Free Web NovelChapter 21: The Shattered Shield
Carmilla and the Paladin rushed at each other, holding absolutely nothing back. They both knew they had to kill the other as quickly as possible; in a high-stakes duel like this, a single clean hit would decide the outcome.
Carmilla conjured a heavy crimson barrier and slammed it down directly over the Paladin’s head.
Blam!
With blinding speed, the Paladin slid to the right, narrowly evading the crushing force. Behind him, a deep crater exploded into the earth where the barrier had impacted the rock.
"You are far more dangerous than I initially anticipated," the Paladin growled, re-centering his weight.
"Let’s get this over with!"
He dashed toward her, his broadsword humming with holy light. The two met in the center of the snowy path, instantly exchanging a flurry of lethal blows. Strike after brutal strike clashed in the freezing air, neither of them willing to give up a single inch of ground.
Clang!
Carmilla was violently pushed back by the crushing weight of his heavy blade, her boots cutting deep trails through the thick snow. Refusing to lose her momentum, she immediately followed up by hurling a sharp barrier directly at his neck.
The Paladin swung his great sword in a wide upward arc, the blade glowing a vibrant, blinding gold before a crackling bolt of lightning shot directly toward Carmilla.
Zzzappp!!!
With a loud, thunderous pop, the ground between them was ripped up violently. The snow instantly vaporized, evaporating into thick steam from the sheer heat of the holy magic. Carmilla stood at the very end of the lightning’s scorched trail, her crimson barriers shaking violently but successfully protecting her from the blast.
"So, you survived that, huh?" the Paladin remarked, a grim look of respect crossing his face. "Hell, props to you."
"Thank you... I guess," Carmilla breathed out, her heart hammering.
The Paladin lowered his body into a deep lunging stance before exploding forward. Carmilla charged back into the fray to meet him, using her smaller barriers as temporary platforms to leap through the air, outflanking the Paladin, who was visibly heavier and slower than her.
Clang!
The Paladin’s blade slammed against her arrow-tipped tail as he barely blocked a lethal strike directed at his throat. Reacting instantly, he channeled a massive surge of holy mana into his core, releasing it outward as a devastating, close-range burst of energy that forced Carmilla to retreat.
The two continued their relentless battle, exchanging rapid physical blows and high-tier magical attacks. But the longer the fight dragged on, the more Carmilla realized she was slowly losing the upper hand. Her barrier magic was incredibly versatile for defense, but it lacked the raw, offensive force needed to deal heavy damage to a heavily armored Paladin. Worse yet, she was rapidly running out of mana.
Just as she was trying to formulate a desperate plan, the Paladin suddenly halted, pointing his glowing weapon toward her with one hand.
"Hail He who rules the sky!" he chanted. "Lightning Spear!!"
Newwm—Bang!!!
Carmilla barely managed to block the incoming projectile by shaping her remaining barriers into a single, massive crimson shield. But the sheer force of the impact took everything she had left to sustain. Her vision started to blur, and a crushing wave of fatigue caught up to her aching muscles.
’I need to end this right now, or I’m actually going to lose,’ Carmilla thought desperately.
She looked over to see what the Paladin was doing, and to her absolute shock, he was already standing inside a glowing, intricate array of holy runes, his broadsword deeply embedded into the mountain floor.
’Shit... Not good.’
As the Paladin’s voice echoed across the peak, continuing his ultimate incantation, Carmilla rallied every single drop of her remaining strength. She manifested the largest, densest barrier she had ever created in her life and sent it hurtling forward to crush him. Like a massive torrent of blood, the crimson structure formed high above the Paladin before plummeting down toward him like a fallen star.
"I commend your strength, woman, but the will of god will never fall to a worthless creature like you!" the Paladin mocked.
With a roar, he ripped his broadsword out of the stone and, with all his might, plunged the glowing blade upward into her descending barrier.
"Raaaaaaa!" he screamed as the two forces collided.
For what felt like an eternity, Carmilla poured every ounce of her soul into reinforcing the barrier, but it simply wasn’t enough. With a deafening crack, her ultimate magic completely shattered. The Paladin’s blade ripped straight through the center, sending sharp, crimson fragments flying in every direction.
The explosive shards impacted the snowy terrain at immense speed, hitting the hillside like a barrage of falling artillery. The peaks bombarded themselves, destroying everything the fragments touched.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Carmilla collapsed onto her knees in the snow, her face covered in sweat and her breathing ragged. She was completely drained of mana; she couldn’t continue the fight any longer.
But the Paladin wasn’t done. He raised his weapon back into the air, calling down the full wrath of his god. Within moments, the entire sky was blanketed in thick, black thunderclouds as thousands of lightning bolts rained down from the heavens, completely shredding the hillside.
Bang! Bang! Zap! Crackle!
Carmilla stumbled through the blinding smoke and debris, using what little physical strength she had left to move, but she knew it wouldn’t last. Peering through the haze, she saw the Paladin rapidly closing the distance, his sword raised high.
At that exact moment, a cold dread washed over her. Carmilla gave up. She was going to die, and there was absolutely nothing left she could do.
Just as the Paladin’s holy blade swung downward to finish her, she suddenly felt an all-too-familiar, overwhelming presence materialize right beside her.
"Malakai...?"
"The one and only, sweetheart," he said with his usual, lazy calmness.
Malakai turned smoothly to face the oncoming attack. He reached out and caught the Paladin’s great sword barehanded by the sharp edge of the blade. However, the sheer momentum of the holy strike still managed to deeply impale his left shoulder.
The Paladin’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "What the—?!"
"Hi," Malakai said with a mockingly pleasant smile, waving his free hand at the baffled man. "Now... goodbye."
"Huh?"
Malakai lightly tapped his dark-marked fingers against the center of the Paladin’s chest plate. Instantly, a violent, catastrophic torrent of shadow magic erupted forward, blasting the warrior to shreds. The explosive force flung the burnt pieces of the Paladin’s body over a hundred meters back into the canyon.
"Malakai... your shoulder!" Carmilla gasped, her heart leaping into her throat as she scrambled to her feet.
"Oh, this?" Malakai shrugged, looking down at the massive puncture wound. "It’s really not as bad as it looks. The anti-magic enchantment on his sword is causing a bit of a stinging problem, but that’s about it. Nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about?! Your flesh is turning black and it’s actively spreading!" Carmilla yelled, aggressively grabbing his large hand. "Hold still! I have some medical ointment in my pouch. It won’t do much against holy energy, but it’s better than nothing."
Malakai’s golden eyes blinked in surprise before his familiar, smug smirk returned. "My, my... did I accidentally get upgraded to your husband? Why are you suddenly so caring, mm, Princess?"
Carmilla completely ignored his teasing. She stepped deep into his personal space, her hands trembling slightly as she delicately and meticulously began tending to the burning wound on his broad shoulder.
"I’m really fine," Malakai murmured, his tone softening slightly as he looked down at her. "Shouldn’t you be using that medicine on yourself?"
"I am just out of mana, I’m physically fine," she snapped, brushing his concern off as she focused on treating him.
But while she was carefully binding his wound, Carmilla’s mind was racing. She was completely awestruck by his raw, terrifying strength. He was locked at Rank 2, yet he had effortlessly obliterated a high-tier Holy Paladin with a single, casual tap of his fingers.
’If he is this powerful while restricted... what would he become if he was given the chance to level up again?’ she thought, her purple eyes narrowing slightly.
A demon like him would be a terrifying, unmatched force on the battlefield. Making someone of Malakai’s caliber her permanent familiar would guarantee the success of all her grand ambitions.
As she tightened the bandage around his shoulder, her resolve hardened. It was something she absolutely had to do—even if she had to use a forced ritual to bind him against his will.
