Corridor of the Ancient Guardians
Beyond the door stretched a long, endless passage. But the scenery of the passage was utterly different from the central hall just before crossing the threshold. Lavish, ancient decorations of unknown origin adorned the corridor, and bizarre statues lined its sides. From statues holding swords to those wielding spears, axes, and other deadly weapons, they exuded a palpable menace.
"Impressive, isn't it? I can't even guess what era those artifacts are from. What age could these decorations be? Anyway, it's truly astonishing. To think they're in such pristine condition."
Nah Tes, the professor, marveled at the sight, but Nadan scowled.
"Damn. We're screwed."
Ludenberg glanced at Nadan, who had suddenly frowned, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Ash-friend. Draw your sword."
Nadan's expression hardened as he bluntly told Ludenberg to draw his sword. Sensing something off in his reaction, Nah began channeling her divine power immediately, and Ludenberg, feeling the shift in atmosphere, drew his blade as well.
The moment he did, the surrounding statues began to move. Ludenberg finally realized what they were.
Ruins guardians.
These were the most dangerous encounters when excavating ruins. Guardians often embodied ancient martial arts. Though crude, some were quite powerful, putting people in dire straits. Humans were always vulnerable to unfamiliar techniques over familiar ones.
Nah eyed the ruins guardians with a troubled look. "No wonder I thought it was odd that we hadn't seen a single guardian after scouring the central hall and the entire site... They were all here."
"Hey, ash-friend."
"What."
"You know how to deal with ruins guardians?"
"No idea."
"Good. Listen up..."
"No, no time for that. They're coming."
Nadan tried to explain how to handle the ruins guardians, but Nah cut him off.
"Simple. Hit 'em. If they break, smash 'em. If not, dodge. I'll handle the smashing."
Hearing this, Ludenberg asked dubiously, "Doesn't Setra's Saint Law lack offensive techniques?"
"Right."
As her answer implied, Setra's Saint Law specialized in memory and foresight. There were no combat-focused spells. These days, no one even used foresight anymore; it was all just memory recall. That's why Setra knights relied solely on their own divine power instead of learning Saint Law, leading to the widespread belief that they were weaker than knights from other orders.
"Then how...?"
"Later. Focus on the enemies in front of you. Tch, annoying. If there were only a few, fine, but there are way too many."
Nah grumbled harshly, then channeled her surging divine power into her fist.
Wooong—
Setra's starlight-infused divine power enveloped her body, emitting a soft glow. It reinforced her physique, and she lunged at the charging guardian, unleashing a straight punch.
Kwaaang—!
One strike. The guardian shattered in a single blow.
Ludenberg couldn't help but be stunned by the result. It was beyond what any priestess should be capable of. No, more precisely, beyond any priestess's prowess in close-quarters hand-to-hand combat.
Refined movements born of grueling training. Each punch and kick from Nah felt highly skilled to Ludenberg. True, they didn't match his current level, but her vast divine power made them devastating nonetheless.
"Hey, ash! Front!"
While Ludenberg was momentarily distracted, a guardian closed in on him from the front. Wielding a greatsword, it raised its blade high as if to split him like firewood and brought it down.
The guardian's movements were slower than expected, so Ludenberg easily dodged the slash and countered, aiming his sword at it.
"That one's tougher than it looks. It probably won't cleave in one—"
As the guardian's greatsword embedded in the ground, delaying its recovery, Ludenberg's blade neatly bisected it.
"—cut? Huh?"
Nadan stared at Ludenberg in disbelief.
Not as tough as erosion beasts. Easier than I thought.
Though lacking divine power, Ludenberg's sword pierced even metal-transformed erosion hides. Against the rock-hard guardian body, it was like butter.
"What? No divine power, and he just splits that sturdy stone?"
"Shut up and deal with the one in front of you."
As Ludenberg said, a guardian had reached Nadan and swung a massive axe-spear at him.
"Damn! What's this now?!"
Nadan freaked out, wrapped his body in divine power like Nah, and smacked away the axe-spear aimed at his neck.
Kaang!
A resounding clang echoed in Ludenberg's ears. The axe-spear shattered.
Nadan didn't stop. He retracted his hand, stepped forward lightly, and punched out swiftly again.
Thud!
Each jab produced a boom, pulverizing the guardian's torso sequentially. His footwork was feather-light, his attacks razor-sharp. It was agile movement unfit for his massive frame.
Ludenberg found the situation absurd. A first-year theology student and a history professor. Nah's strength made sense once she revealed herself as a Setra bishop, but what was Nadan's deal? His pure divine power aside, every motion was no amateur's. Far beyond the sloppy knight faculty students Ludenberg had seen. Nadan possessed skill even he couldn't underestimate. Honestly, Nadan seemed stronger than most Innocence ranks.
His surprise at Nadan's unexpected prowess was short-lived. Ludenberg eyed the horde charging at him, raised his sword, and charged the lined-up guardians ahead.
Now that he knew his blade worked on them, he held nothing back. Lightning-fast strikes cleaved through guardian bodies. After shattering one completely, he advanced step by step.
Spears targeted his knees, greatswords his head. Axes flew at his arms. All reached him in an instant.
Kaaang—!
Ludenberg flowed through, evading and deflecting every assault. No matter their ancient martial arts, they didn't surpass modern mastery.
Ancient arts packed power but were primitive. Early erosion beasts were just brute animals too. They evolved fighting humans; humans evolved fighting them. Combat skills advanced naturally.
Thus, ancient arts were potent but simplistic compared to modern ones. Novices faltered against the unfamiliar, but not Ludenberg. He had an innate talent for dissecting any move after seeing it once.
His eyes imprinted the guardians' motions; his vision instantly revealed how to dismantle them.
The spear guardian that targeted his knee tried to retreat for distance, but Ludenberg closed faster, denying it space. Spear arts prioritized range above all; block that, and they faltered.
He narrowed the gap and slashed down.
Shlick—
The guardian tried to block, but Ludenberg's sword cleaved spear and body alike.
Others blocked his path immediately after, but it was futile. His swordplay was ferocious, brutal, optimized for destruction.
Without a guardian to match him, the corridor was his stage.
Nadan and Nah could only gape at his impossible skill without divine power.
"How's that guy so good? No divine power, right?"
"How should I know? Nadan, front! Another one's coming!"
"Should've brought backup!"
"Less whining, more smashing. Almost done."
Nadan griped uncomfortably but dispatched guardians with crisp moves, as did Nah.
Soon, the corridor's guardians crumbled into rubble.
Ludenberg sheathed his sword, catching his breath. He'd worried about damaging it mid-fight, but his improved skill from that bizarre dream let him cut hard targets without strain. The blade was fine.
"Good, the sword's intact."
He muttered unconsciously, and Nadan chimed in.
"How'd you do it? Slicing guardians without divine power. Nearly jumped outta my skin, ash."
"None of your business."
Ludenberg decided to ignore the "ash" nickname. Guys like him had ironclad egos; words bounced off.
"Seems we've cleared it. Let's keep moving," Nah said.
Nadan and Ludenberg just nodded.