Chapter 5
“Well, this is just great.”
Watching the sword slide out of its scabbard with a chilling ring, Mitchell made a face like he’d just chewed on a piece of trash. It was obvious they didn't want to leave any witnesses. And that meant...
‘They aren't the good guys.’
Needless to say, they were trying to kill him right here, right now. The only silver lining was that, judging by their expressions, they didn't seem particularly wary of him. Their skills didn't look that impressive either. The problem, however, was that he had no souls available for immediate use.
‘I just have to absorb one, then.’
To do that, he had to take down at least one of them. Mitchell raised both hands and trembled, putting on his best act of a terrified victim.
“Please, spare me! I really just heard a noise nearby! This sword is just for self-defense!”
“We know. A person from a martial family wouldn't move so clumsily.”
Clumsy? That actually stung a little. But he couldn't let his inner thoughts show. Maintaining his mask, Mitchell staggered backward until his back hit a tree.
He curled his body inward as if shrinking from fear, pulling his hands close to his chest. It was a stance that allowed him to draw his hidden dagger at any moment, but to the enemies, he looked like a man utterly paralyzed by the fear of death. One of them began to walk slowly toward him.
“Blame your own bad luck.”
“P-please….”
The moment the man standing right in front of him raised his blade.
‘Now!’
Mitchell, who had been watching the situation through narrowed eyes while hunched over, circulated the energy from his Aura Hole. His senses sharpened, and strength flooded his entire body. He swiftly drew the dagger from his shirt and thrust it toward the man.
Thud—
The dagger sank deep into the man’s heart until only the hilt was visible. The man’s eyes bulged in disbelief.
Pshhhhh—
As the dagger was pulled out, blood sprayed, and the man dropped dead. But Mitchell had no time to relax. There were three enemies left. He still had energy in his Aura Hole, but to maintain a constant supply, he absolutely needed a soul. Mitchell reached out with his left palm and pressed it against the chest of the falling man.
Clatter—
A black hole opened in the man’s chest, and ominous chains burst forth. The chains coiled around the man's body. It looked as if they were binding his physical form, but they weren't. As if to prove it, the man’s corpse slumped to the ground, leaving only his soul trapped in the chains.
Wooooo!
The soul’s howling wail echoed as it struggled against the pull. However, the remaining enemies didn't seem to see it.
“W-what! You brat, you tricked us!”
“It’s your own fault for being fooled. More importantly, can’t you see this?”
Even though black magic had found a place in the empire’s sunlight, there was still a general tendency to fear or reject it. Thus, it was an important question for Mitchell: would he have to be careful about absorbing souls in the future? Yet, even as Mitchell pointed toward where the soul was bound, the enemies only scowled. Their eyes remained fixed on him.
“I guess you can’t see it.”
“Stop talking nonsense and die!”
The enemies charged at him all at once. Mitchell leaped backward to absorb the soul, and after dodging their blades for a moment, he felt the soul enter his body.
Aaaaaagh!
A ghostly scream rang out as the soul was torn to shreds. Simultaneously, his Aura Hole began to fill to the brim.
‘It worked!’
He had trained hard, but it had only been two months since he started swinging a sword. He knew better than anyone that his skills were still lacking. Therefore, Mitchell circulated energy through his entire body.
‘I have to get over there somehow.’
The only way out was the area blocked by the cliff.
Grant, the young lord of House Lunei, bit his lip hard. Behind him was a cliff, and before him, the men of House Lapel had him surrounded.
‘To think I didn't see through such a trap.’
He blamed himself, tasting the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. He had come here because he heard a pack of magic beasts had appeared on the outskirts of the city, but there wasn't a beast in sight. It had all been a lie from the start—a scheme by House Lapel, who had been eyeing his family for years. What mattered now was the process of how he had led his family's warriors out here.
‘Don't tell me High Chancellor Hail….’
The Chancellor had insisted that Grant participate in the subjugation personally to raise his prestige. The logic was that a future family head needed a high reputation to gain recognition and solidify his influence. Since the Chancellor's words weren't wrong, Grant had accepted the proposal, and it had ended like this.
‘Maybe not. Nothing is certain yet.’
But... he had to let the family know there was a traitor. Grant scanned the blockade. Currently, the best way was to induce a chaotic melee to scatter their formation.
“Lord Loren, please take care of the enemy mages.”
“Understood. There are three of them, but I’ll do my best.”
Loren, a guest mage of the family, hailed from the Red Tower and was famous for his fire attack magic. In a situation like this, he was the person Grant could trust most with his back. Grant immediately looked ahead and pointed his drawn sword forward.
“Attack!”
Following his command, the family's warriors began to charge. Shrouded in Aura, they struck fast, swinging their swords.
Clang! Clang-clang!
As dozens of men clashed, sharp noises echoed from all directions. However, the chaotic melee Grant hoped for didn't happen. The enemy had deployed a cooperative formation he hadn't seen before to block their attacks.
“Break through! We must break through at all costs!”
He shouted the words, but despair was slowly creeping in. Most of the enemies were 2nd or 3rd-class Aura Users. He saw a chance because many of them were less skilled, but their formation simply wouldn't break.
‘To think they had such a formation….’
Grant parried an incoming blade and looked up.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Various spells were flying back and forth above. Fireballs were launched and blocked; lightning was diverted by pillars of water. They were fighting fiercely with all kinds of magic, but the enemy had three mages. No matter how skilled Loren was, it seemed difficult to turn the tide. Even if he used his family’s secret technique, there was no way to reverse this situation unless a miracle happened. But then.
‘Who is that?’
Someone was approaching from behind the enemies. Because he was on slightly higher ground, he could see the scene clearly. It was a man who looked to be about his own age. Chasing after him were warriors of House Lapel wearing black hoods.
Seeing them pursue the man with such murderous intent, they were definitely not on the same side. Grant frowned, and for a moment, his eyes met the stranger's. It was a gaze that seemed to want to say something. The way he was swinging his sword while running made it seem like he intended to help, but...
‘I just need a moment of chaos.’
The problem was whether he could trust that man, but in this situation, there was no other way. He could only hope this man was a miracle from God.
‘Just once... there’s only one chance.’
Grant channeled Aura into his sword. The blue sword-qi surrounding his blade grew clearer and gradually deepened in color. It wasn't quite at the level of Sword-Light, but it possessed enough power to shatter ordinary sword-qi. It was the only secret technique remaining in his declining family. However, it was imperfect and placed an immense strain on the body. Seeing Grant's sword, the enemies gasped at the felt energy.
“Watch out! It’s the Heaven-Shattering Sword (破天劍)!”
Tense, the Lapel warriors tightened their defensive formation, weaving their Aura together as they waited for Grant's strike. Then, the sword was raised high.
Gulp—
Just as they were swallowing nervously under the overwhelming pressure, a similar energy was felt from behind.
“W-what the…….”
The Lapel warriors instinctively turned around at the spine-chilling energy and widened their eyes. A writhing black monster was leaping toward them.
Step-step-step!
Three enemies were chasing after Mitchell. He ignored them and ran straight toward the cliff. He judged that making the fight chaotic by freeing those trapped was much better than facing three people at once. However, as he got closer, he started to doubt if he had made the right choice.
‘Judging by their Aura, they look stronger, but they can’t break through.’
If they couldn't break the encirclement, Mitchell would just be walking straight into his own death. He bit his lip.
‘Should I turn back and fight now?’
He wasn't sure if he could win. There were three 3rd-class Aura Users, and he was only a 2nd-class user after all. Plus, he was already too close to the enemy’s main force. He was essentially riding the back of a magic beast. Ultimately, Mitchell decided to stick to the original plan. He made eye contact with the man and swung his sword wildly.
‘Do something!’
Otherwise, I’m going to die! Fortunately, the man seemed to understand Mitchell’s intent and raised his sword to do something.
Step-step-step!
The backs of the enemies grew closer and closer. The moment the man’s sword was raised, Mitchell also vented energy from his entire body. The enemies in front of him flinched momentarily. Mitchell’s eyes quickly scanned the group. He saw mages wearing robes at the very back.
‘Mages first!’
The most important thing in a surprise operation was killing the mages. Even though Mitchell’s mana circuits were ruined, he was still a child of House Kellion, famous for black magic. That much was common sense.
‘They’re preparing a spell right now!’
Because there was a strong mage on the besieged side, they were focusing entirely on manifesting their magic. Since they were 4th-class or lower mages without strong mana control, canceling the spell now would cause a mana backlash. They had to trust their allied warriors. However, the warriors, expecting a strong attack from the front, quickly turned their focus back to wait for the man’s sword. They too had no choice but to trust the allies chasing Mitchell.
“No!”
A shout came from behind Mitchell. One of his pursuers swung his sword wildly and even threw it, trying to stop him at any cost. The sword whizzed through the air, grazing Mitchell’s body.
Slice—
A stinging burn told him one of them had cut him quite deeply. But Mitchell had already reached the back of the mages.
Slash, slash, slash—
Enduring the pain, Mitchell swung his sword rapidly, taking down the mages in an instant.
‘Not yet!’
Mitchell didn't intend to stop there. The blockade was still firm. He didn't know what the man inside was planning, but the felt energy was enough to make his whole body tingle. It was obvious that the sword raised high would determine the outcome of this battle.
Step!
With two quick steps, Mitchell lunged forward and struck one axis of the blockade. The tip of his sword dug into an enemy’s back.
Gurgle—
The enemy, making a wet rattling sound as blood filled his lungs, collapsed.
“Damn it!”
When the comrade right next to them fell, the enemies who had been trying to focus only on the front cursed and swung at Mitchell. He quickly rolled to dodge the attack. Then, he spoke to the enemy who was trying to attack him again.
“Where are you looking? Look over there!”
“……!”
Before they could even turn their bodies at Mitchell’s words.
Crack! Their waists were severed, and they collapsed. Watching this, Mitchell’s jaw dropped.
“Whoa.”
With a single strike of the man’s sword, more than half of the enemies had been cut through the waist. Because it was such a powerful move, the man collapsed as if he had overexerted himself, but Mitchell wasn't worried. The remaining enemies now faced warriors charging in to settle their grudges, alongside powerful magic that no longer had a counter.
‘I think I’m going to die…….’
Thinking the battle would end soon, Mitchell slumped onto the ground. He was in a state of exhaustion, having used both his own energy and souls in a short amount of time. His Aura Hole and Aura Roads were tingling painfully.
Mitchell forced himself to hold onto his fading consciousness. If he lost consciousness now, he wouldn't be able to absorb the souls. That meant he would have no way to recover from his state of Aura exhaustion. Sliding his palm against the ground, Mitchell used Soul Drain.
Clatter—
Only after absorbing the surrounding souls to his limit did he completely lose consciousness.
