The closer they got, the less they wanted to continue.
It was obvious. The air around them smelled terrible, and all three of them could feel the pressure coming from their destination.
"How much farther?" Aren asked.
Feeling nauseous, Jariz replied,
"Yeah… we're almost there."
Then he added,
"What are we even going to do when we get there? And more importantly, why are we going there?"
"We'll just observe from a distance, and if we can't fight, we'll leave the forest."
"Impossible," Stella said. "Ever since we started heading this way, I've had the feeling that we're trapped inside a box."
Box…
Box…
Box…
Those words echoed inside Aren's head.
STANK!!
Aren suddenly stopped.
"This is bad."
"What? What's wrong, Aren?" Stella asked as she saw his expression stiffen.
"Stella, launch a fireball into the sky!"
"What? Why?"
"Just do it!"
Without arguing, Stella recited a short incantation.
FWOOOOSH!
A small fireball formed. To conserve her mana, she only poured a tiny amount into it.
The fireball quickly rose into the sky.
Then…
It vanished.
The three of them froze.
'What just happened?' Stella thought.
"Did you cancel your spell?" Jariz asked.
"N… No…"
Stella was stunned.
Then her face turned pale.
She was beginning to understand.
"We're in trouble… serious trouble."
"Who placed it? And why?" Stella asked. Then she added,
"And it's an extremely high-level one. So high that trying to destroy it by force feels like a waste of time."
"I'm lost. What are you talking about?" Jariz asked, irritated.
"A magical barrier," Stella answered.
BOOM! BOOM!
Jariz jumped.
"What was that?"
Stella closed her eyes and tried to sense the magical residue left by the explosions.
Then she suddenly opened them.
"Aren… that's holy magic."
Aren immediately started running.
"Let's move."
"We're really going?! Isn't this dangerous?"
"Shut up, Jariz," Stella said.
Looking at Aren's dark expression, Jariz finally understood.
He remembered Aren's story.
'His sister…'
'But this is still suicide.'
After some time, they finally approached their destination.
Thanks to Stella, they managed to resist the miasma somehow.
Ahead of them was now a red mist, resembling a sandstorm.
But something was strange.
They couldn't feel any human presence.
'No…'
Stella understood immediately.
The closer she got, the less she could feel mana flowing through her body.
Jariz felt it too.
"If we can't sense any human presence…"
His voice trembled.
"It's because mana can't enter or leave."
Aren stopped.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm saying that mana is blocked."
After a few seconds of silence, Aren declared,
"You'll stay outside."
"No. I'm coming with you."
"Stella, listen. You won't be able to help us if you can't fight."
"I can still use the surrounding mana."
Aren simply nodded.
Then he stepped into the mist.
Stella followed.
Jariz entered last.
Inside, the pressure was even stronger.
Several trees had been uprooted.
A little farther away, they found someone lying on the ground.
Aren quickly checked his pulse.
"He's alive. But badly injured."
Looking farther ahead, he could make out several silhouettes.
Two were fighting.
Two others were behind them.
"I'll go first. Stop his bleeding and catch up with me."
He disappeared immediately.
The voices became clearer.
"...That's right… I'm forgiven…"
'What is he doing?'
Then Aren finally recognized the figures.
'Kayla!'
And right in front of her…
Ray raised his dagger.
BOOM!!
A punch sent him flying to the ground.
"Hey, bastard!"
Then Aren continued,
"Forgiven? You can't be forgiven at all."
"You want to know what you are?"
"You're a dead man."
The punch had brought Ray back to his senses.
Without hesitation, Aren tied together his only arm and his legs with a rope.
"A… Aren?" Kayla said in shock.
Aren turned around.
His little sister was there.
Still blind.
For the first time in a very long time, his eyes became moist.
'No…'
'I can't cry in front of her.'
"Kayla, I…"
"Hey! I can't hold on much longer! I need help!"
Vali was at his limit.
"I'm coming. We'll talk later."
"Aren, wait!"
Kayla slightly raised her head.
"It's a chimera. To kill it, you have to destroy its core. It's somewhere inside its body."
"Thanks for the information."
Aren drew his sword and rushed forward.
The chimera had just pushed Vali back.
Aren leaped.
But…
Before he could even attack—
BOOM!
The chimera's greatsword appeared before him.
'Too fast!'
He abruptly stopped and jumped backward.
The blade crashed into the ground.
BOOOOM!
A massive crater formed.
'I need to be faster!'
The chimera charged.
FWOOOSH!
An arrow pierced its foot.
Vali.
'An opening!'
Aren rushed forward.
CLANG!
His sword severed one arm.
Then he twisted his body.
SWISH!
One leg was cut off.
Vali fired another arrow.
The chimera staggered.
And finally—
SLASH!
Its head rolled to the ground.
The monster collapsed.
"It'll wake up!" Vali shouted.
"We have to find its core!"
Aren looked at the corpse.
'Should I cut it into pieces?'
'No… the core must be tiny.'
He looked at Stella.
But she shook her head.
"Impossible…"
She clenched her teeth.
"Even the surrounding mana isn't responding anymore."
Aren understood.
He couldn't rely on magic.
Behind him…
The severed head had already begun regenerating.
"Kill the Saint."
Aren's brows furrowed.
"Kill the Saint?"
He gritted his teeth.
"What a joke."
Then his voice became filled with anger.
"They force her to become a Saint…"
"And now you want to kill her?"
"Go to hell, all of you!"
BOOM!!
Aren charged.
He used his technique to aim for the chest.
But the chimera stepped back.
Then counterattacked.
'Damn!'
Too late to dodge.
CLANG!!!
Aren blocked.
But—
CRACK!
His sword shattered.
His eyes widened.
'My sword…'
BOOOOM!
He was sent flying.
Several of his ribs broke.
Before he could crash into the trees—
Jariz threw himself at him.
BAM!
The two rolled across the ground.
"You alright?" Jariz asked as he helped him up.
"Yeah…"
Aren coughed up blood.
Despite Jariz's help…
The monstrous aura of the chimera had destroyed his sword and broken several of his ribs.
Yet he stood up again.
Meanwhile, Kayla, unable to see, clenched her hands.
She had recognized the sound.
She had recognized the voice.
And above all…
She knew.
"Aren…"
Her voice trembled.
"Your sword just broke… didn't it?"
Stella, standing beside her, widened her eyes.
'Even without sight… she sensed it?'
Kayla tightened her hands even more.
"Aren… don't fight anymore…"
"Please…"
But Aren didn't answer.
He simply stared at the chimera.
'I will never let anyone hurt my little sister.'
'Never.'
And he was ready to die for that.