Knights and an Invitation (Thanks to "Borao" for the Alliance Leader support)

Darkness surged. A flash of sword light split it apart, and a gust reeking of rust struck Xia Lun's face.

With a dull rush, the massive blade seemed to compress the air. A sonic boom burst outward, sending a shock wave rolling across the ground.

The knight who had suddenly appeared wore gleaming plate armor. Tall and powerfully built, she dragged a Door-Slab Sword past Xia Lun. The greatsword scraped the ground, scattering a dazzling line of sparks.

The assassins stood in a wedge formation. The shock wave tore the lead assassin's hood away and made his eyelids flutter wildly. Yet even faced with that enormous blade, he did not slow. Like a fanatic bent on martyrdom, he raised his sword and lunged at Renee behind the knight's flank.

Xia Lun's eyes darkened. With a sweep of his left arm, he pulled Renee behind him.

He lowered the sword in his right hand, ready to meet the attack, but the giant of a knight struck first.

Crack—

—

Masonry shattered beneath the knight's feet as she stopped dead. Using the force of her charge, she whipped the greatsword behind her into a horizontal sweep!

A scorching sonic boom erupted like a landslide amid a wave of blood. Severed limbs and flesh flew up like dust, while scarlet blood sprayed from the assassins' shattered bodies.

The knight kept moving. Despite her massive frame, she was impossibly nimble. Amid the blood mist, she touched one toe lightly to the ground, twisted, and swung.

Whirling Slash!

The heavy Door-Slab Sword moved with deceptive speed, mowing down every assassin within its reach like a scythe through wheat. In an instant, the space around her became a slaughterhouse beyond description.

More astonishing still, Xia Lun and Renee were within the greatsword's reach, yet the seemingly