Sacrifice

Jin saw Brett get pushed back by Tanya with a single attack.

'What!? How is she so powerful…?' He thought as he stared at his sister's back in shock.

He knew that her potential was limitless but that was it.

Potential was something that needed a long time to be nurtured in order to be turned into strength.

However, right at this moment, Tanya was able to push back Brett, who claimed to be a First Class Warrior!

"A-A Divine S-Stigma!?" Brett widened his eyes in astonishment.

Jin raised his brows at their opponent's words, 'Divine Stigma, huh?'

"Don't hurt my brother!!" Tanya, on the other hand, was filled with rage as she rushed towards Brett.

"Haha! Let me feel the power of the heretics' god!" Brett had a crazy expression on his face as he attacked Tanya.

Clang! Clang!! Clang!!!

Ting—

Jin saw what Brett was talking about as he watched them fight.

'The sun mark…!' He saw the glowing mark on his sister's forehead and remembered the time their father gave them his surname.

Jin connected it to Brett's words earlier, 'Is that what he called a Divine Stigma earlier?'

He kept thinking as he watched his sister fight, using this time to recover as well.

[Lightning Rush]

[Third Solar Sacrament: Dawn's Grace]

Brett erupted with lightning before attacking Tanya consecutively without a break.

However, to his surprise, Tanya was able to dodge all his attacks no matter how fast he was.

'Dawn's Grace!?' Jin widened his eyes as he saw how Tanya dodged the attacks.

The footwork she used was the Third Solar Sacrament, Dawn's Grace that she copied from him.

However, what was stranger was the glow on her body.

Although it was still nighttime, it looked as if the sun was already rising as she performed the dance meant to welcome the sunrise.

'Is that its complete form..?' Jin stared at Tanya who was dodging her opponent's attack as if she was dancing.

He was utterly mesmerized by his sister's performance.

"How long do you think you can keep dodging me!?" Brett shouted as the lightning around him became even more intense.

He was now increasing the output of his aura.

"Ugh!" Tanya grunted as lacerations were continuously appearing all over her body.

Then, she stopped dodging suddenly and turned her defensive dance into an offensive one.

This time, she danced along with her greatsword.

[Fourth Solar Sacrament: Supreme Sun Serenade]

The golden flames covering Tanya became even more intense as she kept attacking with all her might.

Golden flames and blue lightning intertwined in the area, forming a surreal scene as the two continuously exchanged blows.

At this moment, Jin was astounded at the full potential of the two techniques he had analyzed, 'Amazing…'

* * *

"Hyahhh!!"

"Arghhhhh!!!!"

"I'll take you to hell with me!!"

…

Shouts and battle cries could be heard on the ever-chaotic battlefield.

Leo looked around helplessly, seeing his comrades dying off one by one, 'When did it all go wrong…'

"Leo, go back to the fortress and inform the others to prepare for an evacuation." Lord Axton said with a determined face.

"No, let me hel—"

"Leo. You're our only hope. We'll hold back the Shadewraith Tigris for as long as we can."

Hearing his words, Leo faltered.

The growl that they heard earlier was from a beast called the Shadewraith Tigris, a tiger-type beast capable of blending in and utilizing the shadows.

It was also a powerful Demon General Beast like the Forest Baboon. The only difference was that it was a lot more difficult to hit due to its abilities.

Lord Axton looked pale and only had a single arm left as the other was bitten off by the demon beast.

He saw the struggle on Leo's face and smiled like how an elderly father would to his son, "Don't worry, we'll also be on our way after we fend off the demon beasts. Don't let Oswin's sacrifice be in vain. We also can't just let our families await their deaths."

Hearing the name "Oswin" almost brought tears to Leo's face, but he held it back.

He remembered his friend who saved him from the claws of the Shadewraith Tigris in exchange for his own life.

Leo steeled himself and finally nodded, thinking about his children and the families of his fellow warriors.

Looking at his departing back, Lord Axton's wrinkles became ever so prominent as he smiled widely.

Then, he walked forward with a carefree expression on his face.

"Sir, what are we going to do? The numbers of both warriors and soldiers are diminishing at a rapid rate." A knight went beside him and asked.

Sighing softly, Lord Axton looked at the remaining combatants they had left.

The mages and priests that accompanied them were killed by the Shadewraith Tigris earlier in a surprise attack.

As such, the only ones left now were the injured warriors and soldiers.

"Everyone!" He called out, catching the attention of everyone in the battlefield as they fought demon beasts.

"We will die here today."

It's not a "might" but a "will". A word that describes something that would surely happen.

"However…"

Everyone had a grim expression on their faces.

"...we'll make sure to take those beasts with us! For our loved ones, for our family!!"

However, the castellan's words, the words of the strongest among them, lit up a fire in their hearts.

Their grim expressions turned into determined ones, making Lord Axton nod his head in satisfaction.

"But my lord, can we stop them all by ourselves?" The knight asked again.

Seeing the countless demon beasts overwhelming the combatants with their numbers and the Shadewraith Tigris lurking in the shadows made their chances really slim.

Lord Axton smiled again and said, "We have a chance. We just need to go all out."

"By all out do you mean…"

Everyone looked at each other and nodded.

Lord Axton didn't reply and instead slowly walked forward.

With every step, color returned to his pale complexion as he slowly became more energetic and lively.

Boom—-

The weak aura he was giving off gradually strengthened and turned into something like that of a volcanic eruption.

[Core Ignition]

He chanted as he brandished his spear with his remaining hand.

The green aura filled with the attribute of the wind filled the entire area.

Countless demon beasts directly exploded when they came into contact with the waves of green aura.

The Shadewraith Tigris slowly revealed itself, slowly circling around Lord Axton.

Seeing the endless waves of demon beasts, everyone soon followed suit and chanted altogether.

[Core Ignition]