The Lady of the Silver Edge
Harry and Percy looked toward Elara, who held a sword so thin it seemed like it could break with a single blow if she tried to cut the Minotaur with it. Even so, she stood perfectly straight, completely confident. You could feel her battle instinct, one so intense that it made the skin on both of them prickle.
“You’re the ugliest giant I’ve seen in a long time,” Elara said, staring at the Minotaur.
That left both Percy and Harry confused, because what stood in front of her was anything but a giant. It was a massive humanoid bull, covered in black fur, with horns so sharp they looked capable of piercing armor with ease.
Adrien, who stood between the children and the beast the size of a grizzly bear, turned slightly to look in that direction for a moment. A glint appeared in his eyes, but he decided it would be better to stay quiet before returning his attention to the hellhound. He did not attack first. It was more as if he were in a defensive stance, far more focused on protecting the children than on truly defeating the monster.
Elara, on the other hand, did not share that concern.
For a brief moment, she remained there, standing still, waiting for the one she perceived as a giant to attack. Then the Minotaur scraped the ground once more before charging at her headfirst, trying to impale her.
Sirius pulled out his wand, ready to intervene, but it was not necessary. Elara, who had been standing without moving, suddenly vanished, leaving behind only a silver flash. An instant later, she appeared directly in front of the Minotaur, thrusting her rapier straight toward its chest.
The moment she struck, her arm became a blur. Her blade, glowing faintly, hit several points almost at the same time, as if it had turned into dozens of swords in a single attack.
Beneath her helmet, Elara frowned before shifting to the side. The Minotaur’s massive black arm swept past her, barely grazing her, yet she had taken no damage at all.
But that did not stop her.
She exploited the weak point beneath its armpit when the monster attacked and stabbed almost instantly.
The Minotaur slammed its face against her with disdain as it tried to grab her. Elara flicked her rapier upward, stabbing into the monster’s wrist, deflecting its hand while delivering several rapid thrusts into its ribs.
But once again, nothing.
Not a single drop of blood fell from it. Even so, the monster took half a step back, as if something about those strikes unsettled it.
The Minotaur spread both arms wide, as if trying to embrace Elara.
She leaped backward, spinning through the air, and in the same motion unleashed several strikes at the monster’s face, aiming straight for one of its eyes.
“Muuuuu,” the creature bellowed in slight pain.
Elara landed on the ground but kept her gaze locked on it. Despite the cry, the Minotaur only blinked a couple of times. Its eye was merely redder than before, even though that attack should have pulverized anyone else’s eye.
“What the hell are you?” Elara said, sounding genuinely confused.
“The Minotaur is an archetype. It can only be damaged by celestial bronze,” Grover shouted as he jumped out of the car and joined Harry and Percy, who were watching the fight with a mix of tension and excitement.
Elara turned her head briefly and looked at Grover.
“Minotaur?” she asked, before returning her gaze to the giant she was fighting. She tilted her head in confusion for a moment, then easily dodged another furious punch from the monster.
“Hey, brat,” Elara shouted toward Adrien, who seemed locked in a silent staring contest with the hellhound. For some reason, the creature did not dare to attack, simply remaining there, watching the children.
“Yes, I can see it,” Adrien said, as if he understood what she wanted to ask. “It is indeed a Minotaur.”
She looked back at the giant, as though she still had not fully processed it.
“The human eye that cannot see through the Mist tries to show what the brain can process. That is why you see it differently from what it truly is. Even so, that alone is remarkable, because most humans should not even be able to see it at all,” Grover added, a hint of surprise in his voice.
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“Hm,” Elara murmured as she leaned her head back to avoid another strike. “So it was you,” she said, her voice colder than before as she stared at the Minotaur.
Even though she could not see it completely as it truly was, she knew the story of the attack on Gema. And the reason she was here was to find it.
She calmly ran her hand along the edge of her sword, which began to glow faintly with a white, silvery light. A subtle vibration rippled through the air. Soft runes appeared across Elara’s armor, resonating with the blade.
Then she stepped back, dodging another attack from the monster, which smashed into the ground and left visible cracks behind. It seemed so enraged by its inability to touch her that its blows grew increasingly violent and uncontrolled.
Boom.
Boom.
The Minotaur’s strikes continued to shatter the ground in its wake, while Elara kept dodging effortlessly, taking light steps backward and to the sides. Though she looked relaxed, it was clear she was fully focused, calculating every step and every movement.
With her combat experience, she knew that a single mistake could be fatal.
Each of the monster’s blows felt as if just one of them could kill her.
“Muuu,” the beast roared again, even more enraged now, lowering its body to charge at her. But Elara moved swiftly to the side and stabbed repeatedly with her sword. Each strike produced small bursts of force that sent the beast rolling across the ground before it pushed itself up to attack once more.
But Elara was already standing in front of him again, aiming straight at his head. That caused another burst that disoriented the Minotaur, while she reappeared on its back, stabbing toward the base of its neck. With another explosion, the creature collapsed face-first against the ground.
“That was the attack she used before to send it flying. Those bursts,” Percy said with a hint of excitement as he noticed the power of Elara’s sword, even though he did not fully understand how it worked.
Harry nodded as well. Both of them had known for a long time that the swords carried by the knights possessed special powers thanks to their enchantments, even if they did not know all of their effects. Each one was truly powerful and fascinating, and Percy, being a sword enthusiast, was naturally far more excited than Harry.
Meanwhile, Grover was completely stunned by the sight of a human holding her own against the Minotaur. Sirius, on the other hand, wore a faintly irritated expression, since she was clearly showing him up against that thing. He told himself that it was only because he was more focused on protecting Percy and Harry than on actually fighting.
The Minotaur suddenly pushed itself up, still somewhat dazed, and began attacking in every direction, as if one of its random blows might finally land.
Elara, meanwhile, moved as if she were gently dancing.
She delivered several thrusts that exploded on impact, destabilizing it until it dropped to one knee.
Before she could appear directly in front of it and aim for its neck, the Minotaur was forced backward. It instinctively touched its throat and then charged again in a fury.
“This thing…,” Elara muttered as she dodged its attacks. Her breathing had grown slightly faster. “I can’t damage it,” she said, clearly annoyed.
“Oh, right. Percy, you have Riptide,” Grover said quickly.
“That’s right,” Percy said as he touched his enchanted necklace and pulled out a pen. “Ma’am, I have celestial bronze to hurt that thing,” he shouted as he removed the cap and it transformed into Riptide.
“Ma’am?” Elara said, shooting him a quick glance before ducking under a devastating blow.
Percy felt a chill run down his spine when he met the woman’s gaze beneath the helmet.
“Uh… ah… oh… uh…,” Percy had no idea what to say.
Harry leaned slightly closer to his ear.
“Lady,” he corrected.
“Lady,” Percy repeated.
She gave a faint nod. “Good. Then get ready to receive it,” she said firmly.
“Receive it?” Percy asked, completely confused.
Elara moved behind the Minotaur and once again ran her hand along the blade, the glow growing even brighter. The monster turned around, as if it had sensed something, but it was already too late to attack. Elara had already driven her blade straight into its chest.
Boom.
An explosion rang out as the Minotaur was sent flying straight toward Percy.
Percy stared at the massive black monster hurtling toward him, his expression one of total confusion.
Sirius raised his wand almost instantly, while Adrien broke off his silent standoff with the hellhound and moved toward Percy as well. Both prepared to protect him, their faces marked by surprise at the woman’s maneuver.
“Legs apart, blade forward, straight,” Elara shouted at Percy like an absolute command.
Percy, who had never assumed that stance before, moved immediately, doing exactly as she said.
Then he realized that the Minotaur’s head was heading straight toward the point of his sword, as if everything had been perfectly calculated.
Before he could even react, he saw Riptide pierce straight through the creature’s skull, completely, without even touching him. The body began to disintegrate, turning into dust.
At that exact moment, Adrien and Sirius raised a physical shield and a magical one in front of Percy, protecting him from the dust, which was obviously coming from the monster’s remains.
Both wore confused expressions as they watched it fall apart, but they quickly scanned Percy for injuries. Even Harry stepped closer to make sure he had not been hurt.
Percy stood frozen for a moment, mouth hanging open, before finally saying,
“That was really awesome,” with an excitement he could not possibly hide.
Adrien let out a sigh, as did Sirius, before turning to look at Elara, who was approaching calmly.
“Is she insane? What would have happened if Percy hadn’t reacted?” Sirius shouted, almost furious.
“Hm? But you two were there, right?” Elara replied calmly. “If he failed, you would have protected him,” she added.
That left both men completely speechless. Adrien rubbed his forehead, while Sirius remained visibly annoyed.
“So, do we deal with that now?” she asked, pointing toward the hellhound, which was still standing there, staring fixedly at Percy and Harry, growling softly at Sirius and the others.
Everyone raised their guard again.
“Wait,” Grover said nervously, stopping them and lifting both hands. “He’s not an enemy… I think.”
The silence that followed was heavy. No one lowered their weapon right away.
The hellhound lifted its head and sniffed the air, neither attacking nor retreating.
