“Two of you?” Elliot blurted in disbelief. While he had more than ten levels of advantage against Erin, she was still a Divine Apostle much like him. And now, there were two of them. He rummaged through his memories to recall the things he had heard about Erin. A swordmaster and a talented mage. Capable of conjuring spells in a quick manner. Possessed a tempered mind which rendered taunts and insults ineffectual. He had the level advantage but it felt as if that’s all the advantage he had. What was more concerning was the fact that he knew nothing about the other Apostle.

“Lost your nerves already?” Erin mocked. She even snorted for added effect. “Can’t say I expect much from an Apostle of a god named Zack.”

The priest bit his lips but he did not let the insult dictate his move. Though a person of the cloth, he had his fair shares of battles. Disconcerting an opponent was one of the staple tricks in reigning victory. He could tell Erin was a seasoned fighter and warrior. The moment he lost his composure would be the moment he lost this fight. “You’ll have to do better than that, m’lady,” he muttered in his heart.

“Z-Zack?” Siv drew out the name she just heard in a stammer. “Is he—”

“Yes,” Erin answered her question before it completely left her lips. “The one responsible for the monster horde that attacked Quinteburgh shared the same god as this priest here.”

Hearing the answer, Siv clenched her swords with an iron grip. “Mistress… if you would allow me…”

“No,” Erin said.

“W-what?” Siv blinked. “Why? But you promise me.”

“You are no match for him, Siv. He’s level sixty-three.”

Siv gasped. She knew the priest was strong but after a certain amount of level gap, it was impossible to tell just how wide the gap is unless one possesses Appraisal. Knowing her limits, she backed down with any more refutes. She could only grit her teeth and hoped Erin would exact her vengeance for her.

“But don’t you worry.” Erin flexed her wrists and cocked her neck. “I will let you have the final strike.”

“I will be grateful for that,” Siv said, glaring burning daggers at the priest.

It went without saying Lyra had no part to play in this performance either. She cursed herself deeply for being useless but at the same time, she knew it was futile to be rueful as this whole circumstance was a deviation from the norm.

“That's very presumptuous of you, Lady Fae. The eggs are in the basket but they have yet to hatch,” Elliot remarked. Chains began manifesting all over his body but none was entangled. “This may be a tough fight for me but I don’t believe it will be my loss.”

Aera lunged before any retort was thrown. Her fist came like the first strike of thunder during a storm. The chains dangling around the priest’s body moved, wrapping themselves around Aera’s arm before flinging her to the side. Before the chains could tighten and crush her arm, Aera tore the chains off of her. The chains mended themselves and slithered back to their master.

The next to pounce was Olivia who had circled around Eliot. She struck from his flank, her wings beating the air with an intensity as if to pulverize all that was in its way. Elliot flicked his hand like a conductor gesture for the start of a tune. Chains erupted from below and darted towards Olivia. She retracted her wings and spun out of the chains’ path but the chains veered sharply and shadowed her manoeuvre. She manifested her tails and swiped the chains away but more chains emerged from the ground and fastened themselves around her tail. As she struggled to break free of the chains around her tail, more chains enveloped her from each of her flanks.

“You are not my mark,” Elliot told her. The chains began to glow and runes appeared in rows around the prison formed of chains. “Stay out of my way,” he muttered and turned his full attention to Erin and Aera.

“Damn you!” Olivia screamed as she slammed and rammed into the chain prison but to no avail. It was looping the force applied to the prison into enhancing the durability and toughness of the prison. The chain prison shook and wobbled but it showed no sign of breaking despite the abuse it was taking.

“Aera, don’t let yourself get caught—!” Before Erin could finish, Aera had moved again. Rage drove her. Fury was her decision. She threw herself at Elliot with her fists wounded up.

The priest gave her a dull look before willing a chain to smack her to the side. “Stand down,” he uttered. “If I wished for it, you would already be dead.”

Aera roared with her fangs bared and sprang. Chains were waiting at where her fist would land. She twisted her body and brought her foot around. The chains moved and stopped her foot from touching even a strand of the priest’s hair. She spun again and threw a wide hook. A chain shot out and slammed into her. Aera went tumbling across the ground but she flipped to her feet immediately.

“Scum,” she growled. “Every last fucking one of you…” Her voice trembled with a deeply rooted fury.

Elliot stared sternly at Aera. “I have no quarrel with you, woman.”

Aera merely shouted in response as she threw her fists but she was far from landing her punches. Instead, her fiery aura flew off her fist like a batch of bullets being shot out of a barrel. The chains rushed towards the aura bullets, desperately defending their master from harm. Not a single aura bullet found its mark.

“I’m disappointed in you, Lady Erynthea,” the priest said as he glanced at Erin, turning away from Aera. “I didn’t take you for the type to let your friends take the brunt while you stand around and just watch.”

“Disappointing you is melodious to my ears,” Erin retorted and took a step forward. “Quite a hypocrite, aren’t you?”

“Me? A hypocrite?”

“If you truly wanted to kill me, you would already have. However, you chose to stand there and mess around with my companions. Just come at me if I’m your mark.”

“You think I’m an idiot?” Elliot scoffed. “You want me to rush to my death?”

Erin grinned. “Now we are on the same page,” she said and wielded her spell sword with a level form. Her spell sword gradually morphed from the shape of a sabre into a shape that resembled a greatsword. However, it did not have the weight of a greatsword, only the reach and size. A tinge of nostalgia struck her as she fiddled with the hilt. “Welcome back,” she muttered to herself.

Chains with barbed tips streak towards Erin like snakes slithering towards their prey. Erin rushed in and swung her sword at the chains. The chains veered away from her slash and flanked her. She spun and brought her sword around a near-complete arc. The ground beneath her feet exploded and chains flew through the smoke, aiming their barb tips at her head. She parried most of the chains and dodged the last three. However, a single chain managed to graze her shoulder. She allowed herself a wince and continued with her assault.

Aera attacked at the same time after she recovered her bearings. The madness was still inside her eyes and her aura burned ever fiercely. Elliot splayed out his arms, sending the chains swooping towards the two. Erin bent her body in ways her former body couldn’t and twisted herself out of harm’s way. As for Aera, her aura grew like a raging flame, repelling all the chains that came for her. A dozen chains erupted from beneath Aera and instantly trapped her in the same prison he trapped Olivia in. Elliot felt the wind shift ominously then.

Erin was right in front of him before he knew it.

Elliot knew Erin possessed Spatial Magic as she used it to avoid his ambush but he didn’t know she would have enough Mana to use another Spatial Magic spell considering her level. He also knew Erin purposely aimed for the moment he used Chain Prison as he wouldn’t be able to use other spells then. He cursed himself and tried to dodge but Erin’s blade split the air and his left arm. Before the blade could continue in its path and find his neck, he managed to repel Erin away as the conjuration of Chain Prison was completed. However, Aera wasn’t trapped. He had underestimated her speed, which bore an irregular rhythm. The wrathful lady pounced across the field and instantly closed the distance between them. Her attacks were straightforward but Elliot doubted he could be unscathed from receiving a single punch. After all, she was also a Divine Apostle.

It was tedious and difficult enough for Elliot to fight against one Apostle in spite of the level difference and he was facing two at once. He slammed a bundle of chains into Aera before flinging himself further away from the two. Aera followed but he kept her at bay by framing his chains into a bush of thorns. He took out a potion and downed the content in one gulp. The bleeding on his empty left stump slowly came to a halt. Though he knew Erin wouldn’t be able to use another Spatial Magic spell, he still kept a wary gaze on her.

“Is this all you got?” Erin taunted.

Elliot snorted. “Such a mellow face but your eyes are so thirsty for blood.” Sweat was pouring from his head and his breathing was rasped. He glimpsed at his left stump once every few seconds. His mind was split between treating his wound first or prioritizing his mark. For the sake of the big picture, prioritizing his mark would be the sensible option but that’s only providing he could eliminate his mark as soon as possible. Knowing Erin’s prowess, that was unlikely, and she wasn’t alone. But he could neither retreat to heal his wound. The Fae would pursue him. He was stuck in a dilemma in which he was the root of it. “Damn it!” he cursed himself and Varus. He never wanted to be a part of this squabble but now he was, for the sake of his village.

“I thirst only for the blood of my enemies.”

“How gracious of you, m’lady,” Elliot said.

“I tried, you know? I tried… I wanted to avoid killing… but they are all so eager to throw themselves to their death at my hands. What was I supposed to do? Let them kill me? I’ll be fine with it if it’s just me they are after but who’s to say that they won’t go after my loved ones too?”

“Is this an excuse I’m hearing?” he responded. He was buying as much time as he could. The longer Erin spoke, the more he could recover. He had the Innate Skill, Natural Recovery at level five. He could heal faster than the average person but if a battle was the judge, it still wasn’t as fast as he wished.

“I tried. I have really tried to avoid bloodshed but none of you would leave me alone. I tried to talk them out but they rather converse with force and blood. And somehow, I’m always in the wrong for responding in kind. Are you going to sing the same tune to me too?”

“I’m not,” he answered.

“Good. Seeing as you’re not entirely unreasonable, this shall be my final warning and your last chance. Back off.”

“I appreciate the sentiment but I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Chains rose like a tidal wave behind him. “The one who kept me under duress, you can’t fight him. No one can. I’m truly sorry that it was to be this way. I held no grudges nor resentment towards you. This is not an obligation. This is personal.”

“I understand but I don’t sympathize. You’re not the first to give such a reason and certainly won’t be the last. And I will never sympathize with the likes of you. This is personal too.”

“I’m glad you understand. Your death will weigh significantly less on my mind now.” At the end of his sentence, the towering chains behind him crashed down and rolled towards her like a raging stream. At the same time, Aera broke through the bush of barbed chains and lunged at Elliot. He sent the chains her way but her burning aura protected her from all harm.

“Forgive me,” he muttered and closed his eyes as he began chanting.

“Bollocks!” Erin uttered as an ominous feeling washed over her along with her Sixth Sense screaming in her head.