Before the battle started, Zoe and Mara got their allies to leave first, ordering them to leave while they kept the dark elf busy. Since Esil and the other enemy players were after the knights, they could easily draw their attention and get their people out of danger. Hopefully, anyway.

Esil swung his sword down, aiming for Zoe first. The knight zipped to the side, avoiding his strike. Meanwhile, Mara closed in on the dark elf, slashing at his torso. The dark elf barbarian reacted in time, bringing his sword around and blocking the blow. A metallic clang echoed throughout the room, just as Zoe attacked, striking his other side.

Knowing that he was already preoccupied with Mara, Esil retreated by leaping back, avoiding Callahan's strike altogether. The black knight chased after him, not giving her opponent a chance to catch her breath. She swung at the dark elf, only for her attack to be blocked once again.

The two clashed their swords against one another, which erupted into a chorus of metal clanging against metal. Amid the flurry of strikes, Zoe soon joined in the fight, occupying his other side much like before.

Instead of retreating, Esil attempted to fend off against both of them, blocking their sword strikes almost effortlessly. Once he found an opportunity, he closed in on Zoe before driving his foot against her chest, kicking her away. As she tumbled along the floor, Esil turned his attention back on Mara and swung his sword over her head.

The Grisel knight brought her weapon up to block it, but was immediately pushed down by the force. The dark elf applied so much power to his strike that she took a knee to keep the force from completely crushing her.

"Impressive!" Esil grinned wildly. "I've heard about the black hound of Ruinvia, but never did get the chance to fight you before the system appeared. Though I should now thank the system for giving me this opportunity!"

"You...do that!" Using her strength, Mara pushed against the dark elf's sword while getting back on both feet.

Once both of her legs were standing, she then raised her foot and kicked Esil's leg. He fell on one knee as a result, but still managed to keep his sword pressed against Mara's. However, the blackhound then angled her sword down, letting the dark elf's weapon slide off and hit the ground.

No longer under the weight of the dark elf's strike, Mara smacked his face with the butt of her weapon. His head jerked to the side, but he still possessed enough zeal to swing his sword at her torso. Mara noticed that his blade was leaving a crimson energy trail in its wake. Her instincts warned her of his attack, and she immediately brought up her weapon to block.

Just as the two blades collided, an explosion of red occurred before the Grisel knight was thrown against the wall from the shockwave. She let out a pained groan while trying to pull herself out of the wall. In front of her, the dark elf emerged from the smoke, darting toward her like a bull.

His weapon was raised in the air, ready to be swung down and cleave the black knight in two. Mara's eyes widened as she brought her weapon up to defend herself. Before Esil could get close to her, Zoe stepped in between them. Sword in hand that emitted a pale blue glow, she swung as hard as she could, sending a powerful wave attack in his direction.

Esil struck the wave attack, making it disperse on impact. The sudden shockwave from the dispersion caused him to get pushed back in response. Zoe took that as her chance and zipped toward her. She lunged in the air while bringing her sword down with incredible force.

Even when the dark elf blocked, Zoe delivered so much power in her strike that she caused the floor he stood on to crack. Massive cracks spiderwebbed across the tiled floor. A few moments later, the floor finally gave in, causing both Esil and her to fall.

They were now a floor below everyone else. Even now, Zoe could hear the battle above them rage on as more players attacked her and Mara's allies. However, she didn't have time to fret over her people's well-being as Esil finally stood back up after the fall.

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He shook off the dust and rubble that was on him before turning his attention back on Zoe.

"That was a good strike," He smiled.

"I would say thank you, but I'll have to pass given our current circumstances."

Esil shrugged. "Fine by me. Now let's continue!"

He rushed at Zoe, clearly shrugging off his descent onto the previous floor like it was nothing. It was like the bastard was a tank.

Zoe didn't want to get caught up in his momentum and decided to dodge his attack, rolling around him as his sword struck the ground where she was standing previously. Getting near his blind spot, she kicked behind his knee, forcing him to stumble and kneel in the process. She raised her sword and aimed it right at his neck, hoping to decapitate him.

However, she momentarily stopped after remembering what Astrid told her back at the base. She wanted all of the dark elves involved in betraying and nearly killing her alive and accounted for. That meant she couldn't end her current opponent's life.

Esil noticed her brief hesitation and shoved his back against her, making her tumble along the floor as a result. Just as she adjusted her position to prepare for another fight, the dark elf was already standing and barreling toward her like a rabid beast.

Then, in the nick of time, Mara appeared through the hole, standing in front of Esil as he was charging at Zoe. The two opponents clashed, causing a shockwave to ripple across the air, sending bits of loose debris flying everywhere as a result. Esil looked down at Mara after enduring his charge and even matching his strength.

"Impressive!"

"Yeah, I know!"

The blackhound clenched her hand into a fist and then drove it into the dark elf's armor. The resulting blow put a decent dent in the black armor while sending Esil back a few meters as a result. Mara didn't stop there and charged ahead, bringing her weapon down on his skull.

Esil deflected the blow with a heavy swing, forcing her blade and body to sail in the opposite direction like a spring. She skidded across the floor, scraping against the various debris lying around from the floor collapse, before slamming her back against a wall.

"Agh..." Mara groaned, her voice sounding both in pain and irritation. "This guy is no joke, despite being on the same level as us."

"It's likely because of whatever skills he possesses," Zoe noted. "It isn't just your level that determines your strength."

A prime example of her statement would be Hazel Thatcher. Despite being several levels lower than her during their initial meeting, Zoe wasn't certain that she could've won against her if they had fought. This was mainly because of the skills she possessed. She manipulated her spells however she wished as if they bent to her will alone. Then there was her capability to fly and even allow her and Anais to fly as well.

There were so many abilities that Hazel was hiding from them...and that alone was enough to convince Zoe that she stood no chance against her. And after everything that happened during the spider queen's curse...she was now certain that defeating the witch was impossible with her current strength.

Which was why she was doing everything she could to wait for Hazel to finally show up. With her powers, she could easily take down everyone in this place. Hell, she single-handedly took down the spider queen without any assistance. That alone gave Zoe enough confidence to believe in Hazel.

The only problem was that she was surprisingly taking forever to get here. To the point where Zoe and the others had no choice but to retreat before the dark elf suddenly appeared and attacked them. Because of that, they were stuck in the hospital. Well, at least Mara and Zoe were stuck here since they got their companions to leave while it was still possible for them.

But there was so much time before the duo knights were overwhelmed by the other players who were currently on their way to the floor. If they didn't do something fast, then their fates were sealed.

Esil stood before them with a big smile on his face. "Alright, let's continue, then shall we?!"

The dark elf then charged at the two knights, forcing them to prepare for another fight. However, after taking a couple of steps, the dark elf was suddenly thrown to the side by an unknown third party.

Getting a closer look at the new opponent, Zoe's eyes widened upon realizing what she was staring at. It was a massive bat-like creature that stood well over ten feet tall and was covered in black fur, which allowed the creature to blend in with the darkness well. It was likely what allowed the creature to sneak up on Esil in a flash like that.

What really caught Zoe's attention was when she appraised him. Its status displayed that it was a Nightwing bat and that it possessed an owner. And that owner was none other than Hazel Thatcher.

The Nightwing bat turned and faced Zoe, causing her to flinch in alarm. However, when he opened his mouth to speak, his words gave the knight hope.

"Master...is on...her way."

Hearing those words, a small grin formed on her face. If what the beast was saying was true...then that meant all she needed to do now was to stall for as long as possible. Just so Hazel could finally show up.

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