Chapter Title: Holy Sword Activation
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A short while ago, inside the warehouse.
As Karyl stared with a hardened expression, the children spoke up.
"Mister, Marin... sob sob."
"She dropped her bear doll while running away, and when she went back to pick it up, she got hit by an arrow."
"Hic... She was still breathing just a little while ago..."
'Damn it all!'
It was always like this.
When war or pillaging broke out, the powerless children were the first to be sacrificed.
What had these little kids done wrong to deserve arrows shot at them? They were just born in a poor mountain village and grew up innocently!
'Theos, is this right?'
It was then, as Karyl wore an expression of fury.
Bang!
A bandit with a toad-like ugly mug burst open the warehouse door and shouted.
"The brat's hiding in he...!"
The toad-face grinned dirtily upon seeing the children, but startled upon belatedly noticing Karyl.
He reflexively pulled the trigger on the musket in his hand.
Bang! Clang!
Just before it fired, Karyl swung the holy sword, redirecting the muzzle toward the ceiling.
Then he drove his knee into the toad's solar plexus, toppling him.
"Guh, s-spare me! I won't come back!"
The bandit begged Karyl, who was stepping on his throat with a menacing glare.
"Spare my client, and I'll let you go."
"Wh-what...?"
"The girl over there who died from your arrows. Can you save her?"
"Y-you psycho... kuh!"
Karyl crushed the bandit's throat by pressing down with his foot and scanned outside the warehouse.
Perhaps due to the gunshot, the scattered bandits were gathering.
"Hmph, like wild dogs sniffing blood. Saved me the trouble of hunting you down."
The situation was disadvantageous, but Karyl had no intention of fleeing.
'Revenge for a dead client? Nah, nothing like that.'
He just felt like killing every last one of these bandits here to shake off this filthy mood.
Having hidden the children securely, Karyl dashed outside.
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"You bastards messing around? We don't have time—hurry the hell up!"
Ballun, leader of the Gramlin Bandits, snapped at his men's sluggishness.
They'd been rampaging freely in the area for a while, so now the territory guards were after them, followed by the border defense forces.
They needed to loot quick and bolt, but half his men were still out savoring the spoils.
"Hey, you! Go tell everyone to get back now..."
Bang!
A sudden gunshot from inside the village made Ballun jump.
"Who the hell fired? I said save the damn powder!"
Worse, if the guards or defense forces heard it and came running, they were screwed.
But the shots didn't stop at one.
Bang! Bang!
"Fuck, kill it quick!"
"Aaaah! My hand...!"
Mixed in with the gunfire were shouts and screams.
Moments later, a mid-level officer came running, out of breath, to report.
"Boss, some guy's attacking us!"
"What? We took care of the vigilantes, right?"
"Doesn't seem like vigilantes. He's insanely agile, swordsmanship like a ghost—no one can match him one-on-one, not even groups..."
By the time they spotted him, a good number of grunts were already dead.
'Some tough bastard. Maybe a knight on recon?'
The Gramlin Bandits weren't some ragtag group of farmers.
Ballun had handpicked only battle-hardened deserters and ex-mercenaries, aiming to pool cash and form their own mercenary company abroad.
For such men to be pushed back meant a knight or equivalent.
Fortunately, the enemy was alone and unarmored in heavy plate.
Ballun gathered all remaining men and issued orders.
"Herd him into one spot! Corner him and blast him with volley fire!"
Having served over ten years in the Imperial Central Army before deserting, he knew how to handle strong foes.
But herding the guy into a corner proved harder than expected.
'Damn! This ain't no pushover!'
His swordsmanship was beyond average knights.
Like a lion charging into a wolf pack, he overwhelmed the bandits, swinging freely.
His precision in targeting vitals amid the melee left Ballun impressed.
'Not just skill—smart too.'
He slipped encirclements using obstacles like an eel and dodged behind cover the moment bows or guns fired.
"Fuck, don't wuss out! It's just one guy! Rush him! Overwhelm in one go!"
Ballun menaced his retreating men by aiming his gun.
The enraged bandits charged fiercely, heedless of stabs and slashes.
Swish—thunk!
"Hit! We hit him!"
The pressure worked; they finally landed an arrow and cornered him against a village wall.
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"Huff! Hah! Damn it..."
In an alley of the mountain village, Karyl scowled at the encircling bandits.
He'd killed about twenty when they tailed him; from thirty, their response shifted.
They grouped up and fought organized.
That's when it got tough.
But Karyl figured as long as he leaped between houses, barns, and warehouses without getting boxed in, he'd win.
They were shrewder than expected, using makeshift shields from doors to press numbers.
He took minor wounds from their wild swings; fatigue slowed him, arrows and bullets flew.
Finally, an arrow lodged in his right shoulder; dodging frantically, he ended up in a dead-end alley.
'Worst-case scenario.'
Click-clack!
Behind door-shield bandits, over a dozen muskets and bows aimed at him.
No escape gaps anywhere.
'Tch, if Ralph saw this, he'd say my meddling flared up again.'
Karyl was usually calm and cool-headed.
But sometimes his nosiness kicked in. When he saw something he couldn't ignore, anger overrode control.
He'd taken losses that way but never fixed it.
And he'd never regretted his actions once.
Same here.
"Fuck, who are you? Why attack us? Village rat? Or guard dog?"
The thick-lipped boss bellowed from behind.
Makes sense—came for easy pickings, lost nearly half his grunts.
"Pisses me off."
"What?"
"Passing by, saw your shit, had to butt in. Problem?"
Karyl snapped curtly, yanking the arrow from his shoulder.
'Kuh.'
Burning pain like fire, but bearable.
The dumbfounded boss eyed Karyl's gear, then spoke again.
"Guts match your skill. Wanna join us? I'll spare your life."
"Nah, eat shit. Go hang instead."
Karyl casually flipped him off with his left middle finger.
Ballun grimaced, raising his hand.
Karyl gripped the holy sword, charging stance.
"Crazy fuck, I gave you a chance and you kick it. Fine, turn you to honeycomb. Fire!"
Bang-bang-bang!
Scree! Swish!
Ballun ordered; bullets and arrows flew.
But Karyl was already charging.
'Aiming doesn't mean hitting.'
Unless a marksman like Ralph, muskets or arrows were hard to land.
Better to rush boldly than half-dodge.
A hit or two non-vitals? Survivable.
Induce melee, break encirclement.
In this do-or-die spot, Karyl gambled his life.
But Lady Luck didn't smile this time.
More arrows and shots than expected headed his way.
'Damn, bust.'
Couldn't block or dodge them all.
As death loomed—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Candidate Resonator detected in crisis. Entering emergency protocol.
Vwooom!
Purple radiance flashed from the holy sword, cladding Karyl's body in golden breastplate stamped with its crest.
His wounds healed simultaneously; explosive vitality surged through him.
Bam!
'Wh-what!?'
Ballun's eyes bulged.
The enemy he'd cornered suddenly armored up, deflecting all shots.
That alone wouldn't shock him.
But the guy charged the line in an instant, slashing down—shields and bandits behind cleaved alike!
"Gaaaaah!"
"A-aura!"
The screaming bandits—and even Karyl swinging the sword—were stunned.
Purple light clung to the holy sword's blade.
It resembled the aura he'd always admired.
'Why aura suddenly? And the breastplate?'
Unknown reason, but clear chance.
Karyl hadn't lived easy enough to miss this.
Seizing the reversal, he overwhelmed bandits with vastly enhanced agility.
Slash! Slash-slash!
Each sword flash severed front-line shield-bearers.
Torsos from legs, heads gone, limbs flying.
The bandits lost will, scattering like locusts.
"Fuck, he's an Aura Expert!"
"Run, everyone!"
Karyl eyed the fleeing bandits coldly.
'Not letting a single one escape.'
Half-hearted mercy meant more tragedies for villagers and kids like Marin.
Exterminate thoroughly.
He targeted gunners and archers first.
Even Sword Masters die to bullets. Eliminate threats priority.
"Eek! D-don't come!"
Bang!
One bandit, amid allies dying, reloaded and fired.
Unlike before, Karyl clearly saw the bullet, cleaving it with aura-clad blade.
Diagonal slash followed; bandit and musket bisected slantwise.
'Slicing a man this easily!'
Halving flesh and bone ain't easy.
Amateurs chip blades on straw dummies.
But aura made armed bandits snap like twigs.
'Now I get why knights and Cavaliers see mercs as rats or bugs.'
No intent to become one.
But these bandits? Annihilate without mercy.
Hyenas preying on innocents.
'Scum like this benefits the world dead.'
Karyl pursued fleeing bandits with aura-infused sword.
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"Fuck! Goddamn it all!"
Ballun abandoned his slaughtering men, fleeing desperately.
Mounted his horse at village entrance, spurred it madly.
'Insane! What bullshit is this!'
Bad luck shouldn't hit this hard.
Raiding a tiny mountain village, and an Aura Expert pops out!
'Why no aura at first?'
Had he used it from start, no cornering—early massacre.
'Late awakening? Or magic sword...'
Sudden breastplate suggests magic item.
Anyway, escape now.
Far as possible!
'All God! Save me! I'll never bandit again... guh!'
Praying frantically, an arrow struck Ballun's back.
Thud.
Falling from the horse, he saw someone approaching fast.
Karyl, face like the Grim Reaper.