Alnea had already done his best, trying not to underestimate his enemy. And yet, he still found himself being flung around like a bag. The blinding light aside, how was the Heterodox Wanderer moving so fast? Catching Golden Yearning in mid air was not too hard, but appearing beside him before he could even blink was already starting to faintly surpass the realm of False Wanderers. No, more importantly, how had the man survived being skewered by thirty six skewers of Night?
“A hundred Blood Tears,” the Heterodox Wanderer said, smiling eerily at Yuri. “It takes a hundred Blood Tears to exchange for one bottle of the Nectar of Blood. What are you going to do about my losses, little girl?”
“…I will finish what I have started,” Yuri said, and swung her hand at the lunatic. While she swung her hand though, her Aspects surged out of her body, and gathered around her hand to form a sword, so that by the time her hand reached the Heterodox Wanderer, it was not her hand that hit the man, but her sword.
“I have a better idea,” the Heterodox Wanderer said, grabbing her sword with his bare hands. “You seem like someone from a reputable Orthodoxy, and look quite beautiful… How about I sell you to recoup my losses?”
The scum’s question was answered by Cecilia, and Alnea in unison, as they stabbed towards his chest from two different directions, one with her claws, and other with his sword. However, before their attacks could pierce through his body, a blood red light flashed on his body once again, blocking both their attacks, and sending them flying back.
“It is bad manners to interrupt others when they are talking,” the Heterodox Wanderer said, turning towards Alnea with a smile. One so eerie, that it sent shivers down his spine. Especially with all the blood on his body…
Using her sword as a leverage, Yuri jumped, and twisted her body, kicking his face. And when that was not enough to make the Heterodox Wanderer budge, she twisted her body, and sent a double kick right at his chest, just as she dispersed her sword, using the recoil to distance herself from the scum. However, rather than showing disappointment, the Heterodox Wanderer just smiled at her with disdain.
“The feistier you are, the more I am going to enjoy myself… I might even have a taste, before selling you off. After all, it has been quite a long while since I have had a little girl like you…”
Alnea rushed back towards the scum, intending to poke out his eyes with which he dared to look at Yuri. He even managed to dodge the man’s backhanded attack, and stab his sword towards the man’s left armpit. And yet, just before he could succeed, the blood red light flashed once again, flinging him nearly ten metres away.
“I told you I will take care of you later,” the Heterodox Wanderer said, sneering at Alnea, before turning back towards a pale faced Yuri. “Right, where were we? I think I was about enjoy—
Cecilia jumped towards the back of the Heterodox Wanderer’s head, gathering what little Aspects she could, to smash the life of the man. She was too tired though, and it was showing in her movements, slow, and full of flaws. She could not even converge her killing intent, prompting the Heterodox Wanderer to turn around, and grab her by the neck, before slamming her on the ground.
“Just stay here quietly,” the Heterodox Wanderer said, stabbing Golden Yearning into her things, tearing through the defences of her robe, and pinning her to the ground. “I still have some plans for you, and the stupid cat.”
Cecilia grunted, but she did not cry. Her eyes were red, just like the blood flowing from her thighs, but she did not cry. Because Warriors do not cry. Picking up his sword, Alnea rushed towards the Heterodox Wanderer, just as Yuri rushed towards the man. This time, however, she did not condense a sword. She just gathered her Aspects around her arms, and legs. Had she also exhausted her Spirit Power?
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What did it matter though? She was able to entangle the man in close quarters, keeping his attention to herself, and that was enough. Gathering all of his Aspects at the tip of his sword, Alnea stabbed the Heterodox Wanderer as if he was ‘Piercing the Stars’. But… The damned Oronir stained blood red glow… Alnea found himself flying back once again. And this time, he had truly exhausted himself. Just like Cecilia. His vision was going blurry, and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.
In the distance, he could barely see Yuri’s vague figure fighting head on with the Heterodox Wanderer. She was skilled even without her sword. At the very least, he had never moved the way she was moving. Even when fighting against an enemy much stronger than herself, she moved ever so elegantly, constantly dodging, and blocking his moves. She even came close to landing a blow every now, and then.
Yet, every time that she was about to hit the man, a blood red glow would push her away, negating her attacks, and pushing her into disadvantage. Not enough to make her fall, but enough for the man to wound her. On their own, those wounds were nothing for her. But when taken together, along with the state she was in—tired, and exhausted— they were enough to tip the favour towards the Heterodox Wanderer. Slowly, move by move, Yuri was beginning to lose.
Cecilia, on the other hand, was in an even worse state. She was exhausted beyond her limits, even more so than him. And yet, she still dared to fight against a Peak Stage False Wanderer… Gritting her teeth, she tried to pull out the dagger pinning her to the ground, but a red glow around its hilt was preventing her from doing so. Let alone her, even Alnea was not able to move his dagger. Its Glyph Arrays… its connection with his Spirit… it had stopped responding the moment that the Heterodox Wanderer had taken the dagger in his hand.
In the end, all that Alnea could do was watch helplessly, as his Heart was ripped into pieces. Cecilia, and Yuri… They were his only friends… No, they were more than just friends. They were his Heart. His world. The ones he had taken his Oath for… The ones he loved. How could he watch them be so humiliated? How could let them get hurt? How could he just sit by, and let the Heterodox Wanderer have his way?
He was Alnea Oathkeeper. The man who always kept his Oaths. It did not matter if her was exhausted. It did not matter if he was not strong enough. As long as he had his Oaths, it was enough.
“May Goddess Faein bear witness. I, Alnea Oathkeeper, promise that I will always be a true friend to Cecilia Serpia.”
The chains binding his Spirit trembled, and quaked, responding to the call of his Heart. However, just one Oath was not enough.
“I, Alnea Oathkeeper, am taking an Oath, that I will always be a true friend to Yuri Faed. No matter what kind of difficulty, or crisis she would face, even if it would be against the Gods themselves, as long as she would need my help, and even if she would not need my help, I will always help her, no matter the circumstances.”
Not enough.
“I, Alnea Oathkeeper, take an Oath that I will bear all the burdens that Yuri Faed has to bear. It does not matter whether it is creating a team, or anything else, as long as it is a burden that she is bearing, I will bear it with her. As long as it is something bothering her, I will help her get rid of it. That is my Oath.”
The resonance was still not enough.
“I, Alnea Oathkeeper, take an Oath that I will always treat Cecilia Serpia as my teammate. That I will give her the respect she deserves. And that if she does something childish, and selfish, I will remind her, and tell her about it to her face, rather than treating her as a child, thinking of ways to calm her down behind her back. That is my Oath.”
…The resonance was finally enough to cross the barriers of the worlds. To reach the sword stabbing into the Heart of Rules. And to call for its projection. To call forth the sword resting in his Heart. To call forth the ‘Sword of Oath’. And so, he picked up the sword lying beside him, wrapping it with the same chains that were binding his Spirit, imbuing it with the powers of his Oaths. Years had gone by since he had felt such exhilaration. Such tension. However, he had nothing to fear. For he was Alnea Oathkeeper.