The situation in the hall degenerated quickly.

With the automatons unleashing their true agility, it didn’t take long before Lancelot, Isabel, and Robert found themselves surrounded from everywhere but behind, where the elevated safe spot stood.

The trio didn’t have their backs on the wall, but it was just a matter of time unless they decided to get serious and resort to more reckless, wasteful approaches.

It didn’t help that the trial seemed to have been tuned for five challengers, while there were only three fighting. Injuries had yet to happen, but they sounded pretty much ensured now.

And Lancelot had to admit that he was a bit bored, which was annoying, really.

Individually, the automatons weren’t great. Ordinary rooting experts might struggle against them, but not Lancelot, and definitely not those he had recruited.

The automatons’ true strength came from their numbers and perfect teamwork, which enhanced their individual traits far beyond their sum.

The four broadswords advanced and retreated freely, with four shields always stepping forth to protect them from counterattacks. The latter also had spears, which prevented Lancelot and the others from pursuing.

Even if one shield fell or melted, another from the backline would join those ranks. Moreover, if the automaton survived that loss, it would join the broadswords with its spear, nullifying any defeat, at least in the short term.

And, throughout all that, arrows kept flying, always with perfect timing, even featuring insidiousness only seasoned assassins could have mastered.

The expertise required to build and program such automatons was unfathomable. Archbishop Ignatius had to have been truly peerless in the noble art of inscriptions, which was exactly why Lancelot found his boredom annoying.

After all, while challenging, the solution was quite simple. The battle was nothing more than a puzzle meant to be taken slowly, gradually eliminating key elements of the formation to create a glaring weakness.

Such an expert had ended up creating something as trivial as a clash of teamwork. It was utterly disappointing, both when it came to what was being tested and what could have been if Archbishop Ignatius had just decided to get a bit more serious.

There was no passion to be found in such a disheartening trial, so Lancelot would have to be the one adding it. It always fell to him to add the spark life often lacked.

"Retreat," Lancelot ordered, casually sliding back to escape a spear thrust. "I’ll handle this."

Lancelot knew he didn’t need to add anything else. Robert wouldn’t miss the chance to save his strength, and his Sister was aware of how dangerous it was to be around him once he got serious.

Actually, there would be nowhere safe once Lancelot set fire to the entire hall.

But something happened before Isabel and Robert could comply. Lancelot felt it before seeing it, as if resonating with the very core of his being, with the very spark he wanted to light life with.

The automaton that had just lunged at Lancelot was already retreating, but an ethereal dark arrow pierced its torso, too fast for it even to attempt to raise its shield.

Things didn’t end there. The arrow’s momentum was so forceful that the automaton partially lost its footing, sliding to its side until it crashed into its sword-wielding companion.

Then, the arrow detonated, unleashing a shockwave of Qi that sent metal shards flying everywhere. The first puppet was no more, while the one it had crashed into had lost its armored right arm.

Isabel didn’t hesitate to exploit that opening, firing water bullets to finish the second automaton. Meanwhile, Robert rushed through that opening, wanting to deal with the crossbows.

As for Lancelot, he ignored the battle altogether, flames leaking from his body on their own to deflect the arrows flying in his direction while he looked elsewhere.

There, on the elevated safe area, the cloaked team alchemist stood, a rank 2 bow seemingly of impeccable quality held firmly and with indisputable confidence in his right hand. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

’He has a rank 2 weapon,’ Lancelot thought. ’And a space-ring, too. That dangerous thing he stabbed me with definitely was him holding back.’

And Lancelot had to admit that he just couldn’t figure out Master William. He was quite the enigma. He had become a popular alchemist seemingly overnight, but he could also dare to hold back against Lancelot. Both shouldn’t be true at the same time for someone so young.

’Where did you come from?’ Lancelot wondered, time slowing down in his perception. ’Who even are you? What else are you hiding? What would fighting you to death feel like?’

More than that, Lancelot saw proper light shining from Liam’s cloaked figure. It was dark, ominous, but scorching, not as scorching as his, but undoubtedly immense.

’What kind of passion can even birth such a flame?’ Lancelot pondered. ’If I let it burn me, would my life get more interesting?’

As quickly as rooting experts could think, the battle around Lancelot raged on. His Qi often acted on its own. His flames had a will of their own after all, but there was much they couldn’t handle without his direct input.

One of those threats was heading straight for Lancelot’s back. Robert was somewhere in the enemy’s backlines, while Isabel was ready to summon a defensive spell, but someone acted first once again, except Lancelot saw it all now.

The cloaked figure pulled his bow’s string so methodically that he resembled more of a living armor than the ones in the hall.

However, that wasn’t the result of clunkiness or limited range of motion due to a mere imitation of life. It was a gesture polished through endless repetition, becoming so perfect it looked inhuman. Lancelot could almost feel the heavy life it carried.

A dark arrow materialized during the masterful gesture, and Lancelot’s eyes went wide. He saw the bolt firing toward him. Yet, despite never diverting his gaze, he had missed the exact moment when the cloaked figure had released it.

The ethereal arrow crossed the hall in no time, reaching Lancelot’s head, and missing it by a mere centimeter, hitting instead the spear-wielding automaton coming from behind straight in the chest.

An explosion followed, and Lancelot’s blonde hair fluttered in the gales it unleashed, reddish shades taking over his long strands while his inspection of Master William continued.

’Ahh, I’m truly falling for him,’ Lancelot thought, responding to that dark passion only he could see in the only way he knew. His lips parted, releasing a chant that defied time. "Higher, higher, life is fire."