"Why would you come here if you'll only come to kill me!?" Lumi intoned; her face filled with sheer confusion.
But Siegren continued to slash his sword through Lumi's barrier while she continuously strengthened it with her power. The barrier was being weakened because the divinity holding it together was incessantly being absorbed by the blade.
She was being backed to a corner while he was going berserk with consecutive slashes of his large blade. No matter which angle Lumi tried to perceive it, it did not make any sense.
She was sure he came here to rescue her!
'There's no way he marched all the way here to kill me!'
"Siegren, stop it!" Lumi bit her lips as she tried to keep the barrier from being destroyed. Her knuckles made cracking sounds as the barrier grew smaller and smaller, making her knees bend in return.
'Why isn't he listening to me!?'
There was definitely something odd at play.
Lumi's eyes widened as her blue eyes darted to the wound around Siegren's cheek and neck—the wound was growing and spreading around his skin—tinting his nerves with a purple hue. As the color began to surround his neck, the wound enlarged; unfurling like gangrene as if it was carving through his flesh.
'That's the wound Hawk inflicted! What is it doing to him!?' Lumi gritted her teeth as she felt her knees wobble. She cannot continuously strengthen the barrier. Calling for divine power on such a great scale would drain her mana.
She glanced to the injury that was carving on Siegren's flesh.
'I have to heal it,'
A gamble.
She wasn't even sure if the wound was the one causing Siegren to go berserk. But she has to give it a try. There was no other choice.
'On the count of three…' Lumi parted her lips as she counted inaudibly.
One.
Two.
Three!
She then dispelled the barrier which allowed for Siegren's sword to finally pierce through. Lumi rolled to the ground and immediately rose. However, Siegren was as quick as she was. He pulled his sword that dug to the ground, then charged towards her.
Lumi's hands glowed with divine power as she ran to throw herself to him. As he thrust his sword forward, the barrier Lumi created broke.
He was then thrown into the ground; her body on top of his.
She wasted no second from that point onwards. She then proceeded to cup his cheeks as her hands glowed with light.
The wound that was carving through his flesh then vanished slowly as she healed him.
Siegren was now lying on the floor with Lumi on top of him. The grip around his sword gradually loosened as he came back to his senses.
Lumi moved away from him, trembling from the overuse of her divine power.
"What happened?" Siegren's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why am I…"
Everything that happened was still a blur to Siegren—but not for long, as he let what transpired sink in his mind. He pressed his palm against his neck as realized the poison was finally gone from his system.
But how can he be poisoned when he was trained to be resistant to every kind possible?
"It seems like the poison of the talons to you had different effects," Lumi said. "Instead of killing you, it made your bloodlust rise."
Was it because this man was inherently evil?
Lumi doesn't know.
But the fact that he was able to find her easily—and the fact that he was able to drive her to a corner meant one thing.
He was no ordinary person she could easily trifle with.
She had to cooperate.
And…
"I wouldn't be able to survive on my own," Lumi said as she stood up, brushing the wrinkles from the dress.
Siegren stood up and stared at her.
"Seeing how easily I was captured…" Lumi picked up the keys on the ground and eyed them bitterly. "There's nothing else I could do alone… at least for now."
--
"Heh… it's a good thing we were able to still salvage some of the goods…"
"You plan on continuing Hawk's business?"
"Well, he's probably dead anyway. These slaves are ours now."
Some of the nobles were able to smuggle some of the unclaimed 'goods'—the first-class slaves that haven't been sold yet. One of the older nobles ogled the women in the cell as he licked his lips. This was a golden opportunity to have the pretty slaves all to himself.
"Take them away," the man exclaimed. They then opened the door to go to a secret passage that leads outside, eager to get out of the auction house.
Then, the man who was leading the way fell to the floor.
Standing before the nobles was the priestess and behind her was the berserk they tried to escape from.
"Where are the slaves?" The priestess asked.
**
A bundle of keys was suddenly thrown athwart a certain cell room.
The girl with lime green hair looked up as she saw the silhouette of a familiar girl whom she met just hours ago.
"I'm not a saint," the girl said. "It's up to you if you want to be free… or if you want to free everyone else."
Isla felt her heart clench as she immediately held the keys close to her chest. With her crouching, she was only able to see the bloodied white dress of the girl. She then lifted her gaze.
"Thank you so much… I'm…" Isla parted her lips to see her benefactor.
But she was already gone.
**
As they welcomed the sun rising, Lumi stared at the vast sky on the horizon. The morning sky looked peaceful, in contrast to what happened a while ago.
Siegren stared. "I will not kill you."
'At least, not yet,' Siegren thought as his eyes fixated on Lumi's back, which he dreaded to slice wide open.
Lumi stared back at him. "I will not let you kill me." She said as she started ambling forward.
"The numen of the fallen god…" Lumi placed her hand on her chest, gesturing to herself.
"I will lead you to it."