An ogre’s skin is disgustingly tough.
Especially if it’s a mutated ogre.
Didn’t we just see that cracked, ashen-gray skin earlier?
That thing took a full Rush from the Royal Knights and still ended up barely holding together.
Now, even its leg is regenerating.
But—
GROOOAAAH!!
The arm that Arthur Clayton just severed isn’t even attempting to regenerate.
Instead, the beast howls in sheer agony.
Impressive.
Would I be able to do something like that once I become an Aura Master?
I’ve heard that since the path to enlightenment differs for everyone, so do their unique techniques.
Meaning, I won’t be able to use the same ability.
Well, that’s something to think about later—
“Everyone, prepare for an attack!”
Just like that knight said, we need to brace for the attack.
That fireball from earlier…
There’s no mistaking it.
That was the work of devil worshippers.
Looks like they planned to interfere while the ogre was still alive.
And, judging by the situation—
“Enemies spotted on both flanks!”
Figures in black masks began emerging from beyond the treeline.
“I’ll handle the ogre! Everyone else, take care of the devil worshippers!”
It wasn’t the first time those bastards popped out so rudely, so we immediately shifted formation the moment we heard Arthur Clayton’s command.
We had already prepared for the possibility of an ambush on our way here, so it wasn’t a huge problem—
But still—
“Watch out for that magic from earlier!”
That fireball…
It’s dangerous.
That thing flew in at the speed of a Fleet-enhanced knight.
Judging from the fact that Arthur is still standing, the raw destructive power doesn’t seem to be that high…
But since it’s magic, we still need to be cautious.
A single arrow can turn the tide in an Aura battle.
And this isn’t an arrow. It’s a fireball.
No need to say more.
I watched the knights spread out to engage the masked figures and drew my sword.
Then—
“Hey, Rain—”
“I’m heading that way.”
BOOM!
I shot forward toward the nearest masked enemy.
This might be the final phase of our investigation.
Time to rack up some merits while I still can.
Judging by the reward structure, taking down devil worshippers seems to be worth more than defeating mutated monsters.
SCHLK!
“Gahk!”
I drove my sword into the chest of the nearest devil worshipper.
Thud!
Then kicked him away as I pulled my sword free.
“Hah.”
The resistance when I stabbed him was considerable.
When I flipped over the fallen worshipper with a nudge of my foot, his altered skin caught my eye.
Figures.
A mutated one.
Devil worshippers rarely have Aura users among them.
To make up for that, many of them undergo monstrous transformations.
And given how this is an all-out battle…
Thud! Thud!!
Yeah, no wonder there are abominations that barely resemble humans anymore.
And behind them… A mutated orc?
How the hell did they even smuggle monsters in here?
It’s a miracle they made it this far without getting caught.
Swish.
I flicked my sword, shaking off the blood, then launched toward my next targets—a masked figure and a mutated orc.
“Gyaaaaah!!”
The masked bastard roared like an actual orc, throwing a punch.
Clang—slash!
I narrowly dodged, then forced my sword through his toughened skin and beheaded him.
“Gurgh…!”
A final, wheezing gasp escaped him as he collapsed.
Without stopping, I dashed toward the mutated orc behind him.
The mutated ogre was out of my league, so I had no choice but to flee.
But a mid-tier mutation? That’s a different story.
Gwooooooh—!!
As the orc rushed closer, I reached for the dagger strapped to my waist and hurled it forward.
The small dagger was so insignificant that the orc paid it no mind.
But—
‘Vision Rush.’
(TLN: Vision will be used to differentiate between normal Rush and Rush using secret techniques (Not just for the Boyd family).)
BOOM!!
The dagger suddenly expanded and exploded right in front of the orc’s eyes.
“Kraaah!!”
As the Rush exploded right in front of its eyes, the orc staggered in confusion.
Honestly, I would’ve preferred to stab the dagger straight into its face before detonating it.
But Rush doesn’t trigger when embedded in a body.
Apparently, if a blade enters an opponent’s body, the Aura flow gets disrupted, preventing detonation.
I heard that from Lowell before.
Anyway—
I closed in while the orc was still disoriented.
Then—
CRACK!!
I grabbed its head and drove my sword straight down its gaping maw.
With how tough the skin of mutated monsters is, this method works best.
Gurk—Guaaark!
The orc let out a choking death rattle, collapsing just like the masked enemy before it.
After swiftly dealing with both, I scanned my surroundings.
No one had interfered while I took down those three, which meant one thing—
The battle was raging across the forest, with multiple clashes happening everywhere.
They were likely trying to prevent reinforcements from reaching Arthur Clayton, who was fighting the mutated ogre in the clearing.
BOOM—!! KWAANG!!
My eyes landed on Arthur Clayton, locked in single combat with the ogre, which was still missing an arm.
That technique from earlier—
Was it something he couldn’t use repeatedly?
Even so, the way he dodged and countered so fluidly made it clear who would win as time passed.
The problem was—
GRAAAAAAAH!!
The masked enemies knew that too.
What the hell were they planning?
Our main forces, including soldiers and magic support units, were on their way here.
We held a clear advantage.
Were they betting everything on a desperate final gamble?
Still—
BOOM—! BANG!
Right now, things weren’t entirely in our favor.
After quickly scanning the battlefield, I rushed toward the nearest engagement.
“Surround him!”
“We need to attack together!”
Surprisingly, four of our knights were already locked in combat here.
But their opponent wasn’t a mutated high-tier monster.
It was just… one masked man.
“…Who is that guy?”
“Be careful. He’s not normal.”
Well, I can see that.
But why are they struggling so much?
He was fully covered in cloth, leaving no skin exposed—
But he wasn’t some freak with four arms or anything.
Regardless, I joined the fray, bringing our numbers to five Aura users surrounding him.
Since we were still outnumbered elsewhere, we had to finish this quickly and reinforce other battlefronts.
But the tension in the air made it clear—
There was something about this guy.
That’s when—
“Hey, why don’t you just step aside?”
The masked man spoke first.
His voice was distorted, almost mechanical, as if altered.
It was rare for devil worshippers to initiate conversation, making the situation feel even more unsettling.
But his next words were far more shocking.
“We’ll leave quietly if you just let us take your commander’s head.”
…Did this bastard just go insane?
What, does he think he’s an Aura Master or something?
Doesn’t seem like it, though.
Either way—
“Attack together.”
We had no time to waste.
The knights immediately launched a coordinated assault.
Since I wasn’t perfectly in sync with them yet, the four knights moved forward first, leaving me in reserve.
Just like when we took down that other multi-armed masked enemy before—
“Follow in sequence.”
The leading knight dashed in first.
Through the Fleet-slowed perception of time, I saw him activate Fleet, wielding a massive greatsword.
“Hmm?”
BOOM!!
“Kuhk!”
The masked man countered at just the right moment with Rush, sending the knight flying.
…Did he neutralize Fleet without even using it himself?
No—he must have predicted the knight’s trajectory using Track and then activated Rush.
“I’m going in!”
One knight was down in an instant, but we still had four left.
Unfazed, another knight activated Fleet and attempted a flanking strike.
Clang!
This time, the masked man blocked with Guard.
So he wasn’t bluffing when he said he’d take down our commander.
He was a highly skilled Aura user.
Right before the knight could be countered, a third knight lunged in with Fleet—
“Hey, you.”
The masked man suddenly locked eyes with me.
BOOM!!
Without hesitation, he smashed the head of the knight whose attack he had just blocked.
Fast.
No—even considering he was using Fleet, he was absurdly fast.
As he closed the distance, he naturally passed by the knight who had just leapt forward.
Whirl—! BAM!!
Like a child swatting away a toy, he obliterated the knight in a direct clash.
“Move aside.”
Then, without pause, he swung his sword at the knight who was just about to charge in with Fleet near me.
At that moment—
I activated Fleet as well, launching myself toward him.
Even among all the enemies I had faced, this one was undoubtedly the strongest.
If we attacked one by one, we’d be picked off one after another.
I was about to coordinate an attack when—
TZZZT—
That same eerie sensation.
The same chilling premonition I always felt before a deadly strike.
I instinctively twisted my body to evade.
But—
BOOM!
“Guhk!”
The one hit wasn’t me—it was the knight next to me.
“Huh?”
Why didn’t he target me?
Was my intuition wrong?
Or was it a feint?
Did he deliberately emit killing intent to throw me off?
“Still relying on that weird instinct, huh?”
I hesitated for a moment, and my Fleet wavered.
Thud!
His fist crashed into my head, knocking me backward.
“What the….”
“Damn, you’ve grown a lot. Thought I had the wrong guy for a second.”
Wait—what?
The masked man loomed over me as I lay on the ground and muttered something strange.
“I heard some rich bastards took you in, but damn, you look well taken care of.”
What is he talking about…?
I tried to push myself up for a counterattack—
Stomp.
“Kuhk!”
His foot slammed down on my chest, pinning me to the ground.
I tried to get up, but the sheer pressure was overwhelming.
How the hell was he this strong…?
“Oi, you little bastard. You don’t even recognize your own savior?”
As I scowled and struggled beneath his foot, the masked man pulled off his hood.
“Ha, you dumbass.”
The moment I saw his face and heard his real voice, I was stunned.
“…Alden?”
“Yeah, long time no damn see.”
Unbelievably—
The masked man who had just single-handedly crushed four knights was none other than Alden, the former Colosseum Champion who escaped five years ago.
