But Anastasia showed not a hint of fear; on the contrary, a fearless smile adorned her beautiful face as if she had just found the perfect toy. Her swordplay was fierce, imbued with a killing intent that sliced through the air itself, and her movements were completely unpredictable, as if following a choreography known only to her. Just when Frank thought he had blocked an attack, the blade slid over his with lethal smoothness, targeting vital points from unexpected angles that defied all logic.
With an unexpected move that left me breathless, she dropped backward, arching her body with feline grace while her two swords, black and silver, stabbed into the ground like anchors. The leader's sword fell due to the momentum, and spinning her body with her hands firmly on her weapons, Anastasia swung her figure upward from below, launching a powerful kick that struck Frank's cheek with the devastating force of a cannonball.
The impact grotesquely deformed his face and shattered the black glasses covering his eyes, fragments of glass flying through the air like deadly confetti.
The leader flew through the air like a rag doll, but managed to stabilize himself by sliding his legs and desperately driving his silver sword into the dirt ground. Even so, he couldn't help but spit blood while clutching his stomach with trembling hands. He raised a shaky hand, as if finally recognizing the real danger posed by Anastasia's seemingly delicate blows.
Yes, the man had proven to be strong, more than I had anticipated. Compared to the strange geometric-faced individual who had ambushed us earlier, this one was far more dangerous, a threat of an entirely different level. I was completely certain that not even Arceus and I together could defeat him in direct combat, but it seemed Anastasia had stopped playing with her prey.
A large amount of sapphire-colored energy radiated violently from her entire body, releasing a torrent of pure power that made my hair stand on end. Blue lightning enveloped Anastasia's sword like dancing electric snakes.
—What?! How is it possible that you're a Knight…? —shouted Frank with absolute incredulity, clenching his teeth tightly as his eyes widened in shock.
Dropping the silver sword and fracturing the ground beneath her feet as if it were paper, Anastasia appeared in front of Frank in an instant that defied my senses. He blocked desperately as sparks illuminated the night consecutively like a miniature electrical storm, each blow forcing him to retreat rapidly from left to right in a frantic dance. His movements were so fast that, were it not for my specialized Eclipse Eyes, I wouldn't have perceived them even as blurry streaks.
The eyes activated only under my will, a control that defined the use of this intricate and powerful ability, incapable of manifesting on its own. It required a conscious act, a deliberate mental effort to unleash its atomic perception and associated functions, giving me the freedom to choose when to analyze, nullify, or hijack a spell according to the demands of the moment. This feature allowed me to conserve my stellar energy and avoid mental overload in instances where absolute perception was not essential, achieving a delicate balance between power and prudence.
With both hands in front of his sweaty face and the tip of his sword pointing to the ground, Frank barely blocked an attack aimed directly at his head, his hands trembling from total numbness. It was evident to me that merely resisting Anastasia's relentless blows was exhausting him rapidly.
She slowly pushed her opponent's sword backward, forcing Frank to retreat mercilessly, like a predator cornering its prey. He regained his defensive stance, but visibly staggered as fear began to take hold of him.
Had Anastasia been deliberately hiding her true strength from the beginning?
Frank seemed completely confused, unable to comprehend the situation unfolding before him like a nightmare. Anastasia didn't let that brief golden opportunity slip away. She closed the distance instantly like a bolt of lightning and swung her sword with tremendous speed that sliced through the air.
Frank barely managed to block the strike by sheer luck, but another attack came before he could even breathe. Anastasia's relentless strikes rained down without pause like an avalanche on a snowy mountain. Frank had no choice but to constantly yield ground, completely overwhelmed by the girl wielding her sword with an unleashed fury that seemed supernatural.
In terms of pure speed, brute strength, and technical skill, Frank was utterly surpassed by Anastasia in every imaginable aspect. Their swords clashed fiercely again and again in a symphony of steel.
Anastasia's sword crashed against Frank's with absolutely overwhelming force. Once more, he managed to block it, but she didn't stop for a second. When their swords clashed again with renewed violence…
Frank's sword couldn't withstand the extreme pressure and shattered like glass.
—How… how could this happen…? —he murmured in desperation.
The fight ended in a decisive instant. Frank couldn't resist Anastasia's power after she fully unleashed her Knight abilities. Among the scattered fragments of his destroyed weapon, a red line crossed Frank's torso as blood gushed out like a macabre fountain. With a precise move, Anastasia pierced the leader's stomach with her sword, making him spit blood from his mouth in violent spasms. Then, she placed her left hand near Frank's chin and pierced his back completely, spreading blood through the night air like red paint.
Watching the shattered corpse from my position, I let out a heavy sigh. Carefully observing around, I saw multiple bodies scattered on the ground where Grey had been moments before; it seemed he had efficiently handled his assigned part and quietly departed to some unknown place.
—What the hell is wrong with these guys? —exclaimed one of the surviving guards, his voice trembling with absolute fear.
—They're authentic monsters! —responded the other, his voice completely broken by the horror he had witnessed.