Chapter 97
The pain he had thought he would never experience again surged through his chest, and Aquila staggered.
“What…….”
He had not noticed.
No—perhaps it would be more accurate to say he had failed to prepare because of the faint shred of belief that still lingered within him.
Reeling in shock, Aquila lowered his gaze.
It was not a spear, but a sword.
Yet upon closer inspection, though it had taken the shape of a blade, it was not a true sword forged of steel.
It was as if an enormous mass of Mana had been bound together by formulas.
“It is a magic sword. Because we are inside ‘this space,’ it remains fixed without dispersing. Once we leave, however, the necklace will regain its original effect.”
Ark explained quietly.
There had been tis when his calm tone soothed Aquila.
But not now.
“Ark, you insane bastard……!”
CRACK!
Aquila ground his teeth.
When his chest had been pierced and he t his death in the previous cycle, the first thing he had felt was betrayal.
But at that ti, he had known that Ark’s mind had been corrupted by a fallen god.
It had not been his will; he had been controlled.
But what about now?
Setting aside how he had managed to rid himself of the corruption—if this Ark truly carried over from the previous cycle, could he really do this?
The System could not possibly be wrong. Since no Fanatic Alert had appeared, that ant he was in his right mind!
“You, stabbed , twice…… ngh!”
Aquila could not finish his sentence and instead gasped for breath.
Because it was not a real blade, there was no blood. Yet an enormous mass of Mana had pierced straight through his body.
Which ant that Aquila’s already sensitive mana circuits were being thrown into chaos.
Lurch!
Dizziness and ringing filled his senses.
He clutched his head in agony.
And at that very mont—
“Ah. Then we simply burn it like this……!”
All sound suddenly returned.
The murmuring voices around them. Yujelia softly recites a brief prayer. Cahena and Shen exchanging quiet words.
And finally, Heinen’s question from nearby.
Flash!
At the sa ti, the ‘Eye of Igdrein’ hanging around Aquila’s neck flared with a crimson light.
It activated to repel and nullify the magic inflicted upon its owner.
However, the magic had already lodged itself deep inside Aquila’s body. As a result, the necklace’s thod of protecting its master manifested sowhat differently from its original function.
If it could not repel it outward, then it would detonate it from within.
***
BOOOOM!
The explosion occurred before anyone could react, and Shen’s body was hurled backward.
“…Agh?!”
He tumbled painfully across the stone pavent of the plaza.
An explosion caused by the collision of Mana was on an entirely different level from an ordinary blast. He could not regain his bearings at all.
The Mana infused in the air had been violently disrupted, striking not only his body but also his mind.
“W-What just happened…….”
Rolling all the way to the distant benches, Shen groaned and clutched his head.
His mind rang sharply.
Then, struck by a sudden thought, he leapt to his feet.
“Y-Young Master……! Young Master Aquila! Are you all right?!”
Shen whipped his head around.
An explosion like that would have engulfed everyone nearby.
His young master could not possibly be an exception.
And so he found him—standing at the center of the fountain.
“Cough, hack……!”
It was Aquila Reschenhardt, clutching his chest as he vomited blood.
“Young Master……!”
“…I truly did not expect it to explode. I feel rather sorry about that.”
A voice cut in calmly despite the chaos.
A steady tone.
His thick black hair, which normally covered half his face, had been blown back entirely by the Mana storm. His features were now fully revealed.
The eye that had turned completely white was more visible than ever.
“The necklace has cracked as well. I am truly sorry about that too.”
“… ….”
“I an it.”
Though Aquila’s voice was faint as he coughed up blood, Ark answered clearly.
Aquila trembled violently.
Shen, having endured the distortion of Mana that had swept through the area, sohow managed to reach a conclusion despite his throbbing head.
An enemy.
‘That man is trying to harm the Young Master!’
Two daggers were already in Shen’s hands before he even realized he had drawn them.
Tap!
He kicked off the ground and shot toward Ark like an arrow.
Though his feet struck the stone, he moved without a sound.
It was a movent he had learned long ago and refined through his own training.
But to Ark, a Sword Master, it looked like child’s play.
Just one step.
A sharp, blue-hued blade honed to perfection through daily maintenance.
Ark avoided its tip with a single motion and seized Shen’s face firmly in one hand.
CRUSH!
It was a grip strong enough to shatter the servant’s small skull with a squeeze.
“…Mmgh—?!”
“This will not do. You do not suit the East.”
Ark turned his head as if inspecting Shen for a few seconds, then swung his arm.
Or rather, he attempted to.
CRASH!
A sword slamd into the ground before him as he stepped back twice, shattering the stone.
“…Tch!”
It was Cahena.
She, too, had been caught in the explosion and thrown aside, but she had recovered and launched her attack.
Her features had never been particularly gentle, but now, twisted in fury, she looked as ferocious as she had in her days as a rcenary.
With a bold strike that shattered the stone pavent, Cahena followed up imdiately.
“Are you the one who ambushed our young master by the well?!”
Her face brimd with killing intent.
Ark did not answer, tightening his grip on Shen’s face instead.
Whoosh!
Her sword, longer than most, struck faster and bent with a flexible arc.
Cahena wielded it fluidly.
Faster and lighter than anyone else.
Yet never sacrificing the precision she had honed through relentless training.
It moved like a serpent—or a whip.
But—
‘…It will not reach!’
Cahena gritted her teeth.
‘As expected of a Sword Master! With such short training, I cannot……!’
Her blade, ranked among the upper tier of the current Delvion Continent, failed to so much as brush Ark’s hair. Even while holding Shen’s face in one hand and moving with him in tow, Ark evaded her with effortless steps.
“Not bad, but your finish is rough. That is why you waver.”
“You are giving advice in a situation like this……?!”
Cahena’s face twisted in wounded pride.
But Ark’s words were a signal.
He had leisurely appraised her swordsmanship.
Now he would end it.
Pulling his body back in a large motion, Ark waited for the exact mont she swung her blade—and hurled Shen directly into its path.
“Ghk—watch out……!”
Startled, Cahena forced her body to redirect the sword’s trajectory.
If she did not, it would not be Ark who would be cleaved in two—but Shen.
CRACK!
Pain shot through her wrist and shoulder as she twisted them violently.
Yet once a strike had been unleashed, it was nearly impossible to completely divert it from its perfected arc.
“…Ugh!”
Slash! THUD!
Her sword sliced deeply into Shen’s side before he fell to the ground.
Groaning, Shen clutched his flank as blood poured out in torrents.
“Hah……!”
“…Damn it! Sir Shen!”
Cahena shouted, barely managing to keep hold of her sword despite her twisted wrist.
Her gaze left Ark and fixed on Shen.
Facing the enemy before her, she had let her guard down because of what she herself had done.
Ark Batchel did not miss it.
In an instant, the Sword Master appeared before her and raised one leg high.
Cahena realized too late and tried to block.
But it was already too late.
THUD!
“Kh—ah?!”
“Vice-Captain Cahena!”
A sound that should never be heard ca from her head.
A blow strong enough to warp bone.
Had she not surpassed the rank of Sword Expert (Interdiate), her skull would have shattered.
BANG! CRASH!
She flew at trendous speed and smashed into the fountain with a deafening roar.
The Lion Fountain That Grants Wishes, steeped in tradition and history, shattered into pieces as water burst forth, soaking her entire body.
Screams erupted around them.
Ark glanced at the broken fountain and nodded to himself.
The first condition had been fulfilled.
“…Sir Shen! Stay conscious! I will heal you at once!”
Yujelia’s voice reached Ark’s ears.
She had regained her senses and rushed to Shen’s side.
Her condition was a ss.
Her hair, once tightly bound, had been blown loose by the explosion. Her clothes were wrinkled and covered in dust.
Yet she poured Divine Power into Shen’s grievous wound without hesitation.
Even as she checked on Cahena, who lay unmoving in the ruined fountain, she cast wary glances at Ark.
Their eyes t.
But Yujelia did not retreat.
“Aquila Reschenhardt. Lord Aquila. Can you hear ?”
Heinen, who had been closest to Aquila and had suffered severe Mana distortion, had also regained consciousness.
While Ark dealt with Cahena and Shen, Heinen approached Aquila and examined him.
The young man with red hair struggled to stay conscious, but the pain had nearly driven him out of his mind.
The internal Mana collision had left his insides fractured, as if cracked.
If not nded swiftly, they might shatter completely.
Heinen removed his gauntlet and placed a hand on Aquila’s shoulder, channeling Divine Power.
For he was not only a holy knight—but also a priest.
“You must not lose consciousness, Lord Aquila!”
Hearing Heinen’s urgent voice, Ark reached into his coat.
An item he had prepared long ago.
As he took it out and moved toward Aquila, soone stepped directly into his path.
A private soldier clad in armor bearing the crest of House Reschenhardt.
“You will not approach the Young Master. If you wish to pass, you must kill .”
A bold declaration—despite having witnessed Cahena’s helpless defeat.
That was because this soldier had only just entered the rank of Sword Expert (Beginner).
Though here he was outmatched, elsewhere his skill would not be dismissed lightly.
Ark looked at the soldier standing protectively before Heinen and Aquila, then nodded calmly.
He had already drawn this out longer than necessary.
“Very well. Your position there is convenient. Still, take this.”
He tossed the item he held.
The soldier instinctively caught it.
A necklace frad in gold, set with a blue gem.
It resembled the ‘Eye of Igdrein’ as though they were a pair.
“It stabilizes Mana. Have Aquila wear it. It will help.”
“Why would you……?”
The soldier remained confused and did not lower his sword.
Sching!
Ark finally drew the blade at his waist.
It glead with astonishing beauty—silver and ominous.
Yet instead of pointing it at them, he suddenly plunged it into the ground.
The stone floor parted as though it were sli, the blade sliding in without resistance.
“Three will be enough. For you.”
At the sa ti as his cryptic words—
Wooooong!
A dazzling magic circle began to rise from the ground, encircling them.
The teleportation circle to the East revealed itself for the first ti in this cycle.
Aquila forced his eyes open at the familiar flow of Mana.
Ark t his gaze.
“We will et again in the East.”
As his words ended, a blinding white light burst forth from the magic circle.
Yujelia scread.
“…Young Master!”
And when the light gradually faded— the four of them had vanished without a trace.
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