36. When the sword is wrapped in halo (1)

“Take care of your back.”

That was what Maxim said to Theodora. It was also something that Theodora hadn’t heard in a long time. Maxim was facing a huge death worm. Maxim’s breathing through his back was rough. Theodora trusted Maxim’s ability. And because Maxim also trusted Theodora, he didn’t worry about his broken leg and left her behind.

Theodora did not answer. He just wants Maxim to defeat the death worm behind his back as quickly as possible, and he has no choice but to wipe out the monsters that are coming.

The monster couldn’t easily approach it. Even if the opponent in front of him was wounded, he realized that it was not an easy prey to attack.

“…”

Theodora looked at Maxim. The giant Death Worm and Maxim were confronting each other. Theodora could sense the slight trembling of the tip of Maxim’s sword.

I had to believe.

Theodora tried to ignore the little bit of anxiety and turned her gaze to the group of monsters that were closing the encirclement.

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Now this was the priority.

How much longer can I hold out?

Maxim looked down at his sword. The blade of the sword, which rolled so violently, even showed a missing tooth.

pounding.

The heart races. The blood flow rushed out of the chest, ran through the forearms to the fingertips, and through the legs to the toes. Mana flows along with the bloodstream. The tightly rotating ring of mana stimulated the wound.

The scar throbs. Maxim ignored the pain. The stabbing pain turned into a burning pain. Maxim kept ignoring the pain and turned mana vigorously. eyes were on fire Condensed explosive power gathered in Maxim’s legs.

Keye!!!

The Death Worm’s mouth contracted greatly and let out a grotesque cry. Maxim looked at its head. Instead of wandering left and right, he threatened Maxim with his huge head drooping as if it had eyes. It clearly recognized Maxim and Theodora.

Dirt dust blows like steam from its reddish shell. Death Worm slowly lowered his body. Every time it moved, cracks cracked on the floor of the wilderness.

Do you jump in or wait for it to run? How should I fight in order to pierce that shell and insert the sword?

The distance between Maxim and Death Worm was getting smaller and smaller. Even though Death Worm was right in front of him, he was gradually narrowing the distance with Maxim without any sign of approaching. The shadow at Maxim’s feet was eaten by the black shadow of the Death Worm. Slowly, suddenly, thin cracks in the ground spread. Maxim took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Maxim’s eyes opened.

The Death Worm’s mouth was wide open. The inside of that round, infinitely close to nothingness was as dark as the world where a solar eclipse occurred. My feet twitched. Maxim’s muscles were eager to kick off the spot and jump up right away.

Time seemed to have stopped.

Maxim’s eyes were reading the movements of the death worm very slowly, one by one, as it fired forward with its head that was fully shrunk like a bowstring. Maxim’s gait changed. The overworked heart pumped out mana.

bang-!

The Death Worm’s head was not enough to have been planted in the ground, so it dug in while making a deep hole. At the same time, Maxim’s new model disappeared.

Kieh-!

And the insect lifted its head again and let out a terrible cry like a scream. Beside it, there was a long, clear, sword scar that dug into the thick shell. Every time the bug struggled, its transparent blood splattered with its flesh in all directions.

“again.”

Maxim’s model faded, and then the sword was again drawn over the Death Worm’s torso. again, again. Each time Maxim swung his arm, Death Worm’s body was scarred. Maxim continued to hack the death worm’s body with cold eyes.

There was no point in hurting him like this. There was no way to kill this goddamn worm, other than dismembering it. The sword currently wielded by Maxim was only scratching.

Kyaaa-!

The Death Worm shrank, then shook it away. The cracking ground stirred and scattered its fragments in all directions.

“Damn it…!”

Fragments of the earth rushed at Maxim. Maxim knocked off the flying stones and rolled over, avoiding them. The Death Worm raised its huge body again, dripping transparent blood onto the ground. Maxim thought it would attack again, but the Death Worm took an unexpected action.

“…this.”

The death worm’s body began to be sucked into the ground again. It was an overly confident move to call it running away.

Is it a ploy to sneak in again and make a surprise attack?

Damn it, there was no way for Maxim now to stop that death worm hiding in the hole again. The dust rose like a sandstorm. Maxim’s steps jumped forward and then stopped. Beyond the hazy vision, I saw the Death Worm’s head disappear into the ground.

You shouldn’t move.

Maxim froze in place. The only way for that monster with no eyes or nose to detect Maxim is to feel the vibration transmitted through Maxim’s movement.

“…for a moment.”

vibration.

Right now, the place where the strongest vibration is resonating is the back, where Theodora is fighting.

Maxim kicked off his seat and ran.

He picked up Theodora, who looked flustered, and kicked off the ground.

“Maxim?!”

“You have to avoid it.”

“what…?”

cringe

There was the sound of the ground cracking. Theodora, realizing what had happened in an instant, clung to Maxim and pinned her down.

“Hold tight.”

Maxim muttered softly.

bang-!

The earth opens its mouth. You can see the mouth of the earth collapsing inward. And beyond that, I could see cogs spinning like a whirlpool.

And the world exploded.

The ground was collapsing. The monsters fighting Theodora fell down and died. Maxim felt a burning pain in his left arm. The armor was ripped off. Looking at the armor on his left arm that was completely shattered, Maxim broke into a cold sweat.

“It’s coming…!”

Theodora cried out in Maxim’s arms. Maxim struggled to endure the pain and twisted his body. A death worm barely passed by him. A huge mass collided with the cliff. Maxim’s body was staggered by the shock wave. Again, Deathwyrm turns its head on Maxim and Theodora.

key device.

The Death Worm was aiming at them with only its head sticking out. Theodora’s face contorted.

“this….”

The ground shakes. The Death Worm instantly raised its head to the sky and let out a long, sharp scream.

Kyaaa-!

The land rises again. Maxim stepped on the collapsing platform and moved to get out of range of the Death Worm’s attack. The Deathwyrm raised its head, its huge, repulsive body exposed all over the ground.

“Maxim, you will need to use your aura.”

I heard Theodora speak.

“If you don’t, there’s no chance of winning, so let me go…!”

couldn’t escape This is because this collapsed land has now become a hunting ground for Death Worms. The Death Worm looking up looked much larger. Maxim closed his eyes.

It wasn’t the time to be thinking.

Theodora was in no condition to fight alongside. Slow movements could have only hindered them.

At one point, he asked himself in the mirror if he would act like an idiot until the end.

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No, not now.

“…”

Maxim let Theodora go. Theodora looked at Maxim with a puzzled expression.

“Theodora, listen carefully.”

Maxim said to Theodora. His voice was firm. Maxim opened the case hanging from Theodora’s belt, took out a signal flare, and put it in Theodora’s hand.

“As soon as I start using the aura, shoot a flare. And…”

Power went into Maxim’s hands.

“Promise me that, no matter what, I’ll prioritize your escape.”

Theodora nodded while looking at the signal flare in her hand, not knowing why.

“Yeah, fine.”

Maxim rose from his seat holding Theodora. Maxim’s footwork as he moved his body seemed to have become lighter, thought Theodora. Maxim set Theodora down behind the rubble, across the undisturbed earth.

“I will only get in the way even if I fight, so stay here.”

Maxim raised his sword and stood up. The death worm was still screaming terribly. Maxim confirmed that he was in the most relaxed state since three years ago. The pain, strangely enough, was not felt very much. The scar was burning like a fire, claiming his presence, but Maxim was ignoring him.

“Did you wait a long time?”

Kyaaa-!

I can hear the cry of an intellectless monster. Death Worm put his head down at Maxim.

The collapsed ground shook again, dropping a chunk of stone. Maxim jumped up. The new type of Maxim rises. It soars high, breaking through the dust created by the death worm. The strengthened body beyond its limits made even time feel slow.

And, fall. Beyond the dripping time, Maxim landed.

Landing like that, Maxim stood on top of the body of the struggling Death Worm. The eyes were cold. Every minute, my body was sending me signals to stop doing this. Maxim’s head ignores the signals the body sends.

Sheared off.

Every time I used mana beyond the limit, I could feel that something was being cut into pieces in my body and in my head. Maxim held the sword upside down.

It was a secret that he hadn’t taken out the Aura Blade until now, and it wasn’t because of a contract with the count. It’s just that if he collapses without being able to defeat that monster here, he won’t be able to send Theodora alive.

Maxim cleared his disturbed breathing. The pain that was starting to get clearer was rather helping him to control his breathing.

The reciprocal grip of the sword made contact with the bastard’s shell. Maxim did not think long and pierced the shell and inserted the sword. Suddenly, clear blood gushed out and brushed Maxim’s cheek.

Death Worm was rampaging. In order to drop Maxim from the top of his back, he rolled over in the wilderness and repeatedly struck his body. Maxim focused.

“Why are you a knight?”

When I had just known her, I remember that the season was probably late spring or early summer. Maxim did not yet understand why this cadet, who always had an expression as cold as ice, showed various expressions to him.

“Why are you a knight?”

Maxim asked Theodora’s question back. At the gymnasium after sunset, Theodora used to come to see Maxim perform as if it were strange. And after Maxim’s dance, I would ask Maxim, who was cleaning up, what to say.

“Why did you want to become a knight?”

Theodora seemed genuinely curious. Maxim shrugged.

“…I didn’t have big dreams. I just like using knives, and I want to face the world in a different way than the people in my family.”

Maxim wiped the sweat from his forehead. Theodora was also staring at Maxim, who was tidying up, wondering what was so interesting. Maxim was concerned about those dark cloud-colored, lifeless eyes. To break the silence that came, Maxim spoke.

“…Don’t just watch, can you help me?”

“Isn’t that what I trained for?”

A hundred times she was right. Maxim scratched the back of his head shamelessly and swept the by-products of his training into a corner of the gymnasium. At that time, Maxim noticed that she was standing next to him before he knew it.

“Give me the broom.”

“…why?”

“I changed my mind. I will help you.”

Seeing her reaching out her hand, pretending to be patronizing, Maxim smiled.

“Why are you laughing?”

“just.”

That word was an impulse.

“Do you want to train here with me later?”

Hearing Maxim’s words, Theodora widened her eyes. Maxim waved his hand and tried to tell him to forget it, wondering if he had said something useless, but Theodora told Maxim the answer before he could pick up his words.

“yes. I’ll come to train when I feel like it.”

This time it was Maxim’s turn to open his eyes wide in surprise. Theodora, perhaps surprised to hear that she had also said yes, was staring into Maxim’s eyes with her eyes wide open.

“…”

“…yes.”

Clearly, Maxim’s goal as a knight was not far-reaching. Yes, from some point on, I decided to use a sword to protect that person.

It was a month later that Maxim was able to manifest his aura.

the world shakes The sky and the earth were turned upside down and the horizon was torn. Maxim drew in a breath, clutching the hilt of his sword. The waves of mana resounding inside his body changed. As the heart beats, a silent resonance spreads through Maxim’s body.

The aura began to dye Maxim’s sword.

Aura Blade.

To the knight, it was a word with a complex and beautiful resonance.

There are only a few knights who can use the Aura Blade. If twenty people become knights, will one of them be able to use it? No matter how much talent one possesses with mana, no matter how great a sense one shows with a sword, the use of an aura lies beyond the realm of talent and effort.

Some say, like destiny, it seems that the people who can use Aura are pre-determined.

A knight using an aura becomes a hero.

A knight who cannot use an aura sharpens his sword, dreaming of becoming a hero.

Aura was a knight’s dream and everything to a knight.

The aura created in this way contains oneself. Nothing else, but oneself with no room for excuses, is put into the sword as it is. The color of the aura is the color of the soul, and the shape of the aura is the shape of the soul.

Maxim’s aura was golden.

It was difficult to say that it was a golden color that shone as brilliantly as the sun, but it was not vulgar and auspicious. Gold was gold that brightened the darkness, and it was also gold that did not change or change. Seeing the aura that resembled her own eyes, Theodora praised it as beautiful.

“…you’re already able to manifest your aura?”

At Theodora’s words, Maxim let out a dejected laugh. The gymnasium at night was hot. It was because of the continuous tropical nights.

“I heard that you were already able to use Aura proficiently before you even entered school. Why are you surprised?”

Theodora narrowed her brows and glared at Maxim.

“No… How long have you said you’ve been holding a sword?”

“Has it been five years now? It was around that time when I first met Master…”

Maxim replied by stabbing his sword on the floor of the gymnasium.

“therefore! What kind of madman pulls out an aura after only five years of holding a sword…”

“…How old are you?”

Theodora gripped her sword dissatisfiedly.

“It has been over 10 years. That’s when I entered school right away.”

Theodora drew her sword. It was a cheap sword supplied by the academy, but it looked different because it was in Theodora’s hand.

Theodora swung her sword into the air without even concentrating. Before I knew it, the blade of the sword was wrapped in platinum mist. It was the same color as her hair. Maxim looked with admiration at the sword Theodora had drawn. The aura, like her personality, was a little uneasy, but clean and flawless.

“Also.”

This time Maxim drew his sword. Theodora was looking at Maxim with a hint of suspicion. Maxim smiled awkwardly at her and began to concentrate.

It blooms.

From the root of the sword body, the auspicious golden scribe slowly began to wind the sword. It was straight. Climbing while wrapping the sword was like a tree growing. Just like that, Maxim showed an aura. The lack of mana wrapped around Maxim’s sword with solidarity.

“…I really need to come.”

Theodora sighed. Eventually, she looked at Maxim’s sword with interest.

“Soon. I like your personality.”

Maxim raised his sword and smiled.

“thanks.”

“And it’s a very beautiful color.”

Theodora smiled faintly.

“Come to think of it, I told you that the color of your eyes is my favorite color.”

Maxim’s face shook. Maxim lowered his head to hide his blushing face.

“…that’s right.”

Theodora said no more. He just raised the corner of his mouth more, as if to make fun of Maxim, who lowered his head.

It wasn’t even intense. It wasn’t even brilliant. However, Maxim’s sword was shining with golden scribbles.

Theodora raised her head. The completely collapsed land was forcing them to look at the scene in front of them while burying all the monsters around them.

wee, wee.

Maxim’s sword resonated and cried. Death Worm, as if anticipating what would happen to him now, began to make his last desperate attempt. Maxim drove the sword deeper into the Death Worm’s body.

Key-!

The Death Worm raised its head and howled. Maxim rotated his body while still holding the sword.

In the sky, a golden moon rose.

Theodora stared blankly at the full moon. The death worm’s body was cut in half and plummeted to the floor.

ridge.

He trembled the ground and fulfilled his command.

The dust settled. Theodora stepped forward to get a closer look at Maxim, though confused that Maxim had finally pulled out his blade to come back.

“Maxim.”

Theodora called Maxim by name. There was no answer. Maxim seemed to have hardened as he cut off the Death Worm.

“Maxim…?”

Maxim slowly turned his head to Theodora. It was a very tired face. The pupils were shaking wildly without focus. It must be in a precarious state for anyone to see.

Something is wrong.

Before Theodora even thought of it,

Crying.

Blood began to leak from Maxim’s mouth.