Chapter 26 - When Steel Breaks
Lucien killed the big goblin, and after that he killed all the remaining ones.
Lucien looked at the full moon. The wind was heavy and mixed with blood.
One of his feet was on the big goblin's head while he looked at his surroundings.
Everything around Lucien was covered in goblin blood.
After that, he used sense magic, but he didn't sense any goblins.
Then, as they had planned, he went to the other side to check if their side was clear.
Lucien ran toward Lira's side because he knew Seris could take care of herself.
On Lira's side
"There are so many of them," said Lira.
One after another, goblins kept appearing.
Lira, the village hunters, and the villagers were all fighting the goblins with everything they had—with every skill and weapon.
"FIGHT!" everyone shouted.
Few minutes later
They had almost killed all the goblins.
"Fire Wind Cutter!" Lira cast the combat spell
The last goblin's head fell off.
Lira was breathing heavily.
"Finally… it's over!" said Lira.
She sat down on the ground.
The hunters also sat down.
Then one hunter walked toward Lira.
"Are you okay?" the hunter asked.
"I am fine," Lira replied.
She smiled, but her breathing was still heavy.
She calmed herself by slowly breathing in and out.
She lowered her head, then looked at the hunters on her right side.
They were talking to each other and were about to go toward the front gate.
Lira stood up as well.
After that, she looked at the sky, then back at the hunters in front of her.
She blinked.
The hunters disappeared.
"?"
Lira was confused.
Then a human head fell onto the ground.
She looked up.
A big muscular goblin stood there, holding a massive sword.
The goblin had only one arm.
The goblin swung his sword upward.
Blood from the bodies fell to the ground like rain.
The goblin looked around and saw more humans.
He swung his sword again.
The hunters tried to block the attack, but they barely managed.
Half of their swords broke.
Lira took a deep breath.
Then she placed her hands on the ground and used an ice spell.
"Absolute Freeze."
The goblin was frozen in ice.
Lira looked at him.
He wasn't moving.
She smiled.
"Finally—"
Before she could finish—
The ice shattered.
The goblin roared with energy and ran toward Lira.
"What?!" she shouted.
"What should I do?" Lira thought.
"That goblin is too strong."
"If I don't do something, I'm going to die."
The hunters were already in a weak state.
Lira raised her hand.
"Sky Blade!"
She swung her hand through the air.
Compressed wind sharpened into invisible blades.
She aimed them all at the goblin and released them.
Direct hit.
But the goblin's body was too strong.
Her attacks only left scratches.
Even so, she kept attacking nonstop.
Then the goblin swung his sword.
The heavy swing created a powerful shockwave.
Lira fell to the ground.
But she still didn't give up.
She tried to cast another spell.
"Fire—"
Suddenly blood came out of her mouth.
"What…?"
Her body wouldn't move.
She had reached her limit.
She tried to move her hands and cast another spell, but her body wouldn't listen.
Her eyes slowly closed from exhaustion.
She had been using magic nonstop.
Healing.
Defense.
Combat spells.
Ever since she entered the village.
Just before collapsing, she heard a voice.
"You did well."
Then Lira collapsed.
Lucien arrives
Lucien looked around.
Many hunters were dead.
Lira's condition was bad.
"Sorry, Aren… I couldn't keep the promise," Lucien said inwardly.
He picked up Lira and placed her carefully under a tree.
Lucien took a deep breath.
Then he glared at the big goblin.
"DIE," Lucien said angrily.
The goblin roared and stepped forward.
Lucien stepped forward as well.
On Aren's side
Aren was fighting goblins at the front gate.
Then another big muscular goblin appeared.
After killing the remaining goblins, Aren stepped forward.
He aimed for the goblin's neck.
A direct slash.
But the goblin's neck was too strong.
Aren failed to kill him.
He quickly stepped back and created distance.
The goblin swung its heavy sword.
Aren quickly covered his sword with aura and blocked the attack.
After taking a deep breath, he jumped.
Landing on the goblin's sword, he moved forward and spun his body.
With a rotating strike, he cut off both of the goblin's hands.
Aren breathed in and out.
Then he jumped again.
He aimed for the neck again, channeling aura into his blade.
"Die."
One straight slash.
The goblin's head fell to the ground.
Aren looked around.
The hunters had killed the remaining goblins.
"Finally… it's over," Aren said.
He looked up.
"I wonder how Lira, Seris, and Lucien are doing."
Then he used his aura sense skill.
He had learned it from Lucien.
But he didn't sense anything.
A bad feeling appeared in his chest.
He breathed slowly.
His eyes closed.
Then suddenly he felt a powerful pressure moving toward him.
He opened his eyes immediately.
A shadowy figure moved around him.
Aren couldn't see clearly.
It was too fast.
"What was that?" he thought.
Then the creature attacked.
Without thinking, Aren blocked the strike.
Now he saw it clearly.
It looked human… almost.
Long blade-like nails extended from its fingers.
A half mask covered one side of its face.
The other side was worse.
No eye.
Only a hollow socket, exposing fragments of skull.
Aren's breath stopped.
Whatever stood before him… was once human.
The creature attacked with its long nails.
Aren blocked every strike.
"That half-mask thing is too strong and fast," Aren thought.
Then the creature made a powerful strike.
Aren's iron sword shattered into two pieces.
Aren lowered his body quickly.
Using the broken half of his sword—
He slashed the creature's stomach.
Then he stepped back.
The creature touched the wound.
No blood flowed.
"What…?" Aren said.
The creature smiled.
A creepy smile.
The creature dropped from the trees—
A black blur under the moon.
Aren raised his broken sword.
Too late.
CRASH!
He was slammed into the ground.
The remaining steel shattered.
Silence.
His blade was gone.
The creature stood above him.
"…Weapon… broken…"
It smiled again.
Aren looked at the empty hilt in his hand.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"Who said I needed steel?"
A faint glow appeared in his palm.
At first—
Small.
Then brighter.
Mana poured from his body like mist.
The air trembled.
The broken hilt vibrated.
Light extended from it.
Not metal.
Not fire.
Pure aura.
It formed the shape of a sword.
Transparent.
Sharp.
Alive.
The creature stepped back slightly.
"…New… trick…"
Aren stood up.
The aura blade hummed with power.
The creature screamed and charged.
This time—
Aren didn't defend.
He vanished.
A flash of blue light split the battlefield.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then—
A thin glowing line appeared across the creature's chest.
It twitched.
The iron mask cracked deeper.
Black mist burst out.
"…Im…possible…"
Aren stood behind it, aura blade glowing.
"This blade isn't physical," he said quietly.
"You can't harden against it."
The creature attacked wildly.
Aren moved like light.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Glowing marks appeared on the creature's body.
They didn't bleed.
They burned.
The creature gathered its mist and lunged for one final attack.
Aren planted his foot.
Closed his eyes.
Focused.
"All of it."
The aura blade expanded.
Brighter.
Wider.
He stepped forward—
And slashed downward.
Light swallowed the darkness.
The forest shook.
When the glow faded—
The creature stood still.
A single glowing line split its mask.
Then—
It slowly fell apart.
The mist faded into the night.
Aren stood there, breathing heavily.
His aura blade flickered—
Then disappeared.
"…Stay down."
The forest became silent.
The creature collapsed, turning to ash before touching the ground.
No mist.
No movement.
No last words.
Just silence.
Aren looked at the empty space.
"…Rest."
The wind moved through the trees.
And this time—
Nothing answered back.
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END OF CHAPTER 26
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