>>6288069
“Shit! What’s with these guys?!” A prisoner cries out.

Uriyan and Saoirse have also left no shortage of bodies in their wake. Saoirse’s blinding speed ensured that most of the enemy was hardly about to touch her. Despite having the same Crest, your fighting styles could not be more different. Whereas you preferred to shrug off the hits of your enemies, the Swordmaster danced around those strikes instead, retaliating with a killing blow that came faster than the eye could see. She activates her Crest, and speeds forward in a straight line, leaving seven dead before her, bodies sliced apart by her sword. It was a technique similar to your own Earthsplitter, but different enough to intrigue you. What else had she learned to do with the Crest of Indech?

>Saoirse: 40/50 HP

As for Uriyan, despite not having a Crest of his own, he was keeping up just fine. Helswath was an axe that could be used in both melee and ranged combat. Before the enemy can even reach him, many of them have had several limbs chopped off from a distance. Once in melee range, he cleaves down three of his foes with a single swing.

>Uriyan: 62/77 HP

Around 40 prisoners lie dead on the ground, taken out by only three warriors. The remaining survivors back off, however, one man steps forward. A Morfisian in mage’s robes stares at the three of you. He glances down at the bodies of his comrades for a few moments, but does not look to be too bothered by their current state.

“The rest of the Contenders are pushing forward.” He says to his allies. “Get ready to block the passage. You need only hold them off for a few moments longer. In the meantime, leave these ones to me.”

>“Are you the former Adjunct leading these men?”

“I am.” He says. The man’s allies obey his command, heading off to plug the gap Oswald is nearing.

>“Huh. I guess I was expecting something more. I hear you were locked away for ‘gross magical misconduct.’ What did you do?”

“Illegal modifications on the human body.” He smirks.

>“What does that mean?”

“I’ll show you.”

The former Adjunct suddenly hunches over. He begins screaming incoherently. You think the man’s lost it, but when he flexes his muscles, popping the sleeves of his robe, you realize something strange is happening. He begins to grow considerably in size and stature. The top half of his robe bursts, revealing impossibly sculpted muscles the likes of which you’d never seen. He slams a closed fist on the ground, and to your surprise, it leaves a crater in its wake.

“The hell kind of magic is this?” Uriyan asks, perplexed.

“The strongest of them all!” The man roars, beating his chest with pride. “I have no use for paltry fireballs or wind gusts! In an instant, I can weave spells that enhance my body and push it to its utmost limits! I am Sid! I will break you here and earn my freedom!”