Tione beat her sister to the punch this time. She drew her kukris, her expression grave.
Having seen Tiona take a hit, she didn't dare be careless. "I'm still a Level 6. Even if my abilities are suppressed, I have the experience to handle mere fodder!"
She took a deep breath, recalling how she fought back when she was still a rookie. With a subtle shift of her feet, her body drifted toward one of the soldiers like a willow leaf in the wind. The kukri in her hand traced a cunning arc, aimed straight for the gap in the enemy's shield.
Then, something bizarre happened.
The Godrick Soldier seemed to anticipate her attack. The heater shield in its hand slammed downward with a sharp clang, parrying Tione's blade with unerring precision!
A massive shockwave traveled up the blade, leaving Tione's arm numb.
"What?!"
Before she could process her shock, the soldier used the momentum of the parry to pivot. The longsword in its hand lashed out—beating her to the punch—whistling through the air as it lunged upward toward her abdomen!
A counter-attack!
Palms sweating, Tione scrambled backward, barely dodging the thrust. But the enemy didn't stop there. A sequence of rapid, fierce slashes followed immediately. The sword light wove a suffocating web of steel, forcing her into a desperate, clumsy retreat.
These were nothing like the monsters in the Dungeon that followed simple instinct! This set of combos, this awareness of parries and counters—this was the technique of a battle-hardened warrior!
"Hey, hey, don't just hack at it blindly."
Linn's relaxed voice drifted from the side. He actually had the leisure to lean against the battlements. "Wait for its attack and look for the opening. After it finishes that frantic flailing—those three wild swings—it has a very obvious 'breather' animation."
"Frantic flailing?" Tione was almost tempted to laugh in frustration at the ridiculous term, but the current situation allowed for no distractions.
She gritted her teeth and, following Linn's advice, stopped trying to force an opening. She focused entirely on evasion.
Sure enough, after the Godrick Soldier swung its sword three times in a frenzy, its movements came to a brief, distinct halt, as if it were catching its breath.
There!
A sharp glint flashed in Tione's eyes. Seizing the fleeting opening, her kukri struck like a viper emerging from its hole, instantly slicing across the soldier's neck.
The helmeted head spun into the air.
Even with one down, Tione didn't dare relax. She leaned on her blade, panting slightly, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"You've got to be kidding me..." she muttered to herself, watching the remaining two soldiers slowly close in. "The monsters here... their combat style is too twisted. Is this really a trial? I feel more exhausted than I do fighting Juggernauts in the Deep Floors."
"That's why it's called a trial," Linn said with a smile. He hopped down from the battlement and rolled his shoulders. "Alright, based on my experience, that only counts as a warm-up."
"A... a warm-up?"
Tione's voice was a little airy. She looked at Linn's relaxed, casual face in disbelief. Just taking down three pieces of fodder had made her, a Level 6 powerhouse, feel a long-lost sense of fatigue and heart-pounding dread. And this guy called it a warm-up?
"Well, yeah," Linn replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He kicked a tattered helmet left behind by a soldier that had dissolved into light. "We've only just reached the walls; we haven't even entered the gates yet. There's probably much scarier stuff inside."
"There's... even stronger stuff inside?"
Tiona, who had been groaning on her sister's back, poked her head out. A spark of excitement actually flickered in her eyes, seemingly having forgotten half the misery of being blasted by a ballista.
"Tiona!" Tione barked a reprimand, though she herself felt uneasy.
The group passed through an archway, entering a slightly wider room that looked like a derelict guard post. In the center of the room, amidst a pile of gray ash, sat a coiled shortsword. A faint, golden light drifted upward from the embers.
"What is this?" Lefiya asked curiously.
"A Site of Grace," Linn answered matter-of-factly. He stepped forward and gently pressed his hand against the ash.
Instantly, a warm golden light erupted, illuminating the small room as bright as day. A soft, divine power enveloped everyone. The grazes on Tiona and Tione healed at a visible rate, the exhaustion of battle vanished, and even their mental tension eased significantly.
"This... this is!"
Lefiya stared at her hands in shock. She felt her mana—which had been suppressed to a mere trickle—completely replenished! Even though her total capacity was still capped at Level 1, this kind of instantaneous recovery was unheard of!
"Healing magic? No... this is more ridiculous than the highest tier of healing spells!" Tione felt the changes in her body, her face a mask of wonder.
She instinctively reached out to touch the source of the light, but her hand passed right through it, as if the bonfire were merely an illusion.
"Don't waste your energy," Linn said, already sitting cross-legged by the fire like he was preparing for a camping trip. "This is a blessing from my God, Hidetaka Miyazaki. Only a devout believer like myself can interact with it."
"Mmh. It's Miyazaki's mercy," Ais added.
"..."
Miyazaki again! This name was challenging Lefiya's theological world-view for the second time today.
After a brief rest, the party officially entered the interior of Stormveil Castle.
Unlike the open walls outside, the inside was a maze of narrow, oppressive corridors. The light was dim, provided only by sporadic torches that cast long, distorted shadows. The walls were stained with dried black blood and suspicious claw marks, and the air reeked of a mixture of rust and rotting meat.
"This place... it's disgusting," Tiona said, pinching her nose in distaste.
"Everyone stay alert. Watch your feet and the ceiling," Tione whispered a warning. Her experience told her this was the perfect terrain for an ambush.
The words had barely left her mouth when Linn, who was leading the way, came to a sudden halt and made a "quiet" gesture.
Everyone held their breath.
Linn's gaze was locked on a dark crossbeam high above the corridor ahead. There, a small, gaunt hollow in tattered rags was peeking out, clutching an earthenware pot.
And on the floor directly beneath that hollow sat a dozen wooden barrels arranged in a cluster.
"That's..." Lefiya started to ask.
Linn's whisper cut her off, fast and low:
"It's a hollow. That thing in his hand is likely a Fire Pot."
Almost as he spoke, the hollow on the beam spotted them. With a malicious cackle, it raised the Fire Pot high, aiming directly for the oil barrels below!
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Danmachi: My Primary God is Hidetaka Miyazaki? (Simulpub – Ongoing)
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