Pfft—
The blade came down and split bone, muscle, and hardened iron armor cleanly in two.
Nolan tightened his grip on the hilt, clearly feeling the brief resistance as steel bit into flesh. In front of him, armor and body were as fragile as paper.
"Don't underestimate me!"
With a furious roar, Nolan spun around.
A massive figure charged straight at him.
The trident in the monster's hand tore through the air with a shriek, rapidly filling his vision.
Bloodhound's Step!
He had used this skill many times before, but with the difference in physical ability, the result was on an entirely different level.
In an instant, he retreated nearly ten meters, the attack slicing through empty space.
Boom!!
The towering figure wielding the trident slammed it down with overwhelming force. It struck the ground like a colossal hammer.
The impact shook the earth, rippling outward like surging waves.
A huge crater burst open where it landed. Layers of sand and stone rolled and churned, and even Nolan, far from the center, felt the ground trembling beneath his feet.
It was a plain, unembellished blow, yet it carried enough force to alter the terrain. No elaborate technique required.
The giant reacted swiftly. He stomped down hard.
With a dull crash, stone bricks shattered, fragments spraying in all directions.
The war spear tore through the broken stone. Before the Golden Needle Knight could catch his breath, the monster was already in front of him, a massive palm crashing down.
The force of the strike whipped his long hair back. Nolan narrowed his eyes instinctively. If that landed, he would definitely be downing a flask.
In his sight, the huge figure loomed—over three meters tall, like a mountain pressing down.
Each step gouged twin trenches into the ground, leaving deep, jarring scars.
Yet when the creature stopped, the Golden Needle Knight stood calm, unshaken by the display. His feet pressed into the earth, and his figure flickered in and out of sight.
In that split second, thoughts aligned.
Malenia and Leda charged from behind at the same time, flanking left and right. The long blade and the light greatsword cut through the air—
—and struck nothing but afterimages.
"So this… is Mohg? My half-brother, born of the same mother? He does have some skill."
Malenia frowned, her beautiful face now marked with gravity.
Her sharp eyes swept the battlefield, yet she struggled to catch his movements.
This body was too limited. If her true form were here, she was confident she could defeat him, perhaps even kill him.
But as a mere projection, trying to overpower him head-on with brute force alone would be foolish.
"Your Highness, be careful!" Leda barked, snapping her wrist and sending a brilliant golden arc of sword light slashing outward.
The radiant blade-force tore through the air, striking the empty space twice in quick succession, each hit ringing out with a sharp explosion.
Wuuu—
With Leda's movement, blazing rings of light flared into existence, sweeping clean everything within dozens of meters.
Malenia adjusted her stance in one fluid motion. Her long blade steadied beside her cheek, her posture resolute, ready to charge without thought of survival.
"Stick to the plan. Withdraw when the moment comes!"
"Yes!" Leda nodded sharply.
If Malenia's true body were here, Leda could remain in support. But now, with three first-rate heroes facing a legendary opponent, they had to rely on something else.
For Miquella, this loyal Golden Needle Knight Commander would do anything. In a situation like this, she had no interest in clinging to a warrior's code.
Besides, the enemy had come to abduct someone in the first place. Talking about knightly virtue now would be absurd.
No further words were needed. Leda understood and began to fight while falling back.
In terms of raw physical ability alone, setting aside the two Empyreans resting on the Golden Needle Knight's shoulder, Nolan was the weakest person present.
Mohg pressed the attack without pause.
Nolan pivoted, lifting the Promised Claymore in his hand. Violent currents of electricity burst from his arm and instantly wrapped around the blade.
The greatsword blazed with radiant golden light, like a sun suspended in midair, exuding a suffocating pressure.
Ancient dragon incantation!?
Mohg's eyes widened. He had heard of it from Ansbach, but seeing it with his own eyes was another matter.
A Golden Needle Knight who did not place his faith in Miquella, yet wielded the power of the ancient dragons? The odds of that were lower than his own escape from the sewers.
Instinctively, he snapped his wrist and pulled the war spear back in front of him to guard against the incoming strike.
In the next instant, the brilliant golden light burst apart like fireworks, splitting into countless streams that shot toward Mohg in a sweeping barrage.
Mohg thrust his trident upward, stabbing into the sky above.
Crimson ripples spread outward in rings, as if a boulder had been hurled into a still lake.
Sssshhh—
The sky seemed to tear open, ripped into a massive wound.
From that gash, scarlet blood poured out like a breached dam, then rained down in torrents.
Midair, the falling blood ignited, transforming into blazing fireballs. They streaked downward like baleful meteors, trailing long tails and carrying the scent of suffering.
Bloodflame spread rapidly from above Mohg's head. In the blink of an eye, it covered a radius of hundreds of meters. The rain of fire crashed down, intercepting the sun-like spears shooting in from all directions.
Blood and lightning collided and intertwined, crackling violently as a storm of gold and crimson erupted on the spot.
Leda pushed off the ground and retreated in rapid succession. Though the battle-hardened Golden Needle Knight Commander was not the primary target, dodging such dense attacks was still taxing.
Then she saw a figure glide forward.
The movements were light and graceful, like a dance. The golden long blade in her hand was dazzling.
Waterfowl Dance.
Brilliant white arcs carved through the air, leaving flowing afterimages like rippling water.
Her slashes collided with the Bloodflame and the lances of light, detonating around her and carving out a pristine domain amid the chaos.
The ignoble Demigod sensed the danger.
Seeing the red-haired swordswoman closing in, he drove his war spear forward with force.
But in that instant, as the Omen's son committed fully to the thrust, a chill ran down his spine.
The solid sensation of striking a target never came.