I revealed my human form, causing everyone other than Orthos to gasp.
"...To think it was true." [Lord of Metus]
"It's really him…!" [Overseer]
"S-Someone seize-no, kill him!" [Apostle]
I think that was the first I've really heard those two speak up there. No matter, I had something else to do first.
"Lord of Metus! You better keep your promise!" [Solace]
The lord nodded.
"I hereby declare Finea Kane innocent! Any and all crimes she is accused of are now void!" [Lord of Metus]
Hearing that, I looked at Fina with a smile. She, on the other hand, looked at me with mixed emotions.
"Alt… You're… Solace…?" [Fina]
I shook my hands in a playful manner.
"Surprise~?" [Solace]
I think I left her speechless.
"Ah, don't look at me like that. I-" [Solace]
"I said kill that heretic! Is no one going to fight against that evil man?!" [Apostle]
The crowd grew restless. I knew that there were probably some that wanted to take my head and make a name for themselves, but it seemed the rumors surrounding me suppressed their courage.
"Orthos, are you just going to stand there?!" [Apostle]
"I am in no state to fight! I've lost an arm and more! Why don't you try fighting that monster?!" [Orthos]
Calling me a monster? Ouch.
"You useless lot…!" [Apostle]
I could barely hear the apostle grumble to himself before jumping into the arena. He landed with a loud crash, causing sand to kick up.
"Oh, you actually came down here yourself." [Solace]
The apostle, robed in white and gold, reached out and grasped a ray of light. In which, light itself manifested into a radiant gold scepter. The head of the scepter was filled with holes that gave the illusion of jewels thanks to the reflective light it emitted. If not for |Unbound Mortal| I would've had a hard time noticing.
"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." [Apostle]
("Oh, they have that saying here too.") [Solace]
The Apostle threw aside his robe, revealing a white tunic that seemed too small for his toned body. His lower half was loose white pants, kind of like sweat pants in function I think. It looked like he tucked the lower end into his silver greaves, making him look like a mix of a martial artist and a mage.
("Damn this guy is ripped.") [Solace]
I thought he was a mage kind of guy. Never did I expect a mage to be jacked as shit. …Actually I think Fina's magic instructor here at the academy was more built. Are mages in this world gym rats?
"I am Kaldrake of Lastiveria. Apostle of the goddess Lod." [Apostle]
("|Analyze|.") [Solace]
"Alert: The |Skill| |Analyze| has been nullified by the |True TItle: Apostle of the Goddess of Wind and Harvest|" [Spirit Guide]
Well that's never happened before.
"...You rude bastard. You tried to invade my privacy without consent." [Kaldrake]
And now he knows. Must be a pretty powerful |True Title|.
("...What is that?") [Solace]
I could see a different kind of energy emitting from him. Usually I'd see either nothing, or some kind of blue aura. However, the energy I saw was gold.
"Warning: An individual possessing |Divine| energy is hostile towards you." [Spirit Guide]
That explains a lot.
("Now the question is… what are the qualities of |Divine| energy as compared to mana. Spirit Guide, can you answer that?") [Solace]
"Response: |Divine| energy allows the user to cast |Miracles| and increase the effectiveness and potency of |Spells| or |Skills|. Those are the main uses of |Divine| energy; would you like to hear more?" [Spirit Guide]
("That's enough. Thanks.") [Solace]
In other words, the apostle is going to be tough to fight.
"Bless me with your breath, |Lod's Embrace|." [Kaldrake]
I could hear the whistle of wind coming from the apostle's scepter, allowing me to see traces of wind magic surrounding him.
("A defensive spell, I assume.") [Solace]
I immediately fired a |Liquid Bullet| at him, causing it to swerve around him without harm.
("Yep, a defensive spell.") [Solace]
Seeing that my |Skill| was redirected rather than blocked, I can guess that I could break through it by attacking with the current of the wind rather than having to brute force it.
("I'll have to close the distance before he does anything else.") [Solace]
"Clear out the land before me, |Tempest|." [Kaldrake]
The apostle aimed his scepter at me, leading to countless slashes of wind to be unleashed from the holes of the scepter.
"|Earthen Shield|!" [Solace]
Raising a wall, I found that it was torn to shreds in an instant. I was inevitably forced to retreat.
("How far does it go?!") [Solace]
I moved backwards, watching as the floor before me churned by a violent wind. Looking at the traces it left behind, it appeared that it moved outward from the apostle in a cone-like fashion so I knew that going sideways wasn't going to work.
("If that's so, there's only one way to escape..") [Solace]
I leapt upwards, using |Roaming Undisturbed| to keep me afloat. I gazed downwards to find my half of the arena was cleared out while Orthos and Fina had escaped far to the other side.
("Well, at least Fina is safe.") [Solace]
I guess it's because our commands still take priority that I could see both Doppel and Orthos' spirit were still fighting.
"You dare fly before me, the apostle of wind?!" [Kaldrake]
I felt an immense force strike me down, throwing me back into the arena.
"Urgh!" [Solace]
There was sand all up in my face, but at least the |Tempest| was no longer present.
("How did he knock me down?!") [Solace]
"Response: Usage of the |Skill| |Sky Superiority| was detected." [Spirit Guide]
Just based on the name, I could tell it was pretty powerful.
("No wonder I couldn't sense it.") [Solace]
"|Wise Walk|." [Solace]
While trying to pick myself off the ground, I closed the distance.
"|Air Blast|!" [Kaldrake]
I heard wind funneling into the scepter, a bad omen.
("He's gonna try to push me away!") [Solace]
I clasped my hands together and aimed it at the scepter.
"|Wind Edge|!" [Solace]
Wind against wind. I created a constant output of a vertical slash to split off an enormous pressure that was released from the scepter. Doing so caused the wind to split, leaving me nearly unaffected. In other words, I improved my aerodynamics.
"What?! How?!" [Kaldrake]
The moment his |Air Blast| died down, I slashed a hand at him.
"|Vortex Arts|!" [Solace]
The properties of |Vortex Arts| was the imitation of a cutting vortex, so I found that it was able to bypass the wind barrier Kaldrake made. However, it was my first time trying this so I missed the first strike even though I bypassed the apostle's |Lod's Embrace|.
"By the gods!" [Kaldrake]
I couldn't tell if he was surprised my attack pierced his barrier, or that I missed. Maybe both. Even so, I was certain my next move would strike true.
"Make it as if I am one without weight! |Fierce Breeze|!" [Kaldrake]
I expected some kind of attack by the name, yet all it did was make Kaldrake really fast. He retreated backwards in a short time frame, in which I think it was him panicking since it led to him slamming his back into the colosseum wall.
("A chance!") [Solace]
I immediately casted |Earthen Shield| twice, raising a wall on his left and right side. This left only the front open, where I would come in.
"|Wise Walk|!" [Solace]
Activating |Vortex Arts| as I closed the distance, the apostle aimed the specter at me again.
"Leave nothing behind, |Galestorm|!" [Kaldrake]
A gentle breeze exited his scepter, which quickly turned into a howling wind. The wind cut at my skin, making my blood stain my clothes before instantly drying.
("I can endure it!") [Solace]
I managed to get right in front of the apostle, but the force kept me from getting any closer. Not many things could cut through my steel-like skin, so it would be unlikely for me to win if I dragged this one out.
("If only I had a little more of a push!") [Solace]
Then I had a pretty cool idea. I quickly recalled Doppel and resummoned him behind me in human form.
"There's two?!" [Kaldrake]
I used Doppel to push me closer, close enough to reach the apostle. My |Vortex Arts| allowed me to bypass the barrier, yet the wind kept me from exerting enough strength to land a meaningful strike. So, I had a change of mind.
("I'll strike the root of my problems!") [Solace]
Switching the angle of attack, I shredded the apostle's scepter.
"Wha-?!" [Kaldrake]
As soon as the scepter was destroyed, all his spells vanished, including the wind barrier.
("The divine power… it's dissipating.") [Solace]
You're telling me that an apostle is only powerful with some kind of weapon?
"Oh, you're actually pretty weak then." [Solace]
As I raised my hand, the apostle tried to back away only to find that he was still stuck against a wall.
"Wait-!" [Kaldrake]
"|Blazing Fist|." [Solace]
I struck him so hard that the wall behind him cracked and perhaps threatened to collapse.
"U-Urgh…!" [Kaldrake]
The wall wasn't the only thing threatening me. The apostle was threatening to vomit all over me too.
"Ew. You're so gross, man." [Solace]
I let the apostle recover for a moment since I didn't want to get dirty. …Except that my clothes are already covered in my own blood.
"You…! You won't get away with this…! I must… stop you…!" [Kaldrake]
"Stop me? What have I done?" [Solace]
The apostle took heavy breaths to recover, attempting to speak in between.
"You're… You are… evil…!" [Kaldrake]
I raised a brow.
"I spared everyone who came for my head." [Solace]
The apostle slowly regained his posture as he caught his breath.
"You tortured them!" [Kaldrake]
"I SPARED them. I was showing them kindness." [Solace]
"You made them suffer more than they should! Do you call that KINDNESS?!" [Kaldrake]
"I call that MERCY." [Solace]
The colosseum was quiet. It was no longer a battle of strength, but a battle of words.
"Mercy?" [Kaldrake]
The apostle scoffed.
"If I took your arms and legs and left you to fend for yourself, do you call that mercy?" [Kaldrake]
"That analogy doesn't represent what I've done. I've harmed others, yes. Yet, I always left able bodied friends to take care of them. Plus, I've always left their limbs intact." [Solace]
"You think it's better to let someone live as a cripple?" [Kaldrake]
"Would you rather that I kill them? You can make it all about me as much as you want, but they still were the ones to come for my head." [Solace]
"They were trying to do good! Trying to save others from what you've done!" [Kaldrake]
I bit my lip in frustration. It was like my words went in one ear and out the other.
"No… They were GREEDY! They came because you people placed a bounty on my head!" [Solace]
"Because you didn't listen to the Temple's orders! You should've returned to Metus for your trial!" [Kaldrake]
"A trial that pushes false accusations! Why should I allow myself to be judged by someone unqualified?!" [Solace]
"Unqualified?! You would have the Lord of Metus and an apostle! Me! Judge you! The very gods stand behind us and you call us unqualified?!" [Kaldrake]
I felt like I was about to burst a vein.
"The gods?! You think I give a rat's ass about them?! They demand sacrifices like they're requesting a snack, and you think they're worth worshipping?!" [Solace]
I think this was the third time the whole colosseum gasped.
"If you dislike the gods so much why do you take it out on the innocent?!" [Kaldrake]
"Motherfu- When the hell did I ever harm the innocent?! I said I only hurt the people after my head! What, did you want me to kill them instead?!" [Solace]
"It would've been better than what you've done to them!" [Kaldrake]
His logic was so… so far from mine that I started to chuckle out of stress.
"Is… Is that so? Haha, very well. You win. Hahaha! You fucking win! Are you happy?! I agree with you!" [Solace]
I then grabbed the apostle by the throat.
"By your logic, this is the part where I kill you! Happy now?!" [Solace]
"S-Someone! Stop him!" [Lord of Metus]
Even at the lord's command, none came forward. I mean, I DID just solo an apostle myself.
"St-Stah-Stop…!" [Kaldrake]
The apostle clawed at my arm and my face as I began to squeeze harder. He even tried to pry my fingers open, yet immediately determined my grip wouldn't budge.
"Goodbye, apostle." [Solace]