Alden was relieved that the rest of their journey had been smooth sailing, apart from one or two similar situations where he had to freeze in his tracks and not make any sound.
Was it just his imagination, or were more and more powerful Defiled cropping up?
Alden shook his head at the grim thought.
There was no use pondering over it.
Not when he was so weak and powerless to do anything.
Besides, his mental energy was better used for something else.
Something more… productive.
Like envisioning the joy he would feel after reuniting with Celeste.
A goofy grin almost graced Alden's face as he dreamed of embracing his first love.
'Ah, I can't wait!'
Then, his lips suddenly twitched.
'I'm not one of those lovestruck fools who will do anything to make their crush happy, right…?'
Alden coughed.
A second later, he squinted.
There, in the far distance, he could see a golden glow - both ethereal and mystical - shimmer dazzlingly in the air.
Alden's gaze sharpened.
Now that they were near the Sanctuary's Barrier, this would be the perfect opportunity to launch an attack.
At least to him.
Such a thing would usually happen when a person least expected it, right as they were about to step into safety.
Unfortunately for the three scouts, Alden was not a naive fool.
Instead, he was pretty paranoid.
… A trait that had helped him survive in this hellish world for so long.
Alden had no plans of stopping.
He would continue being distrustful.
After all, there was nothing free in this world.
The only thing that could perhaps cause a person to be selfless and not fret over any schemes was love.
And Alden was reasonably sure no one fancied him, apart from maybe Celeste - if his dream were to come true.
He only really interacted with Celeste and her family, keeping communication with others to a minimum. So his decision to be suspicious most of the time didn't harm him at all.
That said, Alden could also see it was not a healthy way to live.
'Meh, I'll deal with it later.'
The only reason he had saved Ignia from the leopard was due to feeling she was very special. That, and the fact she was so cute and innocent overrode any alarm bells in his mind.
Smiling to himself, Alden transmitted some thoughts and intents to his pet familiar through their bond.
He wanted Ignia to be as far away from the fighting as she could.
Not enough to be completely out of sight, but enough that the three scouts had to eliminate him before beginning to search for her.
Or, if worse came to worst and he could not fend off their attacks, she could flee for her life.
That said, Alden had low hopes of the latter happening.
He was sure his little phoenix would come rushing headlong into danger to save him if he was about to die.
Alden released a complicated sigh and finished his final cycle of circulating mana.
Tension seemed to engulf the forest.
Alden paused.
So too did the three scouts.
He sensed them share a silent glance before they suddenly attacked.
He sighed.
'So it begins...'
***
Swifty's blade flashed in a deadly arc towards the young man's neck.
On the other side, Charmy's dagger rushed for his heart.
Swifty grinned viciously.
There was no way someone could escape an attack like that from two fronts.
Victory was his!
Now, he only had to ensure that Charmy didn't get to the little phoenix first.
However, before the flame wielder could stab his colleague in the back, his eyes widened as he sensed his sword meet strong resistance.
Swifty's gaze snapped towards the young man.
His opponent clutched the edge of his sword in an iron grip.
The attack that he was so sure would hit… had failed?
The scout's shock did not end there.
A tenebrous energy rose from the young man's hand and engulfed his sword.
Swifty immediately sensed a portion of the metal crumble.
His pupils dilated, and a shiver crawled down his spine.
This…
This was the power of decay!
Cursing, Swifty hurriedly disengaged.
He instantly let go of his sword, retreating rapidly.
He gritted his teeth, watching as the strange young man dodged Charmy's blow and sent a retaliatory strike of his own.
Swifty was at Scar's side in an instant.
"Switch to Plan B. This kid has the power to decay, so keep your distance."
The leader of the scouts nodded.
He gripped his blade tightly, rushing over to the battle with a solemn expression.
Meanwhile, Swifty internally cursed.
Plan A involved getting rid of the young man in the first exchange. Then, he would quickly remove Charmy from the equation before the winsome man could react.
After that, he and Scar would split the profit from selling the phoenix.
Unfortunately, their opponent's ability to decay threw a wrench in that plan.
Swifty ground his teeth together.
Hopefully, Plan B turned out better.
Their failsafe included Scar and Charmy fighting the young man together with him providing backup with his flames. Once the owner of the little phoenix was defeated, Swifty and Scar would turn on their attractive colleague and share the profits.
Swifty's blood boiled.
How dare that young man resist!
Thinking of all the gold and mana crystals he could have, his ire only strengthened.
Using that rage to fuel his flames, the scout tugged at his core and moved an outstretched palm toward the intense clash. Even under the combined assault of their leader and the attractive blonde, the young man persisted.
Swifty snarled at the sight.
From his right palm, a fiery orb slowly grew in size.
It continued growing larger until it resembled a miniature sun.
Closing his eyes, Swifty muttered a silent chant.
Then, in a flash, the fireball hurtled menacingly toward the stranger.
A vicious grin appeared on the scout's face.
He had timed his attack to impact right after Charmy and Scar had created an opening with their consecutive strikes.
An explosion filled the forest.
Once the smoke cleared, Swifty's jaw turned slack.
Charmy and Scar also froze in disbelief.
The young man with dirty-white hair stood there utterly unfazed like he had not just tanked an immolating fireball. There were no burns or any other sign of scalding to signify that the attack had at least done some damage.
Swifty cursed.
What a monster.
Alas, it was too late to regret.
The only thing he could do now was double down and make sure his opponent did not live to tell the tale of their avarice. However, before he could launch another fireball, he saw the young man use the moment where they were all stunned to retaliate.
Swifty belatedly realised the closest person to him was Charmy.
Before the winsome scout could react, he was suddenly lying on the floor with the young man's hand on his face.
Then, a tenebrous energy manifested into existence.
And in one decisive movement… Charmy was no more.
"Next."
Swifty trembled, hearing the ice-cold tone of his foe.
Staring into the young man's cold, crimson eyes, which were full of boundless frostiness, the scout instinctively took a step back.
Dread contorted his features.
At that moment, Swifty realised the young man was not a monster.
No, he was something worse.
Much, much worse.
He was…
A demon.