~BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!~

The courtroom erupted in chaos as the explosion reverberated through the grand hall.

Dust and debris filled the air, but amidst the chaos, things were moving swiftly.

The remaining statues, which had stood silent and immobile sprang to life.

Their movements were so swift and timely that it seemed rehearsed.

As I jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding a falling chunk of marble, I smiled thinly.

My suspicions were confirmed. These weren’t mere statues; they were guardians.

Apart from the Boss opening his eyes and being visibly awake now, there was no other reaction from him.

The attacks came from the other statues.

He was letting his minions handle it.

Sariel shrugged as if to say ’I told you so.’

Again I suspected strongly that it hadn’t been a wild guess on her part but she had known for sure.

I didn’t bother confronting her about it as it wasn’t anything major.

Maybe celestial beings didn’t see the need to share helpful information much and wanted you to learn some hardcore lessons on your own.

Perhaps it was supposed to give a unique experience and wisdom that easy knowledge wouldn’t give.

The behavior was very much like the gods that superseded them.

Prior knowledge or ignorance didn’t matter as much as strength did now.

I held up a hand indicating that I didn’t want her to intervene in the fight. There were things I needed to see for myself.

She was just going to be a spectator.

She got the message and slouched against the wall with her hands folded.

I was curious to see the limits of my base strength without the aid of my skills. Evolving had made me into something strong and I wanted to quantify it.

I realized something as they all sprung to life and moved to attack me.

They were probably designed similar to proximity alarms.

Since I didn’t trigger the alarm by getting too close to them, they didn’t attack when we first came in. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

By dealing the first move to one, the others were awakened and that was why they now attacked.

Each one moved with an eerie grace, their weapons raised and ready for battle.

I didn’t waste a moment as the remaining three statues charged towards me, their weapons slicing through the air with deadly precision.

I saw everything in slow motion since their speed was nothing compared to mine.

I didn’t want to use my skills just yet.

As the first statue got near, I dodged his spear thrust. I predicted the trajectory of its aim and moved to the side at the last moment.

I saw that it hadn’t expected to miss and the miss threw it off balance.

As it pirouetted towards me, I lightly snatched it from the air as a doll and smashed it on the floor just as easily.

Like its comrade, it shattered like a glass figurine only that this one was reduced to smithereens.

Minutes had barely give by and I had already killed two of them.

The other statues were more careful in their attacks after seeing how easily I had disposed of their two comrades.

I looked bored as my eyes darted between the two remaining statues as they adjusted their stances, now more cautious and calculating.

"Get a move on already, I’m getting quite bored."

I doubted if the statues could hear me but one statue, a knight wielding a massive sword, took the lead after my speech.

It swung its blade in a wide arc, attempting to cleave me in half.

With a swift backflip, I evaded the attack, the blade slicing through the air where I had stood just moments before.

"Show off," Sariel muttered, eliciting a laugh from me.

There were certainly easier ways for me to defeat them but I had an audience to entertain.

As I landed, the second statue, an archer, loosed an arrow in my direction.

I twisted my body mid-air, the arrow narrowly missing my shoulder and embedding itself in the wall behind me.

I couldn’t help but smirk at their efforts.

It was all good but...despite their newfound caution, their movements were still predictable, mechanical.

These statues were powerful, yes, but they lacked the ingenuity of a living opponent. I needed to exploit that.

The knight lunged forward again, its sword raised high. This time, I didn’t dodge backward.

I wanted to use the same strategy I used on the second statue confident that it would still work.

I sidestepped, allowing its momentum to carry it past me.

As it stumbled, I grabbed the hilt of its sword with both hands, using its own force against it.

With a powerful twist, I wrenched the sword free and plunged it into the knight’s chest.

The statue shuddered, cracks spider webbing across its surface before it disintegrated into a pile of rubble.

The archer, seeing its comrade fall, hesitated for a fraction of a second.

That was all the opening I needed. I sprinted towards it, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

The archer tried to draw another arrow, but I was already upon it. I seized its bow and snapped it in half, then delivered a crushing blow to its head.

The archer crumbled, bits of stone scattering across the floor.

With the immediate threat neutralized, I took a moment to stretch my limbs.

I turned my gaze towards the Boss, who remained seated, observing me with an inscrutable expression.

His eyes were now fully open, revealing a piercing, almost otherworldly gaze.

The courtroom was now littered with the remains of the statues, and the chaos began to subside.

Sariel pushed off from the wall, unfolding her arms. "Well, that was quite the show," she remarked, her tone light but her eyes sharp. "Now for the big bad wolf."

"That’s a very human expression. If I didn’t know better, I would say you’ve been reading."

"Stop teasing. You have more pressing matter on your hands now."

"Like what."

She pointed behind me.

"Well for one, the Boss just stood up."