Chapter 102

“What if the thing you’re holding’s changed? Does that make your body normal now? No, it doesn’t, right?”

The condition of Carriel’s body was one where it wouldn’t be strange if they dropped dead any second.

There was no way their state had suddenly improved out of nowhere.

As Aiseus charged in like an enraged bull with horns ready to gore,

Carriel greeted her approach without much reaction at all, surprisingly.

Was her body in any better shape?

Until just moments ago, she too had been trading blows with Minette, accumulating damage from various attacks.

For some reason unknown, her movements and aura seemed a notch weaker than usual.

‘Whatever.’

That wasn’t really the important part though.

Even though their swords should’ve never crossed paths,

somehow, Aiseus’ blade came swirling around, clinging to Carriel’s like a leech.

“?!’’

As if warping space itself, and not only that but homing in on its target like magic,

the sword lunged toward an impossible angle.

Even though she saw it with her own two eyes,

Aiseus couldn’t believe the situation easily.

Yet somehow, she quickly grasped what was happening.

‘So this is…’

The absurdity others feel when facing us, huh?

Like how the sword feels drawn in against your will, or swings differently than intended.

At a certain level, one can control even that process while swinging,

but strictly speaking, that falls under a form of deception.

Just making the opponent think it’s doing something else.

Though, once blades meet, it’s another story.

From there, it’s almost magical how it starts interfering with the opponent’s weapon and bodily control.

And if they resist by exerting strength, clenching muscles, pouring mana, and trying to counter…

they only sink deeper into the quicksand.

‘The principle…’

It’s about using mana differently.

For example, by completely emptying internal mana reserves,

you maximize the natural instinctive process of refilling.

Then at the desired moment, you either absorb ambient mana or utilize absorbed external mana as needed.

The downside being that compared to other methods that store mana for explosive power,

this has more limitations in what it can do.

Even enhancing the body encounters obstacles.

Though since it’s emptied out, as long as surrounding mana is abundant,

rapid replenishment is possible. And due to using the whole body as a reservoir,

it offers great advantages in circulation and operation.

With the ability to rapidly absorb vast amounts of mana and control its flow forward or backward at will,

there are no real restrictions on moment-to-moment power regulation.

For instance, as long as there’s a proper current,

whether the river flows up or down makes absolutely no difference.

‘But…’

This is different.

Similar yet fundamentally different.

For example, this is like…

the principle of water flowing downhill?

Probably similar to that.

Why am I noticing this obvious fact only now?

Everything gets sucked downward.

Not falling naturally, but being actively pulled in.

Suction force? Gravitational pull?

Something’s different.

Yet also the same in a way.

“Huff?!”

Once balance is lost, just being pulled is enough to drag the body along.

At the moment Aiseus leaned forward helplessly,

Carriel grabbed the opposite end of her sword

and flipped it vertically like shaking off dirt.

Thus, Aiseus, whose sword was caught in between,

had to either roll with it while maintaining her grip

or let go of her weapon.

Her choice here was to let go.

After all, she wasn’t some old-school knight

nor someone insane enough to stake their life on their weapon.

Truthfully, continuing while holding on wouldn’t have been impossible,

‘But that’s not the issue, is it?’

Just now it was merely a sword,

but mishandled, it could’ve escalated to losing full body control.

Had she reacted just a fraction slower,

she would’ve been swung around bodily.

Clang!

The dropped sword hit the frost-covered ground with a weighty clang.

At the same time…

“Enough.”

As if gliding or riding through space,

Carriel slipped between Minette and Leo just as they were about to clash.

With one hand, he deflected Minette’s holy sword,

while striking her arm with the other.

Right before that, his empty left hand swept his waist,

producing a small dagger out of nowhere.

Moreover, dark energy swirled around the blade.

And with that, Carriel hurled the dagger at Minette’s position.

“?!’’

Just as a blizzard of frost was about to erupt,

the dagger embedded in the ground acted like a jar with a hole punched in it.

All the released energy Minette had unleashed

was abruptly sucked into the darkness lingering around the dagger.

“Lord Leil?! Why are you stopping me?!”

Without acknowledging Leo’s protests through action,

Carriel gripped his sword with both hands again

and pressed the assault, shaking him like a rag doll.

Despite the futility of resisting physically,

Leo’s balance and response abilities were extraordinary.

He stubbornly held his ground.

Though not for long.

Through familiar yet somehow unfamiliar motions,

Carriel made Leo lose his footing again.

Almost effortlessly, like with Aiseus earlier,

he stole the holy sword from the boy.

Except, this situation was worse than Aiseus’.

In an instant, gripping the sword with both hands,

Carriel jabbed Leo’s knee with the hilt and guard like a spear,

then followed up with an uppercut to the jaw.

And that wasn’t all.

Somehow managing to advance amidst the chaos,

he tripped Leo’s legs, ensuring there was no way to stay standing.

Though he landed on his buttocks,

his head didn’t hit the ground, which was rather skillful.

Did he control that too?

“This is our problem! Why are you interfering?!”

Minette seemed to have moved beyond confusion to outright frustration.

Managing to break free from the dagger’s influence,

she attempted to activate her authority again.

But then, Carriel suddenly transformed the sword in his hand

and hurled it like a projectile.

“?!’’

Though Minette quickly erected an ice barrier in defense,

strangely enough, Carriel’s projectile warped through space

and cleanly pierced her abdomen.

“AAAAHHH!”

Slumping halfway to the ground, dragged by the projectile,

only then did they realize it was actually a spear.

“…”

Lifting the holy sword high, Carriel stared at it intently

before walking towards where Leo had fallen.

“…”

Something had drastically changed.

Though still visibly struggling,

there was a familiarity in his movements,

an unimpeded confidence despite his weakened state.

In less than ten seconds, the situation stabilized again.

Onlookers who hadn’t understood the unfolding events

watched as Carriel knelt slightly, offering the holy sword back to Leo,

eliciting an inexplicable mix of anticipation, dread, and anxiety.

What conversation were they having?

When Aiseus hesitated before retrieving her fallen sword,

Carriel stepped back from Leo and approached Minette instead.

While walking, he extended his hand,

and the dagger embedded in the ground flew into his grasp like a living thing.

He then stowed it somewhere—waist? Back? Thigh?

Approaching Minette, who despite the apparent mortal wound

didn’t look fatally injured,

he met her eyes filled with resentment, sorrow, anxiety, and despair,

lowering himself to her eye level.

Aiseus…

found it unbearably frustrating to be powerless and forced to watch.

“Just stop already.”

Ugh, that infuriating overreach.

Please, just…

What is he planning to do?

This can’t be how it ends.

‘This isn’t right.’

Who dares to swing around another person’s life so recklessly?

Who thinks they can twist the trajectory of someone else’s existence at will?

Those two were supposed to fight and fight again,

either settling things now or delaying it for later.

They were destined to reach their conclusion that way.

But something greater has consumed all of that.

Yeah.

Like that darkness he wields.

It devours everything to an alarming degree,

sucking it all in without mercy.

And now, Carriel has become such an entity too.

How do I even describe this?

Fate’s joke? Taunting? Deception?

Why does each step toward him feel so slow and heavy?

Is this futile resistance?

“Cough!”

Why is breathing so difficult? Blood flowed from my nose.

Not only flowing, but some has dried, blocking it entirely.

Breathing through my mouth, I strangely taste iron.

Shouldn’t it be the opposite? My nose is blocked, so why the metallic scent?

I don’t understand.

“You crazy woman. Aren’t you done thrashing around yet?”

From nearby, Venus taunts again.

“You should know better by now. Do you really think you can handle that in your current state?”

“…You only pick fights you can win? You dirty coward.”

“Why does it always end up… sigh.”

His expression of melancholy seems disingenuous now.

Talented, yet perpetually hungry.

Gifted in many ways, but nothing desirable ever comes within reach.

Or rather, it once did, but…

Thirst remains unquenched.

An endless cycle with no bottom or end.

The more I learn,

the hungrier and more weary I become compared to knowing nothing.

They say some are born knowing.

Others learn to know.

Still others discover through hardship.

And some only after overcoming trials.

The process may differ, but the realization is the same, right?

Who said that?

‘Ah.’

It was you.

Carriel.

I wanted your wisdom.

More than your bravery,

I craved your carefree mindset.

Even now,

at this age, there are things I can’t hope to match in you.

What’s the difference between you and me?

Maybe living as you do, taking losses, would teach me something,

so I tried it too.

Still.

Nothing gained.

Every loss was meaningless, every day wasted effort.

But then.

Are there even meaningful actions in this world?

“It’s unreasonable.”

While Aiseus murmured these words,

the conversation between Carriel and Minette had concluded.

Retrieving the dark spear from her abdomen,

as if she’d never been stabbed or pierced,

she stood up perfectly fine.

“…”

In the tense silence,

her wavering gaze swept over Carriel,

then Leo and the others.

“…”

Eyes closed tightly,

she froze in place like a newly formed ice statue.

As if one had spontaneously appeared.

A gust of frost wind swirled once,

then cracks formed across the statue, shattering it.

Now, only scattered shards of ice and frost dust

faintly filled the void left behind.

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