"Whoosh!"
The heavy greatsword expanded rapidly before Silas's eyes, its blade wreathed in brilliant, radiant light that resembled the dawn.
However, though the glow of dawn might be beautiful, having it bloom directly before one's eyes was unbearable.
Especially since this light was unusual, seeming to possess an obvious restraining effect on darkness and evil.
Silas felt a searing pain in his eyes, and the shadow beneath him flickered restlessly under the illumination.
Without time to dodge, his body was cleaved vertically by the greatsword wrapped in radiant light.
"Clang!"
A resounding impact echoed as the Lava Sword, burning with ghostly blue flames, appeared horizontally before Silas, blocking the "Dawn Sword" for him.
The dark tomb passage was instantly illuminated by two different kinds of light: one side plunged into the abyssal depths of hell, the other bathed in the radiance of dawn.
Across the two greatswords, Silas stared coldly at the female warrior Kate opposite him.
She, in turn, grinned back with a vicious smile.
Fresh blood stained her clothes, likely belonging to Soroa, who had collapsed from being pierced through the back.
Without needing to ask, Kate's actions had already revealed her purpose.
She intended to kill the others and claim the treasures of Amon's tomb for herself alone.
It had to be said, her sneak attack had been quite successful.
Both Best and Soroa had fallen victim, and the remaining "Wraith" Sharron was clearly being countered by her abilities.
But even so, Kate was too naive.
After all, Silas was still present, a fully equipped Shepherd. He should have been her top priority target, attacked while he was lost in madness, not the others.
"Creak..."
After the failed strike, Kate didn't withdraw her longsword. Instead, she pressed down with even heavier force.
The Dawn Sword ground against the Lava greatsword, constantly throwing off sparks.
Judging from her performance during the earlier exploration, Kate was very likely a Beyonder of the "Warrior" pathway, a Sequence 5 "Guardian."
Beyonders of this pathway possessed extremely strong combat talent, proficiency with all kinds of weapons, and exceptionally high attack and defense power.
Moreover, upon reaching Sequence 6, Warrior pathway Beyonders would master the abilities of "Dawn Sword" and "Dawn Armor," greatly enhancing their own attributes while the sword blade gained purification effects.
Simply put: high damage, high defense, and extremely formidable in close combat.
Beyonders of this pathway mainly appeared in Feysac to the north, where there was singular faith in the God of Combat.
However, Feysac and Loen had been enemies for many years. For a Sequence 5 of the Warrior pathway to appear in Backlund was truly baffling.
All these thoughts flashed through Silas's mind as he remained locked in a stalemate with Kate.
Just as Silas thought she was going to test her strength against his, Kate's right leg suddenly shot up, her knee driving toward his abdomen!
"Bang!"
However, her knee didn't receive the feedback of hitting a human body.
Kate's field of vision was engulfed by blazing flames, and the greatsword in her hand pressed down due to the loss of support, causing her to lose balance.
"Boom!"
At the same moment, crimson flames likewise ignited behind her.
Silas's figure emerged from the firelight, the Lava Sword slashing toward her back.
"Flaming Jump!"
Kate acted as if she had eyes in the back of her head. Though she didn't turn around, she immediately adjusted.
She planted her greatsword into the ground, twisted her body, and shifted her center of gravity, allowing herself to evade the Lava Sword's slash while smoothly rotating her body to face Silas, reassuming a combat stance!
Then she met Silas's icy gaze.
"Die."
He spoke to Kate calmly.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Filthy and maddened language echoed through the corridor, a terrible sound that struck directly at the heart.
Blood simultaneously streamed from Kate's eyes and nose. Her spirit withered instantly, and she swayed unsteadily. Even the dawn radiance on her greatsword dimmed considerably.
Silas seized the opportunity. The Lava Sword thrust upward, stabbing straight toward Kate's chest!
In this critical moment, Kate desperately tried to protect herself amid the chaos.
Radiance surged from the greatsword itself, barely forming an invisible barrier before her.
However, this wall had been formed too hastily, its thickness utterly insufficient.
"Boom!"
Silas's Lava Sword broke through the protection.
Though its power had diminished considerably, it still crashed into Kate with fierce momentum.
She could only barely block with her greatsword, but was sent flying along with it, slamming into the tomb passage wall.
"Whoosh..."
A dozen crimson fireballs formed at Silas's side.
As Kate flew backward, these fireballs immediately shot out in pursuit. They rained down on Kate's fallen body, instantly covering her as a large fire erupted!
Silas raised the Lava Sword, preparing to continue stabbing at Kate to ensure he truly killed her.
But in the next instant, for some unknown reason, he lowered the greatsword instead.
He turned to look at Sharron, who had been struggling greatly in her fight with Kate and hadn't even helped him just now.
"Are you alright?"
Only now did Silas have time to communicate with Sharron. He asked while keeping watch on Kate.
"Cough, cough..."
Sharron's ethereal figure gradually materialized beside him.
She showed no visible injuries, but her complexion was extremely pale. She clutched her throat, coughing with difficulty.
"Cough, cough... Be careful! She's not a Warrior!"
As if she had just regained the ability to speak, Sharron opened her mouth, her voice exceptionally hoarse.
A ripple of emotion appeared on her normally expressionless face as she immediately warned Silas, appearing extremely anxious!
And this news truly startled Silas.
Kate wasn't a Warrior?
Then what was she?
"She's... she's..."
However, Sharron struggled to open her mouth and think hard, but couldn't say anything.
Confusion and anxiety gradually appeared on her face, as if a crucial memory had been stolen from her mind. She simply couldn't remember!
"...I forgot."
After struggling for a long time, she finally said.
Forgot?
How could she forget something like that?
Something's wrong!
I seem to have forgotten something too!
Silas whipped his head around to look where Kate had been lying. The spot was already empty.
There wasn't even a trace left on the wall from the burning flames.
Kate wasn't there anymore!
Where had she gone?
Damn it, I should have just killed her right then... Strange, why didn't I act?
It's as if the thought of finishing her off vanished in an instant!
Surprise and confusion simultaneously gripped his heart.
Without hesitation, Silas swiftly drew his ritual dagger and stabbed it into his arm with a "thud," gathering blood.
He needed to create a blood mist to make that hidden enemy reveal herself again.
Just then, someone tapped his shoulder.
Silas turned his head and saw a pale left hand fill his vision.
The hand faced his face, five fingers slowly closing together before the wrist pulled back and hooked sharply.
"!"
Silas immediately felt something inside his body being gripped by an invisible force.