The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 229: Launching the attack (2)

Chapter 229: Launching the attack (2)

"Are you alright?"

Althea stopped in her tracks and looked worried at Hex. Hex grimaced. He gritted his teeth and nodded at her.

"Go with your team. I will go the other way."

He shouted over his shoulder as he already moved past her. He didn’t wait for her to protest. His chest hurt like hell. The pain didn’t come from the blast or debris. Although he still felt the sting and prickle on his back. His chest hurt because of the multiple energy manifestations appearing in the air.

Sometimes the greatest gifts can become the greatest of curses. Hex realized the truth in that. His sharp and enhanced senses helped him avoid many struggles and risks. But their sensitivity picked all the energies around him.

Hex looked up. The dark sky was more lit at the moment than during noon when the sun stood at its zenith. The magnificent Hawk phantom was being besieged by two other phantoms. Their appearance drew his attention.

All the phantoms Hex witnessed so far were shaped like some kind of animal. It was the first time he saw other shapes. On the left, a giant halberd flew through the sky, going straight toward the Hawk. The massive halberd shone with a mixture of blood red and grass green.

On its right another weapon flew toward the Hawk. This one looked like an arrow. Short and sharp. Its head glistened with a violet flame as if it could explode at any moment.

"Gordon, you are the Commander of the South. I don’t wish to kill you. And Vella, your father, the Southern Governor, was my good friend. I don’t wish to end his bloodline."

The Commander’s voice reverberated as the Hawk skillfully flew between both phantoms and flew up higher. Hex could hear how unwilling the Commander was to engage those two Transformed Knights.

’It should be those two.’ Hex thought back to the two men in the middle of the Temple. They stood with the Oracles but Hex didn’t sense any Fate Strings on them. But his sensitivity to Fate wasn’t that great yet. He couldn’t be sure until he saw their phantoms appear in the air.

Hex wished nothing more than to stand still and observe the battle of their level. But he couldn’t afford to be an observer. The first Heartless was already before him.

’It’s not alone.’

The Disaster struck as soon as it laid its beady eyes on Hex. Although it was still difficult to face a Disaster one-on-one, Hex had done so quite a few times now.

He willed the Souldust into his energy and cloaked his sword with it. The dim red color darkened and gave an ominous feeling.

The inflamed sword clashed against the Disaster’s talon. Hex ducked under the incoming beast and slid over the rough terrain. The Disaster landed behind him and struck again. Hex, however, was already on his feet.

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed two other Disasters closing in. Hex could survive against a Disaster but three might be too much to handle. There was no help nearby. The Temple obstructed his view but he sensed several Disasters move. The Hawks stood ready to face them.

With a flicker, the energy thinned out and wrapped around Hex. The Disaster standing in front of him lunged at him while the two others came at him from both sides.

Flex Step!

Hex jumped upward, dodging the Disaster coming from the front by a hair width. The one on his right grabbed his ankle and hung onto him as he climbed into the sky. The one on his left had been a tad slower than the right one. Its delay in jump helped it adjust its trajectory in time. It flew at Hex, going straight for the jugular.

The wheels in Hex’s mind turned at a rapid tempo. Hex could use quite a few steps in the air but it would delay the inevitable. Plus, without looking he already knew the dangers of staying in the air for a prolonged time. The shockwaves released by the clashes between the phantoms made his flight upward unstable.

All this happened in an instant. Hex was about to drive back into the ground, deciding to risk it against one first. But before he could move, he sensed a dense energy erupt behind him. It was the floating construct. A second after sensing the energy, he saw a beam of white light flash. The light disappeared and to his shock half of the Disaster’s body coming from the left was missing. Only its legs remained.

Hex moved. The Disaster clamping on his ankle tried to move and claw him. The claw scratched the cloak around Hex. Hex landed with a thud on the floor. The one he dodged previously, was ready to strike once more. But Hex ignored it. He sensed the dense energy erupt again. Instead of focusing on the incoming Disaster, Hex focused on moving away from the place he expected the beam to hit.

The ground shattered and debris blasted out. Contrary to the last time, he didn’t need to protect someone. Using the Flex Step, he flew over the head of the Disaster. Hex landed on the ground and jumped back toward the creature. The Disaster had yet to turn.

Hex poured more Souldust into the energy and swung his sword. The creature sensed its doom. It turned but before he finished its move, its head flew in the air.

"Phew."

Hex whistled in relief and raised his thumb in the air. The assistance from the ship was beyond valuable. It was evident that Sterling and Quid focussed on him. More battles were happening all around the Temple yet they only aimed their beams to rid his obstacles.

’I need to move. I left the tools they gave me in the noble district. With them, I will have more opportunities.’

Hex knew the gate was open and the Gatekeeper was inside the Temple. He planned to retrieve his weapons before things worsened. He glanced in the air.

The Hawk flew like the areal predator it was between the two phantoms. The Commander’s control of his energy was above the other two. They flickered and attacked but their attacks failed to injure the Commander.

Hex was about to smile when beams of rainbow color shot into the air. With the beams, three women appeared in the sky. They walked over the rainbow with golden rings floating around them.

’That’s not energy. It’s Fate.’

Although Hex’s senses weren’t fully developed toward Fate, the density of Fate Strings in the air was high enough for his senses to pick it up.

The rainbows shone brightly and dazzled in the sky. The High Oracle stood in the center and waved her arms. Rainbow-colored strings shot out and moved at high speed toward the Hawk phantom.

Hex moved through the rubble but his eyes stayed on the battle in the sky. Something similar occurred all over the district. Everyone believed that the winner of the overall struggle depended on the outcome of the struggle in the sky.

The rainbow-colored strings seemed almost sentient. No matter how much the Commander maneuvered through the sky, the strings followed on their own. In an attempt to avoid the strings, the Commander moved right through the middle of the strings.

The strings clashed with each other. The two weapon-shaped phantoms tried to intercept but the Hawk phantom clawed them apart. The Commander even injured one of them. Hex wasn’t sure which but the shrill shriek spread out wide. Hex chuckled. The Commander was truly a man with few equals.

But just as the Commander outflew his opponents, the two Oracles beside the High Oracle moved. Hex didn’t see how they achieved it but their Fate Strings fused and shot straight at the Commander. The distance between the Hawk and the two Oracles was too short.

The rainbow-colored string wrapped around the claw of the Hawk and seemed to shackle it. Hex halted at once. He didn’t rush to make a decision. The hovering construct was still there.

’Oi serpent boy, attack.’

Hex shouted in his heart. He looked worried at the spectacle in the air. Without help, the Commander might suffer some serious injuries.

The Transformed Knights in the royal’s camp noticed their chance. They flew at high speed toward the Hawk. The Arrow and the Halberd reached the Hawk within a second.

Hex looked at the hovering construct. He didn’t sense any energy gathering at it.

’What are you doing?!’ Hex cursed inwardly while his heart thumped against his ribs. He wasn’t too close to the Commander but the man had been his master’s friend and his friend’s mentor. He wondered how Althea was feeling.

"MOO!"

The sound came later. A bright flash happened at the deck of the hovering construct and the next instant the ground shook. The Arrow and the Halberd phantoms disappeared. A mushroom-like dust cloud shot toward the sky.

The dust didn’t need to settle. A twenty-meter creature stood before the Temple. It looked humanoid with massive flaming horns. It held a five-meter-long mace on its shoulder. And its fiery eyes shone brightly.

Hex looked flabbergasted at the creature...no person. He didn’t know how to feel about it but the Duke of the North looked furious.

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