On their massive horses, two phantom knights rode into the meadow. The other Shades parted before them like the Red Sea. Hell, some—like the mutants—even bowed at their obvious superiors before leaving the battlefield and joining their lesser kin at the edge of the forest.

The Guardians, however, did nothing to acknowledge their presence, not even a turn of their head. They just stopped a fair distance away from Isaac and dropped from their mighty steed. The two phantom horses bowed before turning into countless motes of violet light.

In the next second, they were gone.

A fair fight, then? Isaac thought, his chest still heaving. Well, almost fair. It's still two against one.

Now, he didn't really have to fight. He had already killed plenty, definitely more than he and his team had before. Yet, just the thought of leaving now that the Guardians had arrived sickened him. He was no coward to run away with his tail tucked between his legs.

He could still fight, could still kill.

This wasn't like the last time when he was here with his team. They had successfully reached Los Angeles and completed their missions. The only thing that could force him to pull out now was the arrival of the Virus Wars. But that was still over five hours away. More than enough time for him to wrap things up here and return to the village.

And besides, he was stronger than before. Maybe not by much, but it was obviously enough to change the result of Analyze when he used it on the two Guardians.

Potential Threat: Moderate

Gotta at least try, Isaac decided, and the Symphony playing in his veins spiked, agreeing with him. Time to really find out just how far I have come.

In a blink, an energy potion landed in his free hand. He downed it in one go, instantly feeling the growing exhaustion leave his body for the time being. It might not help for long, but it had to be enough. There was no Marie here to grant him a second wind.

Well then… Isaac took a deep breath, his muscles tensing. Shall we?

On the other side of the battlefield, the Guardians narrowed their glowing yellow eyes. Their weapons—a short, twin-headed glaive and a wide greatsword—rose, also readying for a fight.

In the next second, it began.

The two sides of the conflict charged at each other. Isaac, to gain a quick advantage, formed a salvo of Blood Daggers with a single Crimson Death mixed in it. He could have summoned more, but at this point, his Viron reserves were reaching dangerous levels. He couldn't throw his skills around like a maniac any longer.

But that was more than fine. He just had to finish the fight fast.

Got you.

While the daggers were just annoyances to the Guardians, the same couldn't be said about the Crimson Death. The red spear struck the blunt side of the greatsword-wielding knight and exploded, pretty much knocking the beast off its feet.

Which was exactly what Isaac wanted.

With one of the Guardians out of the fight for at least a moment, he faced the second one in a clash of blades. Root of Blood versus a twin-headed glaive.

Sparks rained upon the battlefield as the blades struck one another time after time. Isaac tried to press on, to force the knight to make a mistake and let him score a hit, but it never happened. The beast moved like lightning, twirling and swinging its polearm like it was an extension of its arms. Not even its size and heavy armor slowed it down.

Worse still, Isaac had already spotted the second Guardian rising to its feet. It was only a matter of a few seconds before he would be outnumbered once more.

Cursed Draw it is.

Just before the Root and the polearm could clash again, Isaac flooded his blade with Viron and released it mid-swing. For a split second, he saw the knight's eyes widen before a wave of blood slammed into its weapon.

The winner of that was obvious. Even if it wasn't close to his strongest Cursed Draws, it still pushed the polearm back and struck the Guardian right in the chest. The pained shriek that followed was like music to his ears.

The enraged screech that came from his right? Not so much.

Isaac snapped his head toward the sound. However, instead of seeing the second Guardian coming his way, he was faced with a literal sound wave just a few inches from his face. There was nothing he could have done to avoid it.

And so, it hit him head-on, tearing the ground from beneath his feet and hurling him across the meadow. Again.

Isaac coughed as he skidded to a stop, his ears ringing. Sound attacks. That wasn't something he expected from a pair of ancient-looking phantom knights. Guess looks were deceiving.

There was no time to ponder that, though.

A warning from his blood forced him to roll to the side, just in time to avoid getting cut in two by an arc of violet energy that upturned the earth in its wake. Another one followed, but at this point, Isaac was already on his feet, allowing him to side-step the somewhat slow attack.

Another skill. A ranged Cursed Draw? Very well.

Three low-powered Crimson Deaths manifested at his side and shot at the greatsword-wielding Guardian. The other one was thankfully still recovering after taking a Cursed Draw to the chest.

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With the spears coming for its head, the knight stopped sending the arcs of energy and dodged to the side. Then, just when Isaac planned to transform and attack from the sky, the beast brought its sword up for a downward swing and took a step forward.

Now, this shouldn't have meant anything. The knight was so far away that all it really could do was throw the sword to reach him. And yet, the moment its feet touched the ground, Isaac's blood, the Root, and even the spark holding his Legacy screamed at him.

Not even hesitating, he activated Burnout and raised his blade.

Clang!

Isaac's knees buckled as, somehow, the Guardian appeared right in front of him, its sword pushing against the Root. Only a few inches separated the blade from his skull.

Bastard! Isaac growled. In the next second, Burnout bled into the Symphony, lighting up his muscles on fire as he pushed with everything his body had to offer.

The Guardian stumbled back.

That was the only opening Isaac needed.

While the Root continued its push against the greatsword, his left hand came free and surged toward the stumbling beast.

Obliteration.

The burst of blood that erupted from his palm tore into the knight's shoulder, shredding through the phantom armor and body. Within a second, the beast lost its entire right arm.

Its massive sword clattered to the ground.

Isaac moved for the kill.

It was not to be, though. An arc of violet energy tore into the space between them, cutting him off. A split second later, the second guardian lunged at him. It wasn't letting its partner die without a fight. Worse, the moment Isaac parried the stab, the beast opened its mouth wide and screamed.

Shit!

Even though he managed to shift slightly to the side, the sound wave still clipped him, sending him tumbling across the ground. At the very least, no energy blast came at him afterward, allowing him to climb to his feet and gather his breath without having to worry about his life.

They are good, Isaac admitted, rolling his aching shoulders. Much better than any Moderate threat enemy I have fought.

Sure, if his Viron reserves were full, this fight would have been much easier. But as it was, he had just enough left for maybe a salvo or two of Crimson Deaths or a couple of Cursed Draws. Not too much to work with. Or at least it wouldn't be if the Guardians were still at full power.

But they aren't, Isaac noted, his eyes on the wide gash running across the glaive-wielding Guardian. His gaze then drifted to the other knight, who, unlike its partner, wasn't just standing there menacingly.

He frowned. What are you doi—What the hell?!

Isaac gasped as, suddenly, the connection to his Origin stuttered. It was still there; he could feel it, but it was muffled and distant. Even the Symphony's song quietened, weaker now than it had been at the start of the fight.

You!

The Guardian, the one that lost its right arm, which Isaac thought would be out of the fight for the time being, now stood in the middle of the meadow, its greatsword plunged deep into the ground. Spectral cracks spread from the point of impact, bathing the entire battlefield in a deep violet glow.

It didn't take a genius to understand what was happening.

Origin suppression field.

Got to stop this.

At the very least, it didn't look like the Guardians planned to attack him now that he was weakened. Hell, with how the other knight was positioned between him and its partner, it seemed more like they just wanted him to leave. Like this was their last resort.

I see… Isaac smiled as he took one step forward. The glaive-wielder tensed. So you don't have much left in the tank either.

Again, he could have just left and returned here another day, when he was stronger. After all, he doubted he could get past the Guardian blocking his path without any of his Origin skills.

However… he wasn't out of options just yet.

You might have suppressed my Origin, but that's not all I have.

In a flash, Isaac transformed into his Legacy form. With Freedom mode active, Mana spilled into his body.

Let's see what you can do. Blood Moon.

Just like that, over ninety percent of the Mana he had just drawn vanished. At once, the sky above him bled red. Then, out of nowhere, high, high above the battlefield, a second moon came into existence, its color that of freshly spilled blood.

Isaac gasped as power flooded his body. Even though his Origin still felt somewhat distant, the boost he had just received was easily on the level of Burnout, if not stronger. His body felt almost weightless.

Time to end this.

Back in his human body, he charged right at the glaive-wielder. It responded in kind, its blade beginning to glow. It wasn't taking any chances.

Too bad it had no idea what was coming.

Instead of clashing blades with the knight, Isaac dismissed the Root and slid past the first swing meant for his neck. Another quick spin put him on the other side of the beast, who tried to follow up with another way-too-slow attack.

He was out of its reach before the blade even got close.

Transform: Hybrid mode.

Back in his Legacy, he ignored the knight behind him and shot toward his new target—the Guardian powering up the suppression field. Without an arm, and with its sword buried deep in the ground, it couldn't even defend itself.

Still powered by the Blood Moon, Isaac snatched the one-armed Guardian with his talons and began to fly up as fast as he could. That finally woke up the swarm of shades waiting at the edges of the meadow. Phantom arrows flew at him once more.

Too slow.

Once he was high enough, Isaac released the Guardian, letting it plummet toward the ground. To ensure the job was finished, he gathered the remaining half of his Viron, along with the last of his blood within his Core, and flung a large Crimson Death at the falling beast.

And to finish…

Isaac tucked his wings, going into a dive as another salvo of phantom arrows missed him. Remnants of Viron and Mana gathered around him, shrouding his body in a familiar flame-like aura. He would have liked to end the fight with an Obliteration, but a Cursed Draw would do too.

Below, an explosion of blood rocked the ground, triggering a notification. He ignored it and kept his sight locked on his final enemy.

In a last-ditch effort, the glaive-wielder swung at him, releasing another arc of violet energy. Only it seemed weaker, barely there.

Cursed Draw ripped through it like paper.

The Guardian was next.

It died on the spot, its body split into two uneven halves that vanished the moment Isaac hit the ground. It was over. The Guardians were dead.

He returned to his human form, instantly stumbling as a fresh wave of exhaustion hit him like a tsunami. He didn't have much, if anything, left to give. If the swarm of shades still surrounding him attacked now, he would have to run, or rather fly.

But they didn't.

As one, the shades turned and retreated into the forest. Soon their forms vanished, leaving Isaac standing alone in the middle of the meadow with the Blood Moon fading above him.

He smiled.

I won.

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