At the edge of a seaside cliff, there is a patch of slightly fertile land. Sparse grass grows there, though it's not as green as the savannah grasslands. The soil is considered viable for many plants and vegetation. Additionally, this land offers a beautiful view of the sea, especially at sunrise. At the highest point of the cliff, there stands a lone tree. It has no companions except for a pile of large stones crafted by human hands. On these stones are inscribed the names of those who have passed away.
Unfortunately, all the beauty of this steep cliff has drastically changed. No longer is there beauty and coolness. Only horror and heat from the abundance of blood remain there.
"Sherry! Hold on tightly to my hand!"
"But... shouldn't I just run with you? So you don't have to carry such a heavy load on your back."
Right now, Doris is carrying Sherry while running.
"Quiet! You better not make excuses to hurt yourself! Let me do this!"
"Idiot! You've already run far enough from the village to here! With such a long distance, you can't possibly endure it! Especially while carrying me!"
"Sherry, you're not a burden... If you die, then you'll become a burden on my mind."
"Doris (blushing and holding his hand tighter)... (looking out to sea) I'm sorry... for being useless," Sherry said with deep guilt.
"I should be the one apologizing. I made you like this!"
"So we're both idiots? Doris, you can still joke at a time like this... That's why I don't think this is your fault. I'm actually glad you did it."
The soldiers were pursuing the couple. They continued to follow the pair to the edge of the cliff. There, the two stopped, staring at the cliff's edge, which was so close to them. Just about 5 cm more, and they would plunge into the open sea. There was no more escape route for them.
*Grak! *Grak! *Grak!
The sound of the armored footsteps of the leader of the troops could be heard. He stepped forward, passing through the line of soldiers and stood right in front of Sherry and Doris.
The leader's armor was different from that of the ordinary soldiers. His armor bore the motif of his banner. If the rebels had armor depicting eruplions, then their leader's had the image of a Giant Winged Eagle on his chest. The helmet worn by the leader was a Nordic helmet that only protected the head and eyes (leaving the nose to the beard exposed).
He stood in front of the couple, wielding his Guisarme.
Author's Note: A Guisarme is a weapon that combines the elements of a spear and an axe. Equipped with a curved blade and a sharp dagger point, as well as a small hammer on the other side.
"Had enough of this cat-and-mouse game?" the captain asked with a mocking expression.
"Tell us! Why are you attacking us, Count Brosis?! Aren't we on the same side?!"
The side they meant was the rebel side.
"You want to know? Alright... The three people you saved was betrayed Lord Ingro and nearly killed Lady Juno in the middle of the mission. They burned down the entire town and killed many local residents mercilessly. They also drove a herd of tutamits into the chaos, making the situation even worse. The soldiers were killed, and no one stopped the nightmare!"
The news flies so fast.
"Micah?!"
For some reason, that name was the first to come to mind when recalling the names of those three people. Perhaps because he was the one who liked to cause trouble among them.
"But...! We have nothing to do with them! We only helped them briefly because they helped us!"
"Still... You had contact with them and maintained a good relationship with them."
"No way! We only did a trade! We even hated each other!" without realizing it, the demon within Doris surfaced. He discarded those who had helped him. He did all this for the safety of his family.
"Be-besides! You have 'eyes,' don't you?! So you should know how cruel those three are!" he added.
"So? Can you explain the reason for your high level? Even I'm 20 levels below you!"
Doris couldn't hide his high level. It was evident, and it was impossible for him to reach such a high level without conspiring with them.
"Damn it!"
Doris put Sherry down. He summoned his Souls Weapon and aimed it at Brosis.
"What do you intend to do with that weapon?"
Brosis's mocking words had a point. Doris's sword would lose against Brosis's guisarme. Even with a higher level, he still wouldn't stand a chance due to the difference in experience.
"We'll see... I'm not who I used to be."
Doris's retort referred to his level. Thanks to the bandit fight and the village raid, his level had now drastically increased to level 85.
"Oh... boasting about your level, are you? But who cares? Level is just a number, it doesn't guarantee your experience and physical prowess will match mine."
Brosis began to wield his weapon in a ready stance.
Their fight would begin. One winner would emerge, and one fool would become a corpse to be laughed at.
Level 65 Count Brosis Fuhran VS Level 85 Chief Doris Ikhr was about to commence.
They exchanged sharp glares. The soldiers behind the count remained silent. They wouldn't interfere with the fight because it was part of the rules. Besides, they didn't seem worried. They believed that Doris was nothing in the eyes of their leader.
"Killing the grand marshal isn't a bad achievement for me... But unfortunately, you weren't the one who did it," the count mocked.
The death of the grand marshal had a significant impact on the State of Hamud. As a result, the Ingro Rebellion Faction became the scapegoat for their grand marshal's death.
"I don't care about titles. My home is safe, and that's the end of the story!"
"You're insane! You know, because of your three friends' actions, the city of Burk is now being bombarded by the enemy, directly led by Duke Asena!"
"Hah (sneers)!" but Doris didn't care about that.
"Bastard!" Brosis thrust his guisarme.
"Ha'!" Doris dodged to the side. He couldn't parry it because it was too long.
"Lord Ingro is offering 600 rohn for every head of anyone who ever had contact or good relations with those three."
"Doesn't that mean Lady Juno and the 'eyes' are also included?!"
Doris advanced, swinging his sword upward.
*Clang!
But Brosis blocked the swing effortlessly. He deflected the sword as if a monkey had caught something thrown at it.
"Unfortunately, they're exceptions. Besides, your friend really hurt those two."
The fierce fight made Doris forget who had betrayed whom.
*Thud!
Brosis pressed his guisarme forcefully. Automatically, the sword being blocked was flung to the ground. *Prang!
Now, Doris was unarmed.
Without wasting much time, Brosis spun his guisarme 360 degrees. The spin was intended to slash Doris horizontally.
Doris realized the incoming attack and quickly grabbed a knife from his waist, throwing it toward his opponent's chin.
*Clink!
The knife flew, but the count ducked because the spinning movement required him to duck to maximize its power.
"Damn it!" Doris sigh at his bad luck.
Brosis also didn't know the knife attack was coming. He considered what had just happened to be his luck.
*Slash!
*Thud!
The 360-degree slash hit Doris. His body was thrown right in front of Sherry. He lay there, looking at the face of the person he loved while feeling the pain in his chest (literally).
"Doris!" Sherry screamed.
The woman immediately knelt before her helpless husband. She held his body gently. Tears flowed profusely from her eyes.
"Sherry..." the man called softly.
"Please! Don't go!"
"(Smiling)... Use that spell! Now!"
There was no time for mourning. Doris shouted, ordering Sherry to immediately perform the counterattack spell.
"That spell?! W-what are you thinking?! That spell requires a price and the price isn't just any-!"
"Just do it! A person's life doesn't depend solely on their physical wounds, but their determination!"
Sherry nodded without further refusal. Her hands still trembling, she summoned her book.
"What are you trying to do? Are you going to heal your husband with your spell? Too bad... That's not possible. My weapon has been enchanted to also tear his soul."
Sherry ignored the count's taunts. She continued to channel her magic into the book. Tears flowed from her eyes, soaking her cheeks, but her expression was serious. She showed just how strong her resolve was.
"Wraith Resurrection!"
A bright light emanated from Doris's wound towards the stones inscribed with names near the tree.
"Arghhh!" Doris felt immense pain.
"What are you trying to do?!"
A high-level spell, luckily Sherry learned it thanks to the free levels from those three people.
The Wraith Resurrection spell required a price. The price was blood. A significant amount, not just a little. The more spirits summoned, the more blood was needed. Besides, the caster also required the corpse of the person. If there wasn't one, they needed an item related to the deceased. The pile of stones near the tree was one such item. The stones were taken from the village because almost everyone there had stepped on them.
The light grew brighter around the stone pile.
This is bad... Brosis knew what the spell was gonna do. He began to look at Sherry like she was a monster.
"Kill her! Don't let her complete the spell!"
The soldiers advanced. They didn't care if Sherry was a woman or not; orders were orders.
*Sling! *Slang! *Srot!
But one by one, the soldiers suddenly stopped and attacked their own comrades.
"Damn it! Too late!"
Brosis struck the ground, creating a small magic circle around him. Eight soldiers entered the magic circle. "Spell Immunity!"
"Now go! You won't be possessed!"
"Yes!" the immune soldiers advanced toward Sherry.
"Those of you still sane! Get closer!"
One by one, the unit began to be granted spell immunity.
However, that didn't mean the Wraith Resurrection spell could be overcome. Those who hadn't received spell immunity were successfully possessed by the summoned spirits.
'Too slow! I can only give spell immunity to 8 soldiers each time I cast, while that woman is possessing about 12 soldiers every second,' Brosis began to see defeat.
His troops started to dwindle as they killed each other. He had no choice but to retreat.
His hand clenched tightly, his teeth gritting in frustration. "Retreating isn't form of weakness! Goodbye! Everyone retreat!"
The remaining soldiers withdrew from the location, leaving those who were dead and possessed there.
"Tch!" Sherry clicked her tongue, frustrated that the enemy had fled just when she was ready to finish them off with such a powerful spell. As a result, the blood payment for the spell was somewhat wasted.
Sherry directed the possessed soldiers toward the cliff. The soldiers ran without questioning the madness of the command. They ran and fell into the open sea. The chances of survival were slim, especially with many predators and sharp rocks below. Even if they survived, there was no way out for them. The only way out of the cliff was to swim to the neighboring country or swim east where the desert lay (and it was very far; their stamina wouldn't last).
Sherry exhaled deeply. She released the spell after all the soldiers had leaped off the cliff.
In her lap lay Doris's head, now helpless. Severely injured, affected by the soul-tearing slash and the price for the spell, Sherry was unsure if her husband would survive.
Tears began flow on her cheeks.
***
Not long after, a giant perung landed near them.
What came down first from the creature was a cute and familiar face that was always with them.
"Big bro!" Floria ran to her brother. She was shocked to see her brother in such a condition.
On the other hand, Sherry looked at the two people behind Floria with a cursing gaze.