After forcing him back, Asuna glanced around.
The surrounding Smiling Coffin members had also closed in when PoH began his attack.
But after the initial panic, the Knights of the Blood elites had regained their footing.
They were the core of the Strategy Group, after all. They could not remain in chaos forever.
Klein had been rash at the beginning too, but by now, he had not only steadied himself but also had time to support the people around him.
"Asuna, watch out for his trash talk!" Kiriko warned in a low voice.
"Yeah. We have to make these Smiling Coffin members surrender..." Asuna spoke softly as well. "So we need to deal with PoH first!"
"Yeah." Kiriko nodded.
Whether they were killed by him or killed him, neither was a good choice.
The killings before had been unavoidable, but there had actually been a better way.
They only needed to take down their spiritual leader and crush their morale.
Asuna took a deep breath, casting aside every stray thought. Her eyes held only that dark figure constantly moving about and the cleaver in his hand, glowing with an ominous red light.
Curtain's Boon had a limited duration.
She had to finish him within the time limit.
Countless Magic Circles appeared across the ground.
Asuna accelerated again and charged straight at him.
"What?!"
PoH clearly had not expected Asuna's sudden burst of power.
But at that moment, black light also appeared around PoH.
"—Block!"
A piercing clash rang out.
Asuna's attack had actually been blocked. Tremendous force traveled through her rapier, numbing her wrist.
But this Sword Skill had severe recovery lag. Kiriko immediately swung her sword at PoH's back, forcing him to turn and defend.
Yet unlike what Kiriko had expected, PoH moved. Slippery as an eel, he took