At least, that was what they thought—until the Visage took its stance again, as if gripping an invisible sword with both hands.

The sight of a new longsword materializing in its grasp made both Brandon and Ellric realize the grim truth.

They never had a chance of winning.

"Mr. Arezu…"

"0201"

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