Chapter 488: Ambush
Another explosion drew my attention away from Korra and Gayron towards a battle raging much closer to our position—two battles, in fact.
In the devastated ruins of a nearby fort, Kahlen was engaged in a fierce duel with a High Inquisitor. The man wielded two greatswords with blades longer than I was tall, his movements effortless despite the heavy plate armor that covered him from head to toe, leaving only his glowing golden eyes exposed. The tips of his swords trailed shimmering ribbons of light, a lingering sword-slice effect that could cut for nearly a minute after the initial strike.
Kahlen, however, appeared utterly unfazed. He stood with his arms folded, a bored expression on his face, as his four swords fought the inquisitor independently. Each blade glowed with different elemental power, weaving through the net of sun magic the inquisitor erected to strike at him directly, effectively suppressing his every move.
Occasionally, the inquisitor would unleash a powerful technique or maneuver, knocking a sword away or shattering it completely. But to his dismay, Kahlen would simply gesture with a finger, and another sword would materialize in its place.
After watching the one-sided battle for just a few seconds, I couldn’t help but shiver. They were both seventh-level, yet the disparity in their power was undeniable. The inquisitor could likely endure far more punishment than Kahlen, but that only made him a slightly tougher punching bag.
It was so one-sided that I had to fight the urge to pity his opponent. My every instinct screamed that this was unfair, that Kahlen was just toying with him. But another glance at his opponent, at the cruel gleam in his golden eyes, banished any lingering sympathy. These were inquisitors, the very embodiment of the Church’s cruelty and oppression. The memory of their blades and torturous magic still haunted my nightmares even now, and at times, I awoke in the night trembling, with tears trickling down my cheeks. They deserved whatever pain and suffering Kahlen could inflict upon them.
The second battle raged on my other side, amidst the clashing armies. The Star Guard, minus Kahlen, fought alongside several squads of the Last Light Company against an entire battalion of Church soldiers led by a seventh-level mage.
The mage was a middle-aged woman clad instead in long, scarlet robes with intricate gold embroidery. Her hair was elaborately styled and adorned with gold thread, and she carried herself with the haughty arrogance of nobility. Likely some kingdom’s prized prodigy, not an inquisitor I was expecting.
Regardless of her origin, her magic was formidable, a terrifying blend of lightning, shadow, and wind. She used darkness spells to cloak her troops’ movements, then struck from within the concealing shadows with bursts of compressed air or crackling lightning.