As the day of the mission dawned, Velvet woke up Vern. He put on his equipment and knocked at the others' rooms. Then he headed downstairs, waiting for them to arrive. They appeared shortly after, and all of them seemed to have rested well, even though their faces looked grim. Together, they left the inn and walked towards the meeting area. At this point, they didn't try to conceal their position anymore as it would be obvious what they were up to soon.

When they arrived at the outskirts of the city, Bertio waved to them, standing in between four other men.

»Bertio?«, Alvyn said. »I thought you weren't coming with us.«

»Yes, I won't. But I am still your instructor, so I'll see you off.«

»Are you all ready?«, the knight captain asked, being one of their escorts. The four newcomers nodded.

»Very good. Then we'll go over our strategy one last time.«

All the attendees formed a circle and squatted down as the knight captain started to draw with a twig on the ground. »We'll head to the southeastern border village on horseback, leaving those behind before we enter the forest. This location has the lowest vegetation density, and the paths there lead into the center. If we don't encounter the Eldritch on our way, we will just destroy the core and the finish mission like this. If it wants to prevent this, we'll kill it instead and can call it quits. So it has to be one or the other.«

He looked up to confirm that everyone had paid attention, and the listeners nodded in response.

»The distance to the center from our entry location is estimated to be about 40 kilometers. So each of us will be equipped with three mana rings to provide us with enough resources necessary for traveling and fighting. Each of my men, including me, will have an eye on one of you and try to support you as best as we can. Although we understand that our ability to do damage is limited, our skill and experience exceed yours, so we hope you listen to our advice.«

»Of course«, Vern replied. »But since we have the combat power, we're the ones making the decision related to enemy encounters.«

»Well, alright«, the knight captain replied. »But please talk to us and don't just do things on your own.«

»We will«, Kieran assured him, and they disassembled to ready the horses. Bertio came to each of them, giving them some encouraging words and handing over the mana rings. Vern promised him to take revenge as they mounted the horses. They traveled in a column with two in a row toward their first stop. The knight captain was beside Vern, and he, therefore, assumed he would serve as his escort out of the four knights.

At the halfway point, a prickling feeling went through Vern's body for a split second.

»We're now in the bailiwick«, the knight captain announced simultaneously. »Monster attacks could happen anytime now, so stay vigilant.«

Velvet took that as his sign and moved out of Vern's body to scout the surroundings. But besides the birds hovering in the sky, there were no monsters in the vicinity.

The village came into view without any incidences, but as they arrived, Velvet reported some activity within it.

»We should be careful«, Vern said as they dropped their pace. »There could be an ambush in there.«

»That's alright«, the knight captain replied as he got off his horse. »We won't go in there anyway. We'll just use this stable at the edge to keep our horses safe … or at least pretend that they will survive while we're gone.« He laughed outright and led the way. The building he headed towards wasn't occupied by any monsters, so Vern didn't stop him. Velvet would inform him if the monster came closer anyway.

They took care of the horses and had a quick break to eat and drink one last time since they wouldn't take any supplies with them. Traveling as lightly as possible was imperative.

»Those poor horses«, Irina said, looking at them as she stood next to Vern, Kieran, and Alvyn. »They'll all die, won't they?«

»Yes«, Vern replied. »About twenty monsters are hiding in various houses. So I'm sure we have to get back to the city on foot.«

Alvyn shrugged and looked up. »It is what it is. Nothing we can do about it. Even if we clear them out, more will just show up when we're gone.«

The others followed his gaze to the birds circling high above them. Irina aimed her bow up and shot. But the arrow's trajectory was easy to predict at these distances, and every bird easily avoided it.

»What a nuisance«, Kieran said. »They're really hard to deal with like this.«

Vern just nodded as he looked at Irina. The shoot she had just taken reminded him so much of the way Irina handled her bow in his first life. He noticed the gloves she wore and wondered if she actually had the ring he had given her with her. Though he could've asked, he was sure she did.

»That's enough time we've spent here«, the knight captain said as he approached their group. »Let's get this over with. You have enough time for idle chitchat afterward.«

Subsequently, everyone met up at the beginning of the forest that lay a few meters away from the village.

»I'll be in the front«, Vern declared. »Then we'll have Alvyn behind me, followed by Irina and Kieran. Any objections?«

Kieran, Irina, and Alvyn took their assigned positions right away, and the knights positioned themselves accordingly. After they had finished, everyone looked at Vern to take the first step forward.

But he wasn't quite happy with how their formation was looking.

»No, no, we have to change this«, he said, looking at the knight captain beside him. »I want you to go on Irina's other side. I don't like having a flank that isn't protected by a melee unit.«

The knight captain knit his brows. »I think it's good enough how it is. Each of you has one of us next to them. I don't see a problem.«

He came closer to Vern. »Also, I am here to judge your fighting ability«, he said quietly so the others couldn't hear him. »Your father specifically told me to stay at your side at all times.«

»No«, Vern replied loudly, not caring for his secrecy. »This is a combat-related decision, so it's at our discretion. I won't enter unless you do as I say.«

In response, the knight captain just stared at Vern. But he didn't back down, staring back and waiting for him to move.

Eventually, he slightly nodded his head and got into the position Vern had told him. In his stead, Velvet took up the empty space beside him.

Vern turned around, satisfied with their formation. He looked ahead, past the yellow markings on the trees where the bailiwick once had begun. The forest was quite sparse in this area in comparison to where they had entered last time. But still, Vern's gaze couldn't penetrate too deeply into the vegetation on either side of the path.

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›Are you ready?‹, Vern asked Velvet.

›Yes, I am.‹

›Then stay by my side and tell me if anything is approaching us.‹

›Understood.‹

Vern took his first step, channeling mana into his feed, and soon, he dashed across the path. The others followed behind him, always within eyeshot but far enough away so they could react if Vern suddenly stopped. They made good progress as they still hadn't encountered any monsters. Vern had used up his hidden mana ring around the halfway mark and switched to one of the borrowed ones. At the same time, Velvet alerted him. ›They're grouping up on either side of us now!‹

»They're close!«, Vern shouted, relaying the information to the others behind him. »They can attack us at any time from our flanks!«

But they didn't strike yet and just followed along in the distance. Shortly after, they reached a clearing, where a group of monsters had already blocked their way forward, and Vern drew his sword. Taking this as their clue to engage, the ones stalking them from the distance rushed into their flanks.

›Tell me when you have spotted the Eldritch!‹, Vern shouted in his head as he ran straight at the monsters as if they weren't there.

His sword connected with its first prey cutting through its flesh like butter. Vern wondered why the Eldritch had chosen to confront them in this area with this rather weak selection of monsters. Maybe it had used up all the strong ones? Or it had something entirely different up its sleeve?

His questions were soon answered as Velvet warned him that the sky was getting busier, and he quickly retreated closer to the others, who had formed a wide circle to fend off the attackers.

The swarm of birds that continued to form cast a massive shadow across the ground, and as one, they descended rapidly. Irina couldn't deal with these amounts that easily numbered in the thousands. Though they weren't strong, they kept harassing everyone by picking at their faces and any unprotected spots while the group had to keep fighting the more dangerous monsters on the ground.

As Vern cut down one out of the air, two more immediately appeared, filling his vision with a sea of feathers while the screeching slowly drove him insane. But he didn't know how to deal with this besides killing every single one individually. Kieran's ice carpet couldn't hit them, and getting that coordinated now was impossible in the first place. While Vern and the others struggled not to drown in enemies, Velvet jumped across the battlefield, keeping an overview and cheering for Vern to slaughter them all. He guided him to anyone who needed help, and they were somewhat able to deal with it for now, only sustaining minor scratches.

›Move to the right!‹, Velvet suddenly shouted, and Vern turned immediately, leaving his back exposed to some bird's claws. ›It's coming toward us.‹

Vern had already known from Velvet's voice. He had expected it to show up eventually while there were still somewhat disjointed. Therefore, he had intentionally stayed close to Irina as he suspected from their previous engagement that it wanted to finish her off first. While dashing towards her with maximum speed, he pushed through the birds' bodies, protecting his eyes with his arm. He passed by the knight captain, who seemed to be able to handle his situation well enough, and their eyes met just for a moment before birds blocked his vision again.

›100 meters, 90, 80.‹ Velvet quickly counted down its approach, and Vern tried to be faster, but the birds being in the way slowed him down more than expected.

›From you left!‹, Velvet shouted, and the birds opened a path for one of those wolves he had gained some experience with to dash at him.

Vern groaned as couldn't just ignore this one. He turned and moved his sword between his body and the attacker just in time, and the wolf impaled his head on it, pushing Vern along and far off course.

›40, 30, 20.‹

Vern pulled his sword out and tried to get back on track, but before he could arrive, a human scream pierced through the chatter of the birds. The blood curdled in his veins, but he could tell it hadn't come from Irina.

A small opening between the birds appeared, and Vern saw the Eldritch as it had its claws sticking through the body of Irina's knight escort. Irina stood a few meters away and aimed at it, but the two wolves that rushed toward her didn't allow her to take the shot. She turned her bow towards one of them, and its body was squashed in an instant, but the other one was already close. Vern desperately tried to get there in time, but he knew he wouldn't reach her in time. As the birds blocked his vision, he made out a silhouette, moving along Vern's initial pathing.

Vern pushed through the birds, and finally, he arrived next to her. The knight captain had pushed the wolf away, and Vern thankfully nodded at him as he avoided the wolf's claws. The Eldritch's eyes met with Vern's, and it hurled the body it still held at him. He swiftly avoided it, and Irina finished off the other wolf in the meantime. The bird's numbers had dramatically decreased, and her arrow ripped another huge chunk of them out of the sky.

Consequently, the Eldritch turned around and ran into cover before Irina could aim at it. But Vern didn't plan on letting it get away.

»You stay with her!«, he ordered the knight captain while he took up the chase, not waiting for a response.

›It's turning left, back into the forest!‹, Velvet told him. ›Be careful. It might be another ambush!‹

›It will, for sure!‹

Vern followed his directions and left the cloud of birds fizzling out behind him. He avoided the monster that intercepted his path, trying not to fall behind.

He needed to catch up, and he needed to finish this fast. As it stood, another one of these attacks might inflict more casualties.

His feet pounded the forest floor as he circled the trees and jumped across the bushes. The Eldritch came into view a few times before it vanished behind the treeline again. At this pace, it would him take forever to catch up, and maybe, that's what the Eldritch wanted – drain his mana or force him to stop. It definitely felt like it kept him at this distance on purpose to keep tempting him. But Vern didn't plan on playing this game any longer.

He sheathed his sword to run faster and simultaneously took out one of the shurikens he had bought the day before. It was made with the most durable steel he could find while still remaining similar in shape to what he had gotten used to.

He could only spend a minute more on this chase, or else he would be too far apart from the others. So one shot was all he had.

They continued to run but came across an area with sparser vegetation, giving him a clear view of the Eldritch. He gripped the shuriken tightly and converted all the kinetic energy of his moving body into his throw.

Shortly after the metal left his hand, a sonic boom traveled back at Vern, and his ears started ringing. At the same time, the Eldritch tumbled and fell forward as its leg had been hit. It didn't do much damage, but it had created an opportunity.

Vern immediately closed the distance. The Eldritch stood up, but before it could make another step, Vern lept behind it and cut off its injured leg. It cried out, more in rage than pain, and the red blood shooting out of the wound was quickly stopped by an invisible barrier that sealed the wound.

The Eldritch crawled backward. Its red eyes fixated on Vern.

»What do you know about the northern mountains?«, Vern asked, pointing the blade at its throat. »What have you done there?«

It didn't reply and kept moving until its back hit a tree.

»Answer my questions, or I'll kill you!«

»You'll kill me regardless«, it answered as it tried to push itself off the ground with its back supported by the tree. It lifted its hands up to push away the blade, but Vern just cut off some of its claw-like fingers.

»If you want a chance of living, you better start telling me everything you know.«

›A large group of monsters has appeared in my field of view, so you better make this quick‹, Velvet informed him.

Simultaneously, a smile formed on its face as it sealed the newly inflicted wounds with mana.

»You think the monster will help you escape?«, Vern asked. »You are long dead before they arrive if you don't open that ugly mouth of yours!«

He really wanted information, anything that would help him deal with this issue since he doubted he would get an opportunity like this again.

»Well, I see you have improved and got some new weaponry.« Its smile brightened, showing its pointy teeth. »But you know … or most likely don't know … this sword is somewhat … special. Sadly, you haven't been treating it with the respect it deserves.« The Eldritch raised its unharmed hand carefully and stroked the blades with its fingers. Vern allowed it this time as he wanted it to continue talking.

But another voice interrupted them. »What are you doing? Kill it already!« Vern briefly glanced over his shoulder, seeing the knight captain who came closer, followed by Irina.

»Stay back!«, he shouted. »More monsters are coming, and I only need some more information!«

The Eldritch laughed maniacally. »Looks like playtime is over for the both of us … I can't risk dying differently.«

Vern heard more people appearing through the thicket behind but didn't turn around again. He was running out of time and shoved the blade closer. These cryptic words were just wasting his time.

»Talk now or die!«

»Death … I wonder what it feels like … «

The rumbling of the approaching monsters came closer.

»At least … it will be my old friend's hand … Soul Devourer«

It looked directly into Vern's eyes as it gripped the sword blade. »Enjoy!«

Before Vern could react, it had slightly redirected the sword's tip to its heart and pushed itself forward. It impaled itself to the point where its head was close to Vern's, and he could see it being delighted at his shock.

A current of energy rushed through Vern's arm to his heart, making it feel like he was hit by lightning. The Eldritch's smile fainted as its eyes dimmed, and Vern felt something within that absorbed everything – not only the energy but his entire existence.