Chapter 8
The bandage Mireia pulled out was in a messy tangle, but Aris quickly snatched it from her hands and began wrapping it around her right arm with practiced ease. While Aris tended to the bandage, Mireia checked the magazine of the rifle he’d been using as a club.
“Hey, Aris. I saw you earlier—you’re terrible at shooting.”
Startled by the sudden insult, Aris looked up. Mireia licked her dry lips and observed the number and positions of the knights hiding behind cover across from them.
“So, I’ll provide cover fire with the gun. You break through to the temple.”
“And your right arm?”
“It’s fine. I’m ambidextrous.”
Aris clicked his tongue, muttering that she was being reckless again.
“We haven’t even decided how to coordinate the timing yet.”
“Don’t worry.”
Despite the pain, Mireia lifted the gun with her still-functional right arm.
“I’ll time it with you.”
“How?”
“I just… have a way!”
Mireia fired a suppressive shot at an approaching knight and shoved Aris forward.
“Just give me one signal the moment the barrier’s spell pattern is broken!”
With those final words, Aris took off running. He didn’t ask what her plan was—partly because there wasn’t time, but mostly because deep down, he trusted that Mireia wasn’t the type to act without a plan. Whether that trust was in herself or something else didn’t really matter.
It just felt like Mireia would find a way, no matter what. It wasn’t merely belief—it was certainty. That was why Aris could dash forward without hesitation.
As Mireia laid down suppressive fire, Aris engaged in close combat. His movements with the sword were different than before. The arm of the leading knight flew off. The blade, coated with a faint blue aura, had severed muscle and bone.
Though the sword had been attuned to Mireia’s energy, it was surprisingly responsive to Aris’s energy. He’d expected it not to react, and had just instinctively imbued it with aura while swinging—yet the sword cut far better than he intended, surprising him. He thought he’d just cut muscle, but the arm was severed completely. While he didn’t exactly regret it—given their animosity—he still felt a twinge of guilt.
In a daze, Aris looked at the borrowed sword, then at the arm rolling on the ground, and then at the knight screaming in agony. He thought to himself, “That was incredible,” and resumed his dash toward the temple.
There were rare cases like this—when someone’s energy closely resonated with another’s, it was possible to draw out aura from their weapon. Luckily, this was one of those cases.
A weapon used for a long time by one person would naturally be imbued with their energy. Aura was simply an extension of that. Normally, it was hard to leave a clean cut through bone with a regular sword and human strength alone.
Aura supplemented the user’s movement and enhanced the sword’s sharpness, allowing it to surpass physical limits. It was a spiritual force, not unlike magic. Many could amplify magic using magic stones, but far fewer could draw out aura through sheer personal strength and control.
Just as Mireia and Aris could freely use aura, the holy knights were also skilled in wielding it. But what allowed Aris to completely overwhelm them wasn’t just talent—it was real combat experience, where he had risked his life many times. Even without magic, Aris was an excellent swordsman—and an even better killing machine.
After confirming that Aris had advanced through the breached path, Mireia dodged a spear that grazed past her ear. She discarded the rifle and swung her only remaining sword. Sparks flew as the spear and sword clashed. Mireia glared at her opponent.
“Why are you protecting him?!”
The enemy, a man who had exchanged a few words with her in the past, looked at her with conflicted eyes. Back then, he had been kind and gentle—but now, his expression was cold and unrecognizable.
“You all need to stop this too!”
Mireia deflected the spear.
“What are you even gaining from this?!”
The long spear blocked her approach, using its reach to close the gap between them.
“Derkaides are unblessed by the goddess! They attract monsters—why shouldn’t we stop them?!”
Mireia twisted her body to redirect the spear, then suddenly kicked it sideways. The knight staggered, caught off guard by the unorthodox move. She seized the opening and closed in.
“You’re just afraid because we can use magic freely, so you lash out! Sure, that power makes us easy prey for monsters, but you know as long as we hide our magic and stay under holy protection, being a Derkaide doesn’t matter!”
Her sword pierced the knight’s thigh. He screamed and fell. Mireia stomped on his hand, which still held the spear, muttering bitterly.
“Who even asked for this…?”
She rolled to avoid incoming attacks from both sides. Used to dual-wielding, it was inconvenient having just one sword. She glanced at the place Aris had disappeared to, hoping he would finish quickly.
Meanwhile, at that very moment, Aris had already infiltrated the sanctuary. He had taken down three knights in an instant before being stopped by Lucam.
“You’re not like those fools who rely solely on magic.”
At those words, Aris raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve got no eye for people.”
“I was wondering what your angle was back in Rashvalen—turns out you were in league with her. Well, not that it matters—it’s just the two of you.”
Aris shook his head.
“I only met her today. She offered help unilaterally. There’s no bond between us to call it a partnership.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re alone. You’ll be subdued soon.”
But Aris knew Mireia wouldn’t go down easily. Even without a true bond between them, she’d already proven herself reliable. So he chose to ignore the situation outside.
He cast a glance behind Lucam, where Rizel stood with a stiff expression, tightly gripping a staff as tall as she was. With a proper spell pattern, a barrier could hold without direct divine input—but this specific spell consumed a significant amount of divine energy to suppress magic. To match the leaking magic, continuous reinforcement was necessary.
And with Aris gaining an unexpected ally, they had to be ready for anything. So Rizel stayed connected to the spell, using her staff as a conduit.
Aris clicked his tongue nonchalantly.
“I don’t know how you figured out I’m a Derkaide, but beyond that, you’ve got everything else wrong.”
“You refused divine healing for a minor injury once.”
“Because a random man tried to touch me.”
“Your magic flow is unusual.”
“So what?”
“You came through the monster-filled forest with only a sword. Isn’t that suspicious?”
“A skilled swordsman could manage that. Mireia did it too.”
“Everything about you screams suspicious. Isn’t not suspecting you even weirder?”
“All you had was suspicion—no proof. You nearly killed someone over a gut feeling. Why? I thought we had a decent relationship. Rizel, weren’t you able to hold out in this village because I regularly cleared out the monsters for you? And this is how you repay me? That’s disappointing.”
Rizel flinched, but Lucam spoke instead.
“But in the end, Priestess Rizel was right.”
Aris muttered to himself, slightly regretful.
“Well, it was only a matter of time anyway. I suppose I lasted longer than expected. At least I succeeded in keeping my identity hidden until now.”
“Your true nature is as a Derkaide—an impurity in this world!”
Ignoring Lucam’s outburst, Aris pointed the sword he borrowed from Mireia at them.
“I don’t know how long that lady can hold out outside, so I want to wrap this up quickly. Will you surrender?”
“You’re going to challenge me with just a sword, without even being able to use magic properly?”
Aris sighed with a smirk.
“This kind of thing—breaking the spell itself—isn’t actually hard. But taking the hard road instead of the easy one is just annoying. Still, we both know how this ends.”
Provoked by the mockery, Lucam lashed out without warning. But Aris ignored him and dashed straight at Rizel. In a flash, he took her hostage and pointed his sword at her neck.
“Don’t move, or the priestess dies.”
Lucam broke into a cold sweat and hesitantly lowered his sword. Feeling the cold steel near her throat, Rizel shuddered in shock.
“E-even if you kill me, the barrier will still hold!”
“It’s not about that… I don’t really understand why I’m keeping my promise to her, but a promise is a promise.”
Aris muttered under his breath, annoyed. Then he grabbed the staff with one hand and placed the other on Rizel’s face. A blue light enveloped his hand, and in an instant, sparks shot out as his whole body was wrapped in energy.
