Execution (2)

Huff.... Huff... Huff...

The man in silver armor finally stumbled into an open space, the entrance to the village just within sight.

He should have felt relief, but instead, rage boiled inside him.

"Fuck... goddammit, I'll kill everyone" he spat through gritted teeth.

His armor was battered and dented, but his body seemed unscathed beneath the steel. He had escaped the traps in exchanged that claimed his men, but the bitter taste of betrayal still stung.

The image of the yellow-haired child abandoning them haunted him.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I'm going to kill that bitch once I escaped here!"

His steps faltered when two figures blocked his path.

One was a young man, probably in his early twenties, wearing priest clothing, with messy curly dark brown hair and a face dotted with freckles. His legs trembled violently, and he clutched a broken staff as if it were the only thing keeping him from collapsing.

The other figure was a woman, seemingly in her late teens. Her long white hair framed a face with unsettling red eyes and porcelain-like skin. Despite holding a sword in terrible condition, her posture showed confidence, the complete opposite of her shaking companion.

The man in silver armor grinned viciously, his earlier frustration replaced in malevolent glee.

"Hah! Finally! An enemy. I'll chop you both into pieces and feed you to the pigs!"

"I-IEEK!" Yunnie screamed, his terror breaking through as his threats rattled him.

However, Seon rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed by Yunnie's reaction.

After all the courage he'd shown earlier, here he was, back to cowering like before.

Truly, she ended up regretting on complimenting him a while ago.

"If you don't want to get hurt, stay behind me" she muttered calmly.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Yunnie stammered, scrambling to position himself far behind her.

Amused by the event, the man in silver armor asked.

"Are you overconfident in your ability?"

"I didn't know rocks could speak"

"Listen there kid, women like you should just shut up and try to study how to please men in bed instead."

"Blablabla, just tell me if you are afraid in advance, who knows? I might give you mercy~"

Veins bulged along the man's forehead as his fists clenched around his sword, his muscles rippling with barely contained rage.

"You'll regret that, girl. I am a strength user."

He held out his hand, and a black card materialized between his fingers. It was marked with an VIII, inscribed with an infinity symbol and claw marks. "The Strength" was etched below.

Yunnie's face paled. "A-an Arcana Blessed?"

"Ew...Cringe" But Seon looked on, unimpressed. "So what are you implying to? Are we playing poker?"

The man's face twisted into a sneer. "Stupid wench. You don't even understand what it means to face an Arcana Blessed!"

With a roar, he charged forward, sword cleaving the air as he aimed to split her down the middle.

Seon brought up her own blade in a block, and the impact rang out like a bell. Her arms shuddered as the force drove her back, heels digging trenches in the dirt. 

Clang!

The clash of metal echoed through the clearing. Seon gritted her teeth, her hands trembling as the man's strength overpowered her.

She then slid her sword sideways, breaking the lock and spinning out of his range just as he brought his blade down where she'd been standing. It crashed into the earth, sending up a spray of dirt and pebbles.

The man yanked his sword out of the ground, already spinning to follow her, but she quickly dodged his sweeping arc by a hair's breadth.

'Damn, he's strong,' Seon thought as she observed his movements. 'I might have underestimated him.'

The man in silver armor let out a guttural laugh, spinning around with frightening speed. He swung horizontally, aiming for her midsection. Seon ducked just in time, feeling the wind of the blade pass above her.

She retaliated with a sharp thrust, aiming for his ribs. But her blade barely scratched him, glancing off his rock-like body with a dull 'thud'.

'Clang!!'

Blow after blow, she dodged and deflected, but his relentless attack began to wear her down.

Her arms throbbed as each block and parry seemed to demand more strength than she thought she could give.

He swung again, and her legs buckled, forcing her to roll away just as his sword gouged a long, jagged scar in the earth.

"Hah! Is that all you've got?" the man taunted. "I've fought bandits stronger than you. This is nothing!"

Seon slid back a few paces, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped down her face, but her red eyes remained focused on him.

She needed to find an opening. He was powerful, no doubt, however, she is confident that in terms of knowledge in the battlefield, she is far better.

She feinted to the left, causing the man to swing prematurely, then darted to his right. Her blade flashed in a quick strike aimed at his unprotected neck.

But again, her sword clanged uselessly against him when he personally blocked it using his arms.

There was no blood... it was as if, his body was just made of steel at this point.

'Damn, his body's too tough. I can't land a good hit,' she thought, frustration mounting. Although she can tell that guy is still killable by his weak spots.

The problem is, she needed someone to distract him from using his body as defense.

The man scowled, realizing this fight wasn't as easy as he expected. He had underestimated her, too.

'This girl... she lacks strength, but she's good. Strange, she seems to have experience on the battlefield, but her body seems to say not otherwise. I'll have to finish her quickly.'

Seon flinched in pain as the gash on her leg seared through her nerves. But just as quickly, a warm, green light enveloped her wound and she watched in surprise as it closed before her eyes.

"I'll help!" Yunnie's voice trembled as he reached out his hand from afar, his hand glowing softly.

He was healing her from a distance.

Seon's eyes widened in disbelief. 'Magic? So, it exists in this world too?' But there was no time to ponder. She readied herself as the man in silver armor prepared for another strike.

"Tch... a high priestess user," the man spat with disdain. Realizing Yunnie was a threat, his expression darkened. Without hesitation, he charged toward Yunnie, sword raised high.

Seon's instincts kicked in. She couldn't let Yunnie be targeted. With a burst of speed, she sprinted toward the man. At first, doubt creeped at her. He was strong, much faster than before, and she feared she wouldn't reach him in time.

But to her surprise, her legs moved quicker than usual, and her body was much lighter and agile.

'Huh…?'

Before she could overthink it, she swung her sword, and to her astonishment, the blade sliced through his back, cutting deeply into his flesh. Blood splattered across the ground as the man roared in pain, staggering forward.

"Argh!" the man growled, clutching his back.

Seon realized something important—Yunnie's ability wasn't just healing her. It had temporarily enhanced her strength and speed. She grinned, impressed by the unexpected boost.

However, when she tried to strike again, her sword simply bounced off his armor, the buff having worn off.

'A temporary buff, I see' Seon remarked when her strength returned to normal.

An idea sparked in Seon's mind. A ridiculous, funny idea.

Without warning, she deliberately slashed her own arm with her blade, wincing slightly as blood trickled down her skin.

"IEEEK!" Yunnie let out a horrified scream. His instinct was to raise his hand to heal her. "What are you doing?!"

"Good keep healing me!" Seon yelled with a grin as she hurted her palm this time with her own blade. "You're actually useful! Not bad kid."

Yunnie, completely flustered, quickly raised his hand to heal her once more, the green light enveloping her body and mending the wound.

And her speed and strength increased once more, as she had anticipated.

Determined to silence the healer, the silver-armored figure lunged toward Yunnie.

Seon, however, had accelerated and was now able to blindly interrupt his route. She shoved him back with a speed he hadn't anticipated, and her sword clanged loudly against his, sending sparks flying.

"Not so fast!" she shouted, swinging her sword in rapid continuation. He barely managed to block each strike, but his movements grew sluggish under the relentless assault.

"Damn you..."

Seeing that he's losing the battle. The man's trembling hand reached into his pocket, pulling out a small violet pill.

"You're going to die with me!!"

With a sneer, he bit down on it, crushing it between his teeth. Almost immediately, his body began to convulse.

Seon watched as his skin morphed, getting bigger, and bigger.

Dark violet crystals bursting forth from his flesh. His once muscular frame twisted and expanded grotesquely, his face melting away into a deformed mess of hardened crystal and oozing, rotting flesh.

The stench of decay filled the air, a foul, nauseating odor that made Yunnie gag.

"Huh..." Seon's eyes widened in disbelief.

Two words flashed through her mind.

'We're fucked.'