Sword And Shield

We often want to believe good always wins. Do good, be rewarded. Do evil, be punished. Bullshit. They also rewarded evil: sometimes it happened as a rare and powerful trail in the hands of someone without morals.

The first time I encountered a Demonic Controller, he joined our party, became friends, and then made our group fight among ourselves until I was the only one left standing. Few could resist the Mind Control without help or some defensive passive.

Someone evil receiving a rare trail was nothing surprising, but, in this case, it was strange. First, there was no record of the fake priest from the sanctuary having opened the Path before. The place itself didn't last long, falling to the Ath'Taren. Mr. Albert and the others died then.

Second, assuming his trail was truly a Demonic Controller, the problem was much bigger. Although we didn't have enough information to be sure of it, the smartest minds on the Northern Old Earth Army theorized that [Demonic] Trails didn't appear naturally, but were granted instead.

The Hidden Devil Cult.

We called the Ath'Taren Demons, and the Hidden Cult "Devils". While the former was hellbent on destruction and cared not about hiding from the world, the Devil Cult tainted and tempted people from the shadows, offering power for some obscure deal we never found out its purpose.

Their goals, appearances, and methods were unknown. For all purposes, they should be a myth. However, even though their operations were covert, they always left some things behind: Chaos. Betrayal. Sacrifice. Pain.

Third, Haze was close to opening the Path, but the fake priest and Sooyeon were far too distant. I barely felt New Qi from them. There was no way, without an unlikely epiphany, that both of them suddenly opened the Path. Not that easy.

The most likely answer was that something, or someone, helped the fake priest advance into the Path using some sort of ability or item, granting him a Demonic Trail. I could only hope Sooyeon didn't choose the same and was instead forced into the Path because of the fake priest's powers.

[Quick Thought] ran rampant, but, after reaching this conclusion, I knew there was no need to ponder about it. I would find nothing on the Hidden Devil Cult, and I didn't want to get on their radar either. Just by knowing their existence, I would be in danger.

After everything, this Mr. Albert Bastard was still a low-level First Rank User. There was a simple and effective way to dispel the effects of his powers. I just had to kill him.

Reacting from the killing intent radiating from me, a presence crept up. Something descended with tremendous power, forcing me to jump back and dodge.

Haze's fist fell down like a hammer, shattering the ground. He stood in front of my enemy, a fortress of muscles and willpower.

"Jiwan. Class Rep. We have to take them down," I said with a serious expression.

"What? What's going on? Did they go crazy?!" Jiwan shouted.

"Mind control."

"Are you kidding?! Is that a thing?" Jiwan opened his mouth wide.

"That Fake Priest over there seems to control them."

"Can't we reason or wake them up?" The Class Rep asked.

"Reason? Does that fake priest look like he would listen to reason?" I shrugged, "And Haze was already strong before. Underestimate him, and we will die. It's as simple as that. We take the priest down, before he takes us down."

I wasn't sure the Class Rep or Jiwan could kill a person. And I wasn't willing to bet on it either. That duty fell to me. It wouldn't be my first nor my last kill. I was much past worrying about it.

However, the overwhelming Haze, and Sooyeon's unknown class…

I wasn't sure we could do it without killing them.

"You seem to realize the situation you are in, Devil Child. In front of the Shield of God, you are nothing," he tapped Haze in the back before shouting back at us, "Kneel, and repent. Offer those Devils and God will forgive you!"

"Seek God's forgiveness!" The crowd shouted as if in a trance.

Jiwan and the Class Rep came to my side, "Don't underestimate them. They're strong."

Jiwan nodded, weaving his spear in the air, while the Class Rep also lifted hers. I smiled. She was truly smart, avoiding revealing her skills from the beginning.

With steady and deep breathing, I dashed against Haze.

My fist aimed for his chest. He blocked it. I followed that blow with the next one, and again, and again. It felt as if I hit a strong wall. Jiwan flanked him, striking with the spear like a whip, aiming to knock him down. Yet it tickled.

The Class Rep went up next. She aimed to pierce with a frontal attack, but Haze grabbed the spear, pulling her in. He tried to counter with the other hand, but how could I let him?

I kicked his arm, stopping it from hitting the Class Rep. She let go of the spear and jumped back. That attack pissed Jiwan off. He thrust at Haze's thigh, but the tip of the spear scratched, deflecting to the side.

"What the hell is this body!" Jiwan screamed in surprise before Haze's punch hit him in the gut, throwing him to the ground. I kicked Haze's left knee, forcing him down. The Class Rep summoned her Qi Bow at point blank, nocking an arrow charged with a vast amount of Qi.

[Qi Archer - Qi Charged Arrow]

The charged arrow hit Haze straight in the chest, at point blank, sending him dragging his feet back a few meters. He closed his arms to protect himself too late, but even when he put the arms down, there was a scratch.

Shit. What a stupidly high defense. And he didn't even use any skills. Did I catch him off guard before, and he couldn't shield himself with Qi?

The Class Rep ground her teeth, switching targets while the enemy was still surprised. Nocking another arrow, she released it against Mr. Albert.

"!" Even I would never have expected she could attack with no hesitation. She was the only one who could attack Albert without getting through the monstrous fortress that was Haze. The amount of Qi concentrated on that arrow told me she aimed to kill, not only wound.

The arrow flew against the target, fast, powerful and precise. Mr. Albert barely had time to open his mouth in surprise before it was already upon him. The Demonic Controller I knew had no defensive skills, and Mr. Albert was a pampered politician with no agility. Caught by surprise, he could only wait for death.

That was, if Sooyeon wasn't there.

A mesmerizing flash snapped out of nowhere, as if angry gods spewed doom and chaos. A violent bolt of lightning hit the Qi Arrow, shattering and dissipating it.

Sooyeon's eyes flashed with a mixture of white, blue, yellow, and violet, while lightning Qi danced around her body.

After almost pissing himself, Mr. Albert grinned, "See? God's chosen ones protect me. The Sword of God!"

The crowd behind him cheered and prayed.

Now I realized why Sooyeon possessed an absurd amount of pure New Qi. That control over lightning, the use of Qi and not MaQi, suggested she chose the Path of the exceptional Elemental Warrior Trail, a Qi Warrior capable of wielding elements as their true natural ability.

Lightning carried pure, unmatched destructive force and speed. The evil bastard Mr. Alfred had not only gained a powerful, insidious class, but a mighty sword and shield.

"Fuck."