บท 396: Arkhan vs Melusine (I)

Arkhan immediately sensed the change in the girl and couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled and bewildered.

They were having a good conversation, so why suddenly resort to violence? Moreover, it seemed like she was angry with him.

'Did I say something wrong?' Arkhan furrowed his eyebrows before raising his hand and asked. "Wait a sec, before we start fighting, I have another question. Were you sent by Merlin or the Lion King?"

"I'll tell you after you're dead."

*Whoosh—!*

Melusine replied coldly before her figure shot forward like lightning, closing in on Arkhan in an instant.

Arkhan felt his battle instinct scream madly and instinctively dodged to the side, but he was still a bit slow.

*BANG!*

A heavy and muffled sound resonated as a delicate little fist smashed into his chest as if he had been struck head-on by a speeding giant truck.

Arkhan's body instantly flew backward at a fast speed for about ten meters before stabilizing himself.

Looking down at the dense cracks on his chest plate, his brows slightly furrowed.

What a terrifying strength!

She actually shattered the silver armor created by the Key of Domination with just one punch, while Tristan had to use her utmost effort to barely crack his armor.

It seemed that although they were both Knights of the Round Table, this silver-haired girl's strength was clearly not on the same scale as Tristan's.

He must take this fight seriously.

Arkhan took a deep breath, reaching into the void and pulling out a black spear exuding a strong aura of death.

Black Abyss.

In a one-on-one situation, there was no weapon more suitable than this black spear. Those wounded by it could only find healing through death, except for the healing from the Abyss Flower.

"Noble Phantasm?" Melusine remarked coldly, her eyes gradually turning colder.

"A kid who doesn't listen to others and throws tantrums needs to be taught a lesson." Arkhan wielded Black Abyss, his gaze growing colder. "Let's make it clear—even if you cry later, I won't hold back, Missy."

Upon hearing his words, Melusine stayed silent, but her aura became even colder and fiercer, like the biting wind of a midwinter's day, stinging the cheeks.

She flickered slightly, disappearing from her original position in an instant, akin to teleportation. Cold murderous intent erupted from her like an unparalleled icy blade, aiming straight for Arkhan's forehead.

A strong sense of danger erupted instantly, yet Arkhan's expression remained unchanged. He simply ignored the cold murderous intent coming at him head-on and flipped his black spear, thrusting it toward his back.

*DING!*

The crisp sound of metal clashing reverberated through the distant sky.

Melusine crossed her arms in front of her, using her arm guards to block Arkhan's sudden spear thrust. Beneath her face mask, her eyes were filled with surprise and confusion.

"You seem surprised." Arkhan remarked casually.

"..." Melusine remained silent.

She was indeed surprised because this move was her trump card, something she had thought over for a long time.

Exploiting her speed advantage, she feigned a frontal attack, then struck from a different direction when the enemy's attention was highly concentrated on her frontal attack. With this tactic, she had been nearly invincible in all of her previous battles, catching her enemies off guard before they could react, often leaving them severely injured.

Unfortunately, this trump card was effortlessly stopped by this outsider.

He not only ignored her frontal attack but also countered it, forcing her into a defensive position. From that clash just now, if she had continued her attack, she would have been impaled by his spear.

It felt as if he knew from the beginning where she would attack from, prepared and waiting for her to strike.

If it wasn't for luck, it could only mean that this man had plenty of combat experience, seeing through her tactics at a glance. But if she thought carefully, someone who almost brought Tristan to her demise couldn't be solely reliant on luck.

With that thought in mind, Melusine replaced her disdain with seriousness.

'This man is probably not easy to deal with... No wonder even Merlin found him troublesome...'

"Distracting yourself in battle isn't a good habit, Missy." Arkhan remarked calmly, swinging his hand.

*Clang!*

Black Abyss's tip grazed against Melusine's arm guard, sparking brightly, before aiming straight for her forehead.

Melusine was startled, instinctively leaning backward, her petite body resembling an arched bridge.

*Swish!*

Black Abyss's sharp spear tip barely missed her nose.

Although she narrowly dodged this fatal attack, her face mask was knocked off by the spear.

Without hesitation, she unleashed her speed, her figure disappearing from the spot in an instant, creating a safe distance between her and Arkhan.

With her mask gone, Melusine's true face was revealed.

Even to Arkhan's discerning eyes, he couldn't help but admit that it was indeed an extremely beautiful face, albeit with a hint of youthfulness.

From any angle, her exquisite features were almost flawless.

It could be foreseen that, when she grew up, she would surely become a disaster to the country and the people, another beauty that would bring calamity.

Noticing Arkhan's gaze, Melusine couldn't help but show a hint of disgust in her eyes.

'Humans will always be humans, and that inborn sinful nature buried deep within them will never change...' Melusine thought with disgust.

Arkhan also noticed her disgusted expression, but he remained unfazed.

It was human nature to pursue and admire beauty, so he didn't think there was anything wrong with his actions just now. If another beautiful girl were to appear here, he wouldn't pass up the chance to take a few glances just like he did just now.

"Huff..." Melusine took a deep breath, and a tremendous magical energy quickly surged from her body.

Upon seeing this, Arkhan furrowed his brow slightly.

'Is she planning to go all out?'

Just as he thought like that, Arkhan's vision suddenly blurred for a moment, and soon, he saw Melusine's figure split into two.

'Is it a clone... or an illusion...?'

Arkhan was momentarily surprised by this sudden change, but his surprise intensified as he saw the two Melusine in front of him split into four, eight, ten, thirty, and in almost an instant, dozens of her figures appeared, surrounding him tightly.

'No, they aren't her clones or illusions, they're her afterimages caused by her high-speed movement...'

Arkhan tightly gripped Black Abyss, his expression becoming more serious.

The speed Melusine had displayed earlier had already surprised him, but he never thought that wasn't her limit.

Dozens of Melusine looked coldly at Arkhan, and in the next second, they quickly moved in unison, rushing toward him.

Because their speed was too fast, Arkhan couldn't determine which one was the real her, so he could only swing Black Abyss to defend against attacks from every side.

On the ground, Ritsuka and Mash watched as Arkhan was besieged from all directions, their faces filled with visible concern.