The Twisted Savior

"Redrick, was it? Don't die too quickly now," Alder taunted, his voice dripping with an air of excitement as he clashed swords with the knight.

The initial exchange of blows swiftly escalated into a frenzied dance that raged across the field, their movements lightning-fast with every strike.

The sound of sword against sword became a haunting melody for their dance, each exchange showcasing their strength, though it was evident that Redrick held the upper hand.

Alder's sword sliced through the air with deadly precision, aiming for Redrick's shoulder, but the knight blocked the attack with ease, his body an immovable mountain.

With a surge of strength, Redrick sent Alder flying back, but he gave him no chance to catch his breath.

His feet pounded the ground as he charged towards Alder, the distance between them closing rapidly. His sword swung in a diagonal angle, but it missed its mark by a hair's breadth.

Alder barely dodged the attack, his dodge seamlessly transitioning into a counter as his sword thrust towards Redrick.

However, Redrick was prepared, and the blunt side of his sword met Alder's blade, halting its momentum.

This instantaneous display of strength continued, the battle raging on as the two combatants exchanged blows with reckless abandon.

Sparks flew from each contact of sword against sword, their positions changing with every few strikes.

Alder held his ground against the formidable Redrick, his greatest strength being his unorthodox technique, which seemed almost alien to Redrick's eyes.

It was not like any sword technique seen or heard of before; its movements were clear and precise, leaving very little room to attack. Moreover, every strike, if not stopped, seemed to gather strength and momentum, making it increasingly difficult to defend against.

And just as Redrick feared, Alder's unpredictable sword work soon found its way past his guard, its mark set as it swung down towards his neck.

For a fleeting moment, the moon flashed in Alder's purple eyes, revealing a glimpse of horror that was as unpredictable as it was unsettling.

It was as if a soulless vessel had momentarily stirred to life. Redrick clenched his teeth, his mind racing with a mixture of fear and determination.

Almost instinctively, the earth behind him twisted and turned, low rubble forming before spikes made of rocks shot towards Alder.

Quick to notice the incoming attack, Alder used his foot, which had been balancing him, to jump back, avoiding the spikes by a hair's breadth. "Was that magic?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing in curiosity.

But before answers could even come to him, Redrick was once again in front of him, his movements swift and relentless.

Alder understood the knight's motto clearly: "Never let the enemy recover." Redrick's vertical slash, which would have cut many in half, failed to meet its mark as Alder rolled out of the way with ease.

But Redrick was far from finished. His hand rose in front of him, and stone projectiles began to take shape, floating beside him like spectral entities.

It took no more than a second for the projectiles to be shot towards their target. Though caught off guard, Alder didn't simply stand around; he sprinted to the left, hoping to avoid the incoming projectiles.

But Redrick followed his movements with his hand, and the stones did the same, as if drawn by an unseen force.

The sounds of stone crashing against earth echoed through the air as those projectiles that failed to hit their mark embedded themselves into the ground behind Alder

. "You're more persistent than you led on," Alder retorted, his voice laced with a hint of admiration.

Before Redrick could respond, Alder came to a sudden halt, which immediately turned into a dash towards the knight.

The projectiles finally met their target, and some of them managed to wound Alder. But he deflected those he could, his movements swift and deadly.

His goal was achieved, and the distance between him and Redrick closed once more.

Alder was on the attack again, his sword flashing in the sunlight. Redrick slid back, avoiding one of his strikes, but Alder seemed to have learned his lesson well.

His attacks continued, a flurry of steel and sparks that threatened to consume Redrick.

The two combatants engaged in a close-ranged exchange of swords, their blades meeting in a shower of sparks. Other times, simple air did the trick, as Alder's sword sliced through the empty space, mere inches from Redrick's face.

Redrick took a step back, hopeful to avoid the attack, but Alder ran towards him again, his eyes blazing with determination.

"Not gonna happen," Alder said, his face twisted into a fierce grin. But Redrick smiled in turn, as the ground Alder stepped on suddenly crumbled, leaving his only option to be a jump.

Redrick followed suit, jumping towards the mid-air Alder, his sword flashing in the sunlight as it met with his opponent's. Using his resounding strength, he sent Alder flying towards the ground, the knight's armor glinting as he hurtled through the air.

Before Alder could even crash, Redrick sent another volley of stone shots his way, the projectiles tearing through the air with deadly precision.

A loud bang echoed, followed by smaller ones, sending a dust cloud billowing through the air. "And with that... Let it be the end of this fight," Redrick declared, his voice ringing out across the battlefield as he touched down on the ground.

But his words were short-lived, as a spear shot from behind him, barely giving him the chance to avoid it. He pulled through, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth, but that wasn't the end of it all.

As he landed, an onslaught of arrows followed suit, the undead soldiers who were previously engaged with Redrick's knights emerged from the shadows to unleash a hail of projectiles.

Redrick soon became too focused on avoiding or blocking the arrows to notice the bloodied Alder, who soon came rushing through the cloud of dust.

Alder's presence began to alert Redrick, but it was too late. A sword swing was already underway, and Redrick was too busy to properly block it.

He received a slash to the abdomen, the pain searing through his body like a hot knife.

"It's only right I use my soldiers too," Alder said, sending another slash towards Redrick. Another groan echoed through the battlefield as Redrick received a second strike from Alder.

His attention was split between the undead soldiers' arrows and the knight's deadly sword, desperate to shield himself, Redrick raised an earth wall to protect himself from the undead's arrows.

"Don't you dare underestimate me!" he claimed, his body turning as he tried to focus his attention solely on Alder.

But as he shifted his gaze towards the Alder, a fist entered his field of view, and before long, a resounding crash echoed as he clashed with the wall that was supposed to protect him.

Alder's eyes gleamed with triumph as he stood before Redrick, his chest heaving with exertion.

"Worry not... I won't be making that mistake again," he replied, skeletal soldiers emerging from the ground before him, their empty eye sockets glowing with an otherworldly energy.

Redrick's eyes widened in horror as he realized he his predicament.

Three spearmen were summoned, and immediately their spears thrust towards Redrick, who lay wounded on the ground.

His screams pierced the silent battlefield, but they soon turned into a roar as he forced himself up, his body trembling with rage and pain.

"Stay away from me!" he bellowed, as spikes shot out from the ground, bringing the skeletal spearmen to their end.

A low, menacing chuckle entered Redrick's ear, "I would love to, but not yet." The sarcastic remark came from Alder, whose blade once again swung down, aiming for Redrick's already battered body.

An arm went flying, armor and all, sending another scream echoing across the battlefield.

"I haven't had that much fun in years," Alder declared, delivering a kick that sent Redrick reeling back.

Redrick didn't stay down for too long, his head raised as he pushed himself up with his only remaining arm. As he stood up, a gush of blood flowed from his right arm, which now lay limp and useless by his side.

"Why are you already using past tense, I'm still standing, aren't I?" Redrick managed to squeeze those words between his ragged breathing, his eyes blazing with defiance.

A shocked expression found its way onto Alder's face, but it was soon replaced by laughter.

"Well, then I apologize... Sir Redrick, shall I take your legs as well?" Alder slowly moved forward, sending a low shiver down Redrick's spine.

Redrick took a step back, but he stood his ground, his eyes fixed on Alder with a mixture of anger and fear.

"You're quite the funny guy, aren't you?" Redrick retorted, stone projectiles floating by his side.

Another wave of undead was summoned before Alder, cannon fodder for the stone bullets. "I think so, most people don't," Alder shrugged his shoulders, his eyes glinting with amusement.

Redrick gritted his teeth, a second later he fired the projectiles, and as they met the undead before him, a sigh left his mouth.

This was getting ridiculous, he thought. As the last of the undead fell before him, the smiling Alder came into view, a second later he disappeared, only to reappear behind Redrick.

His sword pierced Redrick's heart, and the knight's eyes widened in shock as he felt his life force ebbing away.

"Sigh, that took a lot out of me," Alder said, as the light-headed feeling of a level up took over his body.

His wounds began to heal, leaving only his blood-soaked and tattered rags, which had once been his clothes.

"Status," he called out, the familiar circular screen appearing before his eyes. The screen displayed his stats, and Alder's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the numbers.

§°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°§

{~STATS~}

Level: 17

Health: 636/636

Mana: 812/812

Strength: 470

Defense: 433

Agility: 397

Endurance: 374

§°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°§

A puzzled expression placed itself on Alder's face as he stared at the screen.

What was he looking at?

He rubbed his eyes a few times, trying to confirm if what he was seeing was true or not, but the reality didn't change.

"I get leveling up a level or two, I did fight those royal knights or whatever, but this... That's 8 whole levels!" Alder entered a confused phase, his mind reeling at the implications.

To start off, the concept of leveling in itself was new to him, so he couldn't attribute any of this to anything. This was beyond his knowledge, at least for the moment.

"I'll figure this out when I have the time," he sighed. "Now... It's time I finished this raid." He said, his gaze drawing towards the door to his left.

The fight with Redrick had ended up taking place inside the castle walls, not that it was of any importance.

With his forces outside dwindled, Alder summoned another hundred undead, and as they came into being, they began to lead the way.

Their feet marched towards the castle doors, a melody that entailed the arrival of death itself.