Debauchery of a Soul-Eating Wraith

•••

Astrid had been entertained enough by Evian's antics. Today she had gathered information about Wraiths and their mannersisms that her mother, Frida Renan had not been able to do in all her years of research but she had her limit and when she said this would be the final stretch, she was serious.

This would be the final bang to either draw out the Commander or charge a path through the Arkadae forces and drag him out to face her.

Of course, Evian had nothing against her plans.

His gains had been fruitful and now he had the foothold he required to get even further and so, it was he who stood as a vanguard for his and Astrid's duo-strike.

Their immediate targets was a battalion of Arkadae human and Monster forces (with Knights and Arcanists at the Fifth and Fourth Order/Circle respectively), led by three Captains (Either at the peak of the Fifth Order or within the First Three steps of the Sixth Order) and Patroned by a Lone Lieutenant whose strength stood at least at the Seventh step of the Sixth Circle or maybe even at the peak.

"Huh!"

The sound was unanimous and came from multiple areas within the marching battalion as Eldritch circles appeared all around and out of them, charged chains. Every circle produced ten chains and two of those chains wrapped around one Knight each.

"They're here!" yelled a Captain who clearly had a knack for stating the obvious.

The trapped victims unleashed their strengths as well as the peak of their martial prowess, hoping to free themselves. Those at the Fifth Order looked close to succeeding and most of them would have succeeded had the one who trapped them not been a hungry Wraith who did not wish to let his meal go free.

Like a handsome ghost, Evian rose out of the ground with Wraithic Phasing, spinning his Spear around and reaping lives and souls.

[You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

[You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

[You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

[You have acquired 10,000 Soul Points]

[You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

[You have acquired 10,000 Soul Points]

…

Evian's killing and soul-eating spree eventually had to come to an end when not only did a few trapped Fifth Order Knights free themselves and launch an attack to push him back but he also sensed Arcane spells charging at him from multiple angles.

The ones he could feel were so clearly Fifth Circle or below, he was confident about avoiding with Phasing but he had no choice but to dodge when he detected Sixth Circle spells mixed in.

*Bam!*

"Nghh!"

Blindsided, Evian's backward escape met a block with a mystical wall stopping his move while spiritual energy strikes came at him from all over.

To further his theatrical play, aimed at keeping his enemies in the dark about his abilities, Evian unleashed a wall of Eldritch energy. The move appeared unrefined— Like the desperate move of one who had been trapped.

He was able to knock away the spiritual energy attacks but he staggered supposedly due to the pushback force.

Arcanists stayed in the distance even though they cast spells to keep Evian immobilized and the Knights stepped close with their weapons drawn.

Among them was a hardened-faced Captain who Evian sensed almost immediately was at the first step of the Sixth Order.

"How many more of you are there?" the Captain asked while his two colleagues drew close, "Where are the rest of you?"

"Come closer," Evian breathed with huffs to further sell the idea that he was weak and at his wit's end.

The Captain eyed the Captive enemy and then cast glances at the others on his side including the two other Captains but they all appeared like they had no input and left the decision to him.

The Captain cleared his throat and steeled his resolve while drawing close to Evian.

Evian leaned close as best as the immobilizing spell allowed and he whispered,

"Only I am enough."

Instinctively and in solidarity with their superior, the other Knights who were already close drew even closer only for the eyes of nine of them to bug while their mouths were forced open by the sharp end of a chain that had thrust right through the underneath of their mouth.

"Ack!"

The sound was unanimous from multiple maws as the chains went on further to rip the heads apart.

*Clang!*

Evian's Reaper chain spell always created ten chains and the tenth one aimed at the Captain who had drawn close to him but never made contact with its target's body before it was parried.

"How dare you!" the Captain roared.

He had never feared for his life at Evian's hands. Even if this apparent human had killed so many Knights with ease, the Captain was sure he would not share that fate.

"You had your chance to speak…!"

The Captain roared and raised his weapon.

*ting…*

Such a tiny sound and the flash of light that preceded it were the only signs of the strike and then the Captain's head fell off his neck.

Evian let out a groan while he freed himself from the bounds that previously held him,

"I had him!"

"Well, now you don't. Spend less time toying around and actually go for the kill and maybe you'll get to savor his Soul!"

All eyes turned toward the origination of the voice and immediately, everyone on the scene knew…

"That woman is dangerous."

The Lieutenant Patroning the Battalion who had offered some assistance so far but ultimately decided only to intervene when the situation was truly dire finally drew her Staff while she raised the alarm.

She approached Astrid, eyeing her sword,

"So you're a Knight. I'll just keep you in range…"

The Leuitenant's words were cut short when Astrid was suddenly no longer in front of her. Her eyes widened when a sword came so close to her neck but she was not a Sixth Circle Arcanist for nothing.

A thin but strong wall of Spiritual energy appeared between Astrid's sword and her neck, not only blocking the strike but repelling the arm.

She stamped the Staff on the ground and a circle appeared beneath her feet. It took her far away from Astrid but she was about to be shocked by Astrid's incredibly speedy recovery rate. A simple repelling spell was not enough to keep her away— Not even close.

Astrid closed the distance and swung her sword at thin air. At least that was how it looked to the Lieutenant before hundreds of slashes charged at her from all angles.

"Ah!" the Lieutenant yelled as she was cut up. Her movement spell was not getting her away fast enough but luckily, she was able to cast a protective spell before the inflicted injuries became critical.

The two duked it out with Astrid never allowing the Lieutenant to keep the distance but even as the Lieutenant struggled, she had a plan. A plan that was the reason she now was gripping her staff tightly and charging a mighty amount of Spiritual energy into it.

Flashes of light sparked in the tiny space she had managed to maintain with the relentless Astrid and then she completed her spell and unleashed it in a massive outburst of Spiritual energy.

*Bang!*

The spell came off like an explosion of multiple lights that all linked together in channels.

"Hnghh!"

Astrid groaned as unseen bounds tightened around her right before she was surrounded by a cage made of the linking lights. An impenetrable cage that could threaten the life of even an Expert at the Seventh Circle/Order.

From what she had felt during their battle, the Lieutenant knew Astrid was probably well within that range so she wasted no time switching the spell into its offensive form.

Each one of the lights that had been linked together to form the cage, created congealed spikes of Spiritual light that aimed to skewer the victim within. The Victim, in this case, being Astrid.

They stabbed Astrid from all over but then, she dematerialized.

"A- A doppelganger spell— Ack!"

The Lieutenant's eyes widened as she stared at the sword jousting from her chest.

"Im-- Impossible," she spat with her mouth quickly filling with blood.

She wasn't contesting the reality that she had gotten stabbed, but she recognized the Doppelganger spell and the idea that the Knight she had been trying her hardest to keep away was also an accomplished Arcanist was too big a blow for her to handle. Almost bigger than the fact that she was heading to her death— quickly.

"I-I raised the alarm. Others will be here soon!" the Lieutenant said with a pained groan but a bit of pride that she might have managed to hold these intruders down and once reinforcements arrived, it would be over for them.

"Interesting way to waste your last words. As for what you said, let them come."

The dying Lueitenant's eyes widened, her body growing paler by the second. Somehow, the realization that she was dying for nothing made her feel numb. And not the good kind that just relieved her of pain but the bad kind that made her feel nothing- Like an absolute waste.

Astrid pulled out her sword and let the body fall to the ground and only when the final spark of the Lieutenant's life was about to be extinguished, did she add a final gloat,

"And I hope your Commander comes too. I can hardly wait."

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