Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 198 - Bloom

"Oi! Weren't you telling me to pick up the pace, Medrauta!?" Leticia clicked her tongue in annoyance. As a knight, she should be protecting her lady, not another knight who was more than capable of fighting on her own.

"But Brigitte—"

"Melindra has her, you idiot! Focus on what's in front of us right now!"

Medrauta shook her head, attempting to banish her worries like a duck shaking off water. She nodded and steeled her mind, preparing to join Leticia in a counterattack as Volutia tore her arm free from the black-haired knight's blade and simply allowed the wound to regenerate.

The two knights engaged Volutia, fighting the Sworn champion to a standstill. Though she was no match for Medrauta and Leticia when it came to martial skill, her increased regeneration and overwhelming strength was more than enough to give her an advantage.

Several times, Leticia's sword had been torn into nothing more than shredded steel, forcing her to retreat before Rosaline's Crest could rewind it to its previous state. Medrauta's blade remained intact thanks to the power of the Lake coursing through it, but it seemed that even such power did nothing to counteract Volutia's regeneration.

The two knights leapt back, disengaging from Volutia and catching their breath.

"...I think we might be in a bit of trouble." Leticia said.

Medrauta nodded. "Yeah. Looks like the situation is going to get worse the longer we're here, and I don't like how Amelia's just throwing out those behemoths now. Combined with the rest of her army, they must take an enormous amount of mana just to maintain."

As the two knights regained their stamina, they darted forward once more to meet Volutia, intercepting her mad dash toward Eris who stood in front of Scarlet. The knights were lucky that Volutia was dead set on attacking Scarlet and only Scarlet, for her new form afforded her incredible speed that likely would've caused a multitude of problems for the knights had she tried fighting tactically instead of zeroing in on a single target.

Volutia stretched out a taloned hand once more, threatening to tear Medrauta's face off as she sought to destroy all who dared bar the path to the woman she hated so much. The silver-haired knight's sword flicked into position with perfect timing, preparing to parry the telegraphed attack. However, before blade and claw could meet, a shower of rose petals floated through the air.

Volutia's hand fell to the ground, twitching twice before finally laying still. She staggered back, staring at her dismembered limb for several seconds before looking at the crimson-haired knight who now stood before her. Rosette flourished her sword, rose petals trailing in the wake of its movements.

"All of you, head to the next floor." Rosette said. "Leave her to me."

"W-What!?" Medrauta was the first to respond. "What the hell do you mean, Rosette!? We can't just—"

"The longer we spend here, the worse it'll get for those below. Don't try to hide it, Medrauta. We all saw how you reacted when those monsters descended upon Brigitte."

"That... That may be true, but we can't just leave you to deal with her alone!"

Rosette shook her head, smiling wryly as she stepped toward Volutia. Her lady, Estelle, followed closely, her eyes set in a determined gaze. "I'm not alone, Medrauta. I have my lady by my side. And besides... I've got a score to settle with Volutia."

Medrauta stepped forward to protest once more, but Scarlet's voice cut across the air, interrupting her before she could even speak.

"We shall leave Volutia to you, Dame Rosette. I have but one request."

"Name it, Lady Scarlet."

"She may have sworn herself to Amelia, but she was once a precious friend of mine. Please execute her quickly and honorably."

"...I shall do my best."

Aside from Rosette and Estelle, the rest of the group circled around Volutia, rushing for the stairs. Volutia whirled around, her tunnel vision zooming in on Scarlet's fleeing figure. She bared her now-pointed teeth furiously as she dropped to all fours, leaping toward the raven-haired noblewoman with as much speed as she could muster.

Acting quickly, Rosette leapt over Volutia, rose petals blooming into existence beneath the soles of her feet and propelling her above and past the Sworn champion. She landed in front of Volutia, barring her way with a confident smirk.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rosette said. "Your opponent is me."

Volutia released a thundering bellow of anger as she dove toward Rosette, a single clawed hand outstretched. For some reason, Rosette's Chivalric Arts had managed to suppress her regeneration quite significantly, causing her other hand to still remain as nothing more than a twitching stump attempting to take the form of a hand once more.

"Is this what you've decided!?" Volutia roared, desperately calling out to Scarlet as she pushed against Rosette's blade. "The great Lady Scarlet running away!? How pathetic!"

The noblewoman didn't respond. She had already begun ascending the stairway to the next floor.

"You're going to leave!? You're just going to leave me again like always!?" Volutia screamed, black tears pouring incessantly from her eyes.

At that, Scarlet had no choice but to stop.

"My lady, you—" Eris began, her words silenced by a curt wave of Scarlet's hand.

The raven-haired noblewoman turned around, meeting Volutia's eyes with a heavy gaze rife with disappointment. "Do not delude yourself, Volutia. This is the first and last time I shall leave you. Farewell, you who were once my friend."

As Scarlet turned and continued up the staircase, Volutia released one final scream of pure rage and hatred. Its furious sound filled the room with her raw emotion, but even it would be forced to fade when the rose petals bloomed.