"Hearken to my words, Echo that sleeps within the depths of the Celestial Library..."
Zurbluris quickly began his chant as he stared at Lazarus.
His voice became deep, loudly proclaiming his authority as his chant continued, "I summon thee in my name... The Ever-Faithful that walked in the dark age of the Arcane Era..."
’Oh? I see...’ Lazarus’ face lit up the that moment. ’He’s trying to summon—’
"... Sable Hound of the Marsh Keep!"
At that moment, a brilliant ray of transparent light descended from above, revealing a silhouette that rapidly manifested on the stage.
The incorporeal figure quickly took solid shape, transforming into dark hound.
’Indeed...’
Lazarus quietly nodded as he watched the hunting dog before him.
It had the appearance of any ordinary dog, but it was incredibly tall and muscular. It also oozed a dark crimson aura. The creature reeked of blood and glared at Lazarus with uncontrollable bloodlust while drool seeped from its slightly open maw.
"I already knew he was going for this once I heard him chant ’The Ever-Faithful’ as the honorific name while referencing the Second Aeon." Lazarus whispered.
The Second Aeon was also known as The Arcane Era, and it was a period of great conflict and chaos after the first Apocalypse struck and nearly wiped out humanity. As for this large hound, its origin was as a hunting dog bred from the remnants of old-world stock during this post-apocalyptic dark age.
Lazarus knew all of this information, as well as its historical relevance.
As an Echo that was known by Zurbluris, the Sable Hound had to have some surrounding history.
This particular hound led a family of survivors through flooded ruins for eleven days, keeping them alive when all other guides had perished.
It became a symbol of loyalty in the early Arcane Era.
An Echo of the past....
’Not a bad choice!’ Lazarus grinned as he was done with his preparations. ’The dog definitely has some intimidating factor surrounding it. Most inexperienced people would be scared stiff and even give up on the spot.’
As the Sable Hound of Marsh Keep loudly growled, ready to pounce on Lazarus, the latter casually made his own incantation.
"Listen to me and come out right now, Echo from the First Aeon, brutal and fragile, the source of provocation without substance..." Lazarus’ thoughts flowed as he uttered these words. ’You think you can defeat me? No... you’re too green. Watch closely! This is how you use a Historical Projection to intimidate others!’
The audience was stunned by how carefree Lazarus was in his chant.
It was almost irreverent.
It suited his personality, but such a tone would not be able to draw in any self-respecting Historical Projection.
The Sable Hound of Marsh Keep was already charging forward.
If it reached Lazarus before the chant was done and touched him, the match would be over.
But how could that happen?
Before it fully crossed the distance, Lazarus had finished speaking.
He declared, "Paper Tiger!"
A bright light suddenly rushed forward, causing loud rumbles to fill the stage as something descended in a flash.
’Just in time...’ Lazarus quietly watched as the light rapidly materialized and formed a large silhouette. This silhouette was at least twice as large as the hound, and as it solidified, it formed a more terrifying image compared to the hunting dog before it.
Black Stripes appeared on the white fur of the wild beast that emerged, creating an image of absolute dominance and horror to those who looked upon it.
It was a 3 meter tall white tiger, one that was twice as tall as an adult.
This beast had incredible muscles on its bulging body, and its loud growl instantly spread throughout the hall.
Within seconds, everyone who stared at it froze.
T-this...
... How could it be a mere Echo!
"Hehe," Lazarus kept both hands in his pockets as he slowly began to walk forward without paying any mind to the hound that whined and cried in the presence of its superior.
He kept his gaze on the horrified Zurbluris.
"N-no..." The frightened young man yelled. "Stay back! Don’t come any closer!"
Lazarus ignored him and kept advancing.
"Oh, Zurbluris... You’re still too ignorant." His sigh was genuine as he keenly stared at the confused and horrified young man.
’You don’t know the basics of Historical Projection battles.’
In the end, fights between Squires were all about the compatibility of their Historical Projections.
Since Echoes were very close in terms of strength, one had to consider how well one’s arsenal would fare against the enemy. Of course, the more skilled Historian would be able to use their summons to an optimal extent.
This was why it was pertinent for Historians to understand their Historical Projections and bond with them.
It allowed them to be more prudent in summoning them.
’You likely thought the Sable Hound was perfect for offense because of its intimidating appearance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.’
As a former Legendary Historian and someone who personally knew the old Zurbluris, Lazarus was very familiar with the Echoes that the Zurbluris Family had in their pockets. He knew their abilities, their strengths, their weaknesses, everything!
"It is known as The Ever-Faithful Guide. What does that tell you?" Lazarus muttered as he kept advancing. "One can often glean a Historical Projection’s abilities from its history. It’s even easier to do so for Echoes, who usually have one passive ability at best. Take this Sable Hound as an example. Its resonant presence ensures that those under its charge do not become lost within its area of influence. In ruins, floods, darkness, or any environment where orientation fails, one bound to the Hound will always find a viable path forward. Thus, it is not meant to be an attack method, but for surveillance and movement."
At this point, Lazarus was already in front of Zurbluris.
He sincerely looked at the stunned young man in front of him and sighed. "You used the wrong Historical Projection to face me."
Battles between Squires was often a game of ’Rock, Paper, Scissors.’
In this round, Zurbluris chose the absolute worst opponent for Lazarus’ summon.
’This is why a major strategy in battles like this is to be patient and wait for the opponent to finish their chant. That way, you can tell what Echo they are summoning. By choosing the best match against such a summon, you’ll be guaranteed victory.’
Unfortunately, not many could resort to this method.
Many Squires were not that knowledgeable when it came to Historical Projections, so even if they heard the chant of their opponent first, they might not know what is being summoned. In addition, if they do not summon their Historical Projections quickly, they will be overwhelmed by their opponent.
Not everyone could quickly summon a Historical Projection like Lazarus, after all.
In fact, his wealth of knowledge could not be replicated by others.
From the very beginning, he was guaranteed victory.
"Learn from this experience," Lazarus walked away as soon as he said this, not even bothering to see the stupefied expression on Zurbluris’ face as he left the hall.
Almost as soon as he left, the glorious tiger on stage suddenly burst open, revealing the truth to all the spectators present—The tiger was empty!
A paper tiger is paper in the end.
Intimidation was all it was good for, having no substance to back up its threat.
"So that’s how it is..." In that moment, Zurbluris stared incredulously at this scene and fell into deep silence.
In this match, he was the absolute loser.
It was a true, crushing, and downright humiliating defeat.
However, Zurbluris was smiling.
It was a wide smile.
A ridiculously terrifying grin.
’You’re going to regret humiliating me like this, Lazarus! This isn’t over!’