Aura, the Goddess Incarnate!
This time, Aura adjusted the angle of her throw, aiming lower. She wasn't interested in killing the riders outright—at least, not yet. Instead, she targeted the legs of the horses.
The animals' limbs were far more fragile than their riders' armored torsos, and Aura knew a mere graze from her scythe would be enough to sever them cleanly. The horses were unarmored, their legs exposed and vulnerable.
The scythe spun through the air like a silver blur, slicing through the thin air with a deadly hum. In a matter of seconds, it found its mark. The sound of hooves abruptly ceased, replaced by the crunch of bones and the screams of the injured animals as they collapsed into the snow.
The bandits, disoriented by the sudden fall, lay sprawled in the snow, dazed and vulnerable. Without their horses, they were nothing more than sitting ducks, trapped within the deadly range of Aura's chain scythe. A momentary silence fell over the clearing as the reality of their situation dawned on them. Panic set in, but it was too late.
By the time they scrambled to their feet, trying to flee, the scythe was already upon them. Their vision blurred as the world spun violently around them, the last thing they saw being the scythe, glinting in the dim light like the blade of a reaper, circling in the sky above.
For those who managed to hold onto a shred of consciousness, the last thing they saw was the chain scythe, a harbinger of death, circling in the sky above them like a merciless shura.
If they were unlucky enough to remain aware for just a moment longer, they might have glimpsed the sight of a mouth opened wide, descending upon them, tearing through their skulls as effortlessly as one might crack an egg. The final sound they heard was the slurp as Aura drained the last remnants of their lives.
Aura put down the makeshift drinking vessel she had crafted from one of the bandits' skulls, her lips stained with the remnants of her feast. The scythe, now coated in blood, was nearly destroyed from the relentless use, its once-sharp blade tattered and on the verge of breaking.
But fortunately, before it completely gave out, Aura had managed to eliminate every human who posed a potential threat to her.
Aura turned to look at Sasha, who had been standing nearby, staring at her actions in a daze.
Every time Aura pulled back the chain, the splashed blood would spill onto her. Now Sasha's face was also covered with blood, adding a touch of cruelty to her harmless and childish face.
"You're amazing, Aura!"
Yet, instead of recoiling in horror, Sasha clapped her hands together, a bright smile spreading across her blood-smeared face. Her small voice rang out, echoing through the clearing.
And when Aura looked at her, Sasha's eyes would shine with admiration.
This human child had a nearly naive cruelty.
Aura, however, did not find anything unusual in Sasha's behavior. Among demons, even the youngest—those less than half a month old—would not cry after witnessing such scenes. On the contrary, they would laugh, their innocent giggles mingling with the sounds of battle, finding joy in the chaos and carnage.
Because of this, Aura failed to notice the subtle tremor in Sasha's hands, the way the girl's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before returning, brighter than before. She didn't see the flicker of fear in Sasha's eyes, quickly masked by the feigned admiration. Nor did she catch the slight hesitance in Sasha's claps, as if the girl were forcing herself to continue.
————
Using the chain, Aura dragged all the decapitated human heads into the cave, their lifeless eyes still wide with the terror they felt in their final moments. The heads bumped and scraped along the rocky floor, leaving behind trails of blood that added to the growing pool within the cave. One by one, Aura pulled them in, like a fisherman hauling in his catch, each head a trophy of her handiwork.
Aura crouched down, her sharp teeth bared in a satisfied grin. She didn't devour all fifty or so heads at once—that would have been too much, even for a demon of her stature. Instead, she nibbled here and there, sampling the flesh as one might sample a fine wine, savoring the different textures and flavors.
But the feast wasn't just about consumption. It was about admiration. Aura pulled back several of the heads, taking her time to study each one. The expressions frozen on their faces were what truly captivated her—eyes wide with terror, mouths twisted in screams that had long since fallen silent.
Demons have an obsession with observing the despair of humans. Aura didn't understand why demons evolved this way. Perhaps it was a trait inherited from their ancient ancestors, who had preyed upon humans as animals did. As demons evolved into intelligent beings, their mental needs merged with this primal instinct to hunt, to see fear in the eyes of their prey.
Seeing humans in despair brought demons a sense of spiritual satisfaction that went beyond the physical act of killing. It was a fulfillment of a need that had no logical explanation.
"I don't know whether it is a poor evolutionary need or an excellent evolutionary need…" Aura mused aloud, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous space. She tilted her head, considering the thought as she placed the last skull atop the others, forming a macabre tower of bone. With a final clap of her hands, she smiled in satisfaction, admiring her work.
Now, it was time for Aura to leave the cave.
She had been waiting for this moment, for the oppressive influence of the Holy Sword to weaken just enough to allow her to venture outside without immediate danger. The Holy Sword's presence was still a heavy weight upon her, sapping her strength and limiting her movements, but Aura was confident that the situation outside had lessened to a degree that was no longer fatal.
She knew that her mobility would be limited, that her powers were still far from their full potential. But with Sasha by her side, she felt certain that she could manage. With Sasha supporting her, Aura was confident that she wouldn't collapse halfway through her walk, even with the lingering effects of the Holy Sword.
As Aura stepped out of the cave, she took in the sight of the landscape before her. The ground was still covered in snow, albeit stained with blood, a thick blanket that muffled sound and added an eerie calm to the world. The snow itself was no longer falling, but the land was still full of it, giving everything a muted, almost ghostly appearance. The trees, stripped of their leaves, stood like skeletal sentinels against the white backdrop, their branches reaching toward the sky.
Aura wasn't sure whether she could handle the attack from a large number of humans, should they decide to gather and strike again. That was why she had waited, biding her time until Sasha had lured all the capable fighters from the nearby village to the cave, where Aura could wipe them out in one fell swoop.
With those fighters gone, the remaining humans in the area would be weak, disorganized, and no longer a threat to her.
As for whether Sasha might pose a threat to Aura... Firstly, Aura believed she had completely fooled this foolish human child into thinking of her as a friend, even though she was a demon who ate people.
Secondly, even if Sasha did try to harm her, Aura was confident she could counter it. Even under the Holy Sword's suppression, with most of her strength gone, she still had enough power to deal with a human child.
As long as no large group of adult humans appeared, she could kill whoever she wanted, whenever she wanted.
"Sasha, help me out."
"Um."
Sasha supported Aura as they walked toward the cave entrance. The closer they got, the stronger the Holy Sword's force field became. The moment Aura came out of the cave, her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Sasha used her shoulder to support Aura so that he did not fall into the mud.
"Huff—this is tougher than I expected. I might not even be able to lift my scythe now." Aura tried to make a fist, but her hand barely responded. It was as if every ounce of strength had been sapped from her body, leaving her feeling like a fish stranded in the desert sun, gasping for life.
The force field of the Holy Sword had been triggered nearly two months ago, an event that Aura had never seen coming. The once-terrifying power that had the potential to incinerate any demon to ash had gradually weakened, now only a fraction of its original might. Yet, even in its diminished state, it was enough to cripple Aura, making her feel vulnerable.
It had probably just released all the energy it had accumulated over thousands of years at once.
Aura didn't understand the Holy Sword's mechanisms, but the moment she had laid eyes on the ancient weapon embedded in stone, she knew what it was—a divine instrument sent by the goddess to cleanse the world of demons. Its power was like nothing she had ever encountered, a force that transcended mortal understanding.
"It's so unfair, goddess. No matter how strong the Demon King is, how can he win against a force that can change the world?" Aura grumbled under her breath, her voice barely audible.
"Aura, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing… By the way, you said all the adults in the village have been eaten, right?" Aura asked, trying to change the subject.
"The masters have gone to heaven," Sasha replied, her tone light and cheerful as if she were talking about something mundane.
"What do you mean?"
"Uncles and aunts who are slaves like me are all here~~" Sasha sang, her voice lilting as she pointed towards the forest.
"Um???"
Aura's eyes widened, and she tried to turn back and run into the cave.
But then she heard Sasha suddenly shout loudly, waving her arms toward the distant forest:
"I told you, didn't I?! My friend Aura is real! She's not my imagination!!"
"Ah, crap, I didn't eat them all!"
Aura tried to flee, but her legs wouldn't cooperate.
She looked back in horror and saw a group of skinny humans with chains on their hands and feet, swarming around her, holding sickles, hoes and other farm tools, as well as the severed heads of slave owners.
'It's over. I'm doomed.'
Aura hadn't run more than a few steps before being captured. She closed her eyes unwillingly, thinking that she was going to be hacked to death by this group of humans.
But instead of the expected blows, she felt herself being lifted higher, the hands beneath her surprisingly gentle.
"Aura!"
"Aura!!"
"Aura!!!"
"You must be the goddess's incarnation sent to save us! Please, great one, open your eyes and see us, your faithful believers~"
"We've prayed every day for your arrival. Your horns are so beautiful, so pure. The broken one symbolizes suffering, and the sturdy one represents strength. You must have come with a scythe in hand, to grant us your blessing and deliver us from this endless suffering."
"Oh, incarnation of the Most High, we rejoice and are glad because of you, and we sing praises to your true name~~"
"Aura! Aura! Aura!!!"
"..."
Aura sat up at the top of the crowd and tilted her head.
She didn't quite understand what had happened, but it seemed that here, she had become the goddess's incarnation.