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124
Aura, unlike divine miracles, was a power cultivated solely through human effort. In this sense, unlike holy power or magic power, aura originated from the dantian rather than the heart.
Some said it was because the dantian was where the body’s energy gathered, while others claimed it was an imitation of the process used by priests to use holy or magic power.
Whatever its exact origin, the fact remained unchanged that aura was the only hope for those not chosen by the gods.
“Life…?”
Rohan frowned at the unfamiliar and unpleasant connotation. Arpel was still looking at those emanating bright red aura, even while being held in Rohan’s hand as a sword.
Some might find that sight beautiful. The red aura flickering at the tip of the sword was as brilliant as a burning flame.
But this was merely an outward appearance.
“Arghhhh!!”
It was a monster that bewitched people. Did they know that the power they were using was a force generated by burning their own life force?
The more they desired power, the stronger the power they exerted, the more their life force burned helplessly as if facing an unstoppable fierce flame. Arpel could see this clearly.
However…
“…Haa.”
That wasn’t reason enough to feel sorry for them.
It was a meaningless assumption for Arpel, who couldn’t properly feel emotions for anyone other than Rohan. Rohan, who sighed deeply while looking at those charging at him, seemed to share a similar sentiment.
Rohan swung his sword at those rushing towards him. Clang! A loud noise erupted as soon as the swords clashed.
“……”
As if not wanting to give him a moment’s rest, an attack came from the right. He stepped back to avoid it, but the heavy sensation remained in his hand. Rohan could only look down at his hand for a moment with a peculiar expression.
<Are you okay?>
“Yes, just…”
A bit surprised, that’s all.
Arpel couldn’t miss that momentary reaction. Rohan whispered softly in response to the worried question. His face was filled with an indescribable complexity.
It was a clumsy aura, full of gaps and not tightly woven. He thought it would be easy to break through, but when the swords actually clashed, the impression was the opposite.
Contrary to expectations, it was heavier, more ferocious, and stronger. Their aura was a force completely different from the ordinary aura Rohan had known until now.
From the moment he noticed this, Rohan no longer held back. He deflected another fierce sword strike without hesitation. At the same time, the intangible energy carried in the demon sword instantly eroded the red aura.
“Urghk…!”
A beast-like groan escaped from the opponent. It was the raw reaction of someone whose life force had been devoured.
But Rohan’s movement didn’t end there. From the energy gathered at the sword’s tip, a shadow suddenly sprang forth. Eventually, it opened its mouth wide like a deep-sea fish and swallowed the opponent’s sword whole.
He avoided an attack coming from behind by just twisting his body. He nullified an attack aiming for his left corner by striking the attacker’s head with the back of his sword before it could even reach him. Although he left his front open, it wasn’t a big problem.
“Arghh!”
Arpel moved the shadow that had crunched and eaten the opponent’s sword once again. The shadow that had been shaped like a beast’s head dispersed momentarily, then shot up like spikes, piercing through the hands of those targeting Rohan in the blink of an eye.
All of this happened in less than a minute.
It might seem like an incredibly anticlimactic situation. While some charged in burning even their life force, the outcome was devastatingly clear.
“Phew.”
Rohan exhaled slowly. It was more of an attempt to change the atmosphere rather than feeling tired from the hectic situation.
<What do you want to do now?>
Arpel, who had been silently assisting in his battle, spoke up. It was close to asking about how to deal with those sprawled out in front of them.
“Hmm… good question.”
His voice was tinged with no small amount of contemplation.
Although they were the ones who had lured him and Arpel into the forest for an ambush, Rohan had shown mercy in his actions. He had controlled his sword strikes to avoid inflicting fatal wounds, even while cutting them down.
There was much to extract from them. Whether the imperial palace was truly behind this incident, what their plans were, and where the strange red aura came from.
And why they had lured them here.
He especially wanted to know the answer to the last question. They hadn’t left any noticeable traces on their way here, nor had they visited places where the Emperor’s eyes might be planted. Nor had anyone been following them.
How did they know they would come here and prepare an ambush? No matter how many times he racked his brain, he couldn’t find a satisfactory answer.
In the end, there was only one way. To understand the circumstances of the incident through the mouths of those rolling on the ground. With that thought, Rohan nodded and continued speaking.
“Since there’s a lot I want to ask, shall we keep them alive for now? Dein’s group should be here soon, so we can leave the rest of the cleanup to them…”
Just as he was about to say that they could entrust the rest to them, one of those crawling on the ground suddenly got up and charged right up to his face. Holding a broken sword that looked too damaged to function properly. A scream full of killing intent burst from him.
“Uwaahh! Die, just die!”
It was quite a desperate move. His bloodshot eyes revealed a determination to cut down his opponent no matter what.
Of course, this posed no threat whatsoever to Rohan.
“As I thought, something’s been off…”
Rohan swung his sword at the charging man. Even without fully turning his head, the sharp blade stopped only after taking both of the man’s hands as easily as cutting through tofu. Spraying blood and a tearing scream followed.
The final struggle ended with a brief thrashing that didn’t even graze Rohan’s clothes.
Neither Rohan nor Arpel cared about the well-being of the man who fell screaming. Nevertheless, Rohan’s face was full of unease.
“Arpel. You felt it too, right?”
<Yes. They’re all more like beasts than humans.>
Rohan briefly covered his mouth with his hand at the excessively blunt expression. Although he had been thinking the same thing, hearing it from someone else’s mouth… he almost burst out laughing unexpectedly.
After spending a moment clearing his throat, Rohan actively agreed with Arpel’s opinion.
Those using the red aura became stronger and their movements quicker. This wasn’t much different from conventional aura, but the problem lay in their behavior. Their attacks became simpler, and they seemed to have forgotten all about cooperation, never coordinating with each other.
Rather, if they interfered with each other’s attacks, they would check and even strike at one another. Rohan gave a hollow laugh as he recalled the situation.
It was as if they were beasts completely devoted to instinct, devoid of any reason.
<It might be a side effect of the red aura.>
“Well, we can just hand them over to Lexia.”
It was only a brief moment of contemplation, as if trying to understand the principle. Soon, Rohan smiled gently, shaking off his lingering thoughts without hesitation.
If someone had heard this, they might have screamed, “Are you dumping this on me?” But there was no one present who cared about his circumstances.
“Lord Rohan! Lord Arpel!”
What broke this flow was a familiar voice heard from beyond the forest. Just as Arpel quickly responded and regained his human form, the group arrived at the exact location where the two were.
Quite a few of them were breathing heavily, having apparently rushed here in quite a hurry. Dein, who stood at the forefront, was frantically rolling his eyes as if trying to understand the situation unfolding before him.
“What… what is this?”
His blatantly shaking voice demanded an explanation. Familiar faces lying on the ground, broken swords, severed hands, blood soaking the earth… He seemed dizzy from the sudden influx of information.
As he listened to Rohan’s subsequent explanation and spent more time surveying the surroundings, Dein’s eyes gradually regained their composure. Before long, a sigh laden with various emotions escaped him.
“Hah… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”
“It’s fine. We weren’t hurt.”
Despite Dein’s clearly apologetic tone, Rohan simply shook his head cleanly. Although he was startled by the sudden ambush, that was all. Given that their attackers weren’t particularly skilled, there was no way he would have felt threatened.
“…For now, we’ll take these guys with us.”
No sooner had the two nodded than Dein signaled to those behind him. Immediately, hands moved in unison to restrain those who had fallen unconscious.
It was a rather resolute movement, but it couldn’t completely hide their complex inner thoughts. Dein, in particular, seemed to have a lot on his mind. The missing mercenaries had used bandits to control a specific area, planned an ambush, and used an ominous red aura.
“I’ll report this incident to Lord Lexia—”
Regardless of his own complexity, the situation needed to be wrapped up quickly. Apologies for getting them involved and hearing more detailed explanations could wait until later. Just as Dein thought this and was about to turn around…
Boom, creeak—!
An ominous sound came from somewhere.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
