The moment that single word left my mouth, the Abomination's face contorted in furious anger.

‘Why the hell would you purposely provoke the demon!’

Divinus remained silent as the Abomination dashed toward me, creating a sonic boom and leaving a crater in the ground.

My heart sank. Divinus and the Abomination were tangled in a fierce clash, my body performing the sword forms Zeris had taught me with effortless ease. Each attack the Abomination threw was either parried or easily dodged.

My body and the odachi were one and the same, performing an elusive dance that obliterated the Abomination's defenses. However, the longer this clash went on, the more my mana was draining, and it was draining at an alarming rate. It seemed that Divinus needed my mana to maintain the link between us and force me to comply with his will.

The Abomination was holding its own, though. Marred in cuts and lacerations, the demon managed to slip past the most devastating blows.

[Faster! We need to go faster!]

Even though I was riddled with fear, I had to steel myself. If I wanted to live through this, I needed to find a way to help Divinus.

Divinus and the crimson-eyed demon circled each other like wolves, their blades slashing through the air like lightning, each strike a bolt of raw power.

My mind raced. Divinus was in control of my body, and not without good reason—he was the only reason Zeris and I were still alive. Retaking control of my body was out of the question; however, enhancing it or the blade was not.

My mana was the only thing left to my control, but enhancing my body would only do so much. The demon already surpassed me in strength, so wasting mana on my body would be futile.

‘Dammit, think!’

Divinus parried a flurry of slashes downward, causing the demon's azure blades to stab into the ground and leaving it open. Divinus raised himself above my head, delivering a devastatingly powerful downward slash.

The momentary opening lasted only a second.

Just as the odachi was about to slice through the demon's middle, the Abomination managed to free its blades, crossing them together to stop the odachi in its tracks.

My heart thumped.

‘That's it!’

The Abomination thrust its blades with incredible strength, throwing me into the air. I flipped and landed gracefully on the ground.

My breathing was hoarse, and my reserves were low. I only had one shot at this; if Divinus and I messed up, we were as good as dead.

[What's this bright idea of yours?]

If I was honest with myself, I had no idea if this would work, but it was the only thing I could come up with.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, dulling the pain of my aching muscles and bones. The fear of death drove my resolve; I had to try.

‘Just make an opening and put all your strength into one final blow.’

Divinus did not respond. Instead, he brandished the pristine white odachi, taking a deep breath and letting the cold air sting the back of my throat. The gentle breeze blew the leaves of the trees, and the soles of my feet dug into the soil.

Divinus held steady, lowering my body's center of gravity and raising the blade in an offensive position.

The Abomination responded in kind. It lowered itself, pulling both its arms back, ready to blitz. The standoff must have looked terrifying from the outside.

One side's champion was a tall demon with large muscles rippling through its black skin, two crimson pools for eyes, and demonic azure blades for hands, lowered in an open and feral stance.

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Opposite it stood a pale deity with a lean figure, midnight-black hair blowing in the gentle breeze, and two pearl-like eyes brimming with boundless power. In a low, poised stance, he held a divine odachi, white as snow, untouched by blood, ready to strike with precision and lethal intent.

The world around us seemed to grow still.

My heart thumped. The Abomination and I shot forward, leaving craters in our wake. Steel clashed with steel as Divinus slashed and pierced, pivoting on the balls of my feet and slipping through the demon's attacks. He masterfully wove a string of movements, forcing the Abomination into the exact position Divinus needed.

The demon sent an angled slash across my body, which was parried. It spun around, slashing out with its free blade. I ducked, and the slash went right over my head. I spun around, facing the Abomination's back.

Time slowed. My weight shifted to my back foot. Divinus pulled the odachi back, using every ounce of strength left in my muscles for a final pierce to the heart.

I cleared my mind and reached for the ambient mana surrounding the blade. The wind around it began to change.

I forced the wind to create a tunnel for the blade, allowing it to cut through with no wind resistance slowing it down. At the same time, I compacted more wind at the end of the hilt to propel it forward even faster.

The changes my mana made to the air were subtle, but that's all Divinus needed.

In a blink, the odachi drove right through the chest of the Abomination. It had no time to respond. The demon’s body tensed for a moment, then grew limp and slid off the blade.

The odachi glowed a faint white before dissipating into white sparks. My chest ached with unfathomable pain, and my mana center was completely drained.

I stood for a moment, victorious. Divinus and I had killed the dreadful Abomination, and I got to live another day.

The world grew blurry, and I collapsed.

***

“Ez…Ezr…Ezra!”

I sprang awake, my chest churning. It was hard to breathe, to think; my head was pounding.

“Argh…”

The groan came out hoarse. Zeris fell to the ground, a sense of relief on his face.

“Thank the gods, I thought you were dead.”

His raspy voice seemed even more so. His fight with the Abomination must have taken a lot out of him.

“...Me too.”

Zeris looked a lot worse than I did. He was covered in shallow cuts and dried blood. His clothes were ripped, and his armor looked worse for wear.

Zeris stared at the fallen Abomination, then shifted his gaze to meet mine.

“How did you kill that thing?”

I stared at the demon's corpse with distant eyes.

“That—that sword that bonded with me. It took control of my body, which allowed me to perform the sword style you taught me perfectly.”

Zeris looked at me for a while, processing what I told him. His voice sounded hesitant.

“I see.”

He threw one more glance at the demon, then shook his head.

“Can you stand?”

He stood up and held his hand out, wrapping my arm around his neck. We slowly made our way out of the clearing that rested in the skull of the Great Dragon.

We traveled in mostly silence, only the sound of the breeze and trees filling the void.

After a while, I was able to walk on my own. We continued for a mile or two before finally stopping and setting up camp. Thankfully, before searching the cathedral, I had left my backpack at the entrance, so it was untouched throughout the battle.

While I set up the tent, Zeris went to collect firewood. It didn’t take long to set the tent up, so I was left to my thoughts in the darkness of the Abominable Forest.

The terrifying fight replayed over and over again in my mind. A shiver ran down my spine. Thinking about it made my chest churn and my muscles ache even more.

[You did good, Ezra. Whatever that spell was, it really saved us. You should be proud.]

I stared somberly into the forest.

Proud? The melodic voice said I should be proud, and I probably should have been. Yet I didn’t feel that way. Instead, I felt scared—scared because I finally understood that this was going to be my life. I was going to have to fight with death for as long as I remained in this world.

Bel was not to be completely trusted. Who knew if Zeris even was? The only person I could trust was myself. If I wanted to live, I needed to grow stronger. I had to become strong enough to find a way home.

[You can trust me, Ezra.]

I lingered for a moment.

“You are a sword that talks. Common sense tells me that I should not trust you.”

Divinus chuckled slightly.

[I'm more than a sword, you know.]

I lay on the firm dirt, staring at the stars through the Great Dragon's ribs.

“Oh yeah? Do tell me more.”

Divinus was silent for a moment, then spoke wistfully.

[I was once Divinus the Sun Dragon. I used to fly high in the sky. The wind would flow gracefully over my mighty wings. I even protected the humans that lived near my domain. However, they always feared me. They thought I would be the same as my two brothers, but I wasn't. I just wanted to live in peace. My memory is still hazy. The only other thing I remember is the people in my domain bowing down to these seven individuals.]

I remained silent, my eyes wide. The Sun Dragon? Zeris said there were three Great Dragons, and they were killed by one of the gods. Could—could Zeris be the Great Dragon whose bones cover the entire Abominable Forest?

I mean, he has to be. He said the last thing he remembers was people bowing down to seven individuals. That had to be the seven Gods.

“Divinus, are—are you the spirit of the Great Dragon I'm under right now?”

Divinus laughed, seeming to feel better about getting what he said off his chest… Blade?

[I told you I was more than a sword.]