"Uh...!"
With a majestic voice echoing from the sky, sothing plumted down in front of Marika. A cloud of dust engulfed the scene, forming a thick fog that obscured her vision.
"Ah, ahhh?!" ca the screams of the soldiers.
Marika froze in terror...
"Since ancient tis, I've been at odds with the royal family. Today, I'll settle that grudge."
Another calm voice resounded, and the dust whirled into a small storm, swirling violently.
"Ugh...!!"
Marika shielded herself from the stinging wind, groaning under her breath. Then, a robust man erged from the midst.
"My na is Auron, the God of Gold. Let introduce myself."
Standing before her, Auron exuded an intimidating presence, draped in his thick golden armor and carrying an abnormally large greatsword on his shoulder.
"God of Gold... What grievance do you have against , to wear such a hostile expression...?"
Despite her trembling legs, Marika managed to suppress her fear, maintaining her composure.
"It's precisely the royal family I despise... I bear no personal feelings towards you. My grievances have always been financial, disadvantaged by monetary matters."
In that mont, Marika realized why the God of Gold had invaded the palace. Taxation, a necessity for running a nation, had inevitably hard him.
"It's an inevitable destiny... I know that. But today, I couldn't contain the hatred that exploded as my power waned."
Auron spoke as if he was aware of this contradiction. It seed more like a misunderstanding than a true grievance.
"So today, I will kill all the royals who have ruled this place and change the regi."
The greatsword, much larger than Marika, pointed towards her, and she felt a clear intent to kill. What was she thinking now? Perhaps all sorts of negative thoughts were trying to overpower her. But yielding to them was not befitting of her royal status.
"Foolishly... I won't just submit quietly..."
Despite the inevitable fight, Marika bravely confronts her fear, knowing that whatever choice she makes, the end seems inevitable.
"It doesn't matter, but rember... my hatred is only for your status and the current politics... As a person, I wanted to respect you and end this with as little pain as possible."
Thump!
As Auron prepared to leap, his foot stomping the ground sent tremors like an earthquake.
"But if you choose to stand against ... then even I can't be sure of the final outco...!"
An almost impossible fight...
"Princess!"
Unable to stand by, the soldiers at the scene tried to intervene...
"Stop a god?! If you don't mind losing your precious lives, go ahead!"
She vehently dissuades them, emphasizing that the god's target is her alone. The soldiers freeze.
"Just go elsewhere, assist where you're needed more than ! That's an order!"
She forcibly sends the soldiers away, leaving only herself and Auron in the vast outskirts.
"A comndable virtue... then let's begin!"
Admiring the royalty's selflessness, the God of Gold readies himself and charges at Marika with a speed that belies his size.
"Uh?! What's happening?!"
A sudden chilling sensation, a foreboding unease...
What on earth is going on...?
"Brother, what's wrong?"
Right now... soone's in danger... It's just intuition, but... my mind is filled with the thought that soone close to is facing a crisis.
In a situation where anyone could be an enemy, it's hard to say who wouldn't be in danger, but sothing feels different...
If there's soone most vulnerable in a situation where even gods are hostile, it might be... "Go ahead to Abne's temple..."
Unable to lead everyone on just a baseless hunch, she leaves them behind and sets out alone.
"Harold?!"
Taken aback by his sudden departure, Morione is perplexed, but there's no ti for hesitation.
"Please join them first! I just need to check on sothing!"
Leaving those words behind, she crosses the chaotic battlefield without looking back.
Please... let there be no trouble...
She hoped it was just needless worry, but it would have been better that way. Abne and Elina were strong enough on their own, and Aris, with the demigod Arsia, seed relatively safer.
But there was one who wasn't under anyone's protection: Marika...
Her current well-being was driving him almost mad with concern. There was no reason for it, just a sudden, inexplicable thought...
But sohow, he felt the need to quicken his pace.
Thump!
"Uh...!"
Barely reacting in ti to the incredible speed, Marika dodges to the side, leaving a crater where she once stood. A mont's hesitation would have filled it with her blood...
"Sandstorm! Gather the fierce sands and lash out at my foe! Overco this crisis with your power!"
Unable to dodge forever, Marika resists as best as she can, conjuring her magic.
A sandstorm, stronger than any desert tempest, engulfs the God of Gold.
But...
"It's useless!"
Thump!
Each strike of his sword sends tremors through the ground, making her shiver with each vibration. His greatsword easily neutralizes Marika's tempest.
"Then, this ti..."
The God of Gold, Auron, remains unscathed, clad in armor more solid than city walls. Can she inflict any damage?
"Ready for your next attack?"
He braces for battle, covering his head with a golden helt sculpted in the sa design.
"But..."
"Water! Pierce my enemy with pressure sharp enough to cut through diamond, Water...―"
Thump! Marika abruptly stops her spellcasting and dodges to the side, her carefully gathered magic dissipating in a shattered focus.
"Did you think I would wait?!"
The major drawback of a mage is close-range combat. Auron interrupts her casting, rendering her efforts futile.
"You're quick, but that seems to be the limit of your first strike!"
Auron leaps at Marika again, and she narrowly avoids the attack, but...
"What?!"
Auron, anticipating her move, drops his sword and throws a punch in the direction she dodged.
"Ah...!!"
Struck by his golden fist, Marika is sent flying as if hit by a speeding carriage, her body tracing a straight line through the air.
"Cough...?!"
She crashes into a wall and falls to the ground, struggling to rise in a visibly weakened state, limping and disheveled, making it seemingly impossible to dodge another attack.
"Water..."
Yet Marika refuses to give up. Despite being battered from a single effective strike, she persists in her assault.
Auron, the God of Gold, confident of his victory, approaches leisurely.
"Water Splash!"
With great effort, she completes her spell. The attack is small in scale but deadly in pressure, directed at Auron.
"I'm sorry about this."
But Auron, clad in golden armor, is beyond the reach of a re human's powers. He effortlessly deflects the attack with his left hand as if swatting away a weak stream of water.
The duel, disappointingly brief... the outco seed already decided.
"Close your eyes."
Auron stands before her, raising his greatsword for a final strike, when suddenly...
Swoosh!
"Hm?"
Feeling sothing at his legs, Auron staggers for a mont.
"Elbert?"
Elina's brother, a noble knight from a family close to the royal family, and the respected leader of the kingdom's knights, known as the kingdom's finest swordsman.
"I'm sorry for being late. Princess, I heard this place was in the most danger."
Usually bound to the king's side, but in ergencies, his duty was to prioritize and rescue the unprotected royals. "I ca here ready to sacrifice my life for the captain, so it doesn't matter if I show up, right?!"
As everyone fled to protect themselves, Auron looked down at the lone man who ca to the rescue, Elbert, with a glimr of interest in his eyes.
"Elbert, is it? To leave an impression on this armor, let's see what you've got!"
Auron then shifts his focus from Marika to Elbert. He knew that if he couldn't get past this man, he would be endlessly thwarted in his attempt to deal with the princess. His ferocious power now targets a new adversary.
"Ugh!!"
Elbert grits his teeth and braces himself, skillfully handling the God of Gold's strike.
Ching!
Gliding his sword against Auron's, he maneuvers into the god's massive embrace.
"Oh...!"
Auron adjusts his stance and swings his greatsword again, but Elbert doesn't get hit. He pivots to the side, slashing and dodging simultaneously, a masterful display of combat skills.
"Ugh... to feel pain again..."
Auron seems montarily annoyed by Elbert's attack, but it was no more than an inconvenience.
"Above average, it seems... The skills honed through nurous battles, proper reactions due to that experience, and a clear focus on exploiting weaknesses..."
The god recognizes his opponent's strategy. No matter how thick and solid the armor, there must be weaker or more vulnerable spots to allow movent.
Elbert, with his experience and knowledge, persistently targeted these areas.
"Perfect. Excluding the simple brute strength due to our racial differences, in every other aspect, you seem to have the upper hand over , who has been distant from battle for so long."
Complinting his enemy, Auron raises his greatsword again.
"Then there's no need to fight in a disadvantageous manner."
But this ti, sothing was different. Instead of continuing as expected, he carelessly throws away his sword.
And then...
"Uh?!"
He effortlessly grabs Elbert by the neck, lifting him with ease. Sword against sword required skill, but primitive brute force rendered such finesse useless. No matter how Auron was countered, overwhelming strength alone was enough to crush the opposition.
"Ahh?"
In an instant, Elbert was thrown into the air. Although enormous compared to a human, he seed like a child next to the god.
Thump!
Auron lifted him and slamd him into the ground.
"Ugh!"
The strong impact was felt even more painfully due to Elbert's heavy armor.
But Auron's assault was not over yet. He still gripped Elbert tightly.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Repeated blows, like a cruel child smashing a toy, rciless and relentless.
"This should be enough, right?!"
After enduring several tremor-like impacts, Elbert was almost unconscious...
Crash!
Auron tossed him aside, and the small stable that caught him collapsed under the impact, crumbling like it had been hit by a trebuchet.
"My goodness..."
Marika, who could only witness this brutality, was horrified by Elbert's plight.
"Now it seems there are no more distractions..."
"?! "
She was terrified again by the murderous intent now directed at her.
"Uh...!"
Trying to flee was futile. The accumulated damage was too much, and she couldn't even walk.
"Ahh..."
She collapsed to the ground, resigned to her fate, waiting for the end.
"First, you... As I said at the beginning, I don't hate you as a person, so I'll end it quickly."
Auron drew his greatsword once more and approached Marika, lifting his massive weapon again.
"Ahh... please..."
Was she begging for her life? Marika began to mutter in a desperate voice.
"Harold..."
It wasn't a plea for rcy, but a longing for her beloved.
"I'm sorry..."
But her true feelings ca through in the end.
Eventually... her regrets faded away, replaced by an apology to him and a love that she would carry forever.
"I love you... always and forever..." "Marika!"
Boom!
A shockwave envelops Marika as if to protect her, echoing with the anguished cry of her na.
"Uh?!"
Auron is taken by surprise by this unexpected attack.
"Harold...?"
"Thank goodness I'm not too late...! Whew...!"
A man arrives, panting heavily and wiping sweat from his brow, having run a great distance without stopping. This was the very person Marika had been murmuring about.
"Ah... yeah, I'm here."
Catching his breath, the man with the unique hair color appears dramatically.
"Harold...!!"
Her hero erges, as if radiating a dazzling aura.
It was a close call. Had he been any later, Marika would have been fatally crushed by that mysterious giant.
My intuition was right, and I'm so relieved.
"Ugh... my head... That's a fresh way of showing respect..."
Auron, hit by the shockwave and thrown back, rubs his helt and stands up. Though it was a re push, his heavy armor montarily hindered him.
"Marika, you can explain later... The situation doesn't look good, I'll handle it."
Preparing to cast a spell against the presud god, the man extends his arm...
"Just a mont, Harold! Normal attacks won't work! His golden armor is too strong; even my magic couldn't penetrate it!"
Could the armor be that impervious? Despite the chaos, the armor still looked unscathed.
"Another talent, huh? No matter, as long as I'm wearing this armor, most magic doesn't stand a chance!"
The entity confidently taps his chest armor, showing imnse faith in its strength.
"Seems like you're a mage, then. I won't give you the chance to chant. I'll crush you both in my next blow!"
Ignoring the possibility of being defeated by a mage, Auron arrogantly slams his foot down, gripping his greatsword...
He probably plans to end the fight quickly, giving no ti for spellcasting.
But he overlooked sothing crucial.
Because...
"Great Electro."
I could cast magic without chanting. Crackling thunder rips through the dry sky, striking the golden armor precisely.
"Ahh?!! Arghh!!!"
Auron bellows in agony, struggling to endure the pain. Perhaps, due to a natural advantage, my attack was effective.
Marika had ntioned that it seed impossible to penetrate the golden armor. Although its nature was still unclear, if Auron was indeed a god with human-like vulnerabilities, electrical attacks were incredibly effective. No matter how thick or solid the armor, most tals conduct electricity, allowing the damage to penetrate deep inside.
"Ahh!!! Ahhh!!!"
The man in the armor continued to scream in excruciating pain.
"Ugh... How dare you...!!"
However, the initial assault might not have been forceful enough, as he started to move again, attempting to grasp his weapon. I had to intensify my attack.
"....!!"
I focused harder, unleashing the maximum output of lightning.
"00g....!"
Simultaneously, my magical power drained rapidly. My consciousness began to fade, as if my mind would snap at any mont. In any case, this attack would likely be my first and last. Thus, I couldn't afford to stop, even as my magic was rapidly depleting.
"He... Harold?!"
Normally, when magic power is exhausted, the spell should cease. But by burning my body and converting it to magical energy, I could forcibly maintain the spell. In gas, there's often a system where health can be sacrificed to cast magic when mana is depleted.
"You, your arm...!"
"Ahh...!!"
As I forced the magic to continue, I began to burn my body for power. Starting from the fingertips, my skin slowly blackened, emitting a foul sll. The blackened area spread, reaching my wrist, then my elbow.
Despite the advancing burn, I couldn't stop; the enemy was still standing. In the mont I thought Marika was going to die, I realized sothing faintly. The indescribable emotion that stabbed my heart at the thought of losing soone so precious... a desperate urge, a will to sacrifice anything to protect her. Yes... I've been in denial, but it's ti to be honest with myself. I care deeply for Marika and others who truly think of ...
"Stop it!!"
But before I could finish my thoughts, soone yanks my body away...
"Please...! You right now...!!"
That sorrowful voice... At the edge of my fading vision, I saw Marika crying bitterly...
"Harold... Oh my God..."
Her cold tears fell on my cheek, chilling back to a fleeting consciousness.
"Uh... Ah...."
Slowly, I lift my head to look where the enemy was.
He was still standing, but for so reason, he wasn't moving...
Thump!
Then, his massive figure slowly toppled forward, collapsing powerlessly to the ground. Was he actually unconscious, just standing out of reflex?
That's fine... With this, we should be safe for now...
But then...
My mind, flooded with relief and the release of tension, slipped away.
"Harold?!"
Marika, embracing my fallen body, continued to weep.
"Could it be...!"
Fearing the worst, she checks for signs of life...
"Thank goodness... he's just fainted..."
Relieved that I was still alive, she exhales deeply.
"But Harold's arm... to go this far for ..."
However, her relief was short-lived as she beca concerned about my body. My arm looked beyond normal recovery.
"That's right...! There's this!"
Suddenly, she frantically searches her belongings and pulls out a small, elegant bottle. It's an ergency return potion, a legendary elixir that every royal carries, reputed to heal everything. This tiny bottle is worth the price of several houses... "Use this elixir on Harold..."
Without a second thought, she opens the bottle, which would lose its potency once exposed to air and must be consud imdiately.
"Harold... try to drink this..."
But Harold, having lost consciousness, couldn't drink it on his own...
Left with no other choice... she pours the elixir into her own mouth. Was she planning to drink it herself since Harold couldn't?
No... that wasn't it.
Their lips et.
Marika delivers the contents of the elixir to Harold through a kiss.
"How about now...?"
Putting aside her bashfulness, she eagerly watches for any reaction to the drug she has just transferred.
The mont the elixir flows into Harold's body, the blackened burn marks that seed permanent begin to fade away.
"Thank goodness...!"
Relief washes over Marika as she starts to genuinely smile.
"You've done well, Harold... for ."
Feeling her heart pounding in a different way now, Marika leans in for another kiss.
"Will it take so ti for him to wake up?"
She strokes his hair tenderly, smiling warmly.
And then...
"I love you... forever..."
She whispers her true feelings into his ear, feelings she will carry with her always.
This chapter turned out a bit longer than expected!
Looking forward to the next one.
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