Chương 62: [BL] 61. A Grand Performance [1]

Willow had thought she could at least have some time to experiment with her power—with her Elf Ears and Meditation. She'd even planned to visit the Mana World again to see how the Elf Ears would affect her spirit. Surely it would get her an answer. But it looked like this world was not so kind. [The Jester Devil summons his stage] A circle brimmed around the Devil's feet and expanded, replacing Kroos's carpet with flamboyantly colored flooring.

"Not on my watch," said Kroos. Five trumpets surrounded the Devil, blaring a triumphant sound worthy of a hero. Each note sent a tremor through the circles, diminishing the Devil's summoning attempt.

"What's it doing?" Willow asked, aiming her Auric Arrow. Her Olympya knights moved to shield her, while the magus hovered upward.

"It tried to summon a marble reality, a spell or enhancer capable of briefly conjuring a world of mana for the caster, like my Lord Castle and your Anatomist Theater, my lady." She scowled a bit. Of course, Kroos read her enhancer effect. She remembered Alfred being able to read her runes, so that also included spells and enhancers? The trumpets' vibrations canceled the Devil's spell completely. With Sunpiercer, Willow released her Auric Arrow, followed by multiple golden arrows from the Olympya Archer.

With a flourish, the Jester's card absorbed the trumpet's sound, and it held the card up. A sinister sound blasted like a wave, shrinking every arrow coming at the Jester, who casually blocked everything with its hands. Following another finger-snap by Kroos, a giant chained morning star crashed down from a trapdoor above, swinging with thunderous force. The Jester clenched a fist and slammed it into the morning star, unconcerned by the spikes.

The impact sent a shockwave through the throne, and Kroos's morning star blasted up to the arched ceiling. The Devil hid both hands behind its back, then suddenly threw something forward—rainbow confetti that fluttered around. Willow did not intend to find out what it was trying to do. She fired a golden arrow, a potshot, hoping the Jester would ignore it since it was weak.

"Mark."

"Starfall." Relentless cuts shredded her arrow upon contact with the confetti. Each piece of confetti turned into a blade of wind, ruining her chance to use Starfall. Willow retreated a step and fired a normal Starfall. Instead of hundreds of arrows, she released a much stronger dozen golden arrows. They rammed into the keening confetti and were shredded as if they were a mere piece of wood. The Olympya Archer had no luck either, as her arrows met the same fate." Shield."

Kroos's golden turtle-shell shields appeared; each easily blocked the confetti that went flying at them. The spells turned back into paper and fell upon contact. However, he had to commit a Banner Rune to make this. Considering he was maintaining buffs for every legionary inside the castle, it must have been draining. Her Mark moved, and Willow tracked it. It ran to the left, using the pillars of the throne room as cover. Willow aimed an Auric Arrow, and her Olympya moved with her.

When the Jester was about to jump out from behind the last pillar, Willow released. Her arrow struck true into a monkey's chest—a monkey dressed in circus garb. It gasped, dropped its small swords, and collapsed backward.

"It transferred my mark," Willow said.

"Indeed. My lady, against some higher-level opponent, your Mark will hardly stick. Their Arcanery is far higher than yours, allowing them spells or enhancers that can shrug it off." So, did the Jester Devil fighting style focus on being spellcasters? She remembered Leynah got her mind taken by a Tier-two. Willow drew another arrow, fully expecting the Devil to be behind its indestructible Iron Maiden, when suddenly she heard a chirp. Her eyes shifted toward the dead monkey.

Its body bulged like hundreds of balloons had grown inside it. Rat-heads tore through the monkey's stomach, and they went scurrying down and ran toward Willow, who could barely hide her disgust. She fired an arrow toward the group of rats, followed by the Olympya Archer's arrow." Starfall!" Hundreds of lancing golden arrows flew, scouring over the rats; each barely stood a chance. The Olympya Magus spun its cube and unleashed a flamethrower of green flames that mowed down any rats who escaped Willow's arrow.

The putrid smell wafted through the air. Willow heard a shift of wind, and her Olympya's Executioner moved before her. The Jester appeared to the right, pouncing over the small dais, and threw two glowing cards—one at the Executioner, the other at Kroos. Another two much smaller turtle-shell shields appeared, breaking both cards. They exploded and turned into confetti that streaked like sharp paper after Kroos' shield was gone.

This time, two golden soldiers appeared right in the confetti ways and took the brunt of the paper. They exploded in a puff of mist that swirled as the Jester charged in, skipping over the Executioner after ducking his axe swing. Gathering its momentum on its right leg, the Devil launched right toward Kroos, who summoned another shield. This time the Jester saw it coming. It pushed one hand down and threw its entire body up in a cartwheel, flying over the [Bannerlord]'s throne and switching its target to Willow."

Mark." The Mark appeared, and still in midair—the Jester separated its hands—a literal crow shot off, carrying Willow's Mark with it. Despite that, Willow still sent her arrow straight at the Riftborn. It was mid-air, and couldn't possibly— [The Jester Gambit activated] [House Edge grants the Jester +50% Arcanery] [The Jester Won] Beside her, Olympya's Archer disappeared, turning into a card that captured the archer's feminine figure. Willow's arrow, which she had released, flew through; it hit nothing.

There was nobody to hit. She only saw a card that had the drawing of the Jester. Then the drawing shifted; it became the Olympya Archer. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The realization made her move. Her Swift Feet carried her backward to dodge, just in time for the Jester to appear right where the Olympya Archer was supposed to be and lunge at her. The Riftborn was too close for her to use her bow, so she let go and shouted:" Starfire!"

Her Ivory Assassin's Veil brimmed with pure white radiance, and three stars gathered just beyond Willow's chest. The sudden projectile didn't stop the Jester; it ducked below one star and skittered to its left to summon two cards that captured each of the stars. From a blank point, it reversed the spell straight at Willow." Kindling!" White flames scorched over her class outfit, and she expected pain, but instead a cube spun in front of her, containing bright light.

The Olympya magus, cloak swishing, reversed the magic right back with an open palm. A beam of overwhelming light surged forward and split apart when an Iron Maiden encased the Devil's body. Not missing her chance, Willow drew an Auric Arrow with her SunPiercer, taking her time. Her Elf Ears had been twitching. She peeked at her rune, which had halved. That was far too much.

The reason was probably that she had no control over her Elf Ears, so when her emotions flared, her spell grew stronger and would cost her more runes. Now? Now she needed it. She didn't hold back, and a heat mirage bloomed following her draw, trembling the very air itself. She was about to kill the damn Devil for good when it opened its Iron Maiden, but why would a Jester enter such an obvious kill box?

[The Jester Gambit activated] [House Edge grants the Jester +50% Arcanery] [The Jester Won] The Iron Maiden turned into a card. Willow bit her lip in annoyance and quickly glanced around, still holding the arrow that quickly drained her runes. Where? Where! The Olympya Magus was still in front of her… The Executioner was still making its way to her. The Archer just landed beside Kroos— Her Olympya Archer materialized, and Willow spun around to release her arrow at the Jester that just emerged from its Iron Maiden.

Or she thought so. The Iron Maiden's door opened, and no one was inside. Willow's arrow blasted inside and exploded in overwhelming light, only for it to peter out. Kroos smiled and pointed across the throne room, where the first iron maiden opened, and the Jester emerged, fixing its doublet.

"Truly troublesome. An assassin-type. An Arcanic focus just like you, My Lady."

"I am?" Willow remembered a teacher giving her a look that asked, 'Why do you still exist?' when she couldn't solve an easy math problem. That look was exactly what Kroos gave her.

"What's your highest attribute?" Willow glared at the old man, who still sat on his throne. This guy was using the old trick to lead someone to question rather than straight-up telling the answer!

"Dexterity and Arcanic."

"Well, that means agility and magic, doesn't it?"

"Isn't that too simple?"

"Why make things difficult? Your Elf Ears spread pure mana through your runes to your body to enhance each spell and Enhancer, right? And you still have Swift Step, Feather Step, and your Mark, which allow you to rely solely on your dexterity to take down your enemy," Kroos explained. Willow had been listening, but she couldn't help but keep her eyes on the Jester, who was busy arranging a card atop his hands.

"Shouldn't we—""An Arcanic-focus Assassin usually tends to end up on two paths. Naturally, this still hinges on your runes, but history has consistently shown what you will ultimately ascend to. First is a swift assassin that can burst a powerful spell like you. Second is also a fast assassin, but this one is a mind-type. A type who cuts into an opponent's mind with its magic; well… it does not have to be an opponent, I suppose." The Jester spread its cards to the sky—ten of them.

An unseen force shredded them apart into eight small rectangular pieces that transformed into monkeys, each wearing a red circus shirt and holding a small sword that they raised in defiance. With one look from the Jester, the monkeys formed deep lines and sheathed their swords into the small hilts strapped to their belts, then, like a seal, they clapped—even hooting loudly. The Jester opened its arms wide and flourished a bow. What the hell?

"It's getting an attribute increase from cheers."

"Are you kidding me?" Willow mumbled. Kroos sighed and finally stood up. He reached behind his throne for his white burgonet, a unicorn horn jutting from its top.

"Where's your Sallet?"

"Is that important right now?" Kroos wore proud, clear white armor that showcased his crest on his pauldron, and drew his sword—a medium-length sword that looked like a gladius. He held it up and flicked it with his left finger. Two dozen trapdoors opened around the throne room, showering arrows right at the group of monkeys. Willow wanted to close her eyes. Who in their right mind would want to watch a monkey-slaughter?

The Jester flourished one hand, and a card flicked upward between its fingers, sending a swirl of gust that spun and carried every arrow in a circle. The monkeys' cheers grew louder, and Willow had to do a double take when she saw that five of them somehow had drums and were beating them with drumsticks.

"Truly a terrifying creature. It's a shame we wouldn't be able to see what kind of power it has in its marble reality."

"Well, I, for one, would rather not see it…" Willow trailed off.

"Actually, I'm curious."

"Oh? Look at that! My lady, not everyone appreciates an artful display of power. Most only view Spells and Enhancers as a barbaric display necessary for the Cycles." Kroos tragically shook his head. Living in a world of magic sure has spoiled some people. Willow found herself nodding. Kroos flicked his sword again, and this time, a giant trapdoor opened right below the monkeys. They let out a shrieking despair as they went into free fall, and a snort escaped Willow's mouth.

"Now for another lesson," Kroos said. He stepped down from the dais and held his sword up high.

"While I rank this Devil in Tier-four thanks to its Horns… It is still in a lower tier of Tier-four."

"Lord's Blades." Brilliant white blades sprouted from the floor around the Jester. The Devil dodged one. It skidded back, feet sliding—only for another one to lance through its back. But it did no damage, apparently, as the Devil swished a card into existence and absorbed the magic. Before it could even think to release it, another dozen white blades lanced up, spearing through every one of the Jester's limbs, making its card pause mid-motion, and it uselessly fell to the floor.

"Now, my lady, if it please you…"

"Mark!" Willow did not need to be told. She drew an Auric Arrow with Sunpiercer, not intending to charge it for long, and she let loose. Willow drew again, thinking she needed a dozen arrows to cut through the devil's defense. That was until Kroos disappeared, and before her arrow hit—the [Bannerlord] reappeared right in front of the Jester Devil. His sword was already in a downward motion and cut right across the Devil's doublet. Twisting aside, the lord let Willow's arrow pierce the Devil's heart.

[You grow stronger]"How many levels?"

"One," she sighed.

"One! Ah, the Guidance Spirit sure is ever watchful. Killing such a creature should at least net you five levels with your experience boost," Kroos said.

"Only five?"

"It gets harder the higher you go, my lady," Kroos said. Before he could go on another ramble, the lord suddenly stopped and turned toward the Jester's corpse. Its body has one more trick to play. [The Jester's Final Gambit Activated] [The Devil has chosen the Devil's Managerie as his final stage!] [You have been invited to the Devil's Managerie.]