Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

In a large underground cellar, with thick stone walls and dim, spectral lighting, there was a dark, oppressive atmosphere. The air was damp and dense, almost hard to breathe, with a strange odor hanging in the air. What little light there normally was in the basement came from torches on metal stands scattered around the room, casting dark, dancing shadows on the walls and floor.

Around the area of the fight between Kaizen and Adohorn, in addition to several people lying on the ground and a hectic exchange of magic, there was a lot of equipment lying around, such as cauldrons, scrolls, jars, and other strange tools that seemed to be used in magical rituals. The area was also filled with dusty bookshelves with worn covers and some torn pages. The walls were adorned with various symbols and inscriptions, many of which were unknown to non-students of black magic.

In the corner of the room was a small area where Alina was bound, with thick, heavy chains that prevented her from moving. There was a large pentagram underneath where she was kneeling.

Next to her, Dhetha approached with a determined look on her face and the long scythe in her hand.

Dhetha turned away from the main battle and approached Alina. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, she managed to cut the chains with her long scythe and free Alina.

The golden-haired girl was exhausted, almost unconscious, but she could still speak.

"Who are you?" she asked with difficulty.

"Dhetha, your ally, or rather Kaizen's ally," the woman replied as she helped Alina to her feet. "He sent me to help you."

Alina looked at the woman and then looked around to see the intense battle between Kaizen and Adohorn. Her eyes could barely stay open, but she insisted on watching. She knew that Kaizen was the only one capable of defeating Adohorn in this place. But she also knew that he was at a great disadvantage against the powerful mage.

"Tell Kaizen I appreciate his help," Alina said, struggling to keep her eyes open. "Because I don't know if I'll be able to... stay awake..."

Dhetha nodded, understanding Alina's delicate situation. She helped her towards the exit of the basement, protecting her from the wizards who were still fighting. She knew that Alina needed immediate help and that it was important to keep her out of the fight for her own safety.

As they walked down a dark corridor, Alina began to feel better and became more curious about Dhetha.

"How did you and Kaizen meet?" she asked.

"I met Kaizen a long time ago, I can hardly remember what it was like." Dhetha replied.

"I see..." Alina said.

Dhetha smiled, feeling Alina's confidence.

"But one thing is strange... Kaizen never mentioned that he knew another person from the Mage Tower."

The yellow-eyed woman widened her eyes and stopped walking. Slowly, she looked out of the corner of her eye at Alina, who was leaning against her, and saw that Alina was looking at her, waiting for an answer. As much as the librarian of the Wizards' Library was down, her mind was alive.

Meanwhile, Kaizen was still fighting Adohorn. He noticed that Dhetha and Alina had disappeared, but that didn't worry him, in fact, it took a huge weight off his back. Now he could go with everything he had without worrying about anything.

Kaizen dodged the spells Adohorn cast with great ease, and the sword of the night flew through the air in quick, precise movements, creating arcs of light as it sliced toward his enemy, who skillfully shielded himself.

"You are no match for me, Psyker!" Adohorn laughed as he cast a spell. "You're not even a real mage!" And he cast a beam of purple energy in Kaizen's direction.

Bringing the Sword of the Night closer, Kaizen used it to shield himself from the energy beam, sending a few sparks flying through the air. "You'll need more than that to defeat me!" He retorted, attacking with his flying sword.

The two of them had phenomenal abilities, and each of them stood out on a battlefield.

Kaizen wanted to use the <Apograph Skill>, but in a frenzied battle like this, not using skills like <Telekinesis>, <Free Flame Manipulation>, and <Sword Art> was practically suicide.

Damn, I wish I could use two skills at the same time. It would be so much easier. Adohorn, on the other hand, doesn't have that problem, and he can defend himself quickly with his spells.' Kaizen thought.

The spectral currents that Adohorn used as a weapon turned into an impenetrable barrier of energy whenever he needed it.

"You can't touch me, Psyker!" Adohorn sneered. "Have you used your best tricks? What else have you got? Don't tell me that's all you've got."

Kaizen smiled and prepared a plan. "I have one last trick up my sleeve," he said as he jumped backwards to make room.

Adohorn raised an eyebrow, curious. "And what would that be?"

The powerful mage could not see that Kaizen was fiddling with the system interface. Kaizen used that moment to open his inventory and equip his two remaining swords, the Næġling Falske and the Eye of the Storm.

Kaizen launched his flying swords at Adohorn, but instead of trying to hit him, he used them as a distraction as he quickly approached.

Adohorn was caught off guard. He knew that Kaizen could use <Telekinesis>, after all, he was a Psyker, but it was not in his imagination that Kaizen would be so good at it that he could control three different objects to move in different ways. He quickly formed a shield around himself to protect himself from the swords, and when he heard the clash of the swords against his shield, he smiled and opened his defense.

Suddenly, Adohorn was surprised by the sight of Kaizen less than five meters from him. He had not expected Kaizen to be so fast. He immediately tried to defend himself, but Kaizen was already too close. Kaizen's fist hit Adohorn's stomach hard, and at the same time, Kaizen used <Giant's Lungs>, doubling his strength. The blow was powerful, knocking Adohorn backwards, but Kaizen did not give him time to recover.

Kaizen drew back the Sword of the Night and moved forward in an attack stance. "This is where it ends!"

Adohorn groaned, trying to get up, only to be met with a sharp sword pointed at the space between his eyes.

"Give up." Kaizen ordered.

The white-haired mage laughed and lay on the ground, his hands raised to show that he would not resist. "It's like they say in the history books, Psyker, you may have won this battle, but the war is not over."

Kaizen frowned. "What do you mean?"

Adohorn laughed again. "You'll find out soon enough."

Kaizen looked around, noticed that Alina and Dhetha were missing, and thought of the worst case scenario.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

If you want to see original illustrations of Rise Online characters, consider helping me on pa treon: Pa treon.com/NandoFalske

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