Astartes looked at this woman pointedly and did not say anything, directing his attention to Blaze Beam as if wanting him to explain everything that just happened.
Blaze Beam sighed and made the introduction. "Allow me to introduce you to my party, Infinity. The two guys are my tanks, while the two ladies serve as healer and mage, and I lead the attack. Together, we have been able to contain the Class D Catacomb threat, minimising its rate of creature outbreaks."
"As for Leila," Blaze Beam pointed at the woman who had spoken and continued, "she is called the Light Archer, the only peak Class E Ranker in my team. She is a rare archer specialisation among us rankers and is only a step away from reaching the D Rank. She is undoubtedly the second strongest ranker in this city after me."
Leila, the Light Archer, revealed a smug look the moment Blaze Beam said this and gave off an air of superiority.
However, Astartes' expression did not change when he heard this, and he only nodded his head. "I will be heading to the Kobold Arena Catacomb if there is nothing else to discuss, Branch Chief."
Blaze Beam was surprised, and so were the other members of his party. "Do you intend to raid the Catacomb alone, Infinity?"
"Precisely," Astartes nodded. "There is no time to waste. You said it yourself, Branch Chief. Dealing with the Class D Orc Catacomb remains the biggest priority. Instead of risking injuries during Class E Catacomb raids, it is best to remain in the best shape possible. I will raid both the Kobold Arena Catacomb and the Harpy Nest Catacomb to prevent any catacomb outbreaks while you recuperate for the next few days."
Blaze Beam's gaze turned very serious, and he stared hard into Astartes' eyes. Taking such a decision was very risky. If Astartes were unable to handle both catacombs today, it was very likely that there could be a Catacomb Outbreak. Only by killing the Catacomb Lord to reset the Catacomb periodically could the threat be averted. Ordinarily, he was supposed to outrightly reject this proposition, but Astartes was right when he said that their full recovery to make them ready for the Orc Catacomb was paramount.
"How confident are you, Infinity?"
"Highly confident."
"Then I shall entrust you with this duty. My party and I will remain on standby to deal with any other emergency."
"Understood, Branch Chief. Leave the rest to me." Astartes said finally as he motioned to leave.
However, it was at this moment that Leila spoke.
"Hubris...utter hubris. To allow a mere newbie E-Ranker to conduct a solo raid on a Class E Catacomb? Who does he think he is? One of the Blessed Rankers of the Angelus Empire?"
"I am disappointed in you, Branch Chief Blaze Beam. Risking the lives of millions in this city for this kid. I disagree with your decision. If you have not forgotten, I am the Vice Branch Chief of the RA, and I have enough authority to challenge this decision."
Leila turned her attention to Astartes. "And as for you, Infinity Mage, it appears that you have completely disregarded my warning and, like every other proud upstart that has some slight merit to his name, you have become overconfident and stupid. Just because you cleared some Class F Catacombs, you think you are special. With enough preparation, even I can do the same."
Astartes did not even look at her, which infuriated her further, but he did not care. He asked Blaze Beam, "Can I go or not, Branch Chief?"
Blaze Beam nodded. "You can. However, Leila does indeed have the right to stop your actions with her authority. Although I can override it, I think it would be much clearer if you demonstrated your capabilities to my party, who do not seem convinced of your abilities," he laughed.
"What do you suggest then?" Astartes asked.
"A spar," Blaze Beam replied. "Between yourself and Light Archer Leila. If you manage a draw, I will permit your course of action. Are you willing?"
Astartes nodded.
"I believe the terms are fair to you as well, Leila?" Blaze Beam asked.
"It is fine by me. Even though you want to give the kid a chance to earn a draw in the spar since you know he won't win, I won't object. He needs a healthy dose of reality from me."
The battle was immediately arranged within one of the floors of the RA Tower. It was a massive, round courtyard that had been built and reinforced with mana-resistant technology, making it extremely sturdy and suited for battles between rankers.
Blaze Beam and his other comrades watched the battle from above with keen interest.
"Are you that confident in the Infinity Mage, knowing full well that he is up against Light Archer, the second strongest ranker?" one of the lead tanks in the party asked Blaze Beam.
"He may be talented, but his experience and power pales to that of Light Archer. Her battle style makes mage-type rankers unable to contend with her. The kid is going to lose," the female healer in the team commented.
Listening to the various comments of his party members, Blaze Beam only smiled mysteriously. He, too, was excited to see what abilities Astartes was about to display. He was very sure that this battle was not going to be as straightforward as it appeared.
*************
Astartes stared at the hot blonde archer on the other end of the Arena. His posture was relaxed, and there was no sign of tension on his face or in his body language at all.
"You have a chance to forfeit this battle while you still can, Infinity Mage. I won't go easy on you because you are a newbie," Leila warned.
Astartes calmly replied, "You are not my opponent, Light Archer. But I would suggest you fight to your fullest and make this a little more challenging for me."
Astartes words filled Leila with rage, but before she could respond, the signal to begin the battle was heard.
LET'S GO AHEAD!
The battle commenced.
Within seconds, Leila notched an arrow in her bow and shot at Astartes. It was a Class E Bow, the Wicked Edge Bow, which increased the power of her arrows by 25%. Her arrows were also a set of Class E arrows, making them lethal to any opponent that was Rank E and lower. The speed of the arrow was very fast and reached Astartes in an instant, giving him no time to dodge.
But Astartes had no intention of dodging.
[Magic Shield]
A circular pale blue mana barrier appeared around Astartes and was prepared to block the attack.
BOOM!
The arrow smashed into the shield, blowing it into smithereens. However, the shield's deflection power also destroyed the arrow's power, and both moves got cancelled out!
Leila snorted and drew two notched arrows this time and shot them towards Astartes in quick succession. But just like previously, Astartes cast his [Magic Shield] skill and blocked the first arrow. Just when the second arrow tried to hit Astartes after the [Magic Shield] skill got destroyed, another [Magic Shield] appeared in no time, cancelling out the second arrow as well, leaving Astartes completely unharmed!
Leila frowned at the sight of Astartes' watertight defence, and she acknowledged that the latter was definitely no pushover. However, compared to Astartes, she had yet to use her skills. Astartes had already used his [Magic Shield] skill thrice and had definitely expended some mana. Even if he had large mana reserves, Leila was confident in a contest of endurance and attrition.
But before she could continue her attacks, Astartes seized the initiative this time, casting his [Icicle Blast] skill, which shot ten longblades of ice towards Leila!
Leila frowned but did not lose her composure. Her feet glowed with a cyan colour of mana as she activated her skill [Gale Steps]! She turned into a fast wind and immediately dodged the ice blades. While she did that, she simultaneously shot five arrows towards Astartes in quick succession. However, her arrows were intercepted by Astartes' ice blades which destroyed all of them.
But Leila was not finished. Instead of shooting another normal arrow, which she realised was ineffective, she notched a single arrow that released a bright, dazzling glow and exuded a terrifying power.
[Light Arrow]
She unleashed her powerful archery skill! It was this move that allowed her to deliver killing blows to her enemies and earned her the title of the Light Archer!
The arrow tore through the air with incredible speed, destroying the ice blade cast by Astartes' [Icicle Blast] in its way, resulting in a slight icy mist. Its momentum did not stop and headed straight for Astartes' heart!
[Magic Shield]
Astartes' actions were not slow in the least, and he cast his skill in time to receive the attack. But even his [Magic Shield] held the powerful arrow of light in place, the intense light power in the end was too strong for it. It was unable to block the terrifying power unleashed by the arrow, finally, and it got blown apart into smithereens!
Even though the [Magic Shield] was able to curb the momentum of the attack significantly, the remaining power of the arrow was still enough to damage him!
Despite the precarious situation August found himself in, he did not panic; his gaze was still calm amidst the impending danger.
However, just when it was almost certain that Astartes was going to be pierced by this attack, two large dark hands that looked like they appeared from the abyss and held the light arrow in place, inches away from piercing Astartes' chest!
[Darkness Hand]!
The outcome left everyone astonished!
The light arrow crumbled into dust the moment the dark hands held on to it! Leila's attack had failed!
"How is this possible?"
"What the hell was that skill? Is that the Class F Darkness Hand skill? How is it so powerful? How is it able to stop a Class E Light Arrow skill?!"
The onlooking members of Blaze Beam's party were confounded by what they just witnessed!
Blaze Beam's gaze was keener than theirs, and hence, he understood what happened better. "That [Darkness Hand] skill is not ordinary. I suspect that the skill properties have undergone a transformation that makes it almost comparable to a Class E skill. The diminished power of the Light Arrow after it clashed with his magic shield skill should have also played a role."