Sion regained his balance mid-air and skidded on the ground.
Although his body was coated in hard metal, the kick he received from the Satyr stung a bit.
"What a hard-headed baboon," the Satyr commented after landing on the ground. "If that was any other Saint, he'd probably have a big bump on his head right now."
"Are you sure you didn't hold back, Adonis?" a handsome Drow, who held a Sword Whip in his hand, asked with a smile.
"Of course not," Adonis replied. "You also knew it after stopping his blow earlier right? We got a real sandbag here, Tharin. You better sharpen that Whip Blade of yours."
The Drow, Tharin, smirked after hearing his comrade's reply. These kinds of exchanges during battles was a norm for them, especially since they already knew how to work as a team.
Although he admitted that Sion's protective metallic coating in his body was hard, it was nowhere compared to Antero when the Golem of Destruction fought for real.
"Focus on the battle, you two," a Foxkin commented. "You don't want to get nagged by Baal later after you somehow lose to this pathetic worm."
"Harsh as always, Hana," a beautiful Naga said to the Foxkin with a smile. "But then again, you are right. We can't have Baal reprimanding us later because these men made a fool of themselves."
"Oh, shut it, Mia." Adonis scoffed. "How can we lose against the likes of this… pathetic worm—as Hana called it."
Mia, the Naga, giggled before nocking an arrow to her bow.
"He's coming. Get a grip boys," Mia stated before releasing the arrow from her bow.
A whistling sound spread in the surroundings as her arrow flew straight and true toward the Juggernaut of El Hazard, who was now charging in their direction.
As if taking that as a cue, the party of five all moved to intercept their foe according to their respective roles.
Sion didn't stop his charge and used his axe to deflect Mia's arrow to the side.
Although the force behind the arrow was strong, his strength as a Saint wasn't just for show.
However, his mad charge, which had already gained momentum, slowed down for a brief moment, proving that Mia's attack was capable of delaying his advance.
"Cold Wind and Ice herald your arrival," Hana chanted as a magic circle appeared above her head. "Let your tempest cover the world in your white embrace!"
"Come forth, Shiva!"
A beautiful Ice Queen materialized in the sky and countless ice blades circled around her like floating fallen leaves on a stormy night.
"Chaos Tempest," Shiva said in a cold voice before the countless Ice Blades descended from the sky, freezing the ground and pelting the Juggernaut of Agartha with razor-sharp blades that could cut through flesh.
Sion cursed inwardly as he used his axe to block the countless ice blades that were falling on him like rain, but his charge never stopped.
His goal was to attack the Naga, who was firing arrow after arrow in the distance and using the Ice Blade Storm to her advantage.
Just as he thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse, a sword whip wrapped itself around his leg, preventing him from moving forward.
"Chain Lightning!" Tharin shouted as a bolt of lightning snaked through his Sword Whip and shocked Sion with its might.
"Layer upon layer of agony, crush my foe now!" Naberius shouted as a giant blade that was as dark as the night appeared above his head.
"Ultima Blade!"
The Black Raven swung the giant blade without any mercy at the immobile Sion, creating a powerful explosion that shook the land and sent tremors all the way to the City of El Hazard.
The guards, who were guarding the city wall, saw the powerful attack in the distance and looked at their Guard Captain for further orders.
"Sound the alarm!" the Guard Captain of El Hazard ordered. "Tell the citizens to seek shelter in their homes while we conduct an investigation!"
Immediately, the loud tolling of bells spread inside the city, causing everyone to stop whatever they were doing and stare at each other in surprise.
The bells of El Hazard would only be used if the city was under attack or was about to be attacked by something that could potentially destroy it.
However, before everyone could panic, a firm and calm voice reverberated in the city, telling everyone that it was going to be fine.
"Worry not, people of El Hazard," Darius said. "Sion is merely sparring with some friends outside the city. There is no need to be alarmed. However, no one is allowed to leave the city, or else you might get caught in the aftermath of the battle."
As if to reinforce this order, a white dome appeared around the city, shielding it from any stray spells that might destroy it by accident.
It also prevented curious people from leaving the city to watch the battle taking place in the distance.
After making his speech, Darius glanced at Gaap who was sitting on the rooftop, with Carol beside him, holding an umbrella to shield him from the sunlight.
"It will take more than that to beat Sion," Darius said. "Although their combination attacks are powerful, it is not enough to bring that monster wearing a human skin down."
"True," Gaap agreed. "But that's fine. My servants are doing their best to not accidentally kill him, so they're not using their Killer Moves right now."
The corner of Darius' lips twitched after hearing Gaap's reply. If that Ultima Blade that descended on his comrade's head wasn't a Killer Move, then he had no idea what the Halfling considered a Killer Move.
Naberius, who had unleashed his attack, narrowed his eyes as he looked at the dust cloud that was preventing him from seeing the outcome of his attack.
When the dust cloud receded, a red barrier with several cracks in its surface appeared in his vision.
"Congratulations," Sion stated as a mist of steam rose up from his body. "All of you have successfully made me angry."
Adonis, who was standing not far from the Saint, chuckled.
"Did you hear that, guys?" Adonis said. "He said we have successfully made him angry."
"Well, we're not exactly here to make him laugh, no?" Tarin sneered. "Just remember, our Master said that we shouldn't accidentally kill him, so hold back a bit, okay?"
The Drow's words were like taunts to Sion's ears, so he no longer held back and roared, creating shockwaves in his surroundings.
A moment later, his body grew bigger until he towered six meters above the ground.
"Annihilation Crash!" Sion roared as he smashed his axe towards the ground.
This time the ground didn't break, or sent dirt and rocks flying in every direction.
However, steel spikes that were over three meters tall jutted from the ground, and spread for several thousand meters around him, creating a Slaughter Domain under his control.
After becoming a Saint, this was the first time he had suffered a beating like this. His ego was bruised, which was why he was very mad.
Someone as powerful as him was revered by the people of Agartha, and they even treated him as one of their Sacred Guardians.
Yet right now, he was being one-sidedly pummeled by his opponents without getting a chance to counterattack.
Because of this, Sion thought that enough was enough and no longer held back, unleashing his Slaughter Domain, which he had not used for many years.
"No more games," Sion declared coldly. "I will now kill all of you for real!"
Baal, who now hovered in the air with his arms still crossed over his chest sneered at the Saint from a distance.
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall," Baal stated before glancing at Blackfire who was now hovering beside him. "If you plan to really devour him later, at least make it look like it was an accident, okay? We don't want to be blamed for the aftermath of this battle."
Blackfire nodded its head happily because it had been granted permission from its allies to devour Sion "by accident".
As to how the Black Coffin would be able to pull it off, not even Baal, the leader of Gaap's subordinates, had an idea.
How would the Black Coffin make it look like an accident?
