Chapter 19. An Aura Master’s Ambush
TL: Warriormonk
Editor: Isleidir
Chapter 19. An Aura Master’s Ambush
The procession of holy knights climbed up a small hill. Captain Ronen, who had been leading the party, narrowed his eyes when he reached the top. A single armored knight stood in the middle of the path, blocking the holy knights from traveling further upon the road.
“Everyone on guard…”
The rest of the holy knights immediately unstrapped the shields on their backs and equipped them to their hands. At the wave of a hand from Ronen, two of the holy knights spurred on their horses and approached the single knight.
Ronen watched on with interest. He did not know why a single knight would block their procession, but had concluded that it could not possibly be with good intentions. Ronen’s face suddenly paled.
“That armor…”
The mysterious knight was clad in a mysterious armor that seemed extraordinary. The armor seemed to be made from overlapping layers of thin metal plates.
“Is that hershion, the magic armor of aura masters?”
Terrible screams rang out before he could finish his muttering. The two holy knights that had approached the single knight fell to the ground with a ma.s.sive spray of blood.
The mysterious knight began to rapidly approach the rest of the party after he cut down the two holy knights. Ronen’s eyes began to tremble in terror.
Patsutsutsu!
The purple wisps of light being sprayed around by the mysterious knight’s sword could only be an aura blade, something only an aura master could execute.
“It’s an aura master.”
Ronen ordered the rest of the holy knights with a pale face.
“Go block him. We must protect the lady who may become our Saintess no matter what.”
Unlike his strict and calm order, Ronen’s expression betrayed the despair he felt. If the mysterious knight was indeed an aura master, he and his thirty holy knights had no chance of winning.
“Keuuakk.”
Screams rang out one after another. The holy knights fell from their horse bleeding as they crossed paths with the knight. Ronen found that his hands were shaking in fear.
“Why would an aura master be here?”
An aura master was not feared only for his aura blade, which could cut through anything that it touched, but because his strength and agility far surpa.s.sed human limits. An aura master could be described as simply super human.
Kwaaang.
A single kick of the aura master sent a holy knight and his horse tumbling into his fellow knights, who also got pushed back by the force of the kick. The heads of the horses went flying with a horrifying sound of sword cutting flesh, and the holy knights’ bodies dropped to the ground in halves.
Chwaak.
The earth turned red with blood. The remaining holy knights floundered about, unable to keep track of the aura master’s movements.
‘This must be a nightmare.’
Ronen gripped the handle of his sword with trembling hands.
It was right then calm voices began to ring out. The priests that had been in the carriage had run out, and started casting holy protective spells on the holy knights.
“Oh, ever kind Flora. Please bless your servants with undying faith and bravery.”
“To your servants, may you bestow a lion’s ferocity and the will of a rhinoceros…”
The holy knights, along with their armor, began to shine brilliantly white. Their physical abilities had been explosively increased by the holy spells.
“We must protect the carriage at all costs!”
“No retreat!”
The emboldened holy knights pounced once more towards the silver knight. However, holy spells were nowhere enough to even stall the footsteps of the aura master.
Bunjjuk.
The aura blade shone purple once again, and the shining armor and the knights clad in it were cut in half, the white light fading.
The numbers of the holy knights were reduced at a rapid pace. When more than half of them died, the captain, Ronen, finally unsheathed his sword and pulled fiercely on the reins of his mount.
“Giddiyup!”
His strength and technique could not hold a candle to the aura master’s, so he was trying to use his mount to an advantage.
Dududududu.
Ronen’s battle horse galloped fiercely towards the entanglement of three holy knights and the silver knight. One of the holy knights fell with blood spurting from his chest before he could get there.
The silver knight turned his head at the sound of a galloping horse. His eyes, visible through the visor of the helmet, were smiling. Ronen bit his lips and charged for the knight.
“Keuuaaak!”
A scream and a bone chilling sound rang out.
Ronen rode past the entanglement of bodies, and turned his horse to face it once more. The dust clouds settled to reveal the scene.
Ronen’s eyes widened. On the ground were two of his holy knights, armors flattened by hooves and bones clearly broken, occasionally twitching.
“You’d sacrifice your subordinates to defeat me? How unlike a holy knight.”
Ronen jumped at the calm behind him and swung his sword. The sword caught nothing. He only caught a glimpse of movement before his neck turned hot.
‘He got me.’
Ronen’s consciousness faded, and his body fell unceremoniously from the horse.
After the captain died, the rest of the holy knights ran about in confusion before being completely annihilated. The battle prowess of an aura master was truly bone chilling.
“Ahhhh!”
“De-Demon.”
The priests screamed out in terror. There was nothing that they could do without the holy knights. The silver knight charged towards the priests without hesitation.
“Euaakk!”
The priests, trying to defend the carriage with their bare bodies, fell away one by one in a spray of blood.
Tulssuk.
Silence fell after the lost priest was bisected by the sword of the aura master. The aura master was earl Wellington, his hershion red with blood.
Hwaaak!
Earl Wellington pushed a bit of aura in to his hershion, which shone purple and evaporated the blood in an instant. All traces of battle gone from his body, earl Wellington yelled towards the carriage.
“Come outside.”
After a bit of waiting, Archbishop Aznan practically crawled out of the carriage.
His face was pale white with terror. Isabelle followed behind him, trembling in fear.
“Heup.”
Isabelle blocked the gasp coming out from her mouth when she saw the scene outside of the carriage. When could she possibly have seen another scene like this, when she had been treated like a flower inside of a pot?
“Who are you? Why would you commit such a heinous crime…”
Earl Wellington’s eyes shone with killing intent at the Archbishop’s words.
“Heinous crime? You dare to utter those words with your mouth?”
“It seems like you are an aura master, a superhuman beyond human understanding. Why are you opposing the church of Flora?”
Earl Wellington smirked.
“Every action has a reason behind it.”
“….”
“Do you remember the name Lena?”
Archbishop Aznan’s face turned even whiter. He had just been reminiscing about the whole incident just hours ago, regretting the whole deed.
“Are you from the church of Maal?”
“Lena was my granddaughter.”
Aznan closed his eyes. How could he possibly have known that the woman he had murdered would be the granddaughter of an aura master?
“I can say nothing to defend myself on that matter, so you may kill me. But please, do not touch the lady who may become a Saintess.”
“You pretend to be righteous until the end; how hateful.”
Earl Wellington sprayed killing intent as he walked towards Aznan and pushed out his sword.
Peupeupeupeuk.
The Archbishop’s face scrunched up in pain. In the blink of an eye, his body was covered with tens of b.l.o.o.d.y holes, as blood dyed his pure white robe as it splashed down. Aznan dropped kneeling on the ground, as his knee joint had also been cut.
Earl Wellington’s burning eyes slowly turned to Isabelle.
Isabelle could only tremble at the fighting spirit that the aura master emitted. She felt as though she was barely holding on from fainting in fear.
“I will ask you only one thing.”
“….”
“Will you turn your back on the church of Flora and become a member of our church?”
The Archbishop screamed out as soon as the words left the earl’s mouth.
“No! That will not happen.”
“I am just returning to you the consequences of your actions.”
“Ev-Even so, you cannot!”
Archbishop Aznan, face pale from the loss of blood, tried desperately to convince Isabelle.
“Re-Remember the honor of your house. Should you turn your back on us, the honor of the Lea House…”
“I can no longer bear your voice.”
A cold sound rang out along with a flash of purple light.
Kwadang.
Aznan fell backwards with his hands around his neck. There was a gaping hole in his neck that sprayed blood as he tried to speak, but the only thing coming out of his mouth were bubbles of blood.
Earl Wellington’s gaze turned once more towards Isabelle.
“Answer me. Will you betray the church of Flora and become a member of our church?”
Isabelle, still trembling, opened her mouth.
“If I don’t do so, will you kill me?”
Earl Wellington did not answer.
“I accept your offer. I never worshipped the G.o.ddess Flora in the first place, so it won’t be a betrayal, but I will become a member of your church.”
Archbishop Aznan squirmed at Isabelle’s words, arms and legs flailing.
“Euah, euah.”
Earl Wellington frowned and lifted his sword.
Bunjjuk.
His sword did not seem to move, but the Archbishop’s head fell to the ground, separated from his body.
Degururururu.
The head rolled on the ground, and Isabelle turned pale white. A chilling voice crept out from under the silver helmet.
“You do not care about the honor of your house?”
“I think I have done enough for my house.”
“You wish to live that badly.”
Tears began to fall from Isabelle’s eyes.
“It’s not because I want to live. There is someone I must meet before I die. If I cannot see him, then…”
She could not finish the rest of her words, as her throat locked up from emotion. Earl Wellington heaved a sigh and sheathed his sword.
“You are lucky, Bishop Rain. It is as you wished.”
“Thank goodness.”