Backtrack

Quick, Cold, and Ruthless. With just one attack, it defined Brandor's personality and his difference with Charles.

Seeing his hand holding the sword on the ground, Charles looks at it blankly as if he couldn't believe what just happened. Then after a few seconds, it finally sets in.

Holding his arm, he grits his teeth and let out a muffled scream as the pain of his exposed flesh, muscles, and bones were exposed to the air climb up his arm to his head.

Seeing him writhe in pain, Brandor smiles as he swings his sword to flick away Charles' blood from it.

"This must be your first time experiencing losing a limb."

"You!"

"I know how it feels, I lost my leg one time during training as well. They reattached it, but it left a permanent scar."

As if there was nobody suffering, Brandor casually jokes about his own experience. But it wasn't to lighten the mood, it was to make Charles feel the pain of his missing hand more.

"I must admit, your craftiness and techniques are quite commendable. Our battle just now was simply far better than we first fought. In fact, I think I learned quite a bit from it."

Mocking him even more, he picks up Charles' hand and tosses it to him.

"Make sure you don't lose it. It's quite annoying to regrow a limb even with Holy Magic."

"Just what the hell are you talking about?!"

Charles scowled at him, but this amused Brandor even more.

"You see, unlike you, I actually respect my Holy Magic. I went through rigorous training in the Holy Capital of Valhemier, spent most of my days thrown into fire, drowned, and climbing cliffs and even falling. Because I devoted everything to it, it blessed me with power even the old me couldn't imagine. With it, losing a limb or two is not a nuisance because I can just regrow it back."

"You're batshit insane! You're just abusing the power of the spirits!"

"I'm merely using the spirits to their maximum potential. That's the difference between you and I. You remain ignorant of your own power while I squeeze every bit of ability I can from it. Thanks to that, I have no problem sacrificing my own body."

"You're a madman!"

Even after being labelled as a madman, Brandor just lets out a laugh as if he was being complimented.

"Ah... the bitter cries of the fallen will never not amuse me. However, I think it's time to end this."

Because the protection spell has not activated, Charles is not yet technically defeated yet. To make it activate, Brandor knows that he needs to knock Charles hard enough to make it activate by force.

"I can guarantee I can knock you out with my next attack so try not to resist. But it would be interesting if you did though. Meaningless struggle is sometimes amusing to watch."

Raising his sword up over Charles' head, he gathers most of his power into his sword and starts his prayer.

"Oh Four who govern the Divine Laws, grant-!"

"That's one long ass chant!"

Before he could even finish the last part of his prayer, jumping out of nowhere, Rose punches Brandor on the face. And since it held a lot of power, Brandor was blown away.

Dumbfounded, Charles looks at Rose who was standing before him. Dirtied with mud and blood, she appeared before him in a striking manner where he had never seen before.

After she cracks the joins on her fists, she then looks at Charles with her eyebrows furrowed.

But just when he thought he was saved, out of nowhere, Rose suddenly throws a punch across his face and blows away the sparkle in his eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Rose was furious. So furious that he grabs the collar of his clothes and lifts him up.

"This isn't like you! Spit out that bitter shit you're chewing!"

Though vulgar, Rose' words snapped some sense back into Charles. And as she had pointed out, he had not realized he has been making such bitter expression the whole time.

"I... I have no excuse."

"You know, I expected more from you."

Her words cut him deeper than Brandor's sword. Seeing such disappointment from her, he felt as if she stabbed his heart.

"I'm not interested in what kind of history you have with that guy, but if you're that shaken about it to the point of not thinking properly, you're not fit to be our leader anymore."

"I..."

"So cut the crap and stop fighting."

After getting slapped with reality, Rose lets go of Charles and makes him drop on the ground.

Charles was in shock with the reality check. He realized that he had made a mistake of switching his priority.

Rather than being a leader, he was being selfish and hot headed. He let his grudge take over him during the fight and forgot what he was supposed to be doing.

He was in despair upon such realization. And just when his eyes was looking at his pendant, seeing his severed hand on Rose' hands made him think twice before admitting defeat.

"I told you to stop fighting, but I didn't tell you to stop leading."

"Rose..."

While smiling, Rose wraps his severed hand in fire and turns it into ice. She then does the same to the stump to stop the bleeding.

It was supposed to be painful, but Charles was too dumbfounded to notice the pain.

He finally realized that Rose didn't lose hope in him or lost her respect towards him. She respects his position as she vehemently vouched for him and is willing to do anything as long as he ordered.

Finally realizing that, he couldn't help but laugh at his own stupidity.

"So you finally snapped out of it?"

"Yeah, somewhat."

After putting his hand on his pocket, Charles grabs the hand Rose offered and pulled himself up. But even though he was exhausted and tired, he felt quite light. As if some burden was finally lifted off of him.

"So, Charles-no, Leader, what's your command?"

Looking at the distance, Brandor was slowly standing up out of the settling smoke.

Charles thinks for a second and looks at the empty sheath on Rose' thigh.

"Where are the daggers I gave you?"

"One's stuck inside someone's body and the other is somewhere under the mud. I couldn't find it."

"Do you think you can still fight without a weapon?"

"I think I can if you let me borrow your sword."

"That would be difficult, this sword will break a hand that isn't mine. Do you have something else?"

Rose holds her chin as she looks at Brandor cracking his joints as he prepares his counterattack.

"I... have a Dark Magic spell that can serve as a weapon, but I'll need a lot of Magic for it."

"You sound hesitant."

"Well..."

Before saying anything, Rose looks at Charles and slightly blushes. And since he noticed that, Charles couldn't help but be happy for the opportunity.

"If it's magic power you want, I'll give it to you."

Embarrassed, Rose lets out a resigning sigh and puts her hands on his shoulders.

"Just so you know, I don't enjoy this one bit. I'm still a man inside."

"Just admit that you like kissing me. I'm a good kisser after all."

"Death by immolation or freezing, your choice."

Charles couldn't help but let out a laugh. And despite being very hesitant about it, Rose goes through with it by covering Charles' eyes and then pressed her lips unto him and then putting her tongue inside.

After a while, Charles gets drained of his magic and strength so much that he could hardly stand anymore.

When their lips finally parted, Charles makes a very satisfied expression and tried to stay standing by holding Rose by the shoulder.

Though annoyed and embarrassed, Rose mustered the strength not to punch him. Especially now that she had powered up significantly.

Trying not to laugh, Charles looks Rose straight in the eyes.

"This is my last command. Beat the shit out of him for me."

Hearing that, Rose got taken aback. But seeing how serious about he is with it, she couldn't help but let out a giggle and then lifted her fist.

And before he finally passed out, Charles hits her fist with his own.

"Don't worry, I will."

Rose then turns her attention to Brandor who was just waiting for her. Unlike earlier, he looked like he was bored. So bored that he was sitting on his shield and yawning.

"Sorry for that little intermission."

"Don't be, it was amusing to watch somewhat. Are you his girlfriend perhaps?"

"Please do not reconsider such idea. I'm a succubus, it's my thing."

"Oh, I didn't think you were a Demon."

While standing up, he pats off the dust on his legs and then casually picks up his shield and pulls out his sword. But despite that, he doesn't prepare for combat.

This got Rose a bit curious.

"You're not going to attack?"

"No, not until you do your thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you just took his powers for yourself. I though you might have something interesting to pull up so I'm waiting for it."

Rose got confused even more. But this just annoyed Brandor even more.

"I'm saying, I want you to do your strongest attack."

Unable to really comprehend what he's talking about, Rose just gives up with a sigh and then switches to focusing her magic.

"Fine, just wait a second."

"Finally!"

Rose stood straight and strong. A pose that even a strong wind couldn't push.

"They who walks in wars, they who walks in famine, they who walks in plague, they who dons the garment of death, come. Take my power and give me yours. <Letum Lamina>"

In an instant, a burst of strong air explodes under Rose as a magic circle forms around her. After that, a long curved blade comes out of it and with it was a skeleton with a robe was holding it.

When it finally came out, it was made clear that this weapon was the known scythe of the reaper. The scythe itself was in an immaterial state. Light could pass through it as if it was just an illusion.

The skeleton drops on one knee and offers the weapon as if a devout servant would give their offering to their lord.

Though Rose called for the magic herself, she didn't think that the skeleton would be very formal. However, she still took the weapon by the handle.

And immediately, the skeleton gets absorbed into the scythe and Rose also lost quite a lot of magic power in the process. But because it was a magic weapon, the way it could be used was suddenly slipped into her head which caused her a bit of headache.

With the ritual done, the Scythe become materialized as if it was phased into existence.

"I see, a scythe. I've seen the weapon but I've never seen anyone use it as an actual weapon due to how imbalanced it is. I guess there's still things I can learn today."

"Enough talk, I'm tired enough already. I just want to go to sleep now."

The scythe's handle was long and curved, and in the center of it had a small handle. As if knowing how to use the weapon, Rose grabs the long handle and lowered her stance.

"I hope you're ready."

From Brandor's perspective, she looked like a fragile creature holding a comically large and impractical weapon. Not even the supposedly threatening pose was threatening.

Not until he suddenly felt something crept up on the back of his neck which made him instinctively raise his shield to protect his neck.

Thanks to his instinctual action, he was saved.

When he blinked, Rose was already close to him and the scythe's reach had already gotten to him.

"Wanna take this more seriously?"

After getting tossed for a few meters, Brandor shakes his shield to stretch out some stiff muscle. Though the surprise attack may have surprised him, her killing intent shocked him.

But instead of being scared, he simply smiles and gets excited about it.

"That's it! That's it!"

Upon realizing what kind of person he was dealing with, his excitement's lid burst out and his power made the air around him explode.

Yet despite that, Rose was unaffected. She simply looked at Brandor and waited for him to do something.

"Fine, I'll take you seriously. I hope you don't hate me for hitting a woman."

"If it makes you feel better, just know that I'm actually a man inside. Don't hold back!"

"I don't know what you mean by that, but sure, I won't hold back!"

-End of Chapter-